Middle Orient

Netanyahu rings in New Year with a return visit to US and more ‘asks’ for Trump Just ahead of the New Year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit President Donald Trump in Florida today, no doubt with a wish list for 2026. Already there have been reports …

The Stimson Center recently convened a meeting of U.S. regional experts to discuss three scenarios for the Middle East over the next 18 months: a continuation of low-level fighting in Gaza; an “all-hell-breaks-loose” nightmare of increased war and violence; and a “keep-hope-alive” vision entailing a long-term cease fire in Gaza …

The Syrian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday the deployment of military forces in the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartus in wake of an armed attack against security forces and civilians during recent protests. Syrian television said the deployment was happening after “outlawed groups” carried out attacks against security forces …

On December 8, 2024, Syrian rebels led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized power in Damascus following a ten-day offensive, bringing a swift and unexpected end to the Asad regime’s decades’ long rule. The question now is what comes next. In the past, HTS’s leader, Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, had praised …

Despite reports of the Islamic State’s growing threat in the Horn of Africa and the leadership’s alleged relocation to the Puntland region in Somalia, the central lands of Iraq and Syria, the original area of the group’s territorial caliphate announced in June 2014, continue to occupy a key place in …

An Israeli army unit advanced into the village of Kudna in the southern countryside of Quneitra province (southwestern Syria) and arrested five young men while they were searching for wild mushrooms. The local Facebook page “Quneitra Now”, which operates in the province, reported that the Israeli army smashed a motorcycle …

The Media and Communications Directorate at the Syrian Ministry of Defense said that Syrian army groups, backed by armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers, entered the centers of Latakia and Tartus after attacks escalated by groups it described as “outlaws,” targeting residents and security forces. In a statement carried by …

Israel is behind a secret pact with the United Arab Emirates to destroy Saudi Arabia’s role as the Gulf’s regional powerbroker. The astonishing claim is just one of a series of sensational statements made by a senior Arab royal whistle blower to Middle East Monitor on Tuesday evening. The news …

The decisive shift in the Red Sea corridor is not in Yemen but in Somalia – where Turkey has built an offshore chapter of a strategic order the world refuses to face. The Houthis and Iran fill headlines, but the centre of gravity has shifted: a NATO state is projecting …

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military will never withdraw from the war-torn Gaza Strip, confirming earlier comments about settlement construction despite Trump’s ceasefire agreement signed in October. “In Gaza, Israel will never fully withdraw – there will be a significant security area inside the …