Middle Orient

Sudani did very well at the ballot box, but the peculiarities of Iraq’s long government formation process and the final distribution of parliamentary seats may leave the main Iran-backed coalition in the driver’s seat. At first blush, the results of Iraq’s November 11 parliamentary election were encouraging, including for U.S. …

The US military is evaluating a US Navy inquiry about a possible temporary base near Gaza that could house 10,000 people, a document that has triggered public denials from the White House and US Central Command. The internal request for information, reviewed by Bloomberg, asked pre-approved contractors for cost estimates …

The Syrian Ministry of Defense has begun issuing military identification cards for members of the Syrian Army as part of efforts to strengthen discipline, institutional belonging, and organizational identity. In a statement published Thursday, October 9, the ministry said the new military ID is a unified card for all personnel …

In a declaration of steadfast resolve, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Katz has asserted that Israeli forces will remain firmly entrenched atop Mount Hermon and continue their vigilant oversight of what he described as a “security zone” in southern Syria. Katz emphasised that this position is non-negotiable, characterising it as a …

Iran is strengthening ties with allies in Iraq and Lebanon while accusing the US and Israel of coercive diplomacy in its latest regional push. Iran continues to do outreach to its friends in Iraq and Lebanon while also slamming Israel and making it seem like talks with the West are …

The statement, released on 5 November 2025, squarely blamed the Ministry of Interior and security agencies for the current instability. The Homs Bar Association has issued a stark warning over the province’s deteriorating security and legal environment, warning that Homs risks becoming a hotbed of lawlessness, violence and vigilante justice. …

High stakes: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani confronted KH on 9 August, breaking a longstanding pattern of political caution. Image: Tasnim News Agency / Wikimedia Commons Fears over leadership decapitation, calls for restraint from the Iraqi government, and discouragement from Iran were behind the militias’ decision not to get …

The post-2003 security landscape in Iraq has seen the proliferation of dozens of militias identifying with Shiite Islam. Many of these actors are integrated into the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) – a paramilitary group established in 2014 to counter the Islamic State and later incorporated into the Iraqi state forces …

In late October, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced the unilateral withdrawal of its fighters from Turkey to northern Iraq. The announcement came on the heels of PKK fighters symbolically burning weapons in northern Iraq in July. In response, Turkey praised the move and is reportedly preparing legislation to allow …

On New Year’s Eve last December, Syria’s President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, barely a few weeks after toppling the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, gathered the most senior commanders of the Syrian opposition’s fragmented and often fractious factions to declare their official victory over the Baathist regime. During his proclamation, he warned that …