Archives for October, 2022

A member of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up of an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, removes an Islamic State group flag in the town of Tabqa, about 55 kilometres (35 miles) west of Raqa city, on April 30, 2017, as they advance in their battle for the group's de facto capital.

US military kills three senior Islamic State leaders in Syria strikes

US strikes knocked off the jihadist group's second-highest Syrian commander and a smuggler believed to have helped kidnap and behead Kurdish officials.

Sixteen-year-old Nika Shakrami died after going out to join protest in Tehran sparked by Mahsa Amini's death

Iran woman accuses state of killing daughter at Mahsa Amini protest

Agence France-Presse

OPEC

Analysis

Democrats tear into Saudi Arabia over OPEC+ cut

The State Department on Thursday dismissed calls from some Democrats to withdraw US troops and missile systems from Saudi Arabia.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Daily workers harvest onions near Turkey’s border wall with Syria, Sept. 29, 2022.

Syrian farmers trapped by 'Erdogan's wall'

Military unrest combined with drought is making it much harder to draw a living from the soil along the Turkish-Syrian border.

MENA gas

New Trend Report: The Middle East's opportunity to replace Russian gas to the EU

Access Al-Monitor PRO's fourth quarter report with a free trial.

Al-Monitor Staff

By Al-Monitor Staff

Iran protest

Teen deaths mark new episode in Iran's crackdown on protests

While the case of Mahsa Amini's death in custody is still far from being settled, Iranian officials have been embroiled by one report after another on the killing of teenage protesters.

The Turkish (R) and Israeli flags.

Turkey taps career diplomat as new ambassador to Israel

Turkey has named a veteran career diplomat as the new Turkish ambassador to Israel — a move that also reflects Ankara’s sensitivities to the Palestinian cause.

Israel gas

More gas discovered off coast of Israel as Lebanon talks falter

Energean’s discovery follows a setback in the US-mediated negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over their maritime border.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (C) speaks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R).

Turkish, Armenian, Azeri leaders hold landmark talks

Informal talks among Turkish, Armenian and Azeri leaders mark the first of their kind.

A picture obtained by AFP outside Iran on Sept. 21, 2022, shows Iranian demonstrators taking to the streets of the capital Tehran during a protest for Mahsa Amini, days after she died in police custody.

Breaking | Last Updated: October 6, 2022, 6:03 pm

US targets senior Iranian officials with new sanctions

Those sanctioned include Iran's interior and communications ministers.

A supporter of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Headscarf debate returns to Turkish politics at initiative of secularist opposition

The CHP becomes proactive against Erdogan's "religious populist games."

Culture

Reports: Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf will not receive world ranking points

The controversial tour, which is backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, recently made an alliance with Dubai’s MENA Tour in an effort to enable its players to qualify for Official World Golf Ranking points.

Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush (R) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Turkey's energy deal in Libya fans regional rivalries

Turkey is likely to face stronger headwinds in the eastern Mediterranean after signing a controversial energy exploration deal with Libya’s interim government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Iran protests put Turkish government in tight spot

As their Western partners strongly react to the Iranian protests, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his administration remain curiously quiet.

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

IDF forces on alert as maritime agreement with Lebanon crumbles

Israel has rejected the changes Beirut has demanded to the draft maritime border agreement and now fears tensions could escalate on its northern border.

A US airborne operation involving multiple helicopters left a senior Islamic State group figure dead in a government-controlled area of Syria's northeast

US targets 'senior' IS jihadist in Syria's northeast: Centcom

Agence France-Presse