Middle Orient

SOHR sources have reported that Turkish-backed factions arrested a cell working for regime forces, as the cell’s agents worked on providing the Syrian regime with coordinates and positions on the factions of the “National Army”. It is worth noting that regime and ISIS cells are prevalent in areas under the …

The failed assassination attempt against Iraq’s prime minister at his residence on Sunday has ratcheted up tensions following last month’s parliamentary elections, in which the Iran-backed militias were the biggest losers. Helicopters circled in the Baghdad skies throughout the day, while troops and patrols deployed around Baghdad and near the …

At the end of the day, these seemingly intractable conflicts can’t be won with just military might, or even by diplomacy in Geneva, but only by building governance that has the legitimacy of the people. The world was stunned in mid-August when Afghan Armed Forces laid down their weapons in …

As a Turkish operation in Northern Syria against the SDF looms, the Syrian Army is getting closer to the Kurdish-led group, according to al-Watan. Informed sources within the city of Ayn Issa revealed to al-Watan that the Syrian army has strengthened its presence near Ayn Issa and the outskirts of …

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, …