Last week in the Middle East, fighting between pro-Hadi forces and Houthis continued in Yemen, with intensified clashes reported in and around Taizz city. Amid stalled power-sharing negotiations, pro-Hadi and pro-Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces engaged in minor clashes in Abyan, while there was a decline in Houthi drone strikes against Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Syrian…
Last week, demonstrations broke out across the Middle East against the French president who stated he would protect the right to caricature the Prophet Mohammad. In Syria, dozens of Turkish-backed fighters were killed by a Russian airstrike, while Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) increased its shelling of regime forces. In Iraq, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters…
Last week in the Middle East, intense fighting between the Houthis and joint anti-Houthi forces was reported in Ad Ali and Mirab, while renewed clashes broke out between pro-Southern Transitional Council (STC) and pro-Hadi fighters in Yemen’s south. In Syria, both a prominent Sunni cleric in charge of the Damascus region and the head of…
Last week in the Middle East, two members of Hurras Al Din were killed by a drone strike conducted by the global coalition forces in northern Syria, while three former opposition commanders were killed by unidentified gunmen in the south. In Iraq, the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s branch in Baghdad was set on fire by supporters…
Last week in the Middle East, a truck bomb explosion reportedly led to the deaths of 18 civilians in Syria, while two former opposition figures were killed in an armed attack by unknown gunmen. Anti-government demonstrations were reported in Iraq, Turkey, and Iran. Demonstrations were also reported in Palestine following the fatal shooting of a…
Last week in the Middle East, the United States (US) threatened to close its embassy in Baghdad in response to continuous attacks by militias in Iraq on US and global coalition targets. Fatah and Hamas have agreed to hold joint elections in the West Bank and Gaza. Lebanon is once again facing a political vacuum…
Last week in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain signed normalization agreements with Israel in Washington, DC, setting off a wave of protests in Bahrain, Palestine, and Iran. A new round of sanctions on Iran was announced by the United States (US). In Syria, a car bomb explosion in Afrin city…
Last month in the Middle East, a blast in Beirut left Lebanon reeling from the overwhelming human and financial cost of the explosion. Armed clashes intensified in both the Marib district and in Al Bayda in Yemen, and in the Greater Idleb area in Syria. A historic deal establishing full diplomatic ties between the United…
Last week in the Middle East, demonstrations and remote violence increased throughout the region. The surge in protests was propelled by Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, while riots spiked in Iraq. Meanwhile, the rise in remote violence was driven by a rapid increase in airstrikes in Syria as Russian forces resumed their air campaign in the…
Over the last two weeks in the Middle East, political violence and demonstration activity generally decreased across the region, likely due to the end of the holy month of Ramadan and coronavirus-related restrictions. Key developments include: a significant increase in airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, as well as Houthi retaliation; demonstrations over shortages…