Cross Border Business at Masnaa Suffers Amid Rebel Offensive in Syria
Cian Ward 06/12 22:05 - Reading : less than a minute
Although the Masnaa crossing has reopened, local businesses and taxi drivers face economic challenges amid an escalating crisis in Syria.
Russia Finds Itself Caught Off-Balance in Syria
Cian Ward 04/12 18:02 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Hezbollah Turkey Syria Russia Iran
Syria’s 12-year Civil War has surged to the top of global news bulletins this week after rebel fighters – largely under the banner of Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – seized control of Aleppo, the country’s second largest city, advancing to the outskirts of Hama, a key node linking Damascus to Syrian President Bashar ...
The Last Night of War Brings Destruction and Hope to the Heart of Beirut
Cian Ward 28/11 17:35 - Reading : less than a minute
In the final hours of the war, Israel unleashed a wave of raids on the capital. This is Beirut spoke with residents of the targeted buildings to hear their perspective on the recent events.
How Hybrid Warfare has Turned Ukraine into a War on Many Fronts
Cian Ward 26/11 12:20 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Kyiv Ukraine Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelensky Russia
The war in Ukraine is in large part a battle of bullets, blood and trenches, yet it has also catalyzed new dimensions of ‘hybrid warfare’ beyond the conventional boundaries of conflict. In the days following Ukraine’s 2014 Revolution of Dignity, when incendiary protests in Kyiv’s Maidan Square led to the overthrow of ...
Uncertainty Shrouds Israel's Invasion of Lebanon
Cian ward 01/10 16:13 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Uncertainty is mounting about whether Israel has initiated its invasion of Lebanon, whilst questions swirl about precisely how Israel intends to prosecute this war. Uncertainty is mounting over the precise details of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon following the Israeli military’s announcement, in the early hours of Tuesday, of the commencement ...
Israel Deploys 'Bunker Buster Munitions' Against Dahieh's Tunnel Network
Cian ward 28/09 18:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
On Friday, in the space of seconds, Israel released around 10 tons of high-explosives on Beirut, in a huge airstrike that leveled a city block in Dahieh, reportedly destroying 8 buildings and killing Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah. Israeli airstrikes are ongoing against targets across Lebanon. In Beirut, they have been largely located ...
How Ten Years of Houthi Rule Have Radically Changed Yemen
Cian ward 21/09 14:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Saturday marks the ten-year anniversary of the Houthi capture of Sana'a, Yemen's capital city. A decade of Houthi rule has transformed the country, putting an end to its tentative liberalization, and replacing it with an increasingly radical theocratic police state. Ten years ago, on September 21, 2014, the Houthis declared the capture of ...
'Scorched Earth', Israel's War on Lebanon's Environment
Cian ward 28/08 13:30 - Reading : 9 minute(s)
Israel's attacks on Lebanon have left the border area a "scorched earth", as it targets the environment in the hope of creating an uninhabitable ‘security’ zone. “Everyone has left out of fear of the war, nobody can live under the bombing, there is no life here anymore,” says Michel , a farmer from the border village of Wazzani. Ten ...
Role Reversal: Ukraine's 'Special Military Operation' in Russia
Cian ward 19/08 16:31 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
On August 6th, more than two years into Vladimir Putin's "special military operation", Ukraine launched a "special military operation" of its own. It is a risky gambit, but one that may be crucial in eventual peace talks. At 5 a.m. on the 24th of February 2022, President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russian people from deep within the Kremlin, ...
Haniyeh is Dead, What Does Iran Do Next?
Cian ward 31/07 17:34 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Following the killing of Haniyeh in Iran on Wednesday, the region may be on the precipice of war, as an Iranian response seems likely, which may pull its entire so-called "axis of resistance" into war. In the early hours of Wednesday, Israel struck a building in Tehran in an attack that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. [readmore ...
Is Yemen on the Brink of Renewed Civil War?
Cian ward 23/07 16:28 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Yemen may be at risk of collapsing back into civil war as the increasingly empowered Houthi regime, hardening western policy and an intensifying economic war pushes the war-ravaged country towards the brink. “This is the tensest period I've seen since the truce, we may even have war next week”, says Mohammed al-Basha, analyst at the US-based ...
China Hosts Palestinian Unity Talks, With Eyes on Postwar Gaza
Cian ward 22/07 17:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
China hosted reconciliation talks, from Saturday to Sunday, between 14 different Palestinian factions - including Hamas and Fatah - in their latest effort to resolve long standing Palestinian divisions. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports that a two-way discussion was held between Fatah and Hamas on 20 July. This was followed on 21 July with a meeting for ...
UK Election: Why You Shouldn’t Care, or Should You?
Cian ward 02/07 17:20 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
The UK’s “most boring election in history” is currently underway, with Labour’s Keir Starmer appearing, more than ever, the PM-to-be. The battle for No.10 Downing Street is characterized by bland ideas and even blander politicians. But the real contest that will define Britain's future is on the right. As the traditional right ...
Masoud Pezeshkian; Iran's Lone Reformist Hopeful
Cian ward 28/06 12:48 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Iranians cast their ballots Friday in a presidential election marked by a lone reformist's bid to break through against a divided conservative field. Masoud Pezeshkian, the sole reformist candidate, hopes to break through in a divided contest characterized by its numerous ultraconservative contenders. Born in 1954, in West Azerbaijan, he trained ...