Turkish soldiers hold their position on a tank as they watch the town of Kobani from near the Mursitpinar border crossing, on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province October 13, 2014. The strategic border town of Kobani has been beseiged by Islamic State militants …
Read More »In Iraq, the United States Must Be Careful What It Wishes For
If Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi cracks down too hard on pro-Iran militias, as Washington has demanded, he risks losing his position and jeopardizing the country’s security.
Read More »Syria
Four U.S. soldiers were reportedly injured on Tuesday in a collision with a Russian military vehicle during a routine security patrol in north-eastern Syria. The incident follows skirmishes last week in the same region between U.S. and Syrian government forces, which allegedly killed one Syrian soldier. Crisis Group expert Dareen …
Read More »U.S. Won’t Send Aid to Lebanese Government Over Terror-Finance Concerns
The Trump administration is worried humanitarian aid for Lebanon will end up in the hands of U.S.-designated terror group Hezbollah if routed through the government in Beirut, according to senior U.S. officials.
Read More »Israel attacks Hezbollah posts after shots fired at soldiers
Israeli attack helicopters struck observation posts of the militant Hezbollah group along the Lebanon border overnight after shots were fired at Israeli troops operating in the area, the military said Wednesday.
Read More »Turkey's Hostility to Israel-UAE Peace Accord
It should not be a surprise that a government that supports Hamas is against the normalization treaty between Israel and the UAE. The treaty will hopefully pave the way for more peaceful coexistence and cooperation between Israel, the UAE and other Muslim countries. The Erdogan regime, through its hostility to …
Read More »Why Some Palestinians Support the Israel-UAE Accord
Some Palestinians do not share their leaders’ rage toward the United Arab Emirates. These Palestinians say they are worried that the Palestinian leadership’s overreaction to the UAE-Israel deal is counterproductive and will cause further harm to the Palestinian cause.
Read More »Lebanon's Beirut blast shattered taboos around Hezbollah
Hezbollah’s emphatic defence of the political status quo in Lebanon has exposed it since the deadly Beirut blast to levels of public contempt and anger it was once shielded from.
Read More »Will Lebanon finally gather the strength to oust Hezbollah?
Now that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has ruled that a terrorist with the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah was responsible for the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the challenge for Lebanon is to end the malign influence Iran continues to exert over its political system.
Read More »Middle East’s extremism and sectarianism can be traced back to Iran
As many have noted, you can’t change geography. According to an Arab saying, “The neighbor comes before the home,” meaning that choosing good neighbors is more important than buying the best house. Similarly, Iranians say, “A good neighbor is far better than a distant brother.”
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