On July 16, Syria’s Ministry of Interior announced that it had foiled an “attempt to smuggle a large shipment of sophisticated weapons across the Syrian-Iraqi border.” The ministry said...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted a strong interest in his neighbors’ affairs last month, declaring that, “Turkey’s security does not begin in Hatay [in southern Turkey], but rather...
Syria convened its new parliament on July 12, the first to meet since the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime in December 2024. The new parliament, called the People’s Assembly, met after Syrian...
On June 26, Israel and Lebanon signed the Trilateral Framework Between the United States, Israel, and Lebanon, whose goal is to end the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, secure both countries’ sovereignty...
This is not Palestine they are defending. On the eve of what was supposed to be her trial this summer, some 250 public figures signed an open letter in L’Humanité supporting Rima Hassan.
“I promised to remove all barriers stopping you from rebuilding your country, and very soon, you will finally be able to do so,” President Donald Trump wrote in a letter to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa...
The agreement signed last month between Israel and Lebanon includes two designated "pilot zones" where the Lebanese army's ability to disarm Hezbollah will be tested. The success, or failure, of that initiative will influence the entire deal
As the United States and Iran trade blows again, it’s important to remember that sanctions relief would have only allowed the Islamic Republic to finance its war machine.
Just three weeks after it was signed, the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran is on life support. Tehran’s promise to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for international...
The inclusion of Syria on the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list is important leverage the U.S. should not give up easily.
Speaker Nabih Berri and Druze chief Walid Jumblatt have so far sided with Hezbollah by denouncing the June 26 Trilateral Framework between Lebanon, Israel, and the U.S.
Trend Overview Welcome back to the Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker. Once a month, we ask FDD’s experts and scholars to assess the administration’s foreign policy. They provide trendlines...
Over the past two years, the Islamic Republic has engaged in at least 15 distinct ballistic missile operations from its territory against foreign targets. These attacks, starting in January 2024, ended...
The Pentagon may have missed a significant deadline on Lebanon. Congress, in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, gave the secretary of defense until June 30 to report on how to assess Lebanese...
There may be a ceasefire in Lebanon, but Hezbollah’s pocketbook is still in the world’s sights. On June 30, the United States and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) jointly imposed sanctions...
If you want to understand Iran’s negotiating posture for the new nuclear deal with the United States, listen to what Washington and Tehran said about the nuclear deal of July 2015. At the time, President...
Iran’s rulers think Trump is as beatable as his predecessors
The new U.S.-brokered Israel-Lebanon framework has its strengths and weaknesses. But one immediate and unequivocal benefit is that it buries the misguided idea that Hezbollah should have a seat at the...