At the end of a media briefing in New York last month, senior US official Tom Barrack slid in a reference to Washington controlling one of the most fraught pieces of land in the South Caucasus. “They’re arguing over 32km of road, but this is no joke,” Mr Barrack said. …

It was 20 years ago this week that Israel unilaterally pulled out of Gaza, setting off a chain reaction that may be partly responsible for the state of the territory today. Two decades on, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to reoccupy Gaza, bringing it back full circle and, if …

On August 13, 2025, during his visit to Lebanon, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, heard unequivocally from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam that Lebanon is no longer under Iranian patronage and will not tolerate Iranian dictates or interference in its internal …