Middle Orient

Iran could be slightly increasing its naval threats to the region by building a new missile boat. The new vessel, which appears to be under construction, was detailed in an article by H.I. Sutton at USNI News. Sutton also writes at the website Covert Shores where he is an expert …

Hezbollah, Hamas and other Iranian-backed groups have increased their drone threats over the last years. Israel’s downing of three drones on Saturday illustrates the growing nexus of Iran-Hezbollah threats in the region – and specifically the Lebanese terrorist organization’s escalating attempts to target gas platforms off the coast of Israel. …

“Hezbollah continues to terrorize and undermines Lebanon’s ability to reach a maritime agreement. Israel will continue to defend itself.” Israel will defend itself and its assets, Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned on Sunday, a day after the Israel Air Force thwarted an attempted attack by Hezbollah on a gas rig …

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad thanked Iran Saturday night for helping to reduce tension between Damascus and Ankara. Turkey has been threatening in recent weeks to invade northern Syria, launch a military operation against Kurdish militias in the area, and establish a 30-kilometer buffer zone along the border by removing …

While the leaders of NATO were meeting in Madrid last week, another gathering was taking place 5,300 km to the east in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where the leaders of the five littoral states of the Caspian Sea (Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan) gathered for the 6th Caspian Summit. It was …

The strike came shortly before midnight on Monday, according to al-Araby al-Jadeed. A drone strike by the U.S.-led coalition in northwestern Syria killed a senior member of an Al-Qaeda-linked group, Syrian opposition activists and the U.S. military said on Tuesday. The attack on the suspected militant, who was riding a …

The attack is the deadliest since the start of a series of assassinations in the area, according to al-Modon. An unidentified armed group attacked the house of the former secretary-general of the Baath Socialist Party branch in the Daraa governorate, Kamal al-Atma, in the northern city of al-Sanamayn. They killed …

Iran-backed militias continue to arrest Syrian fighters who refuse to fight with them, according to Asharq al-Awsat. Iran-backed militias continue to arrest local fighters who refuse to participate in combing operations in the Deir-ez-Zor countryside desert. The militias arrested at least 28 Syrian members amid reports of apprehending others who …

Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum “that addresses Turkey’s concerns.” Did Turkey receive a green light to launch an operation in Northern Syria? Ankara’s unexpected decision to welcome Sweden and Finland into NATO led many observers to believe that it got tacit approval from western countries for an …

In an ideal scenario, Iraq would completely break free from Iranian control. Unfortunately, today’s world — and the Middle East in particular — rarely sees an ideal scenario come to light. The Goldilocks scenario is a mirage in our region. Instead, we usually witness a complicated and endless situation. This …