Biden team picks Dana Stroul to lead Pentagon's Middle East desk

Stroul, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, will join a roster of Obama-era veterans when she returns to the Pentagon.

Syria

Exhausted Syrians call for removal of crossings in opposition-controlled areas

Crossings between the areas under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Turkish-allied FSA factions are a burden on civilians, who feel like they are traveling from one state to another.

Syria

Fears of Syrian government offensive mount in Idlib as Turkey withdraws from military posts

Syrian opposition groups worry that the Turkish withdrawal signals a coming military offensive.

Syria

Will Syrian opposition benefit from recent Gulf detente?

The Gulf reconciliation has sparked controversy in the opposition circles of northwestern Syria over its expected positive effects on the Syrian revolution and opposition.

Syria

Moscow stands to gain from Hamas-Damascus reconciliation

While claims that Russia is playing a large role in reconciliation talks between the Palestinian movement Hamas and the Syrian regime may be overstated, Moscow could benefit in several ways if the two sides restore relations.

Palestine

Iranian forces in east Syria redeploy after airstrikes

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its militias in Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, are trying to avoid further losses from suspected Israeli airstrikes by redeploying, hiding inside residential neighborhoods in large cities and putting their strategic weapons in underground tunnels.

Israel

Iran’s Quds Force denies deaths in Israeli airstrikes in Syria

The Afghan Fatemiyoun also denied members were hit, but said Syrian army personnel were killed.

Israel

Did Islamic State make comeback to opposition areas in countryside of Aleppo?

An attempted assassination of a journalist bearing the hallmarks of the Islamic State in the opposition-held city of al-Bab in the countryside of Aleppo has prompted fears about the escalation of IS operations and stirred demands to prosecute terrorist operatives in the area.

Syria

Pompeo, Israel send message to Iran with bold airstrikes in Syria

In a rare acknowledgement, a US official said Washington provided intelligence support for the strikes.

Israel

Despite crackdown, Islamic State continues to kill, kidnap civilians in east Syria

Despite a security crackdown carried out by the Syrian Democratic Forces, in coordination with the US-led coalition, in Deir ez-Zor, the Islamic State is kidnapping, threatening and killing civilians for money.

Syria

Syria's journalists live in constant fear of arrest, assassination

Syria remains one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists, who face repression and violence from the Syrian regime as well as opposition forces.

Syria

Syrian opposition split on timing of Assad military offensive

An anticipated military operation by the regime and its allies in the city of al-Bab has stirred controversy among the opposition ranks.

Syria