![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/region-middle-east.jpg)
Latest Articles about Middle East
![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Chechnya-anti-terrorist-operation-640x485.jpg)
Chechnya and Ingushetia Exhibit Growing Signs of Destabilization
Chechnya and Ingushetia saw a surprise surge in clashes between government forces and rebels in recent weeks. The government side has suffered casualties for the first time in months. It is too early to say if this uptick in violence represents a lasting trend or... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GettyImages-1229184018-640x360.jpg)
Briefs
Does Turkish Withdrawal from Morek Base Signal Renewed Conflict in Idlib? John Foulkes On October 20, Turkish forces withdrew from the Morek observation post, the country’s largest base located north of the city of Hama near the border with Syria’s northwestern Idlib province (Syrian Observatory... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/kataib-hezbollah-640x427.jpg)
Fragile Pro-Iranian Militia Ceasefire Highlights Inter-Shia Polarization
On September 24, reports surfaced that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had threatened to close the U.S. embassy in Baghdad if the Iraqi authorities did not stop the frequent pro-Iranian militia attacks on U.S. diplomatic assets (Al-Monitor, September 25). The militias initially appeared emboldened... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AP_19151713308927-e1581534754593-640x399.jpg)
Beirut Port Blast Punctures Trust in Hezbollah
The explosion in the Port of Beirut on August 4 caused domestic reverberations throughout Lebanon. With close to 200 people killed, over 6,000 wounded and damages estimated at over $15 billion, the public outrage toward the ruling elite was immediate and damning (Daily Sabah, August... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/A-demonstration-in-northwestern-Iran-to-support-of-Azerbaijans-efforts-in-Karabakh-Source-Asiatimes_com-640x422.png)
Baku’s Successes on Battlefield Echoing Among Azerbaijanis of Iran
Ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran, who dominate the northwest quadrant of that country and by some estimates make up a quarter to nearly half of the overall population, have been energized by Azerbaijan’s military advances into Armenian-occupied Karabakh. They are holding rallies throughout northwestern Iran and... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Alleged-image-of-Russian-trucks-carrying-military-cargo-to-Armenia-across-Iranian-border-640x433.jpg)
Between Neutrality and Fighting Internal Dissatisfaction: Iran’s Policy on Karabakh
The geopolitical and geo-economic impact of the three-decades-old Karabakh conflict on the stability of the broader South Caucasus is clear and broadly recognized. Given the importance of the South Caucasus as a transcontinental energy corridor, any intraregional instability or periodic flare-ups in violence there pose... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Baku-port-640x427.jpg)
Competition Among Ports in the Caspian Sea and the Significance of the Port of Baku
On July 29, the Russian government issued an order concerning plans for the development of federal transport, railway, information and communications infrastructure that includes the construction of Port Lagan, in the Republic of Kalmykia (Portnews.ru, August 3). The idea to establish a port in Kalmykia... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/06416824-640x360.jpg)
![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GettyImages-1016749054-640x360.jpg)
HTS Leader al-Julani’s New Strategy in Northwestern Syria
Abu Mohammed al-Julani’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has recently escalated its crackdown on jihadists groups and figures in the Idlib province of northwestern Syria (Step News, October 5). The formation of HTS from al-Nusra Front in January 2017 was accompanied by a declaration that the... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/syria_720-640x357.jpg)
Al-Qaeda’s Man in Syria—A Post-Mortem Profile of Hurras al-Din Leader Abu al-Qassam al-Urduni
On June 14, two senior al-Qaeda leaders were reportedly killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike in Syria’s Idlib province while traveling in their car (Alaraby.com, June 15). According to video circulated on social media, the vehicle was struck with a R9X, a version of... MORE