Bibi “Natanzyahu” Plays Bad Cop on Iran
Washington’s conspicuous silence over the nuclear sabotage at Natanz no doubt stems from the fact…
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Leaving Hezbollah Hanging
In an interview, Frederic Hof recalls how Bashar al-Assad undercut the party’s position on the…
French-German Proposals to Rebuild Beirut Port: Policy Implications
Whoever winds up spearheading the reconstruction effort, Washington should stay on top of them to…
The Shah’s Ride
In an interview, Ray Takeyh discusses his recent book on the reign of the late…
Lebanese cardinal criticizes Hezbollah in leaked video
Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch, addresses thousands of Lebanese at Bkerke, north of Beirut, Feb.…
Inside Tehran’s Sex Trade, A Business Hiding In Plain Sight
In Iran’s conservative Islamic society, prostitution is illegal, immoral, and rarely discussed. But in an…
Novaya Gazeta Correspondent El-Hayek: Hizbullah Told by Moscow Not To Interfere In Russia’s Syrian Settlement Push
On March 15, 2021, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a meeting with the…
A government of poetic justice
Israel election results: Letting Gantz form Israel’s next government would be poetic justice As…
Putin Prioritizes Syria. Biden Should Too.
Moscow has intensified its military deployments in sensitive areas and continued its counterproductive diplomatic track,…
Michel Aoun and Saad Hariri Have Failed to Agree Over a New Government in Lebanon
Spot analysis from Carnegie scholars on events relating to the Middle East and North Africa.…
Lebanon’s Financial Collapse: A Post-Mortem
Police line up outside the headquarters of the central bank during an anti-government demonstration in…
Is Russia Trying to Play Kingmaker in Lebanon?
For Moscow, Lebanon, a strategic country on the Mediterranean, is an important extension of Putin’s…
Maariv: Attacks against Iranian vessels cost Hezbollah $1 billion over 3 years.
Israel has carried out dozens of attacks against Iranian ships throughout the Middle East, a…
Our presence in Iraq remains a vital US national security interest
When serving as Assistant Secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs in early 2020, I…
Smugglers’ protests: Iran succumbs to trauma and demons
Recent clashes in the Iranian province of Sistan and Balochistan highlight Iran’s vulnerabilities as well…
Message in a Battle
Is Hezbollah undermining its resistance by failing to address Lebanon’s many crises, as the late…
Middle East Policy from Trump to Biden: Views from Inside the State Department’s Near East Bureau (updated)
The former assistant secretary of state in charge of the Middle East portfolio…
Lokman Slim’s culture war with Hezbollah should not be forgotten after assassination
On February 4, Lokman Slim, a writer, publisher, political analyst, filmmaker, and NGO director was…
IRGC’s economic chief reignites speculation over his presidential run
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s head of economic and engineering arm resigned on Sunday,…
The Pope Meets the Ayatollah
The Vatican’s outreach to Iraq is laudable in its goal of decreasing religious violence, but…
The Syrians in Berlin taking on the Assad regime
The story of two Syrian exiles – Anwar R, 58, and Anwar al-Bunni, 61 (pictured) –…
Don’t Expect Russia to Help Save the Iran Deal
In seeking to salvage the JCPOA, Biden should not assume cooperation from Moscow, but instead…
Real to Reel: Interview with German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff
In an interview, German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff recalls the movie he shot in Lebanon at…
Olympic powerbroker to go on trial in Geneva in forgery case
Olympic powerbroker Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah will go on trial in Switzerland this month in…
The Assad Regime Has Failed to Restore Full Sovereignty Over Syria
By ceding control of its borders and airspace to various foreign actors, the regime has…
Abraham’s Missing Child: Christians
Jews and Muslims make peace, but this endangered minority lacks a regional voice. The…
Time for a Lokman Act
He was not anti-Hezbollah or Iran he was a pro free and democratic Lebanon. Never…
Assasination of Lokman Slim: Statements by Secretary Blinken and Amb. Shea
STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN February 4, 2021 Assassination of Lebanese Activist Lokman Slim…
Murdered activist Lokman Slim was facilitating a Hezbollah defection before death
Lebanese activist and Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim. (Twitter) The death of Shia anti-Hezbollah activist Lokman Slim was…
The expulsion of Jews from Arab countries and Iran – an untold history
This op-ed was written by WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps member Andrea Mifano, was orginally published…
What’s Fuelling Lebanon’s Lockdown Protests?
Rioting has rocked Lebanon’s second city of Tripoli for four straight nights, with protesters torching…
Russian Military Specialist Mikhail Khodarenok: ‘No One In Moscow Is Going To Fight Israel Because Of Strikes On Iranian Targets In Syria’
Gazeta.ru’s military correspondent Mikhail Khodarenok responds to an analysis by Panagiotis Nastos in the Greek…
What Worries Israel About Biden and Iran
Much of the world reacted to Biden’s inauguration with a sigh of relief. In the…
Dead Certainties
As the Biden administration enters office, several assumptions about the Middle East will have to…
‘Jewish Agents,’ Iran and India: The Fears, Fantasies and Ignorance Blocking Pakistan-Israel Peace
Peace by decree works for Gulf autocracies, but it is no model for Pakistan’s raucous…
Favoring the Familiar
Kuwait’s new government has affirmed a sense of continuity, when the country’s problems require change.…
Gantz: There will be a place for Palestinian capital in united Jerusalem
Defense minister tells Asharq al-Awsat newspaper Jerusalem is a ‘spacious city full of sites sacred…
‘My goal is justice for all Syrians’: one man’s journey from jail to witness for the prosecution
Anwar al-Bunni: ‘I never lost my belief in a better Syria. I am sure we…
Moroccan schools to teach Jewish history and culture
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI is seen at Essaouira’s ‘House of Memory’ in January 2020 in…
Quick Remarks on New Hezbollah opinion poll
(a poster raised in Beirut center: « they pretended we were many peoples, it turns…
Lebanon’s Hezbollah suing those accusing it of port blast
Relatives of victims of the Aug. 4 Beirut port explosion hold portraits of their loved…
Lebanon Poll Shows Drop In Hezbollah Support, Even Among Shia; Majority Back Israel Boundary Talks
A reliable new public opinion poll conducted in Lebanon, completed just three weeks ago, offers…
Hezbollah Has Become the Middle East’s Weak Horse
The late Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden famously said, “When people see a strong…
A Summary on the National Assembly of Kuwait
Kuwaitis will be electing 50 parliament members (MPs) from five constituencies to represent them in…
Why do not Lebanon’s Shiites Rebel against Hezbollah!
When the “October 17th” (2019) Revolution erupted in Lebanon, it included all (religious) communities and…
Coming Up for Air
A Biden administration may bring crisis-ridden Lebanon a reprieve, even if some things will remain…
Lebanon-Borders of Blood: Interview with Israeli Filmmaker Duki Dror
Shaffaf invites its readers to view Duki Dror’s documentary at ARTE channel, on November 17,…
Biden confidant Antony Blinken expected to get key foreign policy role
(Reuters) – Antony Blinken, a veteran diplomat and longtime confidant of President-elect Joe Biden, is…
(video) US Envoy: Lebanon’s Bassil Was Open to Breaking Ties with Hezbollah
The US envoy to Lebanon said on Monday that head of Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement…