Middle Orient

Israel strikes military targets in Damascus amid increased concerns over Syria-Russia ties. Syria’s air defense systems were activated at 1 a.m. local time on Feb. 9 (2300 GMT, Feb. 8) and Syrian state media reported that the “Israeli enemy” had allegedly carried out an aerial strike on Syria from an …

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has unveiled a new ballistic missile with a range of 1,450 kilometers (900 miles), which enjoys high agility and is capable of striking its designated targets with pinpoint accuracy. The missile, dubbed Khaybar Shekan, was put on display on Wednesday during a ceremony attended …

As a concept, grand strategy refers to the long-range instrumental mobilisation of a state’s combined resources, vectors of influence and capabilities in order to achieve an advantageous position, satisfy vital national interests, enhance national security, and navigate assertively in an environment in which uncertainty and danger are commonplace. As such, …

US Central Command chief says F-22 Raptor squadron will arrive in Emirates next week The US military commander in the Middle East is planning to target Houthi missiles and drones on the ground before they are fired towards the UAE. Lt Gen Kenneth McKenzie said the plan is part of …

The influence of religious schools is growing in Idlib, with their fundamentalist curricula under the supervision of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Amid the deteriorating conditions in public schools in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib and lack of funding, with teachers who have worked without getting paid for years going on regular …

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has arrested a number of figures belonging to jihadi groups, such as Hurras al-Din and Sham al-Islam, in an ongoing arrest campaign against rivals and former allies. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, has recently stepped up its arrest campaign against al-Qaeda-affiliated …

Unless the US and Iran reach an agreement that imposes meaningful, long-term restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear activities, any deal reached in Vienna is unlikely to prove politically durable. Last week, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ) took to the Senate floor to rip the Biden’s administration’s Iran policy …

While U.S. President Joe Biden seems determined to reduce the U.S. footprint in the Middle East, finally embracing Washington’s long-discussed pivot to Asia, French President Emmanuel Macron is headed in the opposite direction. In recent years, Macron has made repeated trips to Lebanon, Iraq and the Gulf states, and launched …

In late November, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Morocco to formalize military cooperation between both countries with the signing of a memorandum of understanding. Gantz’s trip came a year after Morocco normalized its diplomatic relations with Israel and follows a previous visit by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to Rabat …

If Washington is as committed as ever to its historical role as security guarantor in the Middle East, why do U.S. officials feel compelled to constantly reassure their regional partners that the U.S. isn’t pulling back from the region? The question speaks to the disconnect between Washington’s strategic interests in …