Erdoğan explained, in statements made aboard his plane during his return from a visit to Hungary, that lifting sanctions on Syria “demonstrates how constructive Turkish diplomacy yields results.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan affirmed that lifting sanctions on Syria is a “critically important step” to achieve stability in the region. …

The situation remains very combustible and could easily explode at the slightest spark. Russia and the US rarely agree on much, but their top diplomats just sounded the alarm about Syria, which should convince objective observers that there’s credence to their warnings. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that “The situation …

A few hours after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire deal with the Houthis in early May, Mohammed Abdulsalam, the chief Houthi negotiator, said that “the agreement doesn’t include Israel in any way, shape or form”. The US deal, brokered by Oman, which is also mediating US-Iran nuclear talks, …

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on 12 May that it has officially ended its campaign of armed struggle and disbanded after four decades. The move came in direct response to a call by the group’s imprisoned founder, Abdullah Ocalan, on 27 February. This historic shift represents an opportunity to …

In a surprise statement last week in Saudi Arabia on the first stop of a Middle East tour, US President Donald Trump said he would lift all sanctions on Syria, a decision which caught the world off guard, including members of his own administration. The announcement, seen as the first …

Tulkarem, occupied West Bank – Since Israel officially waged Operation Iron Wall on 21 January, nearly 100 Palestinians have been killed and more than 45,000 forcibly displaced in the West Bank, mostly from the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps. At least 16,000 of those displaced were expelled from …

Information Cutoff: 2:00 pm ET The Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) publish the Iran Update, which provides insights into Iranian and Iranian-sponsored activities that undermine regional stability and threaten US forces and interests. CTP-ISW publishes the Iran …

The IDF launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots, a large-scale ground operation combined withaerial attacks targeting Hamas and other terrorist organizations. An assassination attempt wasmade on the life of Muhammad al-Sinwar, considered head of Hamas’ military wing. Palestinians reported hundreds of casualties and damage to hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The Qatari …

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed pessimism about the US-Iran nuclear negotiations and explicitly rejected the US demand for zero uranium enrichment.[i] Khamenei’s statements are consistent with CTP-ISW’s assessment that disagreements between Iran and the United States about the issue of zero uranium enrichment may stall the negotiations or delay …

Note: The data cut-off for this product was 11:15 am ET on May 20. ISW will cover subsequent reports in the May 21 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment. Senior Russian officials continue to deny the legitimacy of the Ukrainian president, government, and constitution and Ukraine’s sovereignty despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s …