Middle Orient

State media aired what it said was Intelligence Ministry footage of the arrest of two French citizens, accused of attempting to “instigate chaos” by inciting Iran’s protesting teachers. One week after a statement on the arrest of two Europeans, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry revealed the identities, nationality and details of what …

The warning by Defense Minister Benny Gantz over Iran manufacturing and installing 1,000 advanced centrifuges, and the IDF drill simulating an attack on Iran, express growing concerns in Jerusalem over the reported failure of the Vienna talks. Iran is attempting to complete the manufacture and installation of 1,000 IR6 advanced …

Extensive meetings were held in the past days between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Idlib, and the Levant Front, one of the most prominent and strongest groups of the Syrian National Army, in a bid to reach a compromise between the two sides. Commanders from one of the leading factions …

If Ankara can be tactful about Stockholm and Helsinki’s possible membership in NATO, it has a chance to see its concerns addressed. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine turned the spotlight on Turkey’s status as a regional power. Sweden and Finland’s expected bid to join NATO could further boost Turkish influence if …

The Russo-Ukrainian war has had a direct impact on the status of the various China–Central Asia–Russia–Europe transit corridors that traverse Eurasia. The Northern Corridor branch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in particular, has faced serious challenges and limitations, forcing a halt to the so-called “New Eurasian Land Bridge” …

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statement on May 13 that Turkey would not consider Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership favorably, has exposed the conflict that has been going on behind closed doors since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The plan to make Sweden and Finland, which are members of the European …

Israeli police fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday as they tried to disperse crowds of stone-throwing Palestinian demonstrators following the funeral of a young Palestinian man who died from injuries sustained during confrontations with police last month. Dozens of people were reported wounded. Hundreds of mourners joined the funeral …

Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and its allies lost their parliamentary majority, final elections results showed Tuesday, while more than a dozen independent newcomers gained seats. The outcome signaled a shift in a country devastated by an ongoing financial meltdown and soaring poverty. Formal results for Sunday’s elections showed no clear …

Independent reformist candidates won at least 13 seats in elections for Lebanon’s parliament, and Hizbullah and its allies appear likely to lose their majority in the 128-member assembly, according to reports. The results of the weekend election were announced on Tuesday by Lebanon’s Interior Ministry; Voter turnout was historically low …

Iran is just “a few weeks away” from having enough enriched uranium to build its first nuclear bomb, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz told an Institute for National Security Studies conference at Herzliya’s Reichman University. The Islamic Republic has doubled its supply of 60% enriched uranium to 60 kilograms, Gantz …