Astana talks show Russia eager to keep plugging away at Idlib

The new round of Syria talks in Kazakhstan produced a cease-fire in Idlib and the promise for a constitutional committee due to be announced in September, but will all of this ultimately happen?

Syria

Tinderbox: Israeli military attacks in Iraq could complicate US strategy in Middle East

Washington may need to draw some red lines to protect its larger regional interests.

Iraq

How Syria’s White Helmets are avoiding regime strikes

The Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, are coming up with new ways to avoid regime and Russian airstrikes.

Syria

Has Turkey’s policy on Syrian refugees started to backfire?

The Syrian refugee question is set to pose a major political headache for Erdogan in the coming period.

Syria

Syrian Turkmen groups return from Turkey to support opposition

Turkey has encouraged Syrian Turkmen organizations to move to Syrian areas controlled by anti-regime militias.

Syria

Syria’s Kurds feel brunt of Turkish-US crisis

Turkey is sending military reinforcements to its border with Syria after two missiles were recently launched from Syria toward a border city, portending an imminent Turkish offensive in the area.

Syria

Officials deny Syrian deportation reports as anti-refugee sentiments grow in Turkey

As a rising number of Syrians claim they were illegitimately deported to war-torn Idlib province, Turkish officials say refugee policies remain unchanged.

Syria

Can Syrian Kurds’ offer unlock door to compromise with Turkey?

The Syrian Kurds have offered Turkey a 5-kilometer-deep buffer zone that would see the pullout of Kurdish forces and heavy weaponry, without seeking the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Afrin, but only that of aligned militia.

Syria

Turkey threatens Syria invasion as US sanctions loom

A breakthrough in the diplomatic dispute sparked by Turkey’s purchase of an advanced Russian missile system and Washington’s support for Syrian Kurdish militia continues to elude the NATO allies.

Syria

Are Syrians in Turkey no longer Erdogan’s 'brothers'?

Desperate to maintain its support base, the Turkish government limits Syrians access to basic services and initiates mass deportations.

Syria

Iraqi spy chief discusses IS and intel cooperation

Al-Monitor was granted an exclusive interview with the head of Iraq’s secretive counterterrorism intelligence unit, Abu Ali al-Basri. The Falcon Intelligence Cell director discussed what remains of the Islamic State, potential future risks and how the unit shares information with other countries.

Iraq

Kurdish cities in Syria witness bloody week

The Kurdish region in northern Syria has witnessed several explosions in the past month, with one of them targeting a church.

Syria