Middle Orient

The Russian military identifies its deployment to Syria as the prototypical example of future war—an expeditionary deployment to support a coalition-based hybrid war. The Russian General Staff cites Syria as highlighting the need for Russia to develop a new military capability—deploying flexible expeditionary forces to carry out “limited actions” abroad. …

Following the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement signed in Moscow on November 9, 2020, between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that units of the Military Police (MP) will be part of Russian peacekeeping in the South Caucasus for an initial period of five years. The deployment of the MP …

The two powers have conflicting interests in the Syrian war, but regional powers are not keen on a broader military clash Naftali Bennett, Israel’s outgoing defence minister, said last month that Iran had begun withdrawing its forces from Syria and urged his successor, Benny Gantz, to maintain pressure on Tehran. …

The Syrian Democratic Forces have abducted a second member of the Arab Socialist Baath Party this month, reports The Syria Times.

A Turkish military convoy has entered Syria’s northwestern de-escalation zone, despite the Russian-Turkish agreement to demilitarize the Idleb Governorate, writes North Press.

On Sunday, unknown assailants shot dead a Turkish leader in the western countryside of Idleb, days after an attempt to assassinate him with a car bomb.

The Abraham Accords — between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain — will lead to billions of dollars of investment and trade between Israel and its partners in peace. The Accords will also allow the Emirates and Bahrain to benefit from Israeli technology, and see their defense strengthened against Iran. Sudan, …

Bashar al Assad has assigned Maj. General Abdulsalam Mahmoud, deputy director of the Air Force Intelligence Department, to handle the security portfolio in southern Syria.

The Israeli spy Eli Cohen was not the only agent who succeeded in penetrating Syria’s regime in 1960s. Repeatedly, Mossad operations were able to infiltrate high-profile branches of the regime including the ministry of defense and important military units and security systems, which were concealed by Bashar al-Assad in fear …

The fragile ties between Damascus and the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northern Syria have seen a dangerous escalation amid widespread anticipation that US support for the Syrian Kurds will grow after the change of guard at the White House. The two sides have sought to besiege one another in several …