Executive Summary: Foreign-led jihadist groups Malhama Tactical and Albanian Tactical are now training Syria’s newly formed army and special forces under the post-Assad government. These groups, once aligned with Hay’at Taḥrīr al-Shām (HTS) and steeped in jihadist ideology, have retained autonomy and influence through their... MORE

Executive Summary: Former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa and a coalition of militant groups led by his Committee for the Liberation of the Levant (HTS) successfully overthrew the brutal al-Assad regime in Syria on December 8, 2024, leaving the fate of the country uncertain. While al-Sharaa has... MORE

Executive Summary: As regimes change, politicians often change their political stances to survive and fit the shifting political climate. This has been seen most recently in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime and the transformation of de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s image. Numerous... MORE

Executive Summary:  Russian military losses typically have affected Russia and its neighbors at home even more than Russian victories. Moscow is now worried that the ouster of Bashar al-Assad will influence the post-Soviet space and Muslim regions in Russia. To reduce these dangers, the Kremlin... MORE

Executive Summary: The first anniversary of the war in Gaza has revealed the near-total disappearance of Russia’s influence in the Middle East, as it has not been able to partner with those averse to US positions. Moscow hopes to exploit the shift in international attention... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin summoned Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to Moscow for a secret meeting the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US Congress, demonstrating Putin’s scramble to maintain influence in the Middle East. Russia’s renewed interest in the Middle... MORE

Executive Summary Kyrgyzstan recently finished repatriating women and children who were detained in Syria and Iraq for having been connected with men who fought with al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS). This has been hailed as the end to Central Asia's struggle with large-scale jihadism, but... MORE

Executive Summary Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) conducted two massive bombings at Qassem Soleimani’s grave on January 3, killing over 90 people and injuring 300 others. The attack was the deadliest terrorist incident in Iran since 1979. Iran and its proxies retaliated against many... MORE

Executive Summary: The US airstrike targeting terrorist bases in Iraq and Syria challenges Russia's Middle East dominance, prompting Moscow to reassess its strategic ties, especially with Israel. Moscow's unequivocal pro-Palestinian stance overlooks regional dynamics, alienating key players like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, who oppose Hamas.... MORE

Months after she was kidnapped in Baghdad, Russian-Israeli researcher and activist Elizabeth Tsurkov appeared in a video released on Iranian-backed Iraqi Shia militias’ media platforms. In the video she spoke in Hebrew and stated she was an agent of both the US’s Central Intelligence Agency... MORE