Russia’s Shoigu in Iran to signal support, urge restraint against Israel A top Russian security official visited Tehran as Iran says it "welcomes trilateral cooperation between Iran, Russia and China." Iran
Erdogan meets 'dear friend' Putin as Russia, Turkey eye cooperation on Syria The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral ties only days ahead of the NATO summit. Turkey
Analysis Can Turkey help Europe build effective air and missile defense system? With Turkey joining the German-led European Sky Shield Initiative, in the long run Ankara could use its burgeoning Hisar and Siper platforms to improve Europe’s air and missile defense. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Russia sets up observation points in Syria near Golan Heights New Russian observation posts have popped up in southwest Syria amid increased tensions between pro-Iranian groups and Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war. Syria
Interview Syrian Kurdish commander tells Washington not to sell F-16s to Turkey With Mazlum Kobane SDF commander in chief
Analysis Israel-Russia ties unravel as Putin calls meeting over Dagestan mob incident By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Analysis Israel relayed to Russia 'dissatisfaction' over its Hamas position as rift widens By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Analysis In Israel-Hamas war, Russia's leverage erodes, outflanked by US naval power By Anton Mardasov
The Takeaway: Nile Dam talks fail, crisis escalates Sisi warns that "all options open" if diplomacy not resumed; Israel: "Knives drawn" as Bibi gets first shot at forming government; Hotel shuttle diplomacy at Iran talks in Vienna; Mummies on parade in Egypt; more! Egypt
War over economic routes heats up in Syria Syria’s economic collapse is stoking the struggle over commercial routes between government-held areas and US- and Turkish-backed enclaves, fueling also disagreements on humanitarian aid. Turkey
What’s Moscow's game plan for Lebanon? With the worsening of the Lebanese crisis, Russia will have to take a closer look at Lebanese affairs to protect its assets in Syria. Lebanon
In rebuke to Russia, Blinken presses UN to quit politicizing Syria aid Blinken called on the UN Security Council to reauthorize a cross-border aid operation into Syria despite Russian and Chinese opposition. Syria
Turkish-Russian partnership under fresh stress test in Syria Turkey’s appeal for Western backing in Syria has cast a pall on its partnership with Russia, whose toughening attitude on the ground is a reminder to Ankara of what could happen down the road. Turkey
What's next for Russia’s relations with Hezbollah? A Hezbollah delegation visits Moscow, with Lebanese politics and stability and Syria's political future atop the agenda. Russia
Russia launches air campaign against Islamic State in Syrian desert Russian forces intensified their airstrikes against IS sites in Syria’s Badia with the aim of supporting the ground forces that failed to eliminate the organization or curb its spread. Syria
Israel's foreign minister continues anti-ICC campaign in Russia In his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi presented his stand against the International Criminal Court probe, a renewed Iran deal and the Iranian presence in Syria. Israel
NGOs file Syria torture complaint against Russia’s Wagner Group The rights organizations allege that the shadowy paramilitary group is behind the 2017 torture and killing of a Syrian military defector. Syria
Why is Syrian military deploying in Kurdish-held areas? The Syrian government seeks to strengthen its military presence in Ain Issa and the area overlooking the M4 international highway, which are under control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Syria
The Israel-Russia-Syria deal: Cost, beneficiaries and future deals As Israel and Syria conclude a deal on the return of an Israeli woman from Syria, questions arise regarding the cost and what the future of such transactions with Russian mediation should be. Israel
Can Turkey fit into the Biden administration’s Syria policy? The gnarliest problem: Pentagon report says Syrian, Iranian proxies are "most significant" threats to US mission, but the Islamic State isn’t dead yet, and Turkey and the United States still disagree on the Kurds. Syria