Damascus Poised To Attack Kurdish-Held Towns in Northern Syria
Syrian Troops Ready Offensive on Kurdish-Held Areas: Syrian government troops are preparing to launch an offensive against Kurdish-held towns in the north and east of the country...
Bashar al-Assad
Don’t make the mistake Obama did, Mr. President, enforce your Iran ‘red line’
The last time a US president drew a “red line” and refused to enforce it, thousands of Syrians paid the price. Barack Obama’s 2012 failure to enforce his red line against the use of chemical...
Op-eds
Israel-Syria Negotiations Show Promise, But Significant Obstacles Remain
After months of rising tensions, Israel and Syria are back at the negotiating table in Paris. Syria’s state news agency reported that Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and intelligence chief Hussein...
Policy Briefs
The US’ Syria Bet Just Turned Deadly
Despite lifting sanctions, Washington has failed to arrest radicalization within the Syrian government.
Op-eds
Lebanon Must Become Independent of Saudi Arabia Too
If Lebanon’s Shia are to finally divorce Iran and reclaim patriotism for their nation, other sects must also place Lebanon’s national interests above the diktats of foreign patrons. That means the...
Op-eds
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...
Policy Briefs
Jordan carries out airstrikes in Syria against drug smugglers
The Kingdom of Jordan conducted airstrikes in Syria that targeted drug smugglers between December 23 and 25. The strikes came days after reports at the Jordan News Agency, a state media...
Op-eds
A Deal to Help Bring Syria Together Nears Collapse
In just a little more than a week, Syria could return to the civil strife its people suffered under for 13 years. A March deal to unify the militaries of President Ahmad al-Sharaa and the Kurdish-led Syrian...
Policy Briefs
Turkish President Erdogan Claims Israel Is Biggest Threat to Syria
Erdogan Accuses Israel of Seeking ‘Fragmentation’ of Syria: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan labeled Israel the “primary obstacle” to a stable Syria on December 16,...
Flash Briefs
Lebanon Must Pick the Abraham Accords over the Muslim Brotherhood
It would be a grave mistake for Lebanon to swap the Islamist resistance axis of Iran for the Muslim Brotherhood of Turkey and Qatar. ...
Op-eds
3 Americans killed, 3 injured in Islamic State ambush attack in Palmyra, Syria
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that “two U.S. service members and one U.S. civilian were killed, and three service members were injured, as a result of an ambush by a lone ISIS [Islamic...
Op-eds
Congress Unveils Proposal To Repeal Syria Sanctions as Syria-Israel Tensions Continue
Repeal Likely to Pass: Congress is likely to repeal economic sanctions on Syria enshrined in the 2019 Caesar Act in the coming weeks, unveiling language for its repeal within the...
Flash Briefs
Iraq Almost Takes a Stand Against Iran’s Terrorist Proxies — Then Doesn’t
The Iraqi government did the right thing and froze the assets of Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, but once the story made news on December 4, the government walked its decision back within hours. In...
Policy Briefs
Israel-Syria tensions continue after Israeli raid as White House urges ‘dialogue’
Tensions between Israel and Syria have continued in the wake of a November 27 raid in southern Syria by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). On December 4, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), a state...
Op-eds
Preventing Violence in Southern Syria Depends on Damascus and Jerusalem Reaching an Agreement
“Israel must maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria,” President Donald Trump said on December 1, amid rising tensions between the two countries. On November 27, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)...
Policy Briefs
Palestinian Islamic Jihad reportedly rebuilding its presence in Syria
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported on November 26 that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Gaza-based terrorist group, has been “increasingly strengthening its military wing in Syria...
Op-eds
Unsolved Murder of Bedouin Couple Fans Sectarian Flames in Syria
Syria seems to be inching back towards fracturing. On November 23, unknown individuals killed a husband and wife from a Sunni Arab Bedouin tribe in Homs Province. Authorities found slogans written at the...
Policy Briefs
Kurds at a Crossroads as Middle East Shifts
Syrian Kurdish military leader Mazloum Abdi’s recent meeting with top Kurdish officials of northern Iraq points to the region’s shifting political landscape. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander...
Op-eds
Russia Eyes Return to Southern Syria
Russia stepped foot in southern Syria for the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad almost a year ago. On November 17, a Russian military delegation traveled to the southern region, where they conducted...
Policy Briefs
Syrian Government Condemns Israeli Prime Minister’s Visit to Troops in Southern Syria
Latest Developments ‘Violation of Sovereignty and Unity’: The Syrian government strongly condemned a November 19 visit to Israeli-controlled Syrian territory by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin...