Middle Orient

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted an airstrike in the al Mawasi humanitarian zone targeting Hamas’ top military commander, Mohammad Deif, on July 13.[i] The strike also targeted Hamas Khan Younis Brigade Commander Rafe Salamah. Israel is still assessing whether the strike killed Deif or Salamah. Israeli officials confirmed that …

[A]ny Iranian politician must be prepared to impose the government’s Islamist laws rigorously and crush any form of opposition to the Islamic Republic. The political landscape in Iran does not tolerate dissent or deviation from these core principles, ensuring that only those who conform entirely to the regime’s ideology can …

Latest Developments Turkey is open to repairing ties with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad more than a decade after severing diplomatic relations with Damascus at the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. On July 4, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he is prepared to invite Assad and …

“We are an unwavering NATO ally. However, we do not believe that this impedes our ability to establish positive relationships with nations such as China and Russia,” Erdogan told Newsweek. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration are complicit in what he called Israeli …

In recent days, widespread protests have erupted across many Turkish-controlled towns and cities in the countryside to the north of Aleppo and around Idlib. Some protests have escalated into violence, as clashes have broken out between local armed groups and Turkish forces, resulting in multiple casualties among both protesters and …

INTRODUCTION At a time when there is widespread anxiety around the world about the fate of democracy but not enough debate on the future of autocracy, Turkey presents an interesting case for scholars and policy-makers. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spent two decades in power taking steps to build his …

An incident in the central Anatolian city of Kayseri last week sparked a wave of anti-Syrian attacks across Turkey, just as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s normalisation efforts with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reach a pivotal point. The events were triggered by the arrest of a Syrian national accused of sexually …

Iran’s new president urges dialogue, cooperation, and solidarity in the region, guided by the teachings of Islam and mutual respect in this exclusive editorial At the start of my tenure as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, voted in by the people of Iran, I wish to address our …

Shin Bet director Ronen Bar headed to Cairo for security talks after the Mossad chief returned from talks on a hostage-release and cease-fire in Doha. An Israeli team is slated to travel Thursday evening to Cairo for security talks and other discussions related to Gaza following the return of an …

In a clear challenge to regime hardliners, Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist and cardiac surgeon, won Iran’s snap presidential election on July 5. The elections were called after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19. The runoff had been considered a tight race, but Pezeshkian won decisively …