On November 2, the Secretary of Russia’s National Security Council Nikolai Patrushev and CIA Director William Burns met to discuss various issues related to US-Russia ties. Burns’ two-day visit to Moscow with a senior-level delegation follows a series of engagement at various levels between the two countries since the Geneva …

LEBANON A diplomatic spat erupted with Gulf states after footage emerged of Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi criticising the Saudi-led war in Yemen before his ministerial appointment. In response, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates expelled Lebanese ambassadors from their countries and recalled their own ambassadors, while …

Geopolitics informs Russian attitude toward Abkhazia. It is both of benefit and curse for Abkhazian elites who aspire to a greater level of maneuverability not only from Tbilisi, but from Moscow as well. Russian investments might be beneficial economically, but they could be also laying the groundwork for a more …

Les tambours de la guerre résonnent entre l’Algérie et le Maroc. Après une année émaillée de déclarations incendiaires de part et d’autre, Alger accuse Rabat d’avoir bombardé, le 1er novembre, trois camions civils algériens. La présidence algérienne a, via un communiqué, dénoncé ce 3 novembre « l’assassinat de trois ressortissants …

“These joint operations demonstrate our mutual commitment as partners to deny Daesh any presence & influence in NE Syria.” The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out 12 operations against the Islamic State group in northeast Syria, the organization’s Coordination and Military Operations center said late on Tuesday. “With @Coalition, …

As part of an operation to tackle extreme-right terrorism in Belgium, three military barracks and eight private homes of military personnel were searched on Wednesday morning. Nobody was arrested during the searches, however, computers and mobile phones were seized for investigation, the federal public prosecutor’s office confirmed. Further updates on …

The Algerian presidency said the killing of the three Algerian truck drivers in a roadside bombing on Monday “will not go unpunished.” Algeria blamed Morocco on Wednesday for a roadside bombing that killed three Algerian truck drivers, an accusation leveled amid mounting tensions between the North African neighbors over disputed …

Factions pulling out of the recently formed Syrian Liberation Front raise questions about the future of Turkish-backed rebel groups. Sources close to Sultan Soleman Shah Brigade, one of the largest factions of the Syrian Liberation Front, said that the brigade has effectively withdrawn from the front to join the Thaeeroun …

In the wake of the Sudan coup on Oct. 25, some observers believe Ethiopia will take the opportunity to further its claims in a border dispute with Khartoum. Following the military coup against the transitional authority in Sudan on Oct. 25, concerns have been raised about Ethiopia taking advantage of …

Washington is trying to bring its Middle Eastern allies into line with international efforts to revive the transition to democracy in Khartoum. The United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates released a joint statement on Wednesday calling on Sudan’s military to immediately release those arrested …