January, 2026

• 5 January

  Hamas said set to soon elect new leader, with pro-Iran candidate Hayya likely to win

  

  Report says second candidate is terror group’s former head Mashaal, who is said to favor diplomacy on Gaza whereas frontrunner backs ‘armed conflict’ Hamas is expected to elect a new leader within days or a few weeks, Saudi outlet Asharq reported Saturday, citing sources close to the Palestinian terror group’s …

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• 5 January

  Lebanon’s Outlook on Sovereignty, Disarmament, and Peace

  

  On December 23, The Washington Institute held a virtual Policy Forum with H.E. Youssef Raggi, Lebanon’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants. Questioners included David Schenker, the Institute’s Taube Senior Fellow and director of its Rubin Program on Arab Politics; Hanin Ghaddar, the Institute’s Friedmann Senior Fellow; and event moderator …

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• 5 January

  Türkiye to Open an UNRWA Office in Ankara as the Agency Confronts Operating Crises

  

  Türkiye has been providing financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) since its founding in 1949. The country is now preparing to host the agency’s fifth liaison office, in the capital of Ankara, in early 2026, a senior UNRWA …

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• 5 January

  Netanyahu Makes Israel First Nation in the World to Recognize Somaliland

  

  Israel has formally recognized the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, becoming the first country to do so and triggering strong reactions across the Horn of Africa. The move marks a diplomatic breakthrough for Somaliland, which has sought international recognition since breaking away from Somalia more …

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• 5 January

  Iran’s Failing Eastward Pivot? The Limits and Risks of Russia-China Alignment

  

  Since the June war, Tehran has hastily doubled down on Russian and Chinese partnerships to weather sanctions and deter future attacks, but Moscow and Beijing are hesitant to invest deeply in return—and Washington should make sure they stay that way. When Iranian leaders assisted Russia’s war on Ukraine by providing …

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• 5 January

  Syrian Internal Security imposes curfew in Latakia city

  

  Latakia’s Internal Security Command announced a curfew in Latakia city (on Syria’s Mediterranean coast), starting at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 30 December 2025, and lasting until 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 31 December 2025. In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the Internal Security Command said the curfew does not …

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• 5 January

  Czech Industry’s Hidden Role in Russia’s War Machine

  

  Czech manufacturers of computer numerical controlled (CNC) machines have been exporting their products to the Russian market for decades. Even in 2020 and 2021, more than a tenth of Czech CNC machines, worth over a billion crowns, were sent to Russia. These machines often ended up being put to use …

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• 5 January

  Revealed: How Russia’s GRU Plotted Europe’s Parcel Explosions

  

  The following investigation, conducted over the course of six months with a consortium of five international partners, was scheduled to run Thursday morning. After receiving a list of detailed questions based on months of research and reporting, the Lithuanian Prosecutor’s Office and the Criminal Police Bureau decided to reveal part …

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• 5 January

  Sectarian Fires Return to Syria’s Coast

  

  Sectarian tensions appear to be resurfacing in Syria’s Mediterranean coastal region, the home to the country’s largest concentration of the Alawite religious minority. The group held a privileged position under the ousted dictator — and co-religionist — Bashar al-Assad. On December 28, thousands of Alawites protested in cities of Latakia …

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• 5 January

  La défaite des puissances occidentales en Ukraine ouvre la voie à un monde multipolaire de coopération et de paix

  

  Le mot commence à apparaître, et la perception se répand de cette situation : la défaite. Mais la tendance demeure à la surestimation de la puissance occidentale qui espère encore dicter ses conditions au vainqueur. Ce n’est ni plus ni moins que la manifestation sur la scène internationale de la …

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