Middle East

Turkey Warns \
Turkey Warns "Won't Tolerate Provocations" Over Syria Unrest

Turkey warned Tuesday it would not tolerate any "provocations" over the events in Syria as its Kurdish community called for protests over a government offensive targeting Kurdish fighters. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X that Turkey was "meticulously monitoring the developments in Syria and all movements along our ...

The Middle East Will Not Heal Until Iran Is Free
Op-edThe Middle East Will Not Heal Until Iran Is Free

As Iranians flood the streets in mass demonstrations, demanding freedom at extraordinary personal risk, a fundamental truth has become impossible to ignore. The Middle East cannot heal until Iran is free from the Islamist regime that has poisoned the region for nearly half a century. I came to this conclusion from lived experience, not ideology ...

Former Iranian Minister Meets Pahlavi During Protests
Former Iranian Minister Meets Pahlavi During Protests

Israel Channel 14 reports that former Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif secretly met multiple times with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during Iran’s recent protests and later briefed Iran’s former President Hassan Rouhani on the encounters.   During his 2013–2021 tenure as foreign minister under Hassan Rouhani, Zarif oversaw ...

Shelling Near North Syria's Raqqa City Despite Ceasefire
Shelling Near North Syria's Raqqa City Despite Ceasefire

A monitor said clashes erupted on Monday evening between government troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Monday near northern Syria's Raqqa city, a day after the sides agreed a ceasefire. The AFP correspondent in Raqqa reported the sound of heavy bombardment, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported ...

Iran says Internet to 'Gradually' Return to Normal
Iran says Internet to 'Gradually' Return to Normal

Internet access in Iran will "gradually" return to normal this week, a senior Iranian official said Monday on the 11th day of an unprecedented shutdown. Iran earlier this month imposed a nationwide communications blackout amid huge anti-government protests.  The shutdown of communications accompanied a brutal government crackdown ...

Why Lebanon’s Shia Opposition Sees Opportunity in the 2026 Elections
Why Lebanon’s Shia Opposition Sees Opportunity in the 2026 Elections

Lebanon’s upcoming parliamentary elections are shaping up as a test of Hezbollah’s political standing at a moment of vulnerability, after the group suffered a major military blow in the 2024 war with Israel and faces mounting pressure from the Lebanese government’s pledge to disarm it nationwide. Since the 1992 parliamentary elections, the ...

Israel Pushes Back as Trump Unveils ‘Board of Peace’
Israel Pushes Back as Trump Unveils ‘Board of Peace’

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s proposed plan for Gaza on Monday, calling it “bad for Israel” and urging a full reoccupation of the enclave. Reportedly, as Washington promotes a post-war governance plan for Gaza, Israel has been signaling resistance not only diplomatically ...

Iraq Announces Complete Withdrawal of U.S.-Led Coalition From Federal Territory
Iraq Announces Complete Withdrawal of U.S.-Led Coalition From Federal Territory

Iraq said on Sunday US-led coalition forces had finished withdrawing from bases within the country's federal territory, which excludes the autonomous northern Kurdistan region. "We announce today... the completion of the evacuation of all military bases and leadership headquarters in the official federal areas of Iraq of advisers" of the US-led ...

CEO of Iranian Telecom Operator Fired for Failing to Block Internet
CEO of Iranian Telecom Operator Fired for Failing to Block Internet

The chief executive of Irancell, Iran's second-largest mobile phone operator, was dismissed for failing to comply with the government's decision to shut down the internet, the Fars news agency reported Sunday. In an unprecedented move, Iran cut off all communications on January 8 without warning, as calls intensified for anti-government protests, ...

Syria's Leader Agrees Truce With Kurds After Govt Troops Advance
Syria's Leader Agrees Truce With Kurds After Govt Troops Advance

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday announced a deal with the chief of Kurdish-led forces that includes a ceasefire, after government troops advanced across Kurdish-held areas of the country's north and east. Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said he agreed to the deal to avoid a broader war. He made the decision after deadly clashes ...