Middle Orient

The Russian army has expanded its military operations in the Syrian desert region since early April, following the decline of its operations in March and late February, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The Observatory indicated that the Russian fighter jets launched 240 air raids on the Syrian desert …

The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ overseas missions expressed admiration for the assailants behind the recent attacks in Israel, which he took as a sign of the Jewish state’s vulnerability. After a chain of deadly attacks inside Israel, commander of Iran’s Quds Force Esmail Ghaani declared that Tehran …

An Islamic State cell operating in Iraq’s largely desert province of Anbar killed two Iraqi soldiers the day after an armed drone allegedly from Iran-linked armed groups was shot down at a major base hosting coalition forces in the same area. Islamic State (IS) fighters took advantage of reduced visibility …

Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, discussed the looming Iranian nuclear accord, chances of a Palestinian political process, the war in Ukraine, Arab-Israeli normalization and more, at a breakfast hosted by Al-Monitor. Israel is concerned it will bear the consequences of a restored nuclear agreement with Iran that …

Turkish minister Cavusoglu also raised the question of whether the sanctions against Russia will be lifted in the event that the Kremlin withdraws its soldiers from Ukraine. On Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that Turkey will not join the sanctions of the European Union against Russia and will …

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait invited Iran on Wednesday to hold negotiations to determine the eastern limit of a joint, energy-rich, offshore area, the Saudi state-news agency SPA reported. The two Gulf Arab monarchies reaffirmed their right to develop the Durra natural gas field, located in this area, the Saudi Press …

Since its 2019 defeat, ISIL has morphed into a series of affiliates taking hold in Afghanistan and Africa’s Sahel belt. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS) has changed form several times over the years. With its origins in the aftermath of the US invasion of …

Iran’s future should not be dependent on the success or failure of negotiations to revive the nuclear agreement with the world powers, the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told senior officials on Tuesday, according to state television. Khamenei said that the negotiations, reported to be stalled for the last …

A Hamas sources says the factions in Gaza — and particularly Hamas — do not intend to fire rockets at Israel at this point, but rather wait to see how things evolve on the ground Palestinian factions in Gaza said Wednesday that they are prepared to respond to any Israeli …

Fears are mounting about a looming humanitarian catastrophe amid concerns that Russia will close the last border crossing through which UN and NGO aid passes to reach millions of needy in north Syria. The Syrian Response Coordination Group (RCG), an Idlib-based humanitarian nongovernmental organization assisting the displaced in northwestern Syria, …