Units of the Syrian army have surrounded the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo, marking the latest escalation after a series of clashes between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which control 30 percent of Syrian territory, and the Asayish, the SDF-affiliated internal …

The Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) publish the Iran Update, which provides insights into Iranian and Iranian-sponsored activities that undermine regional stability and threaten US forces and interests. CTP-ISW publishes the Iran Update daily. add notetweetClick here …

Russia’s apparent fast-tracking of plans to establish a military hub in Libya could worsen that country’s protracted conflict. For Russia, as for Iran, last month’s fall of the 54-year-old Assad dynasty in Syria was a major geo-strategic setback. Former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s sudden defeat threatened Russia’s important military presence …

At least five civilians had been killed and some 30,000 people displaced following renewed fighting in Aleppo, Syria. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, said he is alarmed by reports of civilian deaths and injuries after hostilities re-escalated earlier this week in the northeastern neighbourhoods of Syria, calling …

En dépit des accords de cessez-le-feu conclus avec le Liban et à Gaza, et des discussions en cours avec la Syrie sur les contours d’un accord de sécurité, Israël poursuit une politique dite de « défense avancée » qui fait peu de cas de la souveraineté de ses voisins. Au …

Government measures such as cash handouts and leadership changes have failed to quell protests Streets across Iran remain volatile as the government fails to offer a meaningful response to public grievances. What began as anger over a collapsing economy has snowballed into broader unrest that mixes economic despair with political …

Tehran has condemned capture of president Nicolas Maduro as it warns against US striking Iran When Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president on Monday, three diplomats stood out among the first people to congratulate her: the ambassadors of China and Russia, and that of Iran, Ali Chegini. …

Public offices and schools closed and flights suspended in northern city as fighting continues The Syrian army warned Kurdish militias on Wednesday that it would strike “military targets” in Aleppo, as deadly exchanges continued for a third day in the latest round of urban warfare in the country’s second-largest city. …

Questions raised over high seas legality and Washington’s relationships with friends and foes The US Coast Guard’s seizure of the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker off the coast of northern Britain raises a host of questions. Was it legal? If not, what stress does it put on the already strained US-UK …

Iran’s top judge warned protesters on Wednesday there would be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic,” while accusing Israel and the US of pursuing hybrid methods to disrupt the country. Tehran remains under international pressure with US President Donald Trump threatening to come to …