Middle Orient

Iranian Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani is seeking to maintain unity among the Shiite political ranks before the formation of the new government, including a role for parties affiliated with Iran. The official website of Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Sadrist movement in Iraq, published Feb. 8 a brief statement …

Jihadis in Idlib believe that former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham played a role in the killing of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi during a US Special Forces operation in Idlib. The Feb. 3 US Special Forces operation that led to the death of Islamic State (IS) leader …

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid walk a fine line to avoid angering Russian President Vladimir Putin while not turning their backs on the United States and Ukraine. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s briefing to reporters Feb. 13 about escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine can best be …

Muhalefet kelimenin tam manasıyla toparlandı. Bir yuvarlak masa etrafında 6 parti liderinin memleket için birlikte hareket etmek üzere bir araya gelmesi başka ne türlü tanımlanabilir ki? Ve iyidir böyle bir toparlanma… Öncelikle şaşırtıcı gelecek ama iktidar için iyidir. Yoo, hiç de tehdit değildir. Evet alternatiftir, yerine geçme niyeti vardır, ama …

What happened? The Lebanese lira’s value continued to diminish, reaching a record low and prompting the central bank to announce a new initiative aimed at currency stabilisation. Shiite parties Hizbollah and Amal ended their months-long boycott of cabinet meetings. Why does it matter? Lebanon’s economic crisis continued to worsen with …

The Middle East strategy of China is gradually progressing. Recently, an official agreement between the governments of Iran and China brought the 25-year comprehensive cooperation treaty into effect, while Syria signed an understanding to join the Belt and Road Initiative. Massive trade and investment initiatives have helped China establish itself …

Biden’s decision — reportedly coordinated with Turkey but reached without consulting Israel, Greece or Cyprus, the main countries involved in the project — undercuts three of the strongest American allies in the Mediterranean region. EastMed’s cancellation — variously described as a “disastrous decision,” a “strategic mistake” and an act of …

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu announced that he would not pay his electricity bills, calling out President Tayyip Erdoğan to take back the gradual electricity price hikes that were taken into effect at the beginning of the year that raised protests all over Turkey. You …

A high-level official delegation from Turkey will visit Israel this week as the two countries prepare for the planned visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey and to discuss relations between the two countries, the Office of the President of Israel and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in …

In order to maintain its neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Israel has refused to sell the Iron Dome air defense system to Kyiv. The Ukrainian government officially requested last spring that the US deploy its MIM-104 Patriot anti-ballistic missile system, as well as the Iron Dome, on its territory.