Middle Orient

Hopes dim in stranded Syrian camp near US military base

Some 10,000 displaced Syrians living in a squalid camp miles away from the American garrison of al-Tanf had hoped the Biden administration would resolve their plight. The Biden administration touted this summer’s United Nations Security Council deal to avert humanitarian disaster in northwest Syria as proof that Washington and Moscow …

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Dutch court convicts Iranian refugee on terror charges

A court in the Netherlands convicted an Iranian refugee Wednesday of preparing and financing terror attacks in his homeland targeting the Iranian government and its supporters. The 42-year-old man was sentenced to four years imprisonment. The man, whose identity was not released in line with Dutch privacy rules, was linked …

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Saudi Arabia classifies Lebanese association as terrorist entity for Hezbollah links

Saudi Arabia classified the Lebanon-based Al-Qard Al-Hassan association as a terrorist entity, citing links to activities supporting Lebanon’s Shi’ite group Hezbollah, state media reported on Wednesday. “The association works on managing funds for the terrorist organization (Hezbollah) and its financing, including support for military purposes,” the state news agency said …

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Turkey Reinforces Syria Troops for Possible Attack on U.S. Ally

Turkey deployed hundreds more troops in northern Syria overnight in preparation for a long-suspended offensive against American-backed Kurdish forces, according to two officials, a move that could help President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shore up flagging domestic support and put pressure on the U.S. and Russia to rein in the Kurdish …

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Lebanon: Beirut violence fuels fears of return to civil war

My friend and neighbour Richard was starting a series of online meetings at his office on the south-east edge of Beirut when all hell suddenly broke loose. He spent the next three hours sheltering on the ground floor as the sounds of war raged around the building, triggering a rush …

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Iraqi independents to form new parliamentary bloc

Representatives of the demonstrations and independent candidates did well in the Iraqi elections, unsettling many existing political elites. A group of independents and representatives from the October Movement plan to form an independent parliamentary bloc to oppose powerful forces and parties in the political arena. Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission …

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Syrian government forces deploy in response to Turkish threat

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces are sending military reinforcements to Tel Rifaat to confront any possible military operation that the Turkish army and the Turkish-backed Free Syria Army may launch. The Syrian government forces and their affiliated militias are still deploying military reinforcements in Tel Rifaat, which is under the …

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Muqtada al-Sadr: Iraq’s kingmaker in uncertain times

Al-Sadr’s party controls 70 of a total 329 parliamentary seats in Iraq and the movement has a large base across country. Muqtada al-Sadr remains one of Iraq’s most influential political figures and plays a pivotal role when it comes to the country’s future. He is currently considered the kingmaker, but …

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ISIL attack on Iraqi village kills 11 ‘defenceless civilians’

Police said the ISIL attackers used several vehicles and semi-automatic guns in their attack. At least 11 people have been killed and others wounded in an ISIL (ISIS) attack on a village in Diyala province in eastern Iraq, according to the country’s security forces. The attack on Tuesday targeted “defenceless …

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US military exit from Syria unlikely anytime soon, officials say

Speculation has been rife American forces would withdrawal from Syria after the Afghanistan pullout in an effort to end ‘forever wars’. The United States will not be withdrawing its roughly 900 troops from northeast Syria any time soon, despite mounting speculation it would do so following its much-maligned August pull-out …

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