Middle Orient

Jihadi leader’s donation to IDP camps in Syria questioned as PR stunt

Some observers feel that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani’s donation of $1 million to displaced camp residents is more about public relations than benevolence. The latest public appearance of the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib again raised controversy. On …

Read More »

Israel’s Herzog leads rapprochement with Turkey

Jerusalem is well aware that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a long list of own interests behind his rapprochement campaign. Israeli diplomats are dubious but pleased at the burgeoning romance between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Erdogan is not very popular in Israel, to …

Read More »

US raid raises questions on Turkey’s commitment vs. Islamic State

The Islamic State leader’s hideout a stone’s throw away from Turkey’s border and Syrian Democratic Forces involvement in the raid have raised fresh questions over Ankara’s fight against the Islamic State. The leader of the Islamic State, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed in a Syrian hideout close to the …

Read More »

Belarus to Send 200 Troops to Serve in Syria Alongside Russians

Belarus plans to deploy up to 200 troops to Syria to serve alongside Russian forces in the country, according to a Russian government document released Monday. A draft agreement between Russia and its ally Belarus endorsed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin says that the Belarusian troops will work to …

Read More »

Trade Volume Between Syrian Regime and Russia Tripled in 2021

The Russian ambassador in Damascus says trade between the two countries tripled in 2021, according to Enab Baladi Trade between Russia and the Syrian regime’s government tripled in 2021, compared to the same period of 2020. “According to current data, bilateral trade with Damascus in the first 11 months of …

Read More »

U.S. General Warns of Russia-Ukraine Conflict Spilling Over into Syria

The candidate for commander-in-chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East has warned senators of serious repercussions for the Middle East, particularly Syria, if Russia launches a military operation against Ukraine. At a Senate Defense Committee hearing on his candidacy, Gen. Michael Eric Corella said that the United States faces …

Read More »

“Promising” Commitments: Syrian Figures Meet Turkish Interior Minister

Syrian and Turkish officials met with Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu to discuss the situation of refugees in Turkey, according to al-Souria Net. In a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, Syrian and Turkish officials met with Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu and Director of General Immigration Savas Unlu to discuss Syrian-related …

Read More »

AANES Holds Both Washington and Moscow Responsible for Turkish Escalation

The Interior Board in the Jazira region of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) condemned, Thursday, the Turkish forces’ frequent attacks on its areas, at the same time holding Washington and Moscow responsible for those attacks. A Turkish drone bombed a car in the village of Bahira …

Read More »

The Real Apartheid in the Middle East

Where is the outcry from Amnesty International and other human rights organizations? When an Arab country subjects Palestinians to actual apartheid measures, the international community is too busy lying about Israel’s alleged abuses to take notice. “It is estimated that 65% of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live under the …

Read More »

Islamic State Out to Prove It’s More Than Its Leader

The Islamic State is so far showing few signs of faltering, just days after U.S. special operation forces dropped into northwest Syria and surrounded the terror group’s leader, who they say then blew himself up without a fight. Intelligence agencies and independent analysts tracking IS on social media have yet …

Read More »