Orientul Mijlociu

The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters, in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.

The disclosure by the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the planning, raises the stakes for the diplomacy underway between the United States and Iran.

Khamenei’s renewed defiance is inspired by four conclusions he has drawn from the latest events…. the “Supreme Guide” seems determined to work with a more compact group of no-questions-asked loyalists on a platform of revolutionary defiance moderated by cosmetic gestures he calls “heroic flexibility”.

As commendable as it may be that US President Donald J. Trump is apparently hoping that he can turn “swords into ploughshares,” the inclusion of avowedly pro-Islamist, pro-terrorist countries such as Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan in his so-called “Board of Peace” has all the potential thoroughly to undermine the American leader’s peace initiative in Gaza.

The file of northeastern Syria, defined by negotiations and clashes between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), is nearing a decisive stage, following a military operation that led to broad control by the Syrian army, backed by Arab tribes, across eastern Syria.

Damascus witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Chevron and the Qatar-based company Power International Holding on February 4. The goal of the new agreement is to push forward with the “development of the country’s first offshore oil and gas field,” Syrian state media SANA said. US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack wrote that he was “honored to witness Syria’s historic milestone for offshore gas exploration.”

Fantasies of Fragmenting Iran Only Serve Israeli Interests.

A troubling convergence has emerged among Western think tanks, Israeli politicians, and exiled opposition figures advocating for the partition of Iran along ethnic and sectarian lines. This strategy represents a dangerous escalation from traditional regime change toward what can only be described as regime destruction, a policy shift that would benefit Israeli regional ambitions while catastrophically destabilizing the Middle East and creating humanitarian disasters that would dwarf the Syrian refugee crisis.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has realigned the Horn of Africa, linking India, Israel, the UAE, and Ethiopia to secure Red Sea routes and counter rivals.

On 26 December 2025, Israel formally recognized what it termed the Republic of Somaliland, marking a significant shift in its policy toward the Horn of Africa.

The Israeli military claims it has definitive proof that at least six Al Jazeera journalists are operatives for Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups.

The Israeli Defense Forces accused journalists Anas al-Sharif, Alaa Salama, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf al-Saraj, Ismail Abu Omar, and Talal Aruki of working with the terror groups as members of their military and propaganda wing.

Syrians are looking ahead to the next stage in the country’s development, with governance and democracy crunch issues that could determine Syria’s future.

How do you govern a country you never expected to rule? That is the question now facing Syria’s transitional government, as it seeks to undo half a century of kleptocratic Baathist misrule following a stunning rebel offensive in late 2024 that saw the Assad regime fall.