Newsletter: Business & Tech Oil rises amid renewed US-Iran fighting Iran launched a wave of attacks on US sites across the Middle East on Wednesday after an extensive American bombardment. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse LEAP’s comeback The fifth edition of the gathering offers a temperature check for the Gulf’s AI ambitions amid fallout from the US-Israel-Iran war. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Fresh fighting in Syria's Suwayda leaves one dead: What to know Renewed clashes in Suwayda highlight the fragile security situation in the Druze-majority province. Syria
UAE investment fuels Syria's postwar economic recovery with $7B property deal The deal would see UAE-based Arada develop a major real estate project in Damascus. Syria
Analysis UAE gauges new Lebanon deals amid Levant economic stabilization push By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran sets conditions for reopening Strait of Hormuz By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Will Kurds find a ray of hope in 2020? Amid a staggering rise in the US dollar exchange rate and Turkey's control of Serekaniye and Kari Sapi, Kurds find it hard to feel the joy of this year’s Christmas and New Year’s festivities. Syria
Nowhere else to flee: Why Idlib’s humanitarian crisis is so dangerous More than 235,000 people have fled Syria’s last opposition stronghold of Idlib as the Syrian government, backed by Russia, stepped up attacks against the city. Syria
Critics say Assad unlikely to suffer under Caesar sanctions The Syrian opposition backs the Caesar Act, recently approved by the United States, but questions whether the US administration is serious about implementing it and how it might affect the Syrian government and its allies. Syria
Soaring fuel prices make Syrian winter even colder Facing a harsh winter, people in rebel-held areas of Syria are having an especially hard time as the currency's value has plummeted and prices have skyrocketed. Syria
Turkish troops in Syria threatened at Idlib outposts Turkey could be seriously sidelined by a highly effective operation undertaken recently by Syrian forces. Syria
Syrian Christians on front line have sad Christmas, again Turkey's Operation Peace Spring has made life ever more difficult for Syrian Christians, some of whom decided not to celebrate Christmas. Syria
Reshuffle of HTS-linked government fails to bring hope in Idlib It appears that the new cabinet of an Idlib-based opposition government connected to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham will not earn the trust of the public, which continues to suffer under tough economic and humanitarian conditions. Syria
Could Congress' latest Syria sanctions bill backfire? The congressional bill will exacerbate the economic situation in Syria and ultimately increase Syria’s dependency on Iran. Syria
Intel: How Russia and Turkey are eyeing new deals on Idlib and Libya A high-level Turkish delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal visited Moscow today for talks over key issues that have come to dominate bilateral relations in recent weeks. Syria
Facing new refugee wave from Syria, Ankara sends delegation to Moscow As a new offensive by the Syrian regime sends 120,000 Idlib residents fleeing toward the Turkish border, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his nation "will not carry such a migrant burden on its own." Syria
Russia weighs two reconstruction strategies for Syria In the face of US sanctions, Moscow is considering whether the outsourcing of reconstruction efforts for Syria may be better for Russia than a long-term presence. Syria
Intel: Pentagon refuses to put timeline on Syria mission Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused to put a timeline on the Pentagon’s scaled-down mission to defeat the Islamic State and guard Syrian oil fields at the agency’s last press briefing of the year. Syria