February, 2026

• 2 February

  Zionist Expansion: A First-Hand Account of Israel’s Illegal Occupation of Southwestern Syria

  

  “They came in the night after Assad fled,” said Mohammed, a resident of Kodena, a small village perched upon rolling hills of rocky soil, about a mile and a half east of the unofficial border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli forces “rode in jeeps, hummers, armored personnel carriers, …

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• 2 February

  Syria Insight: The end is nigh for the SDF bringing new hopes and fears for Syrian Kurds

  

  The SDF has suffered a series of defeats to government forces in recent weeks, but the future for Syrian Kurds need not be bleak, say analysts At the time of writing, the demise of Rojava appears imminent, a project intended to provide an egalitarian space in Syria away from the …

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• 2 February

  Turkey bans protests in province bordering Syria

  

  Turkey has banned all gatherings in a southeastern province for six days following an outpouring of anger over an offensive against Syrian Kurdish fighters Turkish officials in the southeastern Mardin province bordering Syria on Monday announced a six-day ban on gatherings following an outpouring of anger over an offensive against …

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• 2 February

  What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now

  

  A conversation with Karim Sadjadpour and Robin Wright about the recent protests and where the Islamic Republic might go from here. Aaron David Miller: What’s happening with the protests? Robin Wright: When we look at this moment, we need to put it in context. The revolution in 1978–79 took fourteen …

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• 2 February

  ‘Death to America, Death To Israel’: Iran’s Lawmakers Rage in Military Uniform After Trump Hints at Negotiations

  

  In a recent parliamentary session, Iranian lawmakers donned military uniforms and vocally condemned the US and Israel, reflecting Iran’s defiance amid external pressures and domestic protests. In a dramatic parliamentary session broadcast live on state television, Iranian lawmakers wearing military and Revolutionary Guard uniforms shouted ‘Death to America!’ and ‘Death …

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• 2 February

  How Syria’s Kurds were erased from the US-led endgame

  

  Paris marked the moment Washington quietly aligned with Ankara and Tel Aviv to close the Kurdish chapter in Syria’s war For nearly 15 years, US flags flew over Syrian territory with near-total impunity – from Kurdish towns to oil-rich outposts. In the northeast, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) manned …

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• 2 February

  Iran: The Eurasian Lock

  

  Iran’s geography has turned it into a strategic hinge – one that anchors Russia’s southern depth and gives China an escape from US maritime containment. In the corridors of US strategic decision-making, Iran is no longer treated as a discrete regional file. Dealing with Tehran has become inseparable from great-power …

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• 2 February

  Trump balked but war is inevitable: Will Iran attack first?

  Tel Aviv and Washington are sharpening their knives – but military doctrine favors the first mover, and Tehran may be running out of time. “When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck before you crush him.” — former US president Franklin D. …

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• 2 February

  Gaza’s ‘Phase Two’: The illusion of transition and the reality of control

  

  Washington claims the war has entered a ‘second phase,’ but conditions in Gaza show no power shift, no end to violence, and no real sovereignty – only what appears to be a rebranded form of occupation. The announcement arrived wrapped in the familiar choreography of diplomacy. Carefully chosen language, optimistic …

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• 2 February

  Lebanon Says Western States Pushed for Handing Over Assad-Era Figures to Syria

  

  Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar said the Syrian government has not formally requested that Lebanon hand over members of the former regime. In an interview with Saudi channel Al Arabiya on Saturday, 31 January, Nassar said Western countries had requested the handover of figures from the former Syrian regime. He …

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