Middle Orient

Saudi dissident killed in Lebanon; his brothers detained

A Saudi opposition party said Sunday that one of its founding members was killed in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The National Assembly Party, whose members live in exile, said that founding member Manea Al-Yami was slain in “complicated circumstances.” “Upon the news of the assassination, the party has been trying …

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Syrian Government Grants Russians New Investment for 45 years

Lattakia City Council signed a contract with the Russian company Sinara Int to invest in tourism, according to Hashtag Syria. On Tuesday, the Lattakia City Council signed a contract with the Russian company Sinara Int to invest in the tourist site of Jules Jammal. This comes with the aim of …

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News of Joint Military Operations Room Between Damascus and SDF

Discussions are underway between representatives of the Syrian government and the SDF militias to stave off the aggression threatened by Turkish regime leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to cut off Syrian territory. Sources said that results depend on the militias providing field and administrative concessions to the Syrian government in areas …

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Israel Targets Iranian Cells in Golan, Kills Hezbollah Operatives

An Israeli drone targeted a leader close to Lebanon’s Hezbollah in the town of Hader, according to al-Souria Net. On Wednesday, an Israeli drone targeted a leader close to Lebanon’s Hezbollah in the town of Hader in the northern countryside of Quneitra, Israeli media reported. Israel’s Channel 13 said that …

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Syrian Islamic Council: Mufti’s Meeting with Haniyeh to Discourage Hamas from Normalizing with Regime

The Syrian Islamic Council said it rejects the Iranian axis, but also normalization with Israel, according to Syria TV, The Syrian Islamic Council issued a video statement read out by its spokesman Sheikh Moutee’ al-Bateen, explaining the leaked recording in which the (opposition) Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic, …

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Turkey Shelves Syria Offensive after Russian Objection

Ankara said there was “no need to hurry” a military operation in Northern Syria, according to Arab News. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey is in no rush to stage a new military operation against armed Kurdish militants in Northern Syria.

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Lebanese Minister Insists on Repatriation Plan, Visit to Syria Soon

The UN has rejected the plan by the Lebanese government, according to al-Souria Net. Lebanese caretaker Minister of Displaced Persons, Issam Sharaf al-Din, said that Lebanon is determined to move forward with plans to repatriate Syrian refugees currently residing in Lebanon. On Wednesday, the Lebanese government news service the National …

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Cavusoglu, Lavrov discuss Ukraine, food security ahead of G20 meeting

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov have a thorough exchange of views on international and regional affairs with particular emphasis on the situation in Ukraine. Turkish and Russian foreign ministers have held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting in Bali, …

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Iraq—and the West—Haven’t Finished the Job of Defeating ISIS

The Islamic State, or ISIS, made global headlines recently on account of two significant developments in Syria: a prison uprising in Hasakeh in late January and the raid by U.S. special operations forces a week later, on Feb. 3, that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi …

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Punishing Assad Shouldn’t Stand in the Way of Helping Syrians

Normalization of diplomatic ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad raises troubling questions for humanists who are also realists. When an evil regime wins a bloody war that allows it stay in power, how can a liberal-democratic state express solidarity for victims of that regime’s brutality without engaging in fantasy politics? …

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