Middle Orient

Iran Battles on Multiple Fronts

A new cycle of attacks and responses between Iran and its adversaries threatens regional stability and the potential revival of the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear agreement. Israel has demonstrated a remarkable ability to execute operations targeting Iranian officials within Iran.Iranian leaders appear to have decided to retaliate against the U.S. …

Read More »

Turkey has Long Been an Important Support Base for Islamic State

Late last week, Turkey announced the capture of a high-ranking member of Islamic State (IS) in Istanbul, initially believed to be the new leader, though that is now uncertain. Since its rise in 2014, IS financiers and logisticians have cultivated and maintained robust support networks throughout Turkey, but now, it …

Read More »

Lebanese Politicians Sued in the US for Kidnap and Torture

A U.S. court has asked Lebanon’s judiciary to serve legal papers against two top Lebanese politicians seeking to compel their response to accusations they orchestrated the kidnap and torture of a Lebanese-American couple. Elie Samaha, a U.S.-Lebanese citizen, and his wife Lara Samaha, who holds a U.S. green card, are …

Read More »

Iraqi Kurdish authorities blame Iraqi Hezbollah militants for drone attack in Erbil

The Kurdistan Regional Government on Thursday accused Iraqi Hezbollah-linked militants of carrying out a drone attack in Erbil that wounded three civilians and damaged several vehicles. The strike occurred on the outskirts of Erbil, on the road to Pirmam, at 9.35pm local time on Wednesday. Officials said a drone was …

Read More »

Hezbollah leader threatens to hit Israel’s offshore gas rig

The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group threatened Thursday to strike a gas rig Israel is setting up in the Mediterranean Sea and that Lebanon claims is in a disputed maritime area between the two countries. Israel says the location is part of its U.N.-recognized exclusive economic zone. Hezbollah’s Hassan …

Read More »

Why Washington should provide direct cash payments to the Lebanese army

For an organization that disintegrated twice over the past four-and-a-half decades — once in 1976 and again in 1984 — the Lebanese army is no stranger to crisis. But with Lebanon’s economy in free fall, the predicament in which the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) now finds itself is unprecedented. The …

Read More »

Turkish Media: Army & Allies Completed Preparations for Military Operation in Syria

Turkish media said that the Turkish army and factions of the Syrian National Army have completed preparations and are waiting for Ankara’s order to start a new cross-border operation in northern Syria. The Turkish newspaper, Sabah Daily, reported that the Turkish army had taken combat positions around the cities of …

Read More »

Washington Warns of “Costly Setbacks” in Northern Syria if Turkey Attacks

In a press briefing on Tuesday, the spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, Ned Price, renewed his country’s concerns about a breach of the 2019 ceasefire agreement in northeast Syria and said that any escalation by Turkey would affect the battle against the Islamic State Organization (ISIS). “I’ve previously …

Read More »

Lines of Contact Unchanged, Army Reinforcing its Forces North of Raqqa

The positions of frontlines remain unchanged in northern Syria, despite the high frequency of Turkish attacks and the Erdogan regime’s continued threats to occupy the border strip at a depth of 30 kilometres. Developments in the field seemed to be racing against political developments. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein …

Read More »

Fearing Iranian Expansion, Russia Increases Economic Activity in Syria

Russia has revived several economic projects, especially in the field of transports, according to al-Hal Net. Recently, Russia appears to have started increasing its economic activity in Syria, which has followed Iran’s exploitation of the Russian preoccupation with invasions of Ukrainian territory. In this context, Iran was presented with an …

Read More »