Orientul Mijlociu

Born from a religious call to arms against ISIS terror, Iraq’s PMU has become more than a military force – it is now a pillar of national strength and a powerful player in the country’s struggle to reclaim full sovereignty.

In June 2014, the Iraqi army collapsed under the weight of ISIS’s blitz across Mosul. The so-called caliphate then surged toward Baghdad, threatening to overrun the capital and desecrate the shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala.

It is in Israel’s interest to allow the US the space and time to act according to its own approach, until Washington reaches the inevitable conclusion that Hamas cannot be disarmed.

The ceasefire that came into effect on the basis of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, leading to the release of all living hostages and 26 of the 28 deceased hostages, constitutes a significant achievement for Israel, all the more so given that it was secured while the country continued to hold 53% of the Gaza Strip at this stage.

For Syrians on both sides of the divide, life has changed immeasurably since Israel began expanding its occupation of the Golan Heights

Majdal Shams/Beit Jinn – There are no Syrian flags anymore in the main square of Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, nor were there celebrations for the first anniversary of the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

A year on from the ceasefire, displaced civilians in south Lebanon continue to live under near-daily Israeli airstrikes, drones, and military occupation

South Lebanon – Ali Hammoud looked worn out, staring blankly at the little fire and the pot of boiling vegetables that would soon be his dinner. There is no gas, water or electricity, so he is cooking outdoors. And though an Israeli airstrike had torn away one side of his house, he is glad to be back.

Reuters reported that Syrian, Kurdish, and American officials are racing against time to show progress, even if limited, on the March 10 agreement before the end of the year.

The agency quoted several Syrian, Kurdish, and Western sources, involved in or briefed on the talks, as saying that negotiations had accelerated in recent days despite mounting frustration over delays, and that the Syrian government had sent a proposal to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreeing to incorporate its forces into the Syrian army as brigades and divisions.

The Arab world was already badly divided when recent wars and military conflicts broke out between state actors and between them and nonstate actors in 2023. But paradoxically, these tremors have created conditions that led to almost unprecedented coordination and diplomatic activism among key Arab states, along with a willingness to engage with non-Arab actors that were previously seen as rivals and even pariahs. The fruits of that coordination, activism, and engagement to date—which Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates have led—have been more philosophically negative than positive; that is, they have averted worse outcomes more than they have secured decisive goals. Should the trend survive the current set of crises, however, there are possibilities for more constructive action. Is that likely or even possible? A review of the current situation in historical perspective suggests that sustained collective diplomacy is now more possible than in the past; while it cannot be described as likely, an attitudinal change on the part of key Arab leaders offers an unusual opening.

US and Jordanian forces have launched an operation against ISIS in Syria, killing at least five members of the extremist group including a cell leader, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

The US strikes overnight on Friday were a response to an attack in Palmyra last week that killed three Americans, Centcom and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.

Syria has seized drones and explosives from a suspected ISIS hideout in Damascus, in a swoop it said “confirms” it is capable of fighting extremists.

The raid, in which a suspected member of ISIS was arrested, was one of two against the group announced in the space of 24 hours. It came as US President Donald Trump prepared to receive the bodies of two Americans killed in an attack in Palmyra that authorities blamed on ISIS.