Middle Orient

The recent rise of the Taliban in Kabul has expedited New Delhi’s efforts to boost ties with Iran, which is positioned to be India’s main corridor to Afghanistan, yet major challenges remain. The Indian government, which has been reaching out to the new administration in Iran to establish closer ties …

Egypt seeks more influence in Mali through Al-Azhar, which is organizing a training program for a number of Malian imams in a bid to counter extremism. As Egypt steps up its efforts to boost its influence in the African continent, Al-Azhar announced Aug. 2 a training course for 23 imams …

Turkey’s quest for normalization with Egypt and a new beginning with Sudan hinges on how far Ankara takes its relations with Ethiopia amid a simmering water dispute in the region over Ethiopia’s mega dam on the Nile. The crisis in the Nile basin over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has …

In a letter to President Joe Biden, a group of Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders called for the administration to adopt “a resolute, diplomacy-first” policy on Syria. A coalition of civic and faith-based leaders is urging President Joe Biden to put Syria’s decadelong civil war at the top of his …

Fearing a new refugee crisis, Turkey is sending soldiers to reinforce its border with Iran in order to stop a potential influx of Afghans fleeing the Taliban insurgency. Irregular arrivals are already up as Afghans who fled weeks and months ago show up at Turkey’s rugged border area after a …

Syrian regime forces have continued to bomb areas of the city of Daraa despite a Russian-brokered temporary ceasefire deal, as negotiations over a permanent ceasefire continue. Syrian regime forces continued to violate a newly signed ceasefire agreement in the southern city of Daraa in the early hours of Monday morning, …

On Thursday, Syrian politicians said that the recent developments in the city of Daraa, south Syria, reveal political and military disputes between Iran and Russia which are settled by their proxies in the region. Yesterday, cities, towns, and villages in Daraa witnessed a mass strike following a call by local …

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement said it had fired rockets at open ground near Israeli positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms area today in response to Israeli airstrikes which struck sites belonging to the group yesterday. The Israeli military said at least ten rockets were launched towards Israel from southern Lebanon. “In …

Israeli defense minister said Tel Aviv is “ready to attack Iran”, adding Iran represented “a global challenge”, reported Anadolu Agency. Benny Gantz’s comments came in an exclusive interview with the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published on Thursday. “Iran seeks to pose a multi-front challenge to Israel by building up its …

Lebanon is falling deeper into an economic and social black hole. While Hezbollah is not immune to that crisis, it is still able to play with fire and attack Israel. It’s been a week since rocket-warning sirens alerted Israelis to the dangers of the collapse of Lebanon: a salvo of …