Middle Orient

A “rocket alert” map displaying a list of targets Iran would strike including pins in Lebanese territory and on Palestinian cities. An Iranian newspaper published a map on Wednesday threatening Israel with missile attacks. The map shows pins representing rocket alerts for dozens of potential targets, including Lebanese territory and …

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Tuesday said a solution to the dispute in ethnically divided Cyprus must follow the UN-endorsed road map for reunification of the island in a federal framework, and be based on international law rather than promoting “aggressive activities or expansionist tendencies.” His remarks, seen as …

While the United Arab Emirates seems to really want to buy F-35 fighter jets from the United States , conditions placed by the US on the sale could lead the UAE to scrap the whole sale. The UAE on Tuesday told the US that it was suspending discussions on the …

Arab Gulf countries meeting in Saudi Arabia called on Iran to ease tension and make progress in its nuclear talks with the world powers, and Iran just may be listening. The final communique issued at the end of the 42nd Gulf Cooperation Council summit on Tuesday in Riyadh said that …

Qatar is enhancing its presence in the eastern Mediterranean that is rich in oil and gas reserves at a time when tensions are ripping through the region over the maritime borders and excavation rights. Qatar has strengthened its presence in the eastern Mediterranean, which is rich in oil and gas …

The slight victory of candidates supporting Fatah in the local council elections appear to have boosted the morale of the Palestinian leadership and opened the door for elections in major cities. Will the Hamas leadership agree to that in Gaza? Ever since his April 31 decision to scrap the legislative …

Increasingly, compliance with US sanctions against Iran could emerge as a litmus test of the United Arab Emirates’ close ties to the United States. At the sharp edge of a potential rift between the allies is a reportedly recently concluded agreement by a private UAE company to build gas-fired thermal, …

Erdoğan’s biggest political rival ahead of the 2023 presidential elections seems to be — poverty. The first decade of Erdoğan’s rule actually brought relative prosperity to Turks. Per capita GDP rose sharply from $3,688 in 2002 to $11,796 in 2012… Since 2013, however, reckless nepotism, increasing authoritarianism, corruption and economic …

Russia also carried out airstrikes in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, where the Islamic State has been particularly active recently. Islamic State (IS) militants have attacked Syrian regime and Russian forces in Syria’s central and eastern desert regions. According to local news reports, an attack occurred in the area of …

A local Yazidi armed group linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party and affiliated with the government-incorporated Popular Mobilization Units has been targeted as part of stepped-up Turkish cross-border operations. Turkey has targeted members of a local Yazidi armed group linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq and …