Syria

Turkey-Israel tensions deepen amid Erdogan’s confrontational policy

Ankara’s anti-Israel campaign under Erdogan signals a deeper strategic confrontation and rising Middle East tensions.

Iran’s war against regional states: UAE bore the brunt, Iraqi Kurdistan still under fire

The ceasefire between the US and Iran has largely held since April 8, and large-scale Iranian barrages targeting Middle Eastern states have ended. However, some attacks, particularly against Iraqi Kurdistan,...

The road to the second Lebanon ceasefire

At midnight local time on April 17, a second ceasefire in as many years went into effect between Israel and Lebanon. Brokered, or to some degree imposed, by the United States, this cessation of hostilities...

How the Iran war is helping Lebanon and Israel tiptoe toward peace

One of the paradoxes of war is that it can jolt peacemakers into action when conventional diplomacy fails. That’s what appears to be underway right now between Israel and Lebanon.As a direct result...

Syrian president meets Syrian Democratic Forces leader to discuss next phase of integration

Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa met with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi in Damascus on April 16. The meeting came two and a half months after an agreement between...

Crude new world: Oil markets will never be the same – regardless of how the war in Iran ends

Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is a worthy goal in and of itself. But President Trump’s campaign against the Iranian regime carries far broader implications — many of them...

Iraq focuses on political appointees, economic challenges amid Iran ceasefire

On April 14, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani met with French Ambassador to Iraq Patrick Durrel. “Mr. Al-Sudani emphasized the necessity for major powers to exert utmost efforts to curb escalation...

Plot to Kill Damascus Rabbi Highlights Hezbollah’s Goal To Destabilize Syria

During former dictator Bashar al-Assad’s rule, Hezbollah used Syria as a launchpad for weapons smuggling into Lebanon. Today, even after the fall of Assad’s regime, the group is still working to destabilize...

Iraqi fundraising drives linked to militias channel support to Iran and Hezbollah

Efforts that Iran-backed Iraqi militias describe as humanitarian campaigns increasingly show signs of serving as a parallel financial pipeline that also fuels Iran’s current war effort and its regional...

Syria focuses on diplomacy amid Iran war

On April 9, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al Shaibani traveled to Turkey, where he met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. It was Damascus’s second meeting with...

Hezbollah at War: What Comes Next for Lebanon and the Region

Iraq’s Emboldened Terror Groups

Shelly Kittleson, an American journalist, was kidnapped off the streets of Baghdad on March 31 and is now a bargaining chip for the militia that took her. It’s a tragedy on replay....

Hezbollah Emerged from Iran’s Revolution, Not “Resistance” to Israel

A false claim, now common in Western media and academia, portrays Hezbollah as having emerged in response to Israel’s 1982 invasion and subsequent occupation of Lebanon. In reality, Hezbollah arose in...

Turkey the new Iran? Ankara’s growing challenge to Western interests

Turkey’s growing regional influence and ties to Hamas challenge NATO and US security.

Israeli goals in Lebanon war shift from imminently disarming Hezbollah to reestablishing South Lebanon Security Zone

The renewed Lebanon war between Israel and Hezbollah that began on March 2 is now over a month old, with little change in the overall picture or disposition of the main actors. However, Israeli officials...

The Broken Promise of the Panama Papers, Ten Years On

The scandal thrust financial secrecy into the spotlight. Why is dirty money still such a big problem?

Iran and proxies fire fewer total projectiles, increase accuracy in attacks on region (March 28–April 1 updates)

Iran and its allied militias continued launching drones, missiles, and rockets against regional countries between March 28 and April 1. There were nearly 90 incidents in this period, including distinct...

Islamist Turkey: A Base for Muslim Brotherhood Jihadism

Israel kills Al Manar employee Ali Shuaib, says he was a Hezbollah military operative

On the morning of Saturday, March 28, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted a press-marked vehicle on the Jezzine-Kfarhouna road in south Lebanon. The strike killed Ali Shuaib, an employee of the...

Questions about Israel’s wars — and how to answer them

In the spirit of the Passover Seder, here is a guide for helping others to understand how — and why — Israel is facing down its enemies in the Middle East