Author: M Barbu

Israel has detected increased activity by Iran as it builds up its military presence in Syria.

Is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad starting to change his mind about the long dominance of Iran and Russia in his country? Several intelligence analysts have assessed recently that with Assad’s regime stabilized, the Iranian presence in his country might no be longer an asset but a liability for the Syrian leader. As long as the Iranians remain entrenched in his back yard, the attacks on them attributed to Israel are likely to continue — and have already escalated.

The Islamic State maintains a presence in the Salah ad-Din area of northern Iraq.

The Iraqi air force has reported conducting new airstrikes against enemy fighters.

Pilots commanding F-16 fighter jets carried out the aerial strikes northwest of Mutaybija in Iraq’s Salah ad-Din province in the north of the country. They destroyed a tunnel used for smuggling weapons, a generator and other structures used by “terrorists,” Iraq’s Security Media Cell said yesterday.

The future of Iran’s presence in Syria seems to be dividing the Syrian leadership.

Until a few weeks ago, he was among the strongest men in Syria — if not the strongest — but Javad Ghaffari’s last battle in the war-torn country was this time with no one other than the ruling elite he came to the country to defend.

“He became a liability,” an official Syrian source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “The time has changed, and he still wants to act as per the rules of war, when the war is almost over.”

The resignation of Iraq’s prime minister will not send protesters home as long as the political system remains intact. So what exactly is this ‘system’ and why do so many Iraqis blame it for their problems?

Former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s political career imploded over the weekend leading some to speculate as to whether or not this would lead to protesters finally going home. Iraqis have been on the streets since the start of October.

Iraq Turkmen Front leader, Ershad Salihi, says the PKK is using drug trafficking across the country to support its terrorist activities.

Recent revelations from some prominent Iraqi figures like Ershad Salihi, the leader of Kirkuk-based Iraq Turkmen Front, show that the PKK has increased its illegal drug trafficking activities across the country to finance its terror network.

The US, Turkey and the EU designate the PKK as a terror organisation.

Besides the question of Iran’s culpability in the assassination attempt on the Iraqi Prime Minister, Iraq still faces grave problems that violence and instability can exacerbate.

Tensions in Iraq are whipping up. On November 7, three explosives-laden drones targeted Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi’s residence in the Green Zone. Two were shot down but one explosion injured seven security guards. When Kadhimi made his televised address shortly after the attack, his left wrist was in a bandage, suggesting he was wounded too. “We maintained security in the country, but some are still trying to tamper with Iraq’s security and want it to be a gang state,” said the 54-year-old Prime Minister.

A power struggle between the old PKK leadership in Qandil and the younger YPG generation in Syria asks the question: Bashar al Assad or the US?

Cemil Bayik, who sits on a US wanted list, recently made remarks about the PKK’s historic and strong relations with the Assad regime and advocated for an agreement between the regime and the YPG. These remarks are not only related to the politics of Syria but open up a new dimension of the internal rivalry within the PKK.

The PKK affiliate YPG has developed relations with the US, Russia and the Syrian regime, claiming significant territories in northern Syria. But a top US general says the time has come for the group to either be with Washington or join its rivals.

US ally the YPG is close to facing a dilemma after a top-ranked US military official ruled out the possibility of working with the militant group if it chose to normalise its relations with the Syrian regime, a Russian ally.

In the early hours of Nov. 7, three quadcopter drones armed with explosives detonated inside the grounds of the official residence of Iraq’s prime minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, injuring seven members of his security detail.

Al-Kadhimi, who escaped with only light injuries, promptly released a statement appealing for calm. The question as to who was behind the attack, however, remained unanswered and open to speculation.