Middle Orient

Why did Syria’s Kurds sign a deal with the new regime?

On March 10, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) signed an agreement with Syria’s interim government, integrating the SDF’s 100,000-strong, predominantly Kurdish force into the new Syrian military. This move is surprising, given the deep distrust Syria’s Kurds have toward the interim government led by Ahmed al Sharaa. Sharaa, formerly the …

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Massacres en Syrie : le silence complice de l’Occident

Les réseaux sociaux regorgent de vidéos d’atrocités contre des civils alaouites, chiites et chrétiens perpétrées ces derniers jours par les milices du nouveau régime, adoubé par l’Occident «judéo-chrétien». Mais nos médias restent discrets sur cette épuration programmée de longue date, car ils avaient encensé les «rebelles» opposés à Assad, et …

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Kremlin, asked if it consulted Iran over Trump’s nuclear letter, says Tehran makes its own decisions

Russia and Iran have drawn closer since the start of the war in Ukraine, with Tehran providing Moscow with drones. The Kremlin, asked on Monday if Russia had held consultations with Iran before or after Tehran responded to a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump urging the country to negotiate …

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Iran Update, March 10, 2025

Current Syrian interim government counterinsurgency operations are insufficient to defeat pro-Assad insurgent cells across Syria. Interim government forces launched major counterinsurgent operations in former regime strongholds between March 7 and 10.[1] These operations have coincided with a decrease in insurgent activity but insurgent cells have continued attacks on interim government …

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Operation “Iron Wall”: Similarity of procedures and intersection of goals between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Operation Iron Wall comes as an advanced episode of the war in the Gaza Strip, and part of the Israeli Prime Minister’s previous promises to redraw the features of the Middle East. This is evident through a series of Israeli measures aimed at re-engineering the Palestinian and Syrian geography, spatially …

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No negotiations before total Iranian nuclear rollback

Any talk of negotiating a new nuclear agreement—before Iran meets strict preconditions—is a dangerous mistake. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington marked an important moment in US-Israel relations. As the first foreign leader received by President Trump in this new phase of his presidency, Netanyahu was welcomed with …

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Why have Assad supporters launched an insurgency on Syria’s coast?

Syrian security forces are fighting pro-Assad insurgents in what have been described as the ‘most violent’ clashes since the dictator’s ouster Syria is witnessing what has been described as the “most violent” clashes since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, as government forces battle with a militia loyal to the former regime. The …

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At least 125 civilians ‘executed’, 100 security personnel killed in Syria coastal clashes: report

Amid an insurgency of pro-Assad forces in the coastal regions of Syria, the new government’s security forces have been accused of massacring civilians. Syrian security forces are fighting an insurgency by pro-Assad groups across the country [Getty] Clashes in coastal areas of Syria between government security forces and groups loyal …

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Defending the Druze: Israel’s pretext to divide the new Syria

In-depth: Israel is instrumentalising Syria’s Druze to maintain military influence in the south, but the community has rejected Netanyahu’s bid to protect them. Dozens of Druze residents gathered in the Seyouf Square of Jaramana, a Damascus suburb, last Tuesday, holding banners denouncing comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …

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Ocalan’s call for peace: The end of the PKK-Turkey conflict?

Analysis: While PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan’s historic call raises hopes of ending 40 years of conflict with Turkey, peace is by no means guaranteed. After four decades of fighting the Turkish state, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan has urged the group that he founded to abandon its armed …

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