Mazloum Abdi, the General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said that while the military aspects of the integration agreement with the Syrian government are moving forward, key civilian files — including the judiciary, education, and the return of displaced residents — continue to face significant complications. In an …
Read More »Damascus Between Cairo and Beirut: Testing the Return to the Arab Fold
The diplomatic activity surrounding Damascus can no longer be dismissed as protocol visits or courtesy messages in the aftermath of Bashar al-Assad’s fall. From the side conversation that brought together Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cyprus, to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani’s visit to …
Read More »ISIS Claims Responsibility for Attack on Syrian Army Bus in Hassakeh
The Islamic State (ISIS)—a violent extremist organization responsible for widespread atrocities—announced on Tuesday that it carried out the attack targeting a bus transporting Syrian army soldiers in Hassakeh province. The ISIS-linked Amaq News Agency reported that the ambush resulted in deaths and injuries among Syrian government forces. According to the …
Read More »Elimination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Head of Hamas’ Military Wing: Reactions and Significance
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Read More »The European Commission’s New, Chilling Censorship Initiative
Revealingly, while Belgium’s Press Ethics Council did not trust readers with Vance’s speech on the factual lack of freedom of speech in Europe, the Belgian courts had no issues with a magazine column that incited violence against Belgian Jews. On one hand, the public cannot be trusted with information that …
Read More »Iran Update Special Report, May 16, 2026
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and The Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute are publishing daily updates to provide analysis on the war with Iran. The updates focus on US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran and the Axis of Resistance’s response to …
Read More »Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 16, 2026
Toplines The seniormost Russian military command presented a highly inaccurate assessment of the battlefield situation for the fifth consecutive month, absurdly claiming that Russian forces are advancing west of Kupyansk, which they have not, in fact, taken. Russian Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov met with the …
Read More »After the Iran war, could Israel’s focus shift towards Turkey?
As Israeli political elites increasingly frame Turkey the way they once framed Iran, could Ankara and Tel Aviv’s rivalry become the Middle East’s new faultline? The fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s government in Syria in December 2024, coupled with successive Israeli military campaigns against Iran since October 2024 and the setbacks …
Read More »‘Super Sparta, Little Sparta’: How the UAE is doubling down on ties with Israel
From defence to intelligence, UAE-Israel ties have emerged stronger than ever from the Iran war. But how will this deeper cooperation affect the region? The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel appear to have emerged from the Iran war with a stronger relationship than ever. The UAE sustained the most …
Read More »Why Iran’s Navigational Order Will Be Difficult to Overturn
Tehran has upended traditional maritime arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz and remains in the driver’s seat despite U.S. pressure, so authorities cannot expect to reverse this shift quickly even if the war ends soon. On April 28, a Japanese-owned, Panama-flagged crude oil tanker safely transited the Strait of Hormuz …
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