Orientul Mijlociu

Latest Developments

Al-Sharaa Pushes for Unity Amongst Rebel Factions: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, better known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, announced on December 17 that Syria’s rebel “factions will be dissolved, and the fighters will be integrated into the Ministry of Defense.” Al-Sharaa also held discussions with representatives of opposition rebel groups, including the Daraa-based Southern Operations Room and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, to strategize on the formation of a unified military command in Syria.
Palestinian Factions and Pro-Assad Militias Ordered to Disarm: Armed Palestinian factions in Syria have allegedly been ordered to disarm, shut down their training camps, and dissolve their military formations. Additionally, as of December 15, HTS has begun confiscating weapons from former members of the Syrian Arab Army and Syria-based Iran-backed militias in exchange for an amnesty toward those who served under former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria Will No Longer Serve as a Launchpad for Attacks Against Israel: In an interview with The Times of London, al-Sharaa affirmed, “We seek no conflict, whether with Israel or anyone else, and we will not allow Syria to be used as a base for such hostilities.” Syrian territory has been historically used by groups like Hezbollah, various Palestinian factions, and Iran-backed Iraqi militias to establish military infrastructure and launch attacks, particularly following the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Le gouvernement Netanyahou a approuvé un plan pour étendre les colonies sur le plateau du Golan, motivé par le contexte de guerre en Syrie et la volonté de doubler la population israélienne sur place, selon The Jerusalem Post.

Le gouvernement israélien a approuvé ce dimanche 15 décembre un plan d’expansion des colonies israéliennes sur le plateau du Golan, expliquant qu’il avait agi «à la lumière de la guerre et du nouveau front auquel la Syrie est confrontée» et par souci de doubler la population israélienne sur le Golan, selon le journal israélien The Jerusalem Post.

In its second week after Assad, Syria continues to ride a wave of euphoria and hope, bolstered by pleasant surprises from its new de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly al-Jolani.

Over the weekend he told journalists that in the Middle East the Islamist Iran regime is the problem, and that he chooses diplomacy to settle disputes with Israel. And while the hardships of government will certainly complicate, and may even derail, Sharaa’s journey toward his stated goals, his start has been nothing short of excellent.

At least one person was killed as Palestinian security forces clashed with Palestinian militants and set up checkpoints on Saturday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, residents and medics said.

Gunshots and explosions could be heard in the city, where friction has risen in recent days between militant factions and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas following raids by the PA.

In apparent snub to US, Turkish foreign minister says ‘elimination’ of group is country’s ‘strategic goal’

Just hours after meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and discussing the fight against the Islamic State in Syria, Turkey’s foreign minister sent a shocking message to Washington by saying his country’s goal is to eliminate the main fighting force of the Syrian Kurds, which defeated ISIS in tandem with the U.S..

The new administration in Syria should be given a chance to govern following their constructive messages, and Turkey stands ready to provide military training if such help is requested, Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler said.

NATO member Turkey backed the Syrian rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad last weekend, ending a 13-year civil war. Turkey reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, two days after its intelligence chief visited the Syrian capital.

Donald Trump isn’t yet back in the White House — but his Iranian policy is clear. Like he did in his first term, he’ll pursue a vigorous policy against Tehran, hampering its nuclear programme and backing its rivals across the Middle East. If history is anything to go by, meanwhile, sanctions will be vital to this strategy, especially those targeting an Iranian oil sector worth billions of dollars each year.

Old grievances in Western politics have been reopened by the sudden fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. And they are as dispiriting in their dishonesty as they are myopic in their self-interest. On the one hand, we have the unrepentant interventionists convinced that the tyrant’s fall would have happened years earlier were it not for Ed Miliband’s recklessness in 2013, when he blocked British airstrikes. On the other, we have the unrepentant anti-interventionists, led by Miliband himself, who say the real criminals are those who recklessly pursued the Iraq war a decade earlier. To paraphrase Henry Kissinger, it’s a pity that both sides can’t lose this tedious and tendentious war of history that reveals far more about the failures of our political class than either side appears to understand.

Syria has a rich history that stretches back thousands of years, making it one of the oldest nations in the world. It was home to ancient civilizations such as the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. From the 16th century, Syria entered a new chapter in its long history when the Ottoman Empire invaded the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt in 1516, successfully conquering Syria and incorporating it into the vast Ottoman realm.