Middle Orient

For the first time in Syria’s nine-year war, the Turkish military this week launched direct attacks on the Syrian army. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that he ordered howitzers and F-16 fighter jets to hit President Bashar al-Assad’s forces near the Turkish border in response to the killing of …

A little acknowledged provision of the 2015 international agreement that curbed Iran’s nuclear program explains jockeying by the United States and the Islamic republic over the modalities of a US return to the deal from which President Donald J. Trump withdrew. The provision’s magic date is 2023, when the Biden …

The U.S. launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iranian-backed militia groups. The Pentagon said the strikes were retaliation for a Feb. 15 rocket attack in northern Iraq that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member and other coalition troops.

On February 6, 2021, the Russian news agency Sputnik’s page dedicated to Armenia published an article, titled “Regaining Influence On Baku And Offering Projects To Yerevan: Iran Is Playing Catch-Up In The Region,” assessing that Iran is concerned about Turkey’s “excessive” penetration into the South Caucasus, and that Tehran would …

There are fears of a new military operation near al-Bab in Aleppo countryside, after the Syrian regime forces and their allied militias positioned there received fresh military reinforcements. The defense minister in the Syrian opposition’s self-styled interim government, Maj. Gen. Salim Idris, said Feb. 22 that the opposition forces are …

Turkey’s increasing focus on Iraq’s Sinjar region is linked to a broader rivalry with Iran for influence over Mosul. Turkey’s quest for a military campaign to drive Kurdish militants out of the northern Iraqi region of Sinjar has refueled the Turkish-Iranian rivalry for influence in oil-rich Mosul, which many Turks …

Officials suggested the late-night precision bombing was designed to minimize casualties while avoiding backlash from the Iraqi government. The United States carried out an airstrike against buildings used by Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria late on Thursday night in retaliation for recent rocket attacks on US and coalition military sites …

The change of power in the US – and a wish to re-set relations with the EU – are behind Ankara’s de-escalation of tensions in volatile waters. Turkey and Greece resumed their exploratory talks after a five-year break on January 25. Resuming the talks after such a long break was …

Azerbaijan deployed thousands of mercenaries in last year’s 44-day war that it and Turkey waged against Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabagh and Armenia. Azerbaijan thereby flagrantly violated the UN’s International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries (UNMERC) which it signed in 1997. Forty-six countries have signed UNMERC including Belgium, Cyprus, …

Ambassador William Burns said that China is the biggest challenge for the United States, but that Iran and Russia cannot be overlooked. CIA Director nominee William Burns said Iran cannot be overlooked, but advocated for a focus on China during his nomination hearing Wednesday. Burns, who was nominated for the …