Israel SitRep: November 4, 2024
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Daraa
Can the Iranian initiative in the Middle East be reversed?
The question is not whether the whole Iranian proxy octopus can be dismantled, but whether Israel, the US and others will seize the initiative.
Op-eds
Jordan in spotlight over killing of US service members
The US role in Jordan and Syria has an essential role to play in maintaining the regional stability that Iran is trying to erode.
Op-eds
Islamic State confirms death of yet another leader, appoints new ‘caliph’
The Islamic State confirmed that its previous leader and self-styled “caliph”, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi, was killed earlier this year In doing so, it also disputes claims he was killed...
Op-eds
New European Sanctions Target Assad Regime Narco-Traffickers
The European Union (EU) announced sanctions this week on over a dozen Syrian individuals and entities responsible for “the production and trafficking of narcotics, notably Captagon.” The designations...
Policy Briefs
Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: Early August
Policy Tracker
Al Qaeda group claims bus bombing in Damascus
Hurras al Din (the “Guardians of Religion” organization, or HAD) has claimed responsibility for a bus explosion in Damascus. In a one-page statement posted on social media, the al Qaeda group says...
Op-eds
Islamic State wages desert-based insurgency in Iraq and Syria
The Islamic State is far from dead in Iraq and Syria. Despite losing its physical caliphate, the group maintained enough manpower and resources to continue waging an insurgency in both countries. And America’s...
Op-eds
Putin Needs Iran in Syria
Russia’s latest offensive proves the futility of depending on Putin to rein in Iran.
Op-eds
Controlled Chaos
The Escalation of Conflict between Israel and Iran in War-Torn Syria
Monographs
Iran’s Two-Front Strategy
Israel is about to face two active fronts on its borders: One in Gaza, and the other in the Golan Heights. As factions in Gaza ...
Op-eds
Russian Troops Deploy Near Syria-Israel Border
In late July, Russia deployed four military police battalions to monitor a pair of safe zones in Syria, including a southwestern...
Policy Briefs
Analysis: Is the next ‘Arab Spring’ implosion around the corner?
The alarm bells sounding the impending youth revolt is perhaps the central takeaway from the UN’s report released Tuesday on the herculean challenges facing Arab states across the Middle Ea...
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
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
Bystanders to genocide
It’s surprising how time slips away: Five years ago next month, President Obama proclaimed a “responsibility to act” when American “interests and values are at stake.&rdqu...
Op-eds
The CIA’s Syria Program and the Perils of Proxies
Almost every aspect of the Obama administration’s policy toward Syria has been scrutinized, lambasted or praised in recent months, but one of the most significant facets, the CIA’s co...
Op-eds
Al Nusrah Front, Allies Form New Coalition for Battle in Aleppo
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, and allied organizations have formed a new coalition for the battle of Aleppo. The alliance calls itself Ansar al Sharia, a name us...
Op-eds
Assad Wants the Druze for Cannon Fodder
Apologists for the Assad regime and its dupes in the West claim the regime is the protector of minorities. Nowhere is it more evident that this is a fallacy than in southern Syria, where the regi...
Op-eds
Tehran’s Siamese Twins
“[I]n the next few days, the world will be surprised by what we and the Syrian military leadership are currently preparing,” Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary G...