Middle Orient

The reported capture of Iranian spies in Turkey comes as the latest sign of the rivalry heating up between Ankara and Tehran, as bilateral tensions over Iraq and Syria have been steadily expanding to the Caucasus since last year’s war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Turkey extended strong military support to …

The large backing by the Sunni community for the current parliamentary speaker’s party despite a tradition of voting along tribal lines may mark a break with the past. Supporters of firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr were already celebrating in the streets the night after the Oct. 10 elections while parties …

The victory of the coalition led by populist cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, and the rise of independent Shiite politicians, could foreshadow a new chapter in Iraqi politics. Final results of Iraq’s Oct. 10 elections were announced on Oct. 18. The results are expected to be approved by the federal court in …

President Bashar al-Assad has tightened his grip on Damascus, but the attack suggested that militants who oppose him can still do harm. A brazen attack on a military bus driving through the Syrian capital, Damascus, killed 14 people on Wednesday, according to state news media, a reminder that President Bashar …

Turkish intelligence forces arrested 15 people working on behalf of Israel’s Mossad secret service agency, Turkey’s Sabah newspaper first reported on Thursday. The suspects, divided into five cells of three people each and all said to be Arabs, were arrested in four separate provinces in a covert operation on October …

Iran launched a countrywide air force drill on Thursday, involving bombers, fighter planes and surveillance drones, as well as weapons that use laser-guided missiles. A report on state television said that all of Iran’s military air bases – reported to be 12 – are participating in the exercise. The drill …

In a further thawing of relations between Syria’s Bashar Assad and Arab leaders in the region, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan held a discussion by phone with the Syrian president in which they talked about “the relations between the two fraternal nations and prospects of advancing …

A firebrand Shiite cleric and America’s old foe, Muqtada al-Sadr, has emerged as the strongest political leader in Iraq after his bloc garnered the highest number of seats in the general elections last week. He backed the Sairoon list of candidates who scored a total of 75 seats—20 more than …

Turkish foreign policy in Syria can be summed up in a simple formula: Turkey, under its President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is pursuing its goals with persistence and patience within the framework of a longer-term strategy. To this end, it has developed “salami tactics,” using negotiating skills, seesaw politics, pressure, and …

Border Guard Commander in the Iranian Law Enforcement Force Brigadier-General Ahmed Ali Goudarzi confirmed that Israeli espionage in Azerbaijan is being “fully monitored”, Al Mayadeen reported on Friday. Goudarzi stressed that his country’s border, especially in the north and northwest: “Is safe, and there is nothing to worry about.” Speaking …