Middle Orient

Tens of Kurdish residents of disputed Kirkuk were arrested and later released after celebrating the victory of Kurdish parties in the election. The heads of the Kurdistan Region and federal governments in Iraq attempted on Wednesday to defuse election tensions in the disputed city of Kirkuk.

In a joint press conference with his counterparts from Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Blinken said the United States is prepared to pursue “other options” if Tehran doesn’t resume compliance under the nuclear deal. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned “time is running short” for Iran to re-enter the …

Hezbollah blamed the Christian political party the Lebanese Forces for the attack. Several people were killed in Beirut Thursday in a shooting at a protest. A total of six people have been confirmed dead so far in addition to 32 wounded in relation to the shooting in south Beirut’s Tayouneh …

Erdogan’s revisionist foreign policy looks squeezed between the Eastern Mediterranean anvil and the Syrian hammer. Despite the longstanding alliance and close military partnership between Turkey and the United States, the relationship has always been troublesome. For some time now, pundits and Turkey experts have tended to speculate on “who lost …

A car bombing in the northern Syrian city of Afrin on Monday killed six people, including at least one Turkey-backed rebel fighter, a war monitor said. An AFP video journalist saw civil defence members douse the charred remains of a car with water, as rescue workers carried away what appeared …

Just last week Erdogan boasted about potential new defense deals with Russia, including aircraft purchases. Turkey has requested to purchase 40 US-made F-16 fighter jets and dozens of modernization kits for aircraft it already owns, according to reports in both the Greek and the Turkish press. News of the request, …

Iraqis made their way to the ballot boxes to cast their votes for the council of representatives, as results show significant surprises. Iraq’s parliamentary elections on Sunday were held in a quiet environment compared to previous elections. Security measures meant to ensure a smooth and safe process were largely successful, …

Report by the ALMA Center finds the Gaza-based group is angering Hezbollah by secretly increasing its military force buildup. Hamas is increasing its activities in Lebanon in order to threaten Israel from two fronts simultaneously but is stepping on the toes of Hezbollah and angering the Lebanese terror army, a …

he US-led Coalition confirmed on Tuesday that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out a succesful anti-ISIS raid in the countryside Deir al-Zor, resulting in the arrest of four ISIS suspects. Our SDF partners are the first line in defense of the safety & security of the people in NE …

Following weeks of heightened tensions between the two countries, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian agreed to settle their differences through dialogue. Azerbaijan will settle its differences with Iran through dialogue, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday following weeks of tensions over Baku’s ties …