Middle Orient

Turkey has openly admitted that its secret service MIT is taking ISIS members out of the Hol Camp in northeast Syria.

Turkish police said on Sunday they had detained 27 people with links to the Islamic State militant group whom they suspect were preparing for an attack.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced launching the second phase of its ”Deterring Terrorism” campaign to track down and pursue ISIS cells in northeastern Syria, along the Euphrates River basin and areas on the Iraqi border.

New U.S. sanctions targeting the Syrian government appear to also undermine Hezbollah in Lebanon. Experts say the measures are alienating Hezbollah from its political allies in Lebanon and weakening its usage of state institutions to assist the Syrian regime.

A German private security contractor, who has worked for the federal republic’s intelligence and security services, leveled bombshell allegations against Qatar’s regime, stating Doha finances the US and EU-designated terrorist movement Hezbollah and has declared Jews to be the enemies of the tiny Gulf state.

Nabil Shaath, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’ close aide, announced on Wednesday that 23 European Union (EU) countries stand with Palestine against the Israeli plan to annex large swathes of occupied West Bank, Al Watan Voice reported.

Saudi social media users rejected state-owned oil company Aramco’s decision to increase petrol and other fuel prices by 34 per cent this month.

The July 2 explosion at a key Iranian nuclear facility was likely an attack organized by an external actor.

A Lebanese man convicted of financing Hezbollah was freed from jail in the US last month as a result of indirect contacts between Tehran and Washington that are expected to yield more releases, three senior Middle East officials told Reuters news agency.

Reformist splinter group, which separated from Muslim Brotherhood in 2015, emerges victorious in landmark case