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The Kurds in Syria: A Quiet U.S. Downgrade
What looks like a collapse of Kurdish power in Syria is better understood as the final phase of a gradual U.S. downgrade. A Kurdish official close to the Washington Kurdish Institute told MBN’s Joe Kawly that the shift did not begin in January. “This wasn’t abandonment,” the official said. “It was a slow withdrawal of guarantees. The Kurds were…
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Syrian Refugees in Lebanon: Those Returning and the New Arrivals
Outside one of the registration centers run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Beirut, dozens of Syrian families stand in silent lines. No one here speaks of a “dream” or a “future,” but rather of two questions that have been repeated for years: Is staying possible? And is returning safe? This…
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Exclusive to Alhurra: CENTCOM Details ISIS Detainee Transfer Schedule as Baghdad Had “Three Options”
In exclusive statements to Alhurra, U.S. Central Command said the transfer of nearly 7,000 ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq will take days rather than weeks, while an Iraqi government spokesperson said Baghdad approved the operation as a “preemptive security measure” in light of rapidly evolving events in Syria. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Spokesperson Capt.…
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Syria’s Kurdish Crisis: Red Lines and a Forced Capitulation
Washington’s priorities are now limited and explicit: protect U.S. and coalition personnel, prevent cross-border attacks, secure ISIS detention facilities, keep major transit routes open, and avoid direct confrontation between state actors. If those conditions hold, the United States will tolerate local power resets, even at the expense of former partners. A former national security adviser…
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A New Regional Troika Takes Shape in the Middle East
Since Ahmed al-Sharaa assumed the presidency in Syria in January 2025, relations between Egypt and Syria have been marked by coolness and caution. Cairo has attentively followed developments in Syria, focusing primarily on reaching security understandings to help ensure stability amid rapidly shifting regional dynamics. This engagement, however, largely remained confined to the security sphere.…
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Lawmaker in Ruling Coalition: These Are Israel’s Conditions for a Comprehensive Agreement With Syria
Security contacts between Israel and Syria have returned to the forefront after a suspension lasting nearly two months, under direct U.S. sponsorship and amid pressure exerted by U.S. President Donald Trump to push the process forward. Despite the “positive” atmosphere surrounding this week’s round of talks in Paris, Israeli assessments indicate that deep gaps still…
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A Demilitarized Zone and a Resort: Inside the Syria–Israel Talks
The United States, Israel, and Syria announced in a joint statement issued by the U.S. State Department on Tuesday that Syrian and Israeli representatives had reached an understanding during U.S.-brokered talks held in Paris to establish a contact mechanism for coordination on security, intelligence, and commercial matters. The mechanism will operate under U.S. oversight, according…
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ISIS Takes Advantage of SDF’s Dilemma
As Syria enters 2026, the Islamic State has found an ideal environment to restructure its presence, shifting from covert operations in the desert to infiltrating official institutions, taking advantage of the security vacuum created by stalled major political settlements. Field reports and intelligence information reveal the group is pursuing a two-track strategy: exploiting the “chaos…
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Fleeing Syria to Lebanon, Death Dwarfs Survival Odds
On a stormy night, crossing from Syria into Lebanon was not a choice but a forced spiral into the unknown. The Great Southern River in the western countryside of Homs — the natural boundary between the two countries — was swollen with muddy water and surging currents, while the rain turned its banks into sticky…
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Year of Unfinished Endings: How 2025 Reset the Middle East’s Fault Lines
2025 began as yet another chapter in what has felt like a perpetual decade of conflict in the Middle East. The war in Gaza continued unabated, sectarian tensions once again threatened to plunge Syria into chaos, clashes persisted between Hezbollah and Israel along the Lebanese border, and a brief but intense conflict erupted between Israel and Iran. As the…