Middle Orient

With Libyan presidential elections set for late December, Saddam Haftar touched down in Tel Aviv last week for a secret meeting. Could Israeli normalization with Libya be on the horizon? Last Monday, a private jet – a French-manufactured Dassault Falcon, registration P4-RMA – took off from Dubai and landed at …

Major-General Hossein Salami, chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and keynote speaker in this year’s ceremonies, even claims that the US has already lost its global leadership position while a trio made of China, Russia and Iran is emerging as the new arbiter of human destiny. Not responding …

In its latest spat with yet another country in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia recently recalled its ambassador to Lebanon and banned Lebanese imports. At times, Lebanon has been caught in the middle of the regional competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin …

Iran’s drone strike on the U.S. base at Al Tanf, in Syria last week, reflects Iran’s increasing willingness to take direct military action against its adversaries. After U.S. actions in Afghanistan, Iran perceives that military pressure might compel the United States to withdraw entirely from Syria as well as from …

ISIS is slowly regrouping in both Iraq and Syria, forming sleeper cells to launch attacks, while maintaining an effective command-and-control to wage a low-level guerrilla insurgency and mobilize new support. The Islamic State is able to conduct asymmetric attacks on civilians and security forces, but can also marshal the resources …

For the second year in a row, the South Caucasus is seeing tensions as regional powers scramble for influence in a region which is increasingly important energy-wise and an interconnector between Europe and Central Asia. And for the second year in a row, the West is notably absent. In 2020, …

The fifth election since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003 generated a record-low turnout of just 41 percent. However, the results contained some surprises. While the elections took place about three weeks ago, the Pro-Iranian groups continue to denounce the results from Iraq’s elections as “manipulation” and a “scam.” …

LEBANON A diplomatic spat erupted with Gulf states after footage emerged of Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi criticising the Saudi-led war in Yemen before his ministerial appointment. In response, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates expelled Lebanese ambassadors from their countries and recalled their own ambassadors, while …

Factions pulling out of the recently formed Syrian Liberation Front raise questions about the future of Turkish-backed rebel groups. Sources close to Sultan Soleman Shah Brigade, one of the largest factions of the Syrian Liberation Front, said that the brigade has effectively withdrawn from the front to join the Thaeeroun …

Washington is trying to bring its Middle Eastern allies into line with international efforts to revive the transition to democracy in Khartoum. The United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates released a joint statement on Wednesday calling on Sudan’s military to immediately release those arrested …