Middle Orient

The US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that it arrested a suspected ISIS leader and two local collaborators in Raqqa on Sunday. “Our forces have raided a house where the terrorist was hiding with the help of two local collaborators who helped in securing shelter and movement,” the SDF …

Iran-linked parties in Iraq are playing on perceived and actual support for once-ostracized Sunni leaders to divide their political opponents despite inherent risks. Following series of meetings between Kurdistan Democratic Party and their Shiite and Sunnies allies in Erbil in order to form a majority government, a high delegation from …

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s visit to Israel May 24 could finally open the way for both countries to reinstate their ambassadors. Israeli and Turkish representatives are both expected to participate May 10 at the spring meeting of the international donor group for Palestine (AHLC). But apart from the expected …

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iranian leaders. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a rare visit to Tehran to meet with Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020, Khamenei has not met …

Although Ankara has secured several diplomatic strides by normalizing its relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, rapprochement with Egypt still seems a challenging prospect. Turkey’s efforts to turn a fresh leaf with its former Arab rivals have so far been fraught with U-turns and unilateral concessions from …

Israel’s rapidly deteriorating relations with Russia contain a message for other Middle Eastern powers: attempting to remain on the sidelines of the conflict in Ukraine risks falling in between the cracks. Like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey, Israel has sought to maintain good relations with the United …

On April 18, 2022 Turkey launched a new ground and air offensive against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. Supported by helicopters and drones, Turkish jets and artillery struck suspected targets of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and then commando troops crossed into the region by land or were airlifted …

Saudi Arabia’s dialogue with Iran reflects the Kingdom’s uncertainty about the U.S. role in ensuring the security of the Persian Gulf. Talks between the two traditional adversaries have made progress on relatively manageable issues, including the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage. U.S. officials are hoping that the talks could advance a political …

As the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip compete to develop new advanced weapons, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing announced for the first time a new drone capable of carrying small-sized missiles. As part of their ongoing military preparations and less than a year after the Israeli war on the …

Both powers are fostering a reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan to promote greater stability in the region. Since Azerbaijani forces crossed into Armenia’s Syunik and Geghrkunik provinces in May 2021, border tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have continued to flare. After a gradual ebb in hostilities from mid-January, Armenia repeatedly …