Middle Orient

Observations on the Return of ISIS in Syria

The recent attack by the Islamic State, which left dozens of regime soldiers dead, has shown the strength of the Islamic State and reaffirmed the need to confront them militarily writes Syria TV. The Islamic State (ISIS) has returned in force to the Syrian scene through a series of operations …

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Will Assad Regime Reveal Chemical Stockpile?

The Assad regime has 90 days to reveal it chemical weapons stockpile or face fresh sanctions reports Baladi News. Human rights defender, Abdel Nasser Hoshan, said that the Assad regime is set to collide with international sanctions in 90 days, which are inevitable, no matter how much the regime tries …

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Sudan joins Abraham Accords to recognize Israel

The United States will help cover Sudan’s more than $1 billion in arrears to the World Bank in exchange. Sudan’s Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari signed an agreement with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday agreeing to normalize ties with Israel as part of the Trump administration’s Abraham Accords initiative.

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Turkey draws road map with Egypt, but will Cairo follow it?

Turkey is once again hinting at openness for dialogue with Egypt, but real progress remains elusive. Once again, Turkey is reaching out to Egypt for political rapprochement. Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters Dec. 30 that Turkey and Egypt are working on shaping a road map for …

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Intel: Biden to pick Brett McGurk for top White House Middle East role

Picking the former defeat-ISIS envoy to oversee US Middle East policy sends a strong signal to Turkey. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to choose Brett McGurk, the former envoy to the US-led international coalition to defeat the Islamic State (IS), for a White House role managing US policy in the …

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Israel side-eyes Turkish offers of friendship as Ankara shelters Hamas

Turkey’s overtures to Israel have been greeted with bemusement and contempt while hundreds of Hamas operatives remain in Istanbul. Turkey’s recent flurry of overtures to Israel has been ill-conceived, ill-communicated and ill-received by the Jewish State. Be it the now-scotched nomination of an overtly anti-Israeli pundit with close ties to …

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