In the most fatal attack against US troops in Syria so far this decade, an Islamic State (IS) gunman shot dead two US soldiers and a civilian American interpreter on 13 December. The deadly attack transpired amidst expanding US-Syrian military cooperation and Syria joining the US-led anti-IS coalition. It raises …

Since the collapse of Bashar Al-Assad’s government just over a year ago, Syria has become an arena for an increasingly stark contest between Turkey and Israel. Ankara and Tel Aviv’s strategic visions for Syria are fundamentally irreconcilable. Turkey seeks a unified state anchored by an Ankara-friendly central authority and preserved …

With the new year less than two weeks away, a range of geopolitical and security trends demand close attention. From the potential resumption of war between Israel and Iran to evolving dynamics in multiple hotspots, a host of unresolved variables is poised to shape the Middle East’s trajectory in 2026. …