Al-Monitor: First stop for understanding the Middle East in 2024 …with more to come for 2025. By Andrew Parasiliti In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, national security
Biden in 2024: Elusive Gaza deal, Syria turmoil and stalled Saudi-Israel talks The Biden administration's foreign policy agenda for 2024 was consumed by Gaza and staving off a wider Middle East war. United States
Analysis Two months on, Iran’s ‘inevitable’ retaliation against Israel stalls, fueling frustration The Islamic Republic is facing questions about its regional strength, and ferocious criticism from its loyalists, as it rethinks a promised response to Israel's October missile attack amid massive defense setbacks and fears of a yet more devastating cycle of escalation. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Turkey, Hungary receive US sanctions waiver to pay Russia's Gazprombank Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar says the exemption has been granted. Turkey
US scraps $10M bounty on HTS leader Golani after meeting in Damascus A delegation including Assistant Secretary Barbara Leaf and hostage envoy Roger Carstens met with leaders of the powerful rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Syria
Turkey's Erdogan offers help in Syria state structure ahead of Fidan visit The Turkish president said his top diplomat will soon travel to Damascus to support Syria's interim government in its fight against groups that Ankara deems a threat to its national security. Turkey
Sudan 2024: Worsening humanitarian crisis, famine and foreign interference Despite international mediation efforts, Sudan's civil war has continued throughout 2024, deepening the humanitarian crisis. Sudan
Analysis Were Israel's Yemen strikes trial run for major attack on Iran? Some analysts consider the large-scale attack on Yemeni sites a test run for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, but others now view destabilizing the mullahs as the best approach. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
