Turkey opens first case against oil smuggling with Syria

A court started to hear the first legal case of oil smuggling, revealing the dilemma between national security and the fight against radical Islamists.

Syria

Assad dismisses security chief of powerful 'Branch 40'

The dismissal of Col. Hafez Makhlouf, head of Syria's internal security, may be a sign of reformist policies or even a change of leadership within the regime.

Lebanon

Syrian regime takes advantage of coalition strikes

While the world focuses on the Islamic State, the Syrian army is making significant gains in Damascus and Aleppo.

Syria

Syrian rebels eye capital after gains in south

Syrian rebels continue to make significant inroads in the country’s south as the Syrian government focuses on key battles in Damascus.

Syria

IS sent warning letters to Middle East embassies

Iran's deputy foreign minister has said that the Islamic State sent letters to embassies warning them not to attack the group and that the United States notified Iran and Syria that its coalition would not target Syrian bases.

Iraq

How to defeat Islamic State's war machine

The Islamic State has to be recognized as a lethal and effective war machine at the tactical level.

Iraq

Rebels in Aleppo stretched thin between regime, IS

Rebel supply lines to the city of Aleppo are at risk of being cut as the rebels simultaneously fight government forces and the Islamic State in Aleppo’s northern countryside.

Syria

Erdogan's Syria policies spark riots in Kurdish cities

Turkey’s Syria policies spark massive protests in Kurdish cities, with at least 30 protesters killed; no relief for Syrians in Homs and Aleppo; Jabhat al-Nusra attacks Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Lebanon

Turkey slides into deeper isolation over Syria

Turkey’s Western allies are increasingly frustrated with its attempts to direct the US-led military coalition’s focus from the Islamic State to the Syrian regime, while Russia and Iran are openly opposing Turkey’s attempts to establish a buffer zone.

Syria

Syrian women's group paints for peace

The Syrian Women’s Forum for Peace has launched a new project to paint murals across Syrian cities, in an attempt to spread peace and life in the hearts of Syrians who are suffering from the effects of the war.

Syria

Syrian price spikes: Aleppo gas increases by 140%

Strikes by the US-led coalition on the Islamic State have targeted oil wells and refineries, causing prices of basic commodities in Syria to skyrocket.

Syria

Nusra attacks on Lebanon attempt to 'change rules of game'

Attacks by Jabhat al-Nusra on Hezbollah-controlled positions inside Lebanon represent a troubling development for the Lebanese and possibly the regime in Damascus as well.

Lebanon