Israel moves to seize more Syrian land near the Golan Heights after opposition forces topple former President Bashar al-Assad. As former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government falls, Israel seizes more territory in Syria’s Golan Heights. That move tears up a 50-year-old ceasefire agreement. But Israeli far-right ministers say their country’s borders should extend further – … Read more
Rescue teams and relatives of disappeared people in Syria are searching for their loved ones at the notorious Sednaya Prison in Damascus after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government. An intense search was under way at the jail on Monday for “hidden underground cells, reportedly holding detainees”, said the White Helmets rescue group, which dispatched emergency teams … Read more
Syrians gathered in cities around the world to celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government with chants and prayers after opposition fighters entered the capital Damascus following a stunning advance. The Syrian opposition said that it had defeated al-Assad’s regime in the early hours of Sunday, forcing the ousted president to flee the country. Russian … Read more
US president-elect Donald Trump is handing over US Middle East policy to people “who see God as some kind of cosmic real estate agent”, argues Stephen Zunes, chair of the Middle Eastern Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. Regarding Trump’s “to whom it may concern” threat that “there will be all hell to … Read more
Advances by opposition fighters raise questions over how Russia, Iran, Turkiye, Arab states and the US will respond. In Syria’s war, Russia, Iran, Turkiye, the United States and Arab states are all backing different factions. After a years-long deadlock, a swift opposition offensive has ushered in a new phase in the conflict. So how will … Read more
A surprise rebel offensive surges onwards after taking control of the city of Aleppo. A lightning offensive by opposition fighters in Syria is sweeping ahead after Aleppo has fallen. President Bashar al-Assad said they will be defeated despite little resistance from his forces. So what is next for Syria and the other countries involved in … Read more
A former Israeli defense minister has accused Israel of committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip, a rare critique from a member of the security establishment at a time of war. The comments by Moshe Yaalon came amid mounting criticism of the Israeli military’s conduct in Gaza. They were swiftly denied and … Read more
A former war crimes investigator for The Hague tribunal returns to the Balkans to see if justice was ever delivered. Former Czech police commissioner Vladimir Dzuro is a criminal investigator who worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the ICTY, based in The Hague. In the 1990s he collected evidence against war … Read more
Russia uses hypersonic missile for first time in the war after Ukraine uses Western weapons to hit Russian territory. Russia has attacked Ukraine with a new hypersonic missile. Western leaders say it marks a dangerous new phase in the war. The Kremlin says it follows a decision by the White House to let Ukraine fire … Read more
President Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to fire US missiles into Russia has brought the world’s two leading nuclear powers to a head. Western media overlooks the broader implications of this move. Inside Ukraine, journalists face the dual threats of restricted press freedoms and Russian aggression. Contributors:Branko Marcetic – Writer, Jacobin MagazineLeonid Ragozin – Journalist … Read more