Dozens Arrested After Violent Clashes: Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham Security Forces Suppress Idlib Protest

Idlib sees daily protests predominantly led by women from Hizb ut-Tahrir, many of whom are relatives of detainees

A few meters away from the Book Fair in Idlib, which is being leveraged by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to improve its image and promote its institutions, the city witnessed protests by hundreds of demonstrators on the evening of Tuesday, September 10, 2024. HTS responded with repression, using beatings and arrests indiscriminately against both women and men. This led to significant tension and widespread condemnation.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria Clarifies Its Stance on Iran: Dispelling Rumors of Rapprochement

The statement by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Syria not only critiques the Iranian regime’s actions but also responds directly to rumours suggesting that the Brotherhood was seeking rapprochement with Tehran. This context is crucial, especially given the Brotherhood’s historical relationship with Hamas, a Palestinian resistance movement with strong ties to both the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran. Hamas, which shares ideological roots with the Brotherhood, has maintained a complex relationship with Tehran, receiving Iranian support for its resistance efforts against Israel. However, this relationship has strained at times, particularly due to Iran’s support for the Assad regime during the Syrian civil war—a regime the Brotherhood vehemently opposes.

À court de chair à canon, Kiev demande des combattants à HTŞ (une branche de Daesh)

Le gouvernement ukrainien, qui collabore déjà avec le PKK pour mener des opérations secrètes contre les soldats russes en Syrie, a maintenant établi des contacts avec les terroristes de Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTŞ, une branche de Daech) qui occupent Idlib en Syrie. L’objectif de Kiev est de libérer les militants tchétchènes radicaux détenus dans les prisons de HTŞ.

The Complex Reality of Great Power Competition in the Middle East

Four indicators show trends of engagement, but the region remains immune to sweeping generalizations.

In the collective memories of people across the Middle East and North Africa, great power rivalries have shaped the region’s fate at multiple critical junctures. In the first part of the twentieth century, following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, colonial competition between Britain and France created the modern borders and nation-states of the Middle East. Toward the end of the century and after five Arab-Israeli wars, crucial peace treaties and multilateral negotiations were mediated by great powers, particularly the United States.

Russia’s relations with Hezbollah amid escalation on Lebanon-Israel border

On Aug. 26, following a retaliatory strike by Hezbollah against Israel for the killing of senior commander Fuad Shukr at the end of July, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed “deep concern over the dangerous increase in tensions in the Lebanese-Israeli border area” and urged all involved parties to exercise “maximum restraint.” Zakharova viewed this escalation as an extension of Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas and called for a “speedy cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip that would serve as a gateway to stabilizing the Middle East.

Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis

Amid the ongoing delay in Iran’s response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, senior Iranian military officials have stepped up their statements concerning Iran’s commitment to retaliate against Israel at the appropriate time, albeit with different characteristics than the Iranian attack on Israel in April 2024.