Middle East

Shehab Al-Makahleh and Maria Dubovikova The future of Syria is now being decided in Amman after the withdrawal of Syrian armed opposition troops from neighborhoods near the Jordanian-Syrian border, leaving the crossing point of Naseeb under the control of the Syria Arab Army (SAA). The fate of Syria, and importantly …

by Uri Avnery Posted onAugust 12, 2017   The vultures are circling. They can see the wounded man on the ground, and are waiting for his end. So are the human carnivores – the politicians. They sing his praises, swear to defend him with all their heart – but in …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Officials in Ankara have reportedly halted their financial support for Syria’s National Coalition (Syria’s dissidents), an Arab media outlet disclosed. The Arabic-language Rai al-Youm quoted sources in the National Coalition disclosing that Turkey has not made its monthly payment of $320,000 to the dissidents. In the …

By Shehab Al-Makahleh •  Seeing Iraq regain stability serves as a source of panic for some in the region. Iraq’s influential Shia leader, Muqtada al-Sadr, paid an unexpected visit to Saudi Arabia on July 28 and 29, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and other senior officials. …

US special operations forces are teaming with the Lebanese Army to coordinate a strike against Daesh from Lebanon as the paramilitary group Hezbollah is reportedly engaging Daesh from the Syrian flank, Haaretz reported Monday. A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that US Special Forces personnel were presently “providing training and …

By Shehab Al Makahleh • The agreement between the Syrian government and the armed opposition to cease hostilities in certain locations in Syria is seen as a principled success of the deal reached late June, that went into effect in July, on establishment of de-escalation zones in Eastern Ghouta …

The UAE, not an old state and not even a state in every sense of the word, was founded in the 1970s with the British support for small sheikhdoms and immigration of people from other parts of the Arab Peninsula. The 47-year-old state lies on the southern coasts …

Abdel Bari Atwan • As a deadly cholera epidemic compounds the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the Saudi-led war on Yemen, the military and political situation in the country is in stalemate. Other than the occasional Houthi missile strike into Saudi territory and sporadic fighting on the Saudi-Yemen border that …

As expected, the intra-Syrian agreement on a cessation of hostilities between the Syrian army and the armed factions in what was seen as a principled success of the deal could lead to ending the six-year war in Syria. Moscow explained that it was in contact with the American …