Middle Orient

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seem to be competing for a mediator role between Russia and Ukraine, but are they? Jerusalem has been cautious these past few days over Israel’s mediation efforts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, first …

Introduction Late 2021 and early 2022 had presented some reason for possible optimism with regards to diplomatic moves aimed at tackling Syria’s long deadlocked political process. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed everything. Syria diplomacy as we know it is over and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis appears to be …

The Saudi-based Gulf Cooperation Council on Thursday invited warring sides in Yemen for talks aimed at ending the civil war in the Arab world’s most impoverished country, a conflict now in its eight year. However, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have already rejected Riyadh — the Saudi capital were the GCC …

As a result of the attack, not yet claimed by any group, five powerful explosions shook the military compound, the Russian news agency Sputnik reported in Arabic, citing local sources. A U.S.-occupied military base in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor has been targeted by a drone and missile …

As the war in Ukraine rages on, diplomats trying to salvage the languishing 2015 Iran nuclear deal have been forging ahead with negotiations despite distractions caused by the conflict. They now appear to be near the cusp of a deal that would bring the U.S. back into the accord and …

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian described the expansion of relations with neighbors, including Russia, as a main priority in the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy. In a meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, Amirabdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov discussed the bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues of …

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, has spoken of his pleasure at meeting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for key talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The two leaders reviewed efforts to strengthen ties and discussed the “humanitarian impact” …

As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan watches Russian forces flounder in Ukraine, he may be rethinking his own ambitions — or concluding that Turkey is in a better spot than ever. Turkey’s diplomatic isolation was the focus of excited punditry in recent years. But today, Ankara is running out of …

Turkey’s position over the Russian invasion of Ukraine ​​has resonated as a pro-Western shift in Ankara’s foreign policy, but Erdogan needs to go the extra mile. Turkey is no longer the isolated country it was 21 days ago. The ruthless Russian invasion in Ukraine that began Feb. 24 has changed …

The Islamic State group is moving to solidify support for its new leader, sharing photos on social media showing fighters uniting behind his rule. One set of photos obtained by JihadoScope, a company that monitors online activity by Islamist extremists, and shared with VOA on Friday, shows a small group …