Since 2012, the Week in Review keeps you ahead of the curve with in-depth analysis of the trends in the region, based on AL-MONITOR’s world class reporting.
Islamic State intelligence network stifles resistance
Terrorist group reportedly uses Saddam-era intelligence officers and tactics; Syria’s Alawites seek accountability from government; Syrian army advances around Hama; Temple Mount as flash point; Egyptian campaign against terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula makes life harder for residents of the Gaza Strip.
What does Hezbollah mean by 'painful concessions' in Syria?
UN Syria envoy meets Hezbollah official; Erdogan sets back Turkey-Iran ties and points out US "mistake"; Israel seeks to suppress "silent intifada" in Jerusalem.
Who will Turkey 'train and equip' in Syria?
Turkey reportedly to train mostly Turkmen force, primarily to oppose Bashar al-Assad, not Islamic State; Al-Monitor Syria Pulse correspondents report on fighting in Aleppo and Daraa; Why did Assad dismiss his top security official?
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.
Erdogan's slow turnaround on foreign fighters in Syria
US Vice President Joe Biden says "our biggest problem is our allies" in combating foreign fighters; Aleppo battle lines so far unaffected by airstrikes; Israel considers threat from Islamic State.
US leverages Iran-Iraq-Syria axis against Islamic State
New alignment offers the potential for breakthrough in the battle against extremist groups; the Arab world has a pulse, not an illness.
Do Syrians support US airstrikes in Syria?
Syrians worry about US airstrikes; Iran could be bridge to Syria in international coalition against the Islamic State (IS); Syrian Revolutionary Forces reject report of pact with IS; Syrian Kurds lose ground to IS; Iran claims leadership in battle against IS terrorists.
Turkey abstains on US coalition against Islamic State
Turkey’s caveat on the Islamic State; Russia’s Syria cards; Iran on outside of US coalition; the US turnaround on the Syrian opposition; Al-Monitor’s first long-form piece.
Islamic State becoming ‘dominant voice’ among global jihadists
The United States intensifies military planning against the Islamic State; Syria’s new Cabinet; Israel faces "highly complex reality" in Syria; IS-linked group threatens more terror, beheadings in the Sinai Peninsula; what Egypt lost in the Al Jazeera trial.
US gives new priority to foreign fighters in Syria
US regional allies, including Turkey, may finally be forced to crack down on extremists in Syria.
Iran, misreading Trump’s resolve, escalates conflict in Yemen ahead of US midterms
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Trump links Iran to the war on terror, vowing it will “never, ever have a nuclear weapon.”
Barzani calls for enhanced air defense for Kurdistan Region to counter drone attacks
Iraqi Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani backs US-led regional economic integration efforts and lauds US partnership in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor.
Trump’s strategy on Iran may be paying off
Through far-sighted diplomacy and a durable new regional architecture, Trump has cornered Iran between alignment and atrophy.
Iran-linked militias seek to draw Iraq into regional war
“Iran’s logic is the logic of war,” a Gulf regional official tells Al-Monitor.
