Kurds

July 26, 2024 | |

Executions in Iran Surge as Presidential Inauguration Nears

Latest Developments Iran’s judiciary has executed a prisoner every eight hours since July 20, the Oslo-based non-profit Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported on July 25. The surge of executions, which...

July 25, 2024 | Sophia Epley, Sinan Ciddi

The perils of a Turkish-Syrian rapprochement

Since Turkey and Syria broke off relations in 2011, Ankara has played a prominent role in fighting Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria by supplying material support to insurgent groups seeking to overthrow...

July 15, 2024 | |

Turkey To Halt Military Operation in Northern Iraq

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on July 13 that Turkey is winding down its military operation against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq. In 2022, Turkey launched...

July 15, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Syria’s regime holds symbolic legislative ‘elections’

The elections are worth watching for what they may tell us regarding the regime’s attempts to return to regions in Syria illegally occupied by Turkey.

July 14, 2024 | Max Meizlish, Sinan Ciddi

Turkey delisting exposes financial watchdog’s blind spot

In a controversial move, the intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force removed Turkey from its “grey list” last month despite concerns about Ankara’s involvement in supporting Hamas’s...

July 8, 2024 | |

Turkey Open to Hosting Syrian Leader for Normalization Talks

Turkey is open to repairing ties with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad more than a decade after severing diplomatic relations with Damascus at the outbreak of the Syrian civil war...

July 8, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Syria and Turkey could be headed for new era of ties

It is plausible that Turkey-Syria reconciliation could also come at the expense of Israel, because it could be seen as a way for Iran to use this to unite more arenas against Israel.

July 1, 2024 | |

Iranian Election Registers Lowest Voter Turnout Since 1979

The Iranian presidential election on June 28, which now moves to a runoff vote between two candidates, recorded the lowest voter turnout in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s history....

June 27, 2024 | |

Erdogan Backs Hezbollah in War with Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged on June 26 to back Lebanon if a full-scale war breaks out between Iran’s terrorist proxy Hezbollah and Israel. In a speech to parliamentarians...

June 25, 2024 | |

Rumors Swirl Over Hamas Move From Qatar to Iraq

Hamas may relocate its political headquarters from Qatar to Iraq, unnamed sources told The National on June 24. The Iran-backed group already opened a political office in Baghdad...

June 10, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Lessons, 10 years after ISIS took over Mosul

The defeat of ISIS took years. However, Iraq was able to mobilize against the extremists.

June 7, 2024 | Ben Cohen |

The cries of Byai Phu

Everyone, it seems, has heard of Rafah, but few people know about what is happening in Burma, the East Asian country renamed “Myanmar” following a military coup in 1989.

May 30, 2024 | |

Israel, Sweden: Iran Using Criminal Gangs for European Terror

Iran is using criminal networks as terrorist proxies in Europe, Israel and Sweden warned on May 30. Jerusalem disclosed that an investigation involving the Mossad, the Shin Bet,...

May 24, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Can the Middle East halt the rise of Iran before it’s too late?

Iran has recently reconciled with Saudi Arabia, with China’s backing, and it has been seeking to open a new page of ties with Egypt.

May 23, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi |

Lawmakers Urge Blinken to Hold Turkey to Account for Assault on U.S. Citizens

More than 70 U.S. lawmakers signed a bipartisan letter on May 15 urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to hold Ankara to account for the 2017 assault on American citizens by Turkish security officials....

May 21, 2024 | Reuel Marc Gerecht |

The Butcher Is Dead. What Comes Next for Iran?

The unexpected death of the Iranian president may be the vent that allows a volcano of rage to explode. Reuel Marc Gerecht explains.

April 14, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Why did Iran choose drones as method of attack?

Iran has sought to turn drone threats into its version of the Soviet AK-47, a deadly weapon system used in copious amounts, exported to its proxies. An explainer.

April 14, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iran’s proxies target Israel: Here’s what to know about them

These groups pose an increasing threat to Israel and Israel’s partners and allies.

April 12, 2024 | Ben Cohen |

Nicaragua’s charade at the ICJ

The bitter irony is that it is the country’s far-left leadership, aligned with the dictatorships in Venezuela and Cuba, that should be in the dock.

April 11, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iran has ten ways to attack Israel; which one will it choose?

Iran's vowed punishment of Israel might manifest either through proxies or direct means, including ballistic missiles and drones.