Middle Orient

Ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine last week, comparisons to the United States’ 2003 invasion of Iraq have inevitably and understandably emerged. After all, at transformative moments in world history like the one we’re currently witnessing, analysts naturally draw historical analogies to make sense of …

Ahead of Biden’s visit, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, in a clear message to the US administration and other Western powers, affirmed that any nuclear agreement or future negotiations with Iran must address the Iranians’ “destabilizing behavior in the region, their support for terrorist militias, and their missile program.” “Western …

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has decided to restore ties with Syria, 10 years after its leadership shunned Damascus over opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on a revolt against his rule, two sources within the group told Reuters. One official who asked not to be named said the two …

Turkey and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday declared their determination to start a “new era of cooperation” during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as they set aside years of acrimony following the brutal slaying of a Saudi columnist. The Turkish fiancée of the slain journalist meanwhile, decried …

The Israeli military has devised a new southern border strategy to contend with emerging and existing threats, including those posed by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) to the west and forces aligned with Iran to the east, as well as smugglers seeking to bring drugs and weapons into the …

Israeli strikes put Damascus International Airport out of action last week with flights diverted to Aleppo, in Syria’s north, or grounded altogether. While Israel has launched countless attacks on Iranian arms convoys in and around the airport before, the damage to the civilian annex was unprecedented. Syrian authorities say the …

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack on a civilian bus in northern Syria that killed 13 people and wounded three. The extremist group said in a statement late Monday that its gunmen attacked the bus with automatic rifles. It also posted photos of the attack. The …

A flight by private Syrian airline Cham Wings landed on Tuesday at an airport used by Russia’s military in the coastal province of Latakia in western Syria, the country’s state news agency reported. The flight from the city of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates was the first to land …

An unidentified airman has been arrested in connection with an attack using explosives in April on a small U.S. military base in Syria that wounded four American service members, Air Force officials said Tuesday. “As part of an ongoing investigation, on June 16, an airman was taken into custody stateside …

The US regional summit in Jeddah, scheduled for next month, topped the agenda of a trilateral meeting between Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and Jordan’s King Abdullah in Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday. US President Joe Biden will visit Jeddah on July 15-16, where he …