Top US general’s retirement marks turning point in Mideast operations

Will Gen. Joseph Votel's retirement result in the end of US low-budget warfare in the region?

Iraq

Russia, Turkey still defending own interests in Syria

Fighting goes on in Idlib and Hama provinces between opposition forces and the Syrian regime, and recently Turkey and Russia seem more involved in the confrontations.

Syria

Turkey buys grain from Syrian farmers

Al-Rai's local council in Aleppo’s countryside announced its decision to buy crops from local farmers to help them market their products.

Syria

Damascus vies with Saudi-Kurd union for tribal support

Saudi Arabia is backing Kurdish efforts to win over Syrian tribes' loyalty from the regime.

Saudi Arabia

Israeli, Russian, US interests converge on Iran in Syria

At a trilateral meeting in Jerusalem, the national security advisers of Israel, Russia and the United States confirmed their common interest in limiting the presence of Iranian forces in Syria when peace finally comes.

Israel

Russian diplomats sweep through Lebanon, Iraq, Syria

Russia's Syria envoy Alexander Lavrentiev and others recently paid important visits to the Middle East to present Russia’s refugee plan and discuss the latest regional developments.

Iraq

Russia offers to mediate in Syria-Lebanon maritime border dispute

With its bid to mediate a Lebanon-Syria maritime dispute, Moscow is opening a new venue for engagement in the Levant.

Lebanon

Will Syrian voters be kingmakers in Istanbul's mayoral election?

Though small in number, the votes of naturalized Syrians in Turkey could be decisive in the rerun election to select the new mayor of Istanbul, the city with the largest Syrian population outside Syria.

Syria

As Idlib fighting intensifies, Syrians abroad suffer mentally

As the Russian-backed Syrian regime steps up the offensive against the country’s last rebel stronghold, displaced Syrians with relatives in Idlib are suffering mentally — not to mention the monumental health issues faced by the Idlib residents themselves.

Syria

Deir ez-Zor Arab fighters 'punished for refusal to join SDF'

A lack of support for local Arab armed groups in the fight to retake the Arab province of Deir ez-Zor and alleged subsequent abuses by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces may prove a threat to stability in this key geographical area.

Syria

Congress expands Pentagon aid in Syria to cover Islamic State prisoners

The Senate’s new defense authorization bill gives the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces greater leeway to build prisons for Islamic State detainees.

Syria

Despite European protection offers, Turkey still wants S-400

Turkey is unlikely to be swayed from buying Russian S-400 missile defense systems, even if some European countries continue their defense of Turkish air space.

Syria