Middle Orient

Russia has approximately 300 Iranian drones left in its arsenal but plans to buy thousands more, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Friday evening, even as on Sunday morning Iranian officials continued to deny the sale of any weapons to Moscow for use in the invasion of Ukraine.

A month after Iran’s protest movement first erupted, it appears to be gaining steam in the face of Tehran’s violent crackdown, which human rights groups say has killed at least 233 people—including 32 children. To crush dissent, security forces have pulled from a brutal playbook, including firing assault rifles at …

As scattered anti-government and anti-hijab protests continue across Iran, members of one beleaguered ethnic and religious minority who joined in the demonstrations are still assessing the toll from “Bloody Friday.” Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, was the scene of the violent crackdown carried out by security …

The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) on Friday eliminated a member of the PKK terrorist organization who served as a so-called brigade chief in Syria. Nejdet Dağlarer, code-named “Geli Serhat,” was added to MIT’s target list due to his activities for the PKK in Türkiye and actions against the Turkish Armed …

A powerful jihadist group has taken over a strategic town in northwest Syria following days of clashes with several militia groups who were controlling the area, local sources said. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as al-Nusra Front, entered the town of Afrin on Thursday after its former rulers withdrew …

Thirteen people, mostly fighters, have been killed in two days of ongoing clashes between rival factions competing for power in northwest Syria, a war monitor said Wednesday. Fighting between two pro-Turkish Syrian rebel groups began in the town of Al-Bab in northern Aleppo province before spreading to other areas and …

Iran’s president on Thursday accused the U.S. of conducting a “failed policy of destabilization” targeting his nation, as Iranian protesters continued to call for the downfall of its rulers despite a violent and wide-ranging crackdown. President Ebrahim Raisi has repeatedly dismissed the unrest sparked by the death of a 22-year-old …

The New Jersey senator has vowed to block any deal until the Turkish president “halts his campaign of aggression against the region.” Turkey’s hopes of overcoming congressional hurdles and acquiring F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits rose this week when the Senate removed two amendments to a bill designed to …

The often-deadlocked parliament chose a veteran Kurdish politician as president, who in turn designated Muhammad Shia al-Sudani for the prime minister position. Following a year of political deadlock since general elections in October 2021, Iraqi lawmakers today elected a new president as part of the process to form a government. …

Thirteen people, mostly fighters, have been killed in two days of ongoing clashes between rival factions competing for power in northwest Syria, a war monitor said Wednesday. Fighting between two pro-Turkish Syrian rebel groups began in the town of Al-Bab in northern Aleppo province before spreading to other areas and …