Middle Orient

The Trump administration is exploring options to arm Kurdish forces operating near the Iran–Iraq border with the aim of increasing pressure on the Iranian regime. The heavy concentration of Israeli strikes along Iran’s western border with Iraq suggests a deliberate strategy aimed at degrading Tehran’s defensive infrastructure in that region. …

Hezbollah’s entry into the war has generated significant anger within the Lebanese government, which has long tolerated, accommodated, or at times been constrained by the group. If Israeli defenses are already engaged in intercepting longer-range missiles from Iran, shorter-range missiles from Hezbollah could be synced so that the probability of …

Disrupted energy markets due to continued hostilities are the most immediate economic challenge, with global reverberations, as the Strait of Hormuz is essentially unnavigable and crude oil prices continue to rise. Europe is highly dependent on energy imports from the Gulf after weaning itself off Russian energy after the full-scale …

The US military and the Israeli Defense Forces continue unleashing their might on the Iranian regime — and precise intelligence, overwhelming firepower and a bit of good luck could soon usher the downfall of the Islamic Republic. Many are asking about the day after, specifically, about who will rule Iran …

The Islamic Republic is at an inflection point. Less than a week ago, the Islamic Republic lost its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a daytime Israeli air strike that stunned the world. And yet Khamenei’s regime fights on, firing ballistic missiles and drones at U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities, …

Syria today faces a severe crisis in energy resources, which form the backbone of the national economy and directly affect the Syrian state’s ability to provide basic services, from electricity, water, and transportation to operating factories and public facilities. Despite a relative improvement in electricity supply in recent months, electricity …

Key Takeaways Russia is reportedly sharing intelligence with Iran to support Iranian attacks against US forces in the Middle East, which highlights the deepening cooperation between two major US adversaries. Iran may not have regular access to high-quality satellite imagery, even from commercially available sources, and may be relying on …

Key Takeaways The combined force has continued to degrade Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capabilities to disrupt Iran’s ability to launch retaliatory attacks against Israel and US forces. The decrease in retaliatory Iranian drone and missile attacks strongly suggests that the US-Israeli effort to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile and drone …

Key Takeaways The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted multiple strikes at several military compounds in southeastern Tehran on March 4 that house the headquarters of several services and branches of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as well as other internal security forces. The IDF strikes could be part of …

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