Category: 3. Middle East

With hostile Turkish-backed groups mobilizing against them in Syria’s north, and Damascus ruled by a group friendly to Ankara, Syria’s main Kurdish factions are on the back foot as they seek to preserve political gains carved out during 13… Continue Reading

Syria’s new rulers have appointed a foreign minister, the official Syrian news agency, or SANA, said on Saturday, as they seek to build international relations two weeks after Bashar al-Assad was ousted. The ruling General Command named Asaad… Continue Reading

BBC Jamil Hassan, one of the most feared men in Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime, wanted for the torture and killing of civilians, was shaking as he walked down the stairs of his apartment block. Outside, the 72-year-old climbed into a car in a… Continue Reading

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara A. Leaf went to Damascus this week to open the door for engagement with the new Syrian leadership. This comes after the Assad regime collapsed on December 8. Ahmed al-Sharaa,… Continue Reading

The Iranian-backed Houthis launched a missile attack targeting Tel Aviv in the early morning hours of Saturday morning. It came two days after another similar long-range missile attack had led to Israeli retaliation against the Houthis…. Continue Reading

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL —  A projectile fired from Yemen struck Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv early Saturday, wounding 16 people, the military and emergency service providers said, the second such attack within days. Israel’s military said it… Continue Reading

Salahaddin Bahadin, the secretary-general of the Islamic Union of Kurdistan (IU), visited Turkey this week, following an official invitation from the Turkish Foreign Ministry. While the party has not shared details about the visit’s purpose,… Continue Reading

Residents of Kobani and nearby villages are worried about renewed threats from Turkish-backed armed groups, despite their hopes for peace following the collapse of the regime of Bashar al-Assad earlier this month. Having endured the devastation… Continue Reading

Abu Ghraib, Saydnaya and other prisons in Iraq and Syria are symbols of the brutal regimes of the Baathist parties that ruled both countries. Under the dictatorial rule of the Tikrit family in Iraq and the Assad family in Syria, prisons became… Continue Reading