Analysis
Since 2012, the Week in Review keeps you ahead of the curve with in-depth analysis of the trends in the region, based on Al-Monitor’s world class reporting.
Turkey abstains on US coalition against Islamic State
Turkey’s caveat on the Islamic State; Russia’s Syria cards; Iran on outside of US coalition; the US turnaround on the Syrian opposition; Al-Monitor’s first long-form piece.
![RTR460TB.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/09/RTR460TB.jpg/RTR460TB.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=f-wxEDFk)
Islamic State becoming ‘dominant voice’ among global jihadists
The United States intensifies military planning against the Islamic State; Syria’s new Cabinet; Israel faces "highly complex reality" in Syria; IS-linked group threatens more terror, beheadings in the Sinai Peninsula; what Egypt lost in the Al Jazeera trial.
![Peshmerga fighters inspect the remains of a car, bearing an image of the trademark jihadist flag, which belonged to Islamic State (IS) militants after it was targeted by an American air strike in the village of Baqufa, north of Mosul, on August 18,2014. Kurdish peshmerga fighters backed by federal forces and US warplanes pressed a counter-offensive Monday against jihadists after retaking Iraq's largest dam, as the United States and Britain stepped up their military involvement. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/09/45378239s8.jpg/45378239s8.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=_T-a05Oq)
US gives new priority to foreign fighters in Syria
US regional allies, including Turkey, may finally be forced to crack down on extremists in Syria.
![Residents of Tabqa city and Islamic State militants tour the streets in celebration after Islamic State militants took over Tabqa air base in northeast Syria August 24, 2014. Islamic State militants stormed the air base in northeast Syria on Sunday, capturing most of it from government forces after days of fighting over the strategic location, a witness and a monitoring group said. Fighting raged inside the walls of the Tabqa air base, the Syrian army's last foothold in an area otherwise controlled by IS, w](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/08/RTR43J4Z.jpg/RTR43J4Z.jpg?h=e92c5d5c&itok=bpib087a)
Aleppo's Christians in Syrian crossfire
Christians in Aleppo fear an uncertain fate; Iran’s decisive role in the appointment of Haider al-Abadi as Iraqi prime minister-designate; battle for Arsal may not be over yet; Netanyahu is Israel’s "weakest prime minister" ever; lobbying profiles of Gulf countries to be released.
![The Armenian St. Kevork Church (Saint George) is seen in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on October 30, 2012, after it was burnt during fighting between rebel fighters and Syrian government forces. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/08/154994377.jpg/154994377.jpg?h=c2c5b897&itok=g6Ofma-j)
Is Lebanon next target of Islamic State?
Lebanon battles extremist armed groups; Egypt’s political isolation in Gaza; Iran’s shift on Hamas; family of Al-Monitor columnist killed by Israeli airstrike; lobbying series continues.
![A general view shows damage and burnt tents for Syrian refugees from the fighting between Lebanese army soldiers and Islamist militants in the Sunni Muslim border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley August 7, 2014. Militant Islamists have mostly withdrawn from the Lebanese border town of Arsal, which they seized at the weekend, taking with them captive Lebanese soldiers, militant and security sources said on Thursday, as a truce to end the deadly battle appeared to hold. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah (LEBANON](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/08/RTR41LK1.jpg/RTR41LK1.jpg?h=e92c5d5c&itok=A89n8gvH)
Does Iran benefit from Gaza crisis?
Iran reconsiders Hamas ties; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fixation on Iran may have distracted him from the threat from Hamas; Asmaa Al-Ghoul reports from Gaza; the Islamic State offers no support for Hamas.
![RTR41273.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/08/RTR41273.jpg/RTR41273.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=cRsz83Do)
Nasrallah promises 'all means of support' for Gaza 'resistance'
Iran and Hezbollah may see opportunity in the Gaza crisis; tunnels represent a "second Gaza" for Israel Defense Forces; Al-Monitor reports from Gaza on the civilian costs of the war; Saudi Arabia’s Turki Al Faisal calls Israel’s attack on Gaza a "barbaric assault"; the battle for Aleppo begins soon.
![Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gestures as he makes a rare public appearance to addresses his supporters during a rally to mark "Quds (Jerusalem) Day" in Beirut's southern suburbs July 25, 2014. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ANNIVERSARY) - RTR404VX](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/07/RTR404VX.jpg/RTR404VX.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=MOvrKKBI)
Iran boosts Hamas rocket capacity
Congress is skeptical of extending of Iran talks; Iran has a hand in Gaza; acrimony between Egypt and Hamas is hindering a cease-fire agreement; and the Islamic State using the Turkish Consulate in Mosul as its headquarters.
![Smoke trails are seen as rockets are launched towards Israel from the northern Gaza Strip July 13, 2014. Thousands fled their homes in a Gaza town on Sunday after Israel warned them to leave ahead of threatened attacks on rocket-launching sites, on the sixth day of an offensive that Palestinian officials said has killed at least 160 people. Militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip kept up rockets salvoes deep into the Jewish state and the worst bout of Israel-Palestinian bloodshed in two years showed no sign](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/07/RTR3YF8J.jpg/RTR3YF8J.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=9aUmEtSj)
Israel considers costs of escalation in Gaza
Gaza residents bear the costs of war; Israel weighs its option with Hamas; Al-Monitor interviews Iraqi political leaders; the forgotten war in Syria.
![m33.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/07/m33.jpg/m33.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=jwItBykt)
Will Palestinian unity fall victim to crisis over murders?
Al-Monitor’s Israel and Palestine Pulses cover the escalating crisis over the murder of three Israeli youths and a Palestinian teenager.
![Palestinian women watch from a rooftop as the body of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khudair is carried during his funeral in Shuafat, an Arab suburb of Jerusalem July 4, 2014. Palestinians infuriated at the kidnap and killing of Abu Khudair they blame on far-right Jews, clashed with Israeli police in Jerusalem on Friday, while cross-border shelling in the Gaza Strip abated under Egyptian mediation. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST OBITUARY) - RTR3X41S](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/07/RTR3X41S.jpg/RTR3X41S.jpg?h=c2c5b897&itok=7mNs9mLS)
Pagination
Netanyahu, regional leaders hedge on possible Trump win in November
The Israeli prime minister is under pressure to deliver on a cease-fire during his Washington visit next week; Biden can’t heal Democrat divisions over Israel and the Gaza war.
![JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2024-07/GettyImages-1230516369.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=-Zxq4qmm)
Lebanon FM warns of 'devastating’ regional war if Israel escalates campaign against Hezbollah
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Lebanon's top diplomat, Abdallah Bou Habib, adds that security in the south ultimately depends on a strong Lebanese army and an agreement on the border – not war.
![BERLIN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 15: Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib speaks to the media following talks with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on December 15, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The two diplomats discussed mutual measures to prevent the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict from expanding to other regions, among other issues. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2024-07/GettyImages-1857491748.jpg?h=9855f42d&itok=rgoJZYYE)
US, Iran guarantors of shaky deterrence between Israel and Hezbollah
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is not ready to go to the mattresses over the killing of another senior commander on Wednesday, and Iran doesn't want a war while it favors the threat of confrontation as a deterrent.
![A portrait of Musa al-Sadr sits amid the rubble of a destroyed building in the heavily damaged, Hezbollah stronghold town of Aita al Chaab on June 29, 2024 in Aita al Chaab, Lebanon. Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been trading cross-border fire since the October 7 attacks, with the conflict escalating in May when the group launched a missile-carrying drone against Israel for the first time. The conflict intensified in June when Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israeli m](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2024-07/GettyImages-2159834748.jpg?h=4296c093&itok=iuOsSvRF)
G42-Microsoft partnership in Kenya 'just the beginning,' says UAE trade minister
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi discusses momentum in UAE trade with the US, the benefits of economic diversification and Africa’s priority in UAE trade policy.
![Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) listens to a speech by United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi (R) during the inauguration of the newly built floating solar power plant on the water that can generate 192 mega watts of peak electricity in cooperation between the Indonesian government and Masdar from the UAE, at Cirata Reservoir, West Java, on November 9, 2023. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP) (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2024-06/GettyImages-1771551969.jpg?h=1dfc45c8&itok=YsgRPZu4)