Middle Orient

In December 2020, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tweeted that it had signed a military agreement with the UK. It said British and Israeli military chiefs had agreed to “formalise and enhance the defence partnership and support the growing Israel-UK partnership.” In Britain, the government gave the new agreement no …

The agreement between Israel and Hamas announced last week is good news, but it represents only a modest step towards resolving the manifold problems caused by the war in the Gaza Strip. Limited or not, the deal is valuable in its own terms, assuming it holds. Under its terms, the …

The Doghmush clan reportedly fought against Hamas in a clash that killed at least 27 people. Israeli air strikes on Gaza may have halted, and a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas is ongoing, but tucked behind the headlines, tensions are brewing in Gaza between Hamas and armed groups. On …

Gaza’s fragile ceasefire faced its first major test Sunday as Israeli forces launched a wave of deadly strikes, saying Hamas militants had killed two soldiers, and an Israeli security official said the transfer of aid into the territory was halted. The military later said it resumed enforcing the ceasefire, and …

Asked earlier this week at a press conference about whether or not Hamas would lay down its weapons as part of the newly agreed-upon ceasefire deal, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “well, they’re going to disarm because they said they were going to disarm, and if they don’t disarm, we …

The Kurdish militant group is laying down its weapons. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering expanding minority rights. But some people say they cannot forgive and forget… It had been five years since Dilber Oyunlu had seen her daughter, Sinda. Then one day in July, she appeared on television. Ms …

Israeli and Arab military officials have come together for meetings and trainings, facilitated by U.S. Central Command, on regional threats, Iran and underground tunnels. Even as key Arab states condemned the war in the Gaza Strip, they quietly expanded security cooperation with the Israeli military, leaked U.S. documents reveal. Those …

Lavrov suggested that they could facilitate the dispatch of aid to Africa, but it’s also possible that they might host complex military-diplomatic talks between all stakeholders in Syria while also helping its armed forces maintain national unity by re-equipping, training, and advising them too. Russian-Syrian relations are interesting for many …

Violent clashes have erupted between Hamas and rival groups in several areas across Gaza, including an incident that culminated in an apparent public execution, as worries grow about the security situation following Israel’s withdrawal from parts of the territory. Reports of violence have been shared widely on social media channels, …

The photo shows a lean, tanned man in a dark helmet. He’s grasping a rifle and UN vehicles move behind him as he waves through traffic. The man is Yasser Abu Shabab, who says he commands hundreds of armed men known as the Popular Forces to offer protection to international …