Middle Orient

The Israeli attack was the second to hit Syria within two days, after a missile attack targeted military sites in Quneitra province on Tuesday On Thursday night, Israel launched missile strikes at some sites in the Syrian capital of Damascus and the central province of Homs. At 11:00 pm local …

U.S. Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland visited Egypt, Turkey, and Morocco August 10-16. Ambassador Norland met with senior officials in Cairo and Ankara, and with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Rabat. The Ambassador’s travel focused on the urgency of establishing the constitutional basis and legal framework …

Visiting troops at the Gaza border, Bennett says Israel holds Hamas responsible for attack which ended three months of relative calm; Gantz says Hamas is the real enemy of Gazans, not Israel A day after rocket fire from the Gaza Strip resumed, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned on Tuesday that …

Syrian state media reported that Israel carried out a missile attack on southern Syria late on Tuesday, targeting an unspecified military position. There was no immediate comment from Israel. The state TV report did not specify if there were any casualties. It said two missiles were fired toward the military …

The recent rise of the Taliban in Kabul has expedited New Delhi’s efforts to boost ties with Iran, which is positioned to be India’s main corridor to Afghanistan, yet major challenges remain. The Indian government, which has been reaching out to the new administration in Iran to establish closer ties …

Egypt seeks more influence in Mali through Al-Azhar, which is organizing a training program for a number of Malian imams in a bid to counter extremism. As Egypt steps up its efforts to boost its influence in the African continent, Al-Azhar announced Aug. 2 a training course for 23 imams …

Turkey’s quest for normalization with Egypt and a new beginning with Sudan hinges on how far Ankara takes its relations with Ethiopia amid a simmering water dispute in the region over Ethiopia’s mega dam on the Nile. The crisis in the Nile basin over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has …

In a letter to President Joe Biden, a group of Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders called for the administration to adopt “a resolute, diplomacy-first” policy on Syria. A coalition of civic and faith-based leaders is urging President Joe Biden to put Syria’s decadelong civil war at the top of his …

Fearing a new refugee crisis, Turkey is sending soldiers to reinforce its border with Iran in order to stop a potential influx of Afghans fleeing the Taliban insurgency. Irregular arrivals are already up as Afghans who fled weeks and months ago show up at Turkey’s rugged border area after a …

Syrian regime forces have continued to bomb areas of the city of Daraa despite a Russian-brokered temporary ceasefire deal, as negotiations over a permanent ceasefire continue. Syrian regime forces continued to violate a newly signed ceasefire agreement in the southern city of Daraa in the early hours of Monday morning, …