Hezbollah's tactical shift against Israel Hezbollah is opening another front against Israel in the Golan Heights, where it can blame other organizations for possible escalations. Israel
Why is Turkey censoring lingerie, antique books? Turkey's Web watchdog is turning into a "wicked" censorship monster that can arbitrarily target any website, from global prosperity indexes to LGBT forums. Turkey
Iraqi Kurdish land grabs anger Sunni Arabs As Iraqi Kurds benefit from coalition airstrikes and take control of former IS safe havens, they are aggravating tensions with some Sunni Arab communities. Iraq
Israeli candidates offer shallow slogans on security The escalation on Israel's northern border should have driven Israeli politicians to explain their specific security approaches, but most of them chose to repeat the usual deterrence slogans, without any reference to other diplomatic options. Israel
Rockets fall on Damascus Jaish al-Islam began a wide-scale rocket attack on Damascus in response to the Syrian regime’s shelling of eastern Ghouta, which allegedly killed civilians. Syria
Hezbollah answers Israeli attack Al-Monitor reports on the ground from the site of Wednesday's confrontation. Israel
Iraqi folk poets face criticism Some Iraqi intellectuals say the the spread of folk poems butchers the classic Arabic language and serve the interests of political parties. Iraq
Al-Qassam youth training camps open again The Vanguards of Liberation camps, previously organized under the supervision of the Education and Interior Ministries in Hamas-run Gaza, are now under the control of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which some think might be using the camps to recruit young men as fighters. Palestine
Israel shows restraint in Hezbollah retaliation Hezbollah’s attack on an Israeli patrol in Lebanon’s occupied Shebaa Farms was expected to break into an all-out war on Lebanon, but sources told Al-Monitor that Israel was asked not to engage in such a war. Israel
Greece election result brings hope to Palestinians President Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas movement welcomed the victory of the Syriza Party in the Greek elections, which promised during its electoral campaign to work on recognizing the Palestinian state. Palestine
Fake bomb detectors still endanger Iraqis Despite the exposure and imprisonment of British businessman James McCormick for selling fake bomb detectors to several countries, Iraqi security officials continue to justify the use of these devices. Iraq
Iran responds to caricatures with 'I love Muhammad' campaign Iranians have rallied around the hashtag campaign "I love Muhammad" on social media following Charlie Hebdo's printing of another caricature of the Prophet Muhammad. Iran
Egyptian pound's drop part of Central Bank's plan The Central Bank's efforts to reduce the price of the local currency against the dollar are working to undermine the black market, but these measures risk increasing prices. Egypt
Erdogan's Africa tour Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose aspirations for regional leadership have failed, has begun trying to acquire leadership of the Islamic world on his Africa tour. Turkey
Iran names new UN envoy Iran's new choice for UN envoy, Gholamali Khoshroo, has a history of facilitating dialogue between faiths and cultures. Iran
Summit to focus on reducing terror recruitment Some analysts say the use of the term “violent extremists” reflects excessive political correctness and that the US government is not properly organized to prevent young people from joining jihadist groups. Regional
