Middle Orient

On Thursday, Syrian politicians said that the recent developments in the city of Daraa, south Syria, reveal political and military disputes between Iran and Russia which are settled by their proxies in the region. Yesterday, cities, towns, and villages in Daraa witnessed a mass strike following a call by local …

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement said it had fired rockets at open ground near Israeli positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms area today in response to Israeli airstrikes which struck sites belonging to the group yesterday. The Israeli military said at least ten rockets were launched towards Israel from southern Lebanon. “In …

Israeli defense minister said Tel Aviv is “ready to attack Iran”, adding Iran represented “a global challenge”, reported Anadolu Agency. Benny Gantz’s comments came in an exclusive interview with the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published on Thursday. “Iran seeks to pose a multi-front challenge to Israel by building up its …

Lebanon is falling deeper into an economic and social black hole. While Hezbollah is not immune to that crisis, it is still able to play with fire and attack Israel. It’s been a week since rocket-warning sirens alerted Israelis to the dangers of the collapse of Lebanon: a salvo of …

Tensions and failed negotiations on Qatari aid are bringing Israel and Hamas closer toward another open conflict, according to Palestinian sources. Israel and Hamas are headed toward another round of fighting, as international mediators appear to have failed to achieve a breakthrough on bringing Qatari aid money to the Gaza …

We know what that shop looks like in places like Lebanon, it’s a bankrupt operation. The US needs to reassure allies that it will stick by the region in this difficult time. The rapid fall of Afghanistan and the way in which US political and military officials, as well as …

Iraq’s next parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 10, 2021. The Iraqi people will vote into office the 328 members of the Council of Representatives who, in turn, will elect Iraq’s president and prime minister. The present PM, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, was confirmed in post in May 2020, aware that elections …

The United States and its Syrian Kurdish allies control up to 90 percent of Syria’s oil-producing lands, depriving the war-torn country of its much-needed source of fuel and hard currency income. While Iran sends emergency fuel supplies to Syria to help deal with shortages, its ships have been regularly attacked …

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said Syrian civilians living under a government siege in the southwestern city are suffering from shortages of fuel, food and medicine. The United Nations’ special envoy for Syria on Thursday expressed concern over the “alarming situation” in Daraa, the birthplace of the Syrian …

With Lebanon falling apart after decades of Shi’ite domineering, the rest of Lebanon is smelling weakness yet again. Our future is as the Suez [Canal] of banking” a proud Lebanese finance minister Pierre Edde once told The New York Times. It was winter 1965, and the country that was still …