The Syrian Ministry of Finance has issued a decision imposing strict provisional seizure on the assets and establishments of prominent businessman Abdullah Nizam, along with a wide network of his partners and family members. The measure comes as part of ongoing investigations into money laundering and illicit enrichment, with the …

Violence in Aleppo escalated sharply on Thursday, January 8, 2026, as Syrian government forces launched a major offensive targeting the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods—following the apparent collapse of last-minute efforts to de-escalate tensions with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The surge in fighting has led to rising civilian deaths, …

The Middle East region could transition in 2026 to peace and stability or, perhaps more likely, backslide into regional conflagration.Conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen, as well as political divisions in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, are unlikely to fully resolve in 2026 and will require consistent attention from …

It is clear that the counterterrorism focus of the past two decades has become deprioritized in favor of great power competition, reflected in the dwindling resources for kinetic and non-kinetic counterterrorism and prevention efforts and shifting of personnel and bandwidth to other national security priorities.In 2026, al-Qaeda (AQ) and Islamic …

More than a week of protests in Iran reflects not only worsening economic conditions, but longstanding anger at government repression and regime policies that have led to Iran’s global isolation.Regime security forces have thus far failed to quell the unrest with limited use of violence, but leaders have signaled they …

Syrian government Internal Security Forces entered the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo city (northern Syria) on Saturday, 10 January, in coordination with army units, to continue search and inspection operations in the area. Official media outlets quoted a military source as saying that a fighter from the Syrian Democratic Forces …

Le président du Parlement iranien a prévenu que Téhéran visera des sites de l’armée américaine dans la région ainsi qu’Israël s’ils bombardent l’Iran. «En cas d’agression contre l’Iran, les bases américaines dans la région ainsi que les territoires occupés seront à notre portée de tir», a déclaré Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, …

The Internal Security Forces, Asayish, affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), announced the deaths of two of its most prominent commanders in Aleppo, amid military clashes in the city’s predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods. Hawar News Agency, affiliated with the Autonomous Administration, reported on Sunday that Asayish said Ziyad Halab (Ziyad …

Tensions are growing between Turkiye-Pakistan and Israel-Cyprus-Greece. Stability in the Eastern Mediterranean can no longer be taken for granted as a result of three recent developments: 1) the growing Turkish-Israeli rivalry in post-Assad Syria; 2) Israel’s reported plans to establish a rapid response force with Cyprus and Greece; and 3) …

From Ukraine and Taiwan to Venezuela and Iran, shifting alliances, trade wars and power rivalries are redrawing global battle lines – revealing how close the world may be to a wider conflict. The world is not at war – but it’s no longer at peace either. In fact, if we …