Middle Orient

In the words of Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, Egypt renewed its demand for the return of the Assad regime to the Arab League. Shoukry said, in a press conference with Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, on Monday, that “it is necessary for Syria to return to the Arab League …

On Wednesday, the US Special Deputy Envoy to Syria, David Brownstein, discussed with officials of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) about the latter’s participation in the political process and ways of a political solution in Syria. The Foreign Relations website reported …

Two Syrian regime troops were killed in an attack on Wednesday in the restive southern province of Daraa, while others were reportedly killed in an ambush by opposition forces in the Idleb province in northwestern Syria. Syrian media activist Mohammed al-Horani told The New Arab’s Arabic-language service that unknown assailants …

Sources of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said, from inside eastern Ghouta in the countryside of the capital, Damascus, that merchants who hail from the city of al-Mayadin in Deir-ez-Zor, who are directly affiliated with the local Abbas Brigade militia, loyal to the Iranian forces, and working under …

A drone attack on Irbil airport in northern Iraq, where US forces are stationed, and a rocket attack on a military compound in the nearby town of Bashiqa, where Turkish troops are deployed, took place on Wednesday. The latter resulted in the death of a Turkish soldier and injured a …

The Israeli military said its warplanes struck a Hamas weapons manufacturing site, a tunnel and a military post. Israeli warplanes struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip early on Friday in what the Israel Defense Forces said came in retaliation for a rocket fired at southern Israel several hours before. …

The forthcoming Palestinian elections have generated a good deal of speculation. Among the many players, one rather enigmatic figure is Mohammed Dahlan. Long believed to harbor the ambition of succeeding Mahmoud Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority, he is currently facing a political dilemma. “Dahlan is a convicted criminal,” …

It is now clear that Israel has been left on its own as the Americans strive for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict with Iran. Lt. Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of the US Central Command’s Air Force, visited Israel at the end of February. His host, Air Force Commander Maj. …

While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed ways to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal in his visit to Tehran this week, the topics of Syria and Afghanistan also featured prominently on the agenda. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov paid a working visit to Tehran on April 13, where he held …

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fired the head of the country’s central bank, Hazem Karfoul, on Tuesday. Syrian state-run media did not offer reasons for the dismissal, but it comes as the country’s currency continues to collapse amid US and international sanctions and an economic crisis in neighboring Lebanon. The Syrian …