If the agreement collapses, violence may be imminent. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have spent months negotiating with the government in Damascus how to implement their March agreement for the SDF to merge with the national armed forces. Mistrust of government centralization and recent sectarian massacres have shaken the …

When President Trump travels to Beijing early next year to finalize a new trade deal, China will deploy one of its favorite pressure tactics: restricting exports of rare earth elements. Last month, The New York Times’s Thomas Friedman warned that China’s threat to cut off rare earth exports could “trump …

Official says unresolved disputes over Gaza, Rafah Crossing and security make summit with Netanyahu unlikely despite interest from Jerusalem, Washington Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi currently has no plans to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a government official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel, amid reports that …

Youssef Rajji says Lebanon seeking to prevent escalation and negotiate terror group’s disarmament; denounces Iran as ‘source of instability’ Lebanon has received warnings from Arab and international parties that Israel is preparing for a wide-scale military operation against Hezbollah, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji told Al Jazeera on Friday, as …

3 others said killed in airstrike on terror group’s No. 2; Netanyahu, Katz say assassination a response to IED that lightly hurt 2 reservists in Strip’s south Top Hamas commander Raad Saad was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Saturday afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces said, in …

US military to host conference with over 25 countries in Doha next week to discuss plans for International Stabilization Force; it remains unclear how Hamas will be disarmed International troops could be deployed in the Gaza Strip as early as next month to form a UN-authorized stabilization force, two US …

While some elements that constitute the Syrian National Army (SNA) have moved away from their revolutionary foundations and turned into a contractor structure for Turkey’s foreign operations across various regional conflicts, others are trying to transform into an organized army under civilian leadership. Although the SNA’s previous attempts at institutionalization …

The Syrian Investigative Reporting for Accountability Journalism Association (SIRAJ) and El País co-published a set of edited versions of this investigation. Ahmad* is 11 and has lost his hacksaw – or rather, it was stolen by a man whom he recognises as a former soldier of the toppled Syrian regime. …

West Bank – In a rare move, senior Israeli officials – including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and Defence Minister Israel Katz – have publicly condemned the recent wave of settler attacks across the occupied West Bank. Settler attacks surged during the olive harvest in October, marking the …

Hamas officials are sending mixed messages over disarmament. On December 7, a day after Hamas leader Khaled Mashal rejected aspects of President Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza, including disarmament, senior official Bassem Naim said Hamas is open to discussions over its weapons. Separately, Hamas’s Taher al-Nunu vaguely suggested on …