Middle Orient

On February 24, Russia attacked Ukraine, bombarding multiple cities, and killing soldiers and civilians. Russia’s attack plunged Europe into one of its most serious security crises since World War II. As a result, President Joe Biden, European leaders, and other US allies announced severe sanctions, targeting major Russian financial institutions …

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might be aiming to tighten his grip on the domestic front, taking advantage of Ankara’s rising profile amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A Turkish court sentencing of prominent Turkish philanthropist and businessman Osman Kavala and seven other defendants on April 25 in the trial …

Baghdad’s military moves in Sinjar, coinciding with a Turkish military operation in northern Iraq, and the construction of a wall along the border with Syria have rekindled fears among the local Yazidi population. As the struggle for control in Iraq’s northwestern region of Sinjar escalates, some observers believe that Turkish …

Thousands or people fled a northern Iraqi town amid fierce clashes between the army and a militia linked to a Kurdish separatist group, the military and local Iraqi Kurdish officials said Monday. At least 3,000 people left Sinjar and its surrounding areas, the officials said, and headed farther north toward …

Ukraine Month saw relative calm in Kyiv region as Russian forces withdrew to launch new offensive in east, where fighting could worsen as it edges closer to urban areas. Russian troops by 2 April had vacated stretch of land between Kyiv’s north-western suburbs and Belarusian border, as well as Chernihiv …

The Greek government is expected to raise with its EU partners Ankara’s decision not to join western sanctions against Russia, questioning Turkey’s narrative of being a neutral broker, EURACTIV has learned. “It’s inconceivable that Turkey has managed to escape western sanctions against Russia,” a source close to the matter told …

An attack on a Ramadan iftar on Wednesday was the latest to be blamed on ISIL in Syria’s northeast. ISIL (ISIS) is believed to have carried out a spate of attacks in the past week in northeastern Syria, an indication, experts and monitors have said, that the group is potentially …

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz discussed Israel’s delicate strategic balance between Ukraine, Russia and Iran in an exclusive podcast interview with Al-Monitor’s Ben Caspit. Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz told Al-Monitor that his government continues to engage with Russia in a tacit agreement that allows Israeli airstrikes against Iranian targets …

Knesset member Itamar Ben Gvir is taking his battle against the government up a notch, attacking personally both Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar. The Shin Bet was stunned to discover a series of advertisements in Friday’s newspapers (April 29) attacking its director Ronen Bar. The …

As it continues its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia finds itself facing growing international isolation, including an expanding list of sanctions. While not exactly a pariah nation, Russia can now count on few allies. Other nations have remained essentially neutral, including China, the Persian Gulf monarchies, and Turkey. The government …