Though there have been reports of indirect talks for months now, Tuesday marked the first time it was publicly confirmed that Israel and Syria’s Islamist government held direct talks, with a US-brokered meeting held in Paris. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani...
US Raid in North Syria Captures Top ISIS Figures, Kills One in Clash
While the US has been redeploying much of its force inside Syria to the far south, they’ve reportedly carried out a high profile raid against ISIS in Atimeh in the Idlib Governorate. Though the special forces raid was in the northwest of Syria, some reports suggest...
Israel Wants UNIFIL Peacekeepers Gone, US May Push Lebanon for Concessions
The UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have long been a thorn in Israel’s side, both because they tend to find Israeli surveillance devices left in the area and because of international criticism on the numerous times Israeli troops start firing at the...
Syria’s HTS Government Preps 50,000 Troops for a Large Anti-Kurd Offensive in Northeast
The Islamist Syrian government is trying to give the impression they support peaceful unity in Syria, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa saying he believed Syria should be unified by some sort of understanding instead of by military force, because the Syrian people are...
Syria, US to Discuss Suwayda Killings in Amman Talks, But Druze Aren’t Invited
The number of people killed in the massacres in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate is still yet from being fully documented, as tensions continue to flare and the whole governorate is effectively on lockdown from the government. Talks aimed at addressing concerns about that...
Syria Spurns Kurdish Integration Talks in Paris as Tensions Mount
Over the weekend, the Kurdish SDF held a unity conference in Paris meant to discuss, among other things, how integration with the Islamist Syrian government will actually work. The unity conference was condemned by the government, which refused to take part, claiming...
Lebanon Agrees to Disarm Hezbollah, But US Plan Hinges on Israeli Compliance
After weeks of US demands and conflicting narratives about what is actually being proposed, the Lebanese cabinet has accepted the US proposal to fully disarm Hezbollah by year’s end. Hezbollah ministers as well as other Shi’ites walked out of the cabinet vote. The US...
Seven More Killed as Israel Continues Strikes on Southern, Eastern Lebanon
Last updated 8/7/25 2:25 PM EST Israel’s heavy airstrikes Wednesday night continued into Thursday, with at least two people confirmed killed in the attacks and multiple others wounded. The casualty figures in some of the latest strikes have yet to be confirmed....
Syria, Israel Hold ‘De-Escalation’ Talks in Paris, Agree To Hold Second Round
With US envoy Tom Barrack in attendance in Paris, Syrian and Israeli government ministers met in what is being called “de-escalation” talks aimed to reduce the growing tensions amid the ongoing Israeli invasion of southwestern Syria and the sectarian violence in the...
US Envoy Barrack Gives Lebanon 90 Days to Disarm Hezbollah, Says Israel Set the Deadline
Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack continued throughout the week to make increasingly conflicting demands and pledges to Lebanon. On Wednesday, he brought back the demand for disarmament of Hezbollah, now insisting that not only does this have to happen within 90 days,...


