Middle Orient

The Russian-backed “Fifth Corps” have carried out an inspection campaign after some of the Corps’ members were targeted in Busra. As crimes and assassinations continue in Southern Syria, Busra – which is the stronghold of the Fifth Corps – witnessed the first assassination attempt of a prominent leader last Saturday, …

Syrian army reinforcements have arrived in the key town of Ayn Issa, while a bridge has been deployed across the Euphrates to help civilians cross writes Al-Masdar.

Greece prefers the de-escalation of tension in the East Mediterranean rather than EU sanctions on Turkey, the spokesman of the Greek government has said.

Russian media report that Turkish artillery and pro-Turkish military units have launched an artillery attack in Al-Hasakah province. According to local sources, the artillery strikes were aimed at residential buildings in the vicinity of the city of Abu Rasin. The attacks by Turkish and pro-Turkish troops were carried out on …

Syrian Observatory activists have monitored several Russian jets consecutively striking ISIS positions in the Syrian desert near Aleppo-Hama-Al-Raqqah triangle. The Russian airstrikes coincide with renewed battles between ISIS and regime forces.

The specially designed missiles use sharp blades and blunt force, rather than explosive warheads, to kill terrorist leaders. U.S. Special Operations forces, with no fanfare, killed a top Qaeda leader in northwest Syria in an unusual drone strike nearly two weeks ago.

Heated debates about heritage management in Turkey over the Mosque reversions of Hagia Sophia and the Chora Museum, and the planned demolition of the Bomonti beer factory expose the tensions that exist between conservation, ownership, use and accessibility.

Belgrade’s decision to declare Hezbollah in its entirety ‘a terrorist organisation’ is a purely diplomatic move – and does not reflect any previous security assessments, experts told BIRN.

After the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain broke with most Arab countries and established diplomatic relations with Israel, there are already signs of growing tensions in the Palestinian territories. Mahmoud Abbas, the longtime president of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, is apparently trying to foreclose a potential challenge to his …

The Islamic State (ISIS) carried out a large attack against the Syrian Armed Forces near the Raqqa-Homs administrative border this week. According to reports from the front, a group of ISIS terrorists ambushed the Syrian army and National Defense Forces near the historical ruins of al-Rusafa, resulting in heavy casualties …