Middle Orient

Cracks in Turkish-Russian ties begin to show

Mistrust instead of the spirit of mutually beneficial political cooperation is guiding current relations between Ankara and Moscow. Turkish-Russian ties are following a different trajectory today to what they were a year ago when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was promoting the notion of a strategic relationship in the making.

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The South Syria Deal: Two Years Later

Two years have passed since Syria’s south and southwestern regions were seized by government forces. Dubbed the “South Syria Deal,” a U.S.-Russian understanding with Jordan’s and Israel’s blessings, government forces and “state Symbols” took control of the countrysides of Daraa and Qunaytirah. Daraa-based opposition forces had to surrender and make …

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Death toll update | Nearly 105 fighters killed and injured of “al-Sham Corps” close to Turkey in Russian airstrike on camp near Iskenderun region, north-west of Idlib

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented further casualties in the Russian airstrikes on a camp belonging to the Ankara-backed al-Sham Corps in Jabal al-Dawila area in Harem, north-west of Idlib.

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Turkey begins training Libyan coastguards and thus competes with the EU and Italy

Turkish armed forces have started training the Libyan coast guard, learned BulgarianMilitary.com citing reports of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. The newspaper rates this as a “further blow” against Rome’s influence on the LibyanGovernment of National Accord [GNA] in Tripoli, as this activity has so far been carried out by …

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Iran Holds Army Ground Force Drill in Border Area as Azerbaijani-Armenian Karabakh Conflict Persists

Earlier this week, Tehran conducted air defence war games after stray missiles and shells made their way into Iranian territory amid ongoing hostilities between neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

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Iran, Turkey and Qatar condemn France over religious 'desecration'

Why would small groups in Gaza, such as Islamic Jihad, suddenly care about a cartoon in France when they have more pressing issues? This is a sort of regional competition over who “defends Muslims.” Turkey, Iran, Qatar, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have all come out with statements over the …

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