Syrian rebels unhappy with coalition airstrikes

Rebels in northern Aleppo say the US-led airstrikes have made no difference on their front lines against the Islamic State, and they have yet to see an increase in arms supplies.

Syria

Hama maintains its calm amid Syrian storm

Hama, a hotbed of opposition against the Syrian regime, has learned from its experience in the 1980s and stayed out of the armed rebellion, so far sparing the city the destruction witnessed elsewhere.

Syria

Are Turkish troops trapped at Syrian tomb?

Turkish troops guarding the Tomb of Suleiman Shah, a Turkish enclave in Syria, are facing increased risks as Ankara refuses to evacuate them.

Syria

High stakes for Erdogan in fight against IS

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turns hawkish on the Islamic State, but he is aware that the stakes are high if Ankara joins the war against the group.

Syria

Syrians on both sides oppose US strikes

Local rebels and pro-regime supporters are both critical of the US-led strikes on the Islamic State for various reasons.

Syria

US leverages Iran-Iraq-Syria axis against Islamic State

New alignment offers the potential for breakthrough in the battle against extremist groups; the Arab world has a pulse, not an illness.

Iraq

Hezbollah squeezed out of Golan by Jabhat al-Nusra, Israel

The infiltration of Syrian militants into Lebanon threatens Hezbollah’s presence in the strategic Golan Heights.

Israel

Moscow backs fight against IS … to an extent

Russia is expressing cautious solidarity with the United States in fighting the Islamic State, while continuing its unequivocal support of the Syrian government.

Iraq

Turks dislike Islamic State, but would leave fight to others

A recent survey by Metropoll, a prominent Turkish polling company, indicates that only 1.3% of Turks are sympathetic toward the Islamic State.

Syria

Islamic State attacks test Kurdish-Syrian rebel alliance

The Islamic State’s offensive against the Kurdish stronghold of Kobani came only days after the People’s Protection Units formed an alliance with local Syrian rebel brigades to confront the terrorist group.

Syria

Syrian rebels' access blocked to key Damascus neighborhood

Syrian regime and opposition forces continue to clash in suburbs around Damascus, where the rebels are working in vain to reinforce the Jobar front.

Syria

Iranian conservative says the US needs Iran

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian conservative Amir Mohebian discussed why he believes Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is pessimistic about the nuclear negotiations, how US policy in the Middle East has benefited Iran and how the United States is now in a position where it needs Iran to deal with regional issues.

Iraq