Recent leaks made public by Al-Jazeera suggest that this is the case, but the story may be more complicated. The year 2025 marked a period of profound political transformation in both Syria and Lebanon. In Syria, it ushered in the first year without the Assad family in office since 1970, …

HRANA – Nationwide protests in Iran continued on their twelfth day, Thursday, January 8, 2026, according to reports collected by HRANA. Demonstrations and protest actions were recorded in at least 46 cities across 21 provinces. At the same time, a wave of strikes and market closures was reported, particularly in …

As protests swelled around the country, Iran’s internet was shut down, and the heads of its judiciary and its security services warned of a harsh response amid calls for “freedom, freedom.” Iran plunged into an internet blackout on Thursday, monitoring groups said, as nationwide protests demanding the ouster of the …

If the polls are to believed, 2026 could finally see the end of the 16 years of dominance of Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party, and pave the way for a relatively unknown and definitely inexperienced new government. Yet defeating Orban at the ballot box might not be enough: retaining …

The Hungarian PM’s cautious response to a new law targeting Slovakia’s ethnic-Hungarian minority is creating credibility issues for his Fidesz party on both sides of the border and perhaps opening up an opportunity for Hungary’s extreme-right to benefit. “We do not accept collective guilt, either in our own country or …

Two things can be said about Poland at the beginning of 2026: it is doing well and doing badly at the same time. The Polish economy is growing faster than almost anywhere else in Europe, EU funds are arriving in record amounts, and defence spending is set to reach nearly …

Israel faces mounting challenges: a stalled ceasefire in Gaza, rising Hezbollah threats in Lebanon, and a critical security opportunity with Syria. With ceasefires unraveling on nearly every front, Israel is once again confronting the unstable reality of the Middle East. The coming weeks will decide whether the Jewish state drifts …

The inquiry surfaced as internet monitors and media reported near-total connectivity loss across Iran, renewing attention on satellite internet as a tool to bypass state shutdowns. Deputy Minister Almog Cohen, a junior minister in Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office, contacted Israeli-American venture capitalist Dovi Frances this week to ask whether Starlink …

The demonstrations, which began in Tehran last month, have spread to all of Iran’s 31 provinces but have yet to reach the scale of the 2022-3 unrest sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused protesters of acting on behalf of US President Donald …

As new early elections approach, scheduled for December 28th, the debate in Kosovo regarding voting rights for the influential and large diaspora is reopening: some are proposing the introduction of reserved seats, along the lines of Croatia Kosovo’s diaspora abroad is, according to the World Bank 2024 country report, among …