Middle Orient

Iranian forces in Syria establish new prison in Raqqa

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is redeploying and building new bases and prisons in its areas of control in northeastern Syria after coming under repeated Israeli and US airstrikes. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) opened its own prison in the Zamla gas field in the countryside of Raqqa in …

Read More »

Ahmadinejad accuses ‘ring’ in Iran intelligence of espionage

The serious allegation marked a new episode in the ex-president’s confrontations with the Revolutionary Guards and its powerful intelligence branch. Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused a “corrupt ring” inside Iran’s intelligence apparatus of maintaining “a systematic link” with foreign espionage agencies. “They have to brace for trials,” Ahmadinejad, who …

Read More »

Intel: US to announce agreement to pull ‘combat troops’ from Iraq

Security will be at top of agenda for US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue today, and when US President Joe Biden hosts Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on July 26. US and Iraqi officials are preparing a statement that will likely mention a time frame for the withdrawal of American “combat troops” from …

Read More »

Turkish-backed rebels leave trail of abuse and criminality in Syria’s Afrin

The serene topography of the Syrian enclave of Afrin belies the power vacuum and violence now afflicting many of the territories under the control of Turkish-backed forces in the war-torn country’s northeast. During 17 days of captivity, Leila Mohammed Ahmed witnessed, helplessly, 10 young women take their own lives after …

Read More »

Iraq Expects Announcement to End US Combat Mission

Members of a top Iraqi delegation expect to reach an agreement Friday with the Biden administration to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, the country’s foreign minister told VOA on Thursday. In an exclusive interview with VOA’s Kurdish Service, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein discussed the proposed nature of …

Read More »

Iran opens new oil terminal in bid to bypass crucial Strait of Hormuz for exports

Iran on Thursday opened its first oil terminal in the Gulf of Oman, a move aimed at making Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s regime less dependent on the Strait of Hormuz, often a source of international tension. The location of the new oil terminal — a project that began in 2019 …

Read More »

KKTC bağımsız mı?

Kırk yedi sene önce dün Türk ordusu Kıbrıs’a çıktı. İlk açıklaması Kıbrıs’ta faşist bir darbe gerçekleştiren Samson’un Kıbrıslı Türklere karşı bir katliama girişebileceği idi. Garantörlerden biri olarak Kıbrıs’a müdahale edilmişti. Amaç, Ada’da barış ve istikrarı savunmaktı. Barış tesis edildikten sonra asker geri dönecekti. Diğer iki garantör devlet; İngiltere ve Yunanistan …

Read More »

EU slams Turkish plans for Cyprus as ‘unacceptable’

The European Union (EU) has blasted as “unacceptable” the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “two-state” plan for the resolution of disputes over the divided island of Cyprus. Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, voiced deep concern on Tuesday after Erdogan said peace talks can take place only between “the …

Read More »

IDF arrests two suspects who infiltrated into Israel from Lebanon

Residents near border initially told to remain indoors. Soldiers have blocked some roads in effort to nab infiltrators. IDF soldiers arrested two suspects in northern Israel Thursday morning after they were spotted crossing the border from Lebanon into Israel overnight, the military said in a statement. The two were reportedly …

Read More »

1 killed, 10 injured in explosion at Gaza City market

Images reportedly from the scene showed heavily damaged structures and a smoke cloud that could be seen from a distance. One person was killed and 10 others were injured after a weapons storage belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist movement at the Al-Zawiya market in Gaza City exploded on …

Read More »