Gulf States

Sending Syrian Soldiers to Yemen Would Be a Mistake

Washington and Riyadh risk sacrificing Syrian stability by pressuring Damascus to join their war.

The Next War of Attrition is in Yemen

Battlefield dynamics in Yemen shift quickly, but Houthi aims do not. A movement organized around radical ideology and perpetual conflict now shares a border with a state organized around modernization...

Iraqi commander killed by Islamic State following Iraqi airstrikes against the group

Iraqi Army Brigadier General Ahat Yasser Khudair Hussein, Commander of the 11th Infantry Division’s Communications Directorate, was killed in a bombing linked to the Islamic State, Iraq’s Ministry...

Iraq After the US Military Withdrawal: Militia Disarmament Will Decide the Outcome

Iraq is at a new crossroads. On October 8 and 12, Iranian drones targeted Kurdish Iranian opposition groups based in northern Iraq. These are just several of more than 1,000 attacks by Iran on Iraq over...

Trump must answer Houthis’ airport strike — and punish Iran for its chaos

The death toll from the Houthis’ weekend attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has risen to over 15, including one American — and Iran’s Yemeni partner shows no signs of stopping...

Iran targets Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq with new round of drone attacks

Iran conducted a drone attack against the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), a Kurdish Iranian dissident group, in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan Region on October 12, according to the PDKI. The...

Iranian Airlines Expand Trips to Iraq Despite U.S. Sanctions

Operation Economic Outcast has disrupted Iranian aviation, prompting major regional hubs, including the United Arab Emirates and Oman, to suspend flights by Iranian carriers for fear of facing U.S. sanctions....

The Mecca Pact Won’t Deter Yemen’s Houthis

Less than two months after its signing, Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia activated the Mecca Pact for the first time. On October 5, during an emergency meeting held in Riyadh, the three countries...

Saudi Arabia Needs a New Yemen Strategy to Defeat the Houthis

Israel’s formidable military and intelligence machines chewed up and spit out two of Iran’s most powerful regional proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. Tehran’s militias in Iraq have proved far less capable...

Yemen’s Internationally Recognized Government Launches a Serious Challenge to the Houthis

The Iran-backed Houthis march down Yemen’s west coast looked easy, but holding the territory is proving more difficult. Yemen’s internationally recognized government began Operation “Dawn of Yemen”—...

Turkey Maintains Extensive Presence in Iraq Despite Forthcoming Withdrawal From Key Base

After 11 years of Turkish military presence, Ankara and Baghdad have agreed that Turkish troops will gradually withdraw from the Bashiqa-Zilkan camp in northern Iraq, though no firm timeline has been set. This...

US flag trampling, militia disarmament dispute mark Iraq’s post-US withdrawal era

In the wake of the departure of US forces from Iraq on September 30, Baghdad faces renewed challenges associated with the country’s powerful Iran-backed militias. Members of the Popular Mobilization...

Yemeni government forces launch Saudi-backed counteroffensive against Houthis

Yemeni President Rashad al Alimi, head of the country’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), announced Operation “Dawn of Yemen,” a counteroffensive against the Houthis, on October 4. Alimi said...

Washington Decides Complete Ban on Iran-Iraq Flights Is Not Worth the Political Cost

Iraq has received another carve out in Iran-related sanctions. After U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that “all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” all flights between...

FDD Exposes Network of Fake Watchdog and News Websites Advancing Qatari Interests

Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: October

Trend Overview – ...

US forces complete departure from Iraq as anti-Islamic State mission in Iraq ends

US forces deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the anti-Islamic State mission, completed their departure from Iraq on September 30. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi held a ceremony to mark...

Iraq agrees to Turkish base deal as militia disarmament timeline debated

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi indicated that the country would disarm Iranian-backed militias by June 2027, according to a report in The New York Times on September 21. He made the comments during...

The Mecca Pact Has Become a Hollow Promise

If these excuses hold in the pact’s first crisis, they will hold in the next.

Iraq Delays Militia Disarmament, But Doesn’t Give Up — For Now

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has reiterated his commitment to disarm Iranian-backed militias in his country, but says he needs nine more months to accomplish what may be an impossible task. In...