Middle Orient

In the past few weeks, Ankara has made several overtures toward rapprochement with Israel, yet Jerusalem seems to be waiting for something solid. Multiple moves by Turkey in recent weeks indicate that relations between Jerusalem and Ankara may change, or that Turkey would like them to.

SDF commander Mazlum Kobane told Al-Monitor last month he hopes the Biden administration will double the US troop presence in northeast Syria. Northeast Syria’s Kurdish-led administration is calling on US President-elect Joe Biden to formally recognize its autonomous status within Syria.

Israel reportedly dispatched a submarine to the Suez Canal and the Red Sea in what has been taken as a clear warning to Iran not to escalate tensions at this sensitive time of transition.

An administrative Moroccan delegation arrived in Israel to reopen the liaison office following normalization of ties between the two countries.

The power-sharing agreement comes as Yemen’s Houthi rebels have already largely seized control of the country’s north Yemen’s President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi ordered the country’s new unity government to relocate to Aden after its members were sworn in during a ceremony in Saudi Arabia’s capital yesterday.

The Shiite party’s leader also said Hezbollah has doubled its missile supplies. Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed in an interview yesterday that the Lebanese Shiite party’s militant wing had doubled its supply of precision-guided missiles and can strike anywhere in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Voices are growing louder in Turkey questioning why these systems were ever purchased, considering the headaches they have caused for Ankara. Turkey is sticking to its guns over its controversial purchase of Russian made S-400 missile air defense systems. Increasing domestic skepticism regarding the reasons for the purchase has also …

Close coordination between Israel and Qatar to facilitate sufficient funding for Hamas to keep Gaza’s economy from collapsing will likely be the key to moving Doha to a normalization deal. Relationships developed between Israel and Qatar to provide sufficient funding to Hamas and avoid an economic collapse and war in …

It is a rare sight; the different factions deciding in an “act of unity” to join hands in the operation. After a weeks-long public relations build-up that included articles, banners, and propaganda videos, the Gaza Strip’s terrorist factions on Tuesday launched a military exercise that, unsurprisingly, attracted the attention of …

Turkey and the United Kingdom’s increasing discord with the European Union make them natural partners. Turkey and the United Kingdom will sign a free trade agreement on Dec. 29, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed Monday.