Middle Orient

An onslaught of attacks on Kurdish peshmerga forces and villages in northern Iraq has sparked concerns over the presence of Islamic State cells and whether they have been bulked up by jihadis arriving from Syria. A recent string of attacks targeting Kurdish forces in northern Iraq in areas disputed between …

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in another sign of strengthening bilateral ties. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo Dec. 9. They discussed the Iranian threat, strengthening bilateral ties in various spheres and Egypt-mediated …

Aysel Tugluk, who defended PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in his trial decades ago, is now suffering from advanced dementia behind bars, despite widespread calls for her release. Aysel Tugluk, a slight brunette with high cheekbones, eagle eyes and long, dark hair, garnered much curiosity during the courtroom trial of Abdullah …

The defeat-IS coalition will continue its advisory mission into next year, despite a declared end to a combat role. Iraq’s national security adviser said today that the US-led military coalition had completed its combat mission in Iraq, but American troops aren’t leaving the country just yet. Qasim al-Araji announced the …

The US seized two large caches of Iranian arms, including 171 surface-to-air missiles and eight anti-tank missiles, intended for the Houthi militia in Yemen. The US justice department on Tuesday said navy troops seized the weapons from two vessels in the Arabian Sea while conducting routine maritime security operations. “Iran’s …

In cutting interest rates amid spiralling inflation, the Turkish government under President Erdogan has thrown economic orthodoxy out the window. The poor face getting poorer. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plan to turn around the Turkish economy has a new victim in Finance Minister Lutfi Elvan, who resigned on December 2. But …

Iran has been insisting on its conditions and demands, including that Washington and the Western powers release frozen Iranian funds before reaching an agreement, according to Tariq Alhomayed, a Saudi journalist and former editor-in-chief of the Arabic-language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. He added that Iran was refusing to discuss ballistic missiles, …

Syrian Democratic Forces said the armed rebels were handed over to Iraq intelligence authorities for questioning. Iraqi authorities have repatriated 100 Iraqi fighters from the ISIL (ISIS) group who were being held in northeast Syria by Kurdish forces. “This morning we collected 100 terrorists” held by the Syrian Democratic Forces …

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met on Thursday in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss the nuclear threat from Iran and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Lapid, who presented the Egyptian president – whose country is serving as the mediator between Israel and Hamas in Gaza …

Iraq’s national security adviser announced on Thursday that the United States military forces and allied forces have ended their combat mission in Iraq and moved to a training and advisory role. Qasim al-Aaraji made the announcement in a tweet. The US has not confirmed this announcement, however. The troops are …