Middle Orient

Syrian government forces entered two northern towns Saturday morning after the command of Kurdish-led fighters said it would evacuate the area in an apparent move to avoid conflict. Two soldiers were killed and others wounded in the latest clash, state media reported. The town of Deir Hafer changed hands after …

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani discussed the situation in Syria and prospects for resolving the Kurdish cause with Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), during a meeting on Wednesday. Barzani’s office said in a statement that the KDP leader stressed that the Kurdish issue must …

Syria’s Kurds on Saturday said a presidential decree recognizing the minority’s rights and making Kurdish an official language fell short of their expectations as Syrian government forces entered the outskirts of a northern town. In a statement, the Kurdish administration in Syria’s north and northeast said the decree issued by …

Since the outbreak of mass protests in Iran, Israel’s public response has been unusually muted. Cabinet ministers were instructed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from commenting on the unfolding events, while Netanyahu himself limited his remarks to a brief statement expressing support for the Iranian protesters. At …

In the wake of intense fighting between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian government forces, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi ordered the withdrawal of his personnel from contested areas of Aleppo province. “Based on invitations from friendly countries and mediators, and in demonstration of our good faith in completing …

Latest Developments Syrian Troops Ready Offensive on Kurdish-Held Areas: Syrian government troops are preparing to launch an offensive against Kurdish-held towns in the north and east of the country after clashes broke out a week earlier in Aleppo. The Syrian authorities have reportedly decided on a limited operation to pressure …

Aleppo, Syria – Syria is teetering on the brink of a return to full-scale war, as bloodshed returned to Aleppo’s streets following the Syrian government’s offensive to seize the Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods of Achrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud from the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Fighting erupted last Tuesday and continued for …

Israel’s agreement with Somaliland will boost its security in the Red Sea Basin and may encourage the United States and other countries to follow suit, though political obstacles and complications abound. The surprise announcement on December 26 that Israel will be the first country to grant Somaliland full recognition has …

The Somali Defense Minister’s request for Saudi Arabia to replicate its South Yemeni campaign in Somaliland coupled with reports about those two’s and Egypt’s impending alliance that would thus de facto include their Eritrean ally strongly suggest that something big might soon be afoot. Reports have recently circulated about three …

Toplines The Iranian regime’s extreme securitization of society and brutal crackdown on protests appear to have suppressed the protest movement for now. The regime’s widespread mobilization of security forces is unsustainable, however, which makes it possible that protests could resume. The regime has also not addressed and likely will not …