Middle Orient

Three former ISIS fighters share their stories about how they joined the organization and their stay in Syria to Asharq al-Awsat. The security authorities of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria granted Asharq Al-Awsat permission to interview three former ISIS members, at the anti-terror headquarters of the Syrian …

Seven people in the town of Azaz were wounded after a car bomb attack, which the YPG is accused of, according to Zaman al-Wasl. A car bomb wounded at least seven people in the Turkish-held northern town of Azaz on Monday, the rescue Civil Defence group said. The YPG-suspected attack …

On Sunday at dawn, pro-Iranian factions targeted the besieged neighborhoods of the city of Daraa, southern Syria, with artillery and missile shells, causing massive damage to people’s houses, while Russia bombards Idleb in the North. The factions targeted the neighborhoods of Daraa al-Balad, Tariq al-Sad, and the nearby IDP camps …

Iran’s hard-line foreign minister said Tehran will only pursue talks that bear tangible outcomes. Iran’s newly appointed foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said his country will not accept protraction in talks with the United States over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of …

Iranian officials say talks with Riyadh counterparts will resume in Baghdad soon. Iran will soon resume talks with regional rival Saudi Arabia, Iranian officials said, marking an expected fourth round of negotiations to be held in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said last night he spoke about …

The military exercise was the first since President Ebrahim Raisi took office. Iran tested a domestically made missile system on Tuesday. The Mersad 16 anti-aircraft system was fully developed in Iran. Tehran says it can identify targets at any altitude and transmit data to a command center for their destruction. …

Hundreds of international observers are gearing up for the legislative elections in Iraq on Oct. 10 in an attempt to help Iraqis conduct transparent and fair elections. With Iraq’s general elections quickly approaching in October, the country has invited international observers to ensure transparency and trust in the vote. Judge …

Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani helped facilitate a recent phone call between Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) de facto ruler Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nayhan have spoken on the …

Iran’s Army tested an upgraded version of the Mersad missile defense system in the country’s central desert. The Mersad-16 homegrown missile defense system fired missiles to shoot down the intended targets. Mersad is a medium-altitude surface-to-air missile system with electronic warfare capabilities. According to General Khoshqalb, the Air Defense Force’s …

The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen were accused of war crimes on Tuesday after they launched two armed drones targeting Abha airport and a ballistic missile aimed at Najran in the south of the Kingdom. Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed the drones and the missile. Eight people were injured …