Middle Orient

Analysis: Ukraine’s outreach injects a new layer of competition into Syria’s complex security landscape, where Turkey dominates and Russia retains a foothold When Volodymyr Zelensky landed in Damascus on 5 April, the visit was framed as part of Kyiv’s broader diplomatic outreach across the Middle East. Yet behind the optics …

Damascus, Syria – Failed peace talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad and continued Israeli violations in Lebanon have left the Middle East’s fragile ceasefire teetering on the edge in recent days. Last Wednesday, Israel launched over 100 airstrikes across Lebanon, which killed more than 300 in the space …

Palestinian journalists in Gaza are tackling disinformation about the war as part of a pioneering project organized by the Arab Fact-Checkers Network (AFCN). Zarifa Hassan, 24, was still studying for her degree in political journalism when her university in Gaza was destroyed by Israeli forces in the early days of …

The ceasefire plan in Gaza has hit a roadblock in the shape of Hamas’s continuing refusal to disarm. The Iran-backed terrorist group conveyed that exact message to representatives of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace — the international coalition tasked with overseeing the ceasefire — on April 14, after the …

A group of protesters gathered in al-Muhafazah Square in Damascus on Friday, April 17, as part of a sit-in under the banner “Law and Dignity,” and were met by a counter demonstration from supporters of the government and its policies. Participants in the “Law and Dignity” sit-in raised banners calling …

Throughout the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran and its ‘resistance axis’ allies, I have covered perspectives from Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. In contrast, the interviewee for this post is a resident of the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and the author of a very interesting Substack/blog entitled ‘NonZionism’, written from an …

Talks between the US and Iran are expected to resume soon as a fragile ceasefire holds, but American officials involved in previous nuclear deal negotiations with Tehran have some advice for President Donald Trump’s administration. The first is that US officials need to understand how to deal with Iran, before …

A ceasefire in Lebanon was announced on Thursday by US President Donald Trump, but its reality tells a very different story. The ceasefire was not the product of American diplomacy, nor Israeli strategic calculation. It was imposed—largely as a result of sustained Iranian pressure. Washington, Tel Aviv, and their allies—including …

After more than a month of war and amid an uneasy cease-fire, Iran announced Friday that it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz for ships traveling a pre-approved route, while President Donald Trump vowed to continue a US blockade on Iranian ships. Both sides are still negotiating a deal to …

On Friday morning, Iran announced that it had agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for supplying the world with oil, liquefied natural gas, and other commodities from the Gulf, resulting in an immediate drop in the price of oil. US President Donald Trump declared his support …