Fledgling Turkish-Syrian dialogue faces bumpy road ahead Ankara and Damascus need to moderate their positions to avoid a collision in their quest for normalization. Turkey
Iraq's Sadr indicates return to politics in public prayer session Muqtada al-Sadr organized a public prayer on Friday, making a comeback to politics after months of silence. Iraq
In Egypt, economic heat of Russia's war in Ukraine is only getting worse Average Egyptians told Al-Monitor that everything from the price of tomatoes to bread is taking a toll on daily life and household decisions as country's economy reels under the heavy toll of the war in Ukraine. Egypt
Israel's president to visit Brussels, address EU parliament The upcoming visit of President Isaac Herzog to Brussels at the end of January could help establish a dialogue between the far-right Israeli government and European leadership. Israel
Syria's Assad hosts Russian envoy, discusses rapprochement with Turkey Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Russian special envoy Alexander Lavrentiev to discuss ending the occupation of Syrian land, highlighting the potential rapprochement with Turkey. Syria
Israel faces internal threat in Netanyahu’s judicial reforms After warning from Israel’s top opposition leaders, President of the Supreme Court Esther Hayut warns that the Netanyahu government judicial reform could crush Israel’s democracy. Israel
UN extends Lebanon investigation into Hariri assassination for another year The UN approved the extension of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon for about a year, to finalize its work. Lebanon
