Middle Orient

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said eight government-affiliated forces and three opposition fighters died in the clashes Thursday. Tensions between Syria’s pro-government forces and opposition fighters have escalated in Daraa, the Syrian city considered the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against the regime. Two civilians, including one child, died …

The recent strategic dialogue talks between Iraq and the United States have divided anti-US groups in Iraq, as some welcome the results of the dialogue and others reject it and ask for full US withdrawal from Iraq. After a series of talks between Iraq and the United States, the two …

The U.S. will keep 900 troops in Syria in order to keep advising the SDF in the fight against ISIS, according to North Press. The U.S. administration will keep 900 troops in Syria and will continue supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State (ISIS) “This has succeeded …

Iran is trying to expand its influence on the Jordanian border by filling the void left by Russia after the agreement signed to lift the siege in Daraa al-Balad, according to Baladi News. Syria’s Daraa governorate has entered a new era after a new settlement was reached between a Russian …

In his book, “Syria through the Eyes of the Ambassador,” Ömer Önhon recalls how the position of Turkey evolved throughout the Syrian conflict, according to Asharq al-Awsat. The Ambassador of Turkey to Syria Ömer Önhon, who served as a political aide at the Turkish embassy in Damascus in 1988, came …

The Prime minister of Syria and the Speaker of the Islamic Shura Council of Iran discussed means of bolstering economic relations and trade between the two countries, according to SANA. Hussein Arnous, the caretaker Prime Minister, met on Wednesday with the Speaker of the Islamic Shura Council of Iran, Mohammad …

In a report released on Thursday, the Syrian Network for Human Rights said that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is violating the U.S. Caesar Sanctions Act by supplying the Assad regime with oil and gas. The supplied goods amount to nearly 6 million oil barrels each year, with a value …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday the negotiations on salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran “cannot and will not go on indefinitely,” signaling it’s up to Tehran to move forward soon on the issue. Blinken spoke Thursday in Kuwait during a news conference alongside his Kuwaiti counterpart, …

The Turkish contingent in Afghanistan will not assume any combat duty other than self-defense, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Pinar Kara said on Thursday. “The Turkish armed forces have been stationed in Afghanistan for 20 years, and for the past six years, they have been protecting and running the international airport in …

Syrian rebels waged a spate of mortar attacks on Syrian army checkpoints in the southern province of Deraa in the biggest flare-up of violence since government forces retook the restive region three years ago, rebels, residents and the army said on Thursday. The widespread attacks at army outposts near the …