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February, 2026

  • 2 February

    A Field Report from Afrin: Assessing the Prospects for Return of Displaced Kurds

    The Afrin Region and the Kurdish Populations The following report, commissioned as a field assignment by the Middle East Forum, is an in-depth examination of the Afrin region located in northwest Syria along the border with Turkey. The region is known for having had a majority Kurdish population prior to …

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  • 2 February

    Some Tales from the Darkside

    The recent demonstrations in Iran that may have killed more than 5,000 civilians and security officers changed from largely peaceful to violent when a number of “agitators” got involved and sought to turn the gatherings focused on the poor economy into a drive to bring about regime change. It has …

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  • 2 February

    Limited turnout at Deir Ezzor settlement center for former SDF members

    Work continued for a second day at the center opened by Syria’s Ministry of Interior in Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria) to settle the status of individuals who were previously affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). A security source at the Internal Security Directorate in Deir Ezzor told Enab Baladi …

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  • 2 February

    Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah

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  • 2 February

    Iran’s “Balkanization” Is Unlikely But Still Can’t Be Ruled Out

    Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, all of which have been Iran’s “frenemies” since 1979 and whose military-strategic interests are increasingly converging, are expected to exploit any large-scale instability that could follow another potential round of US strikes if Trump changes his mind. The Wall Street Journal recently published a …

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  • 2 February

    al-Sharaa from Moscow: Russia Has a Historic Role in Syria’s Stability

    Syrian transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow that Russia has a historic role in Syria’s unity and stability, and in the stability of the wider region. He pointed to an upgrade in economic cooperation between the two countries. Al-Sharaa expressed hope …

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  • 2 February

    Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 29, 2026

    Toplines US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the United States and Ukraine have finalized security guarantees for Ukraine. Rubio stated on January 28 that it “could [be] argue[d]” that the United States and Ukraine have finalized security guarantees.[1] Rubio stated that the United States will play a “key …

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  • 2 February

    Iran Update, January 29, 2026

    Toplines Iran is likely trying to deter US military action against Iran by deploying forces and conducting naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS)-affiliated outlet Defa Press claimed on January 29 that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy deployed “hundreds of fast, missile-launching, …

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  • 2 February

    EU designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terror group

    EU foreign ministers agreed Thursday to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist” group, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said. “Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise,” she said. Meeting in Brussels ahead of the terror designation …

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January, 2026

  • 31 January

    All Eyes on Southern Syria

    The government’s gains in the northwest will have an echo nationally, but will they alter Israeli calculations? By crossing the Euphrates River in recent days, Syrian government forces broke through a decade-old boundary that had defined Syria’s conflict, behind which the Kurd-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had sustained a de …

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