Middle Orient

The majority of Lebanese oppose peace with Israel, and elected officials who pursue normalization with the Jewish state risk political suicide. Nevertheless, popular rejection of peace does not justify censoring its proponents. The very purpose of open public debate is to allow minority positions to argue their case, sway doubters, …

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates Have Been Friends and Allies for Decades, but They Have Picked Different Sides in the Fighting in Yemen Two gasoline Goliaths of the Persian Gulf are facing off, and neither of them is Iran — in fact, both are allies of the United …

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AYATOLLAH Ali Khamenei’s top crony has said Iran is “ready” for the doomsday scenario of sustained Trump-sanctioned strikes. The country’s leadership has been putting up a brave front as an armada and fleet of fighter jets – the biggest US military build-up in the region since the Iraq war – …

The amnesty decree issued by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on February 18 has sparked widespread debate among Syrian legal experts and human rights lawyers over its legality and constitutionality, particularly given that it was issued by a transitional authority. The controversy has intensified over the legitimacy of granting such a …

Iran-backed PIJ terror group’s flexible command structure and unfettered emphasis on armed conflict has helped it expand influence in the territory, deepening the challenge for Israel With Hamas constrained by a host of political and military factors, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the most prominent Palestinian terror group after Hamas, has upped …

Trump wants Britain’s help with another illegal war in the Middle East, which could have far reaching consequences US president Donald Trump has signalled that British military bases may be crucial to an attack on Iran, without offering a legal justification for bombing that country. Trump posted on Wednesday: “Should …

‘What happened proves that targeting of civilians continues,’ says grandmother who survived Gaza tent attack Hanan Abu Hadaid’s family was fast asleep in their tent when the attack began. “Suddenly, everything was turned upside down,” the 60-year-old told Declassified of the Israeli airstrike on 31 January that hit their shelter …

Iranian students chanted anti-government slogans and scuffled with counter-protesters on Saturday in the latest display of anger at the country’s clerical leaders, who also face a US military build-up aimed at pressuring them into a nuclear deal. The gatherings at universities, which were reported by both local and diaspora media …

Toplines A senior US official told Axios on February 22 that the United States and Iran may discuss the possibility of an interim deal during the third round of negotiations in Geneva on February 26.[1] An interim deal that only addresses Iran’s nuclear program would enable Iran to drag out …