Syria gets a new autocrat as Sharaa styles himself ‘president’
If the economy tanks, it’s likely Sharaa will return to his Islamic roots and produce a state similar to ISIS
Damascus International Airport
At Least Two Reported Killed in Alleged Israeli Airstrike in Damascus
An alleged Israeli airstrike in Damascus killed two people, Syrian state-run media reported on February 21. The reports claim that Israeli planes launched several missiles that hit...
Flash Briefs
Israeli Airstrike Reportedly Targets Iranian Assets in Damascus
An alleged Israeli airstrike in Damascus on February 2 killed an advisor in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The strike comes one day after reports surfaced that...
Flash Briefs
Iran Evacuates IRGC Officers From Syria
Iran is pulling senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers out of Syria after facing a series of targeted airstrikes against its personnel, Reuters reported on February...
Flash Briefs
Two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Killed in Reported Syria Strike by Israel
Two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers were killed in a reported Israeli air strike in Syria on December 2. Israel acknowledges conducting hundreds of air strikes...
Flash Briefs
Syria Reports Israeli Strikes on Damascus, Aleppo Airports
Syria reported Israeli strikes against two of its major airports on October 12, underscoring the potential for escalation on yet another front. There was no immediate word on the...
Flash Briefs
Netanyahu Signals Israel Will Press Syria Strikes
Latest Developments Syria said Israel attacked Damascus International Airport today, briefly putting the site out of service. According to preliminary media reports, the target was a position run by the...
Flash Briefs
Moscow Cozies Up With Hamas to Pressure Israel
A delegation from the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, led by Politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, made a multi-day visit to Moscow this month for meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as...
Op-eds
Iran and Russia Strengthen Their Partnership
Russia launched an Iranian surveillance satellite into orbit on Tehran’s behalf on August 9. This action could potentially strengthen Iran’s ability to gather intelligence on sites in Israel and the wider Middle East. Meanwhile, a U.S. official told CNN that Russian personnel have started to train inside Iran on the use of drones. Tehran aims to sell hundreds of drones—including weapons-capable models—to Moscow for deployment in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Flash Briefs
The Curtain is Falling on Bibi’s Lebanese Belly-Dance
What lies beneath seven years of Israeli rhetoric about Iran?
Op-eds
Controlled Chaos
The Escalation of Conflict between Israel and Iran in War-Torn Syria
Monographs
Trump Should Block Iran’s Air Corridor to Syria
Last month, an Iranian drone reportedly violated Israeli airspace after taking off from a base i...
Op-eds
The Iranian Express
On November 30, 2016, Syria watcher Tobias Schneider tweeted out pictures of an Iraqi Shia militiaman boarding an Iranian commercial airliner en route to Damascus. One selfie taken on the plane s...
Op-eds
Why Bibi’s Visits to Moscow Mean Bad News for Israel
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Russia for yet another meeting with president Vladimir Putin—his third such trip (and fourth meeti...
Op-eds
Iran and Hezbollah Avoid Blaming Israel for Terrorist Commander’s Death
Mustafa Badreddine, the head of Hezbollah’s military operations in Syria, was recently killed in an explosion near Damascus International Airport. Although the assassination bears some sign...
Op-eds
A death in Damascus, a funeral in Beirut
Five years ago, during the hopefully named Arab Spring, Syrians staged peaceful protests against the ruling dynasty that had long oppressed them. President Bashar al Assad responded brutally: In...
Op-eds
Hezbollah Military Commander Killed in Syria
Mustafa Badreddine, Hezbollah’s military commander, was killed in Syria on Thursday night according to Lebanese television channels close to Hezbollah. Al-Mayadeen TV claimed Badreddine was...
Policy Briefs
Exploding the Israel-Assad Myth
On Sunday, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) allegedly bombed targets at the Damascus International Airport and in a base in Dimas near the border with Lebanon. This latest strike, like all those befor...
Op-eds
Washington’s Syria Policy
Madame Chairwoman, Ranking Member Deutch, and distinguished Members of the Committee. On behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, thank you for inviting me to testify at toda...
Congressional Testimonies
Communications Blackout in Syria
Two technology firms that monitor global Internet traffic report that Syria has been cut off from the Inte...