Orientul Mijlociu

At a time when power dynamics in the Middle East region are in flux due to the shifting circumstances of the Islamic State, the drawdown of U.S. troops in the region, and the intensification of Iranian-backed attacks on U.S. and Saudi Arabian targets in the region, an historical look at the support Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah (LH) provided to proxies during the Syrian civil war may yield insights into Iran’s past and present playbook not only in Syria but potentially other contexts. The civil war in Syria was a unique catalyst that intensified Iranian economic, political, and religious activity in the country, which was ongoing since the 1980s. During the conflict, Iran demonstrated the ability to exert influence tactically while also building a religious and social support base in Syrian society. Iran achieved these goals, in part, through raising and supporting various non-state militant groups in Syria.

Hamas “will remain committed to its charter until the goals of our people are achieved, including the liberation [of all Palestine].” — Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokesperson, palinfo.com, April 22, 2022.

The Biden administration’s representatives who are talking about “the need for all parties to work for calm, especially in Jerusalem,” appear to be overlooking that the latest tensions are, at best, only partially related to the city or the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Türkiye’de Batı dünyasında olduğu gibi kurumsal bir yabancı düşmanlığı olduğuna inanmıyorum. Her toplumda göçmenler ile yerliler arasında zaman zaman gerilimler olabilir. Göçmenlerden rahatsızlık duyanların sayısı da artış gösterebilir. Ancak şükürler olsun ülkemizde bu tür duygu ve düşüncelerin üzerine inşa edilmiş siyasi partiler, sivil toplum örgütleri falan söz konusu değil. Yeni yeni birileri sırf bu tür düşmanlık eğilimleri üzerinden siyasi parti denemeleri falan yapıyor ama Türk toplumunun genel yapısı itibarıyla böylesi denemelerin beklentilerini alamayacağını düşünüyorum.

Earlier this month, the lead U.N. representative for Yemen announced a two-month cease-fire, the first major breakthrough since 2015 in the conflict between the Houthi rebels and Iran on the one side and the Yemeni government and its Gulf backers on the other. The news was a ray of hope in an otherwise unremittingly troubling international context.

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have agreed to end and prevent the recruitment and use of child soldiers. The United Nations praised the Houthis on Monday in its announcement that, as part of a two-month nationwide truce, the Houthis signed an Action Plan with the UN to protect the children affected by the armed conflict in Yemen. Thousands of child soldiers have fought on the side of the Houthis during the ongoing, seven-year-long civil war in Yemen.

The Israeli Air Force fired on a Hamas weapons production facility in the southern Gaza Strip overnight on Tuesday. The attack was in response to a rocket launched from Gaza toward southern Israel on Monday night.

A far-right politician had planned to burn a copy of the Quran but called it off as Muslim citizens rioted.

Several Middle Eastern governments and politicians have spoken out against plans by a far-right politician in Sweden to burn a copy of the Quran.