Who will liberate Raqqa?

The United States says a military operation to isolate the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa needs to get underway within weeks, but Turkey as well as Washington’s Syrian Arab allies oppose any plan to use Kurdish forces to take the city.

Iraq

Aleppo braces for harsh winter

Residents of besieged eastern Aleppo fear they might not survive the winter as their already meager and expensive fuel sources are running out.

Syria

The many dimensions of Mosul, and what comes next

There's much more at play in Mosul than a campaign for its immediate liberation from the Islamic State.

Iraq

Syria rejects Russian proposal for Kurdish federation

Russia's attempt to broker a Kurdish solution was warmly received by Kurds but got the cold shoulder from Damascus.

Syria

Israel wary of Russian comeback to the region

Russia has extended its presence in the region to such an extent that any IDF jet crossing the Israeli border in the north immediately appears on Russian military radar screens.

Israel

Are Egyptian-Saudi disputes just a passing crisis or a decisive storm?

Egyptian-Saudi squabbles over Syria and Yemen have gone viral, and some worry that this will have a lasting negative effect on the relationship between Cairo and Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia

Did Putin give green light to Turkish attack on US-backed Syrian Kurds?

Kurds again in crosshairs as Turkey weighs options in Mosul.

Iraq

The battle of the Euphrates islands: The last stages in the fight against IS

In conjunction with the Mosul operation, the Iraqi army has launched an operation in Anbar province to liberate islands in the Euphrates River that are under Islamic State control and are used as IS safe havens.

Iraq

Syrian regime promotes another image of the war-torn country

The Syrian state media has been promoting a false image of the country and its capital, spreading images of untouched cities and holding entertainment events, while the war rages on in the opposition areas.

Syria

Turkey’s misguided policies now haunt it at Mosul

Turkey criticizes the Mosul operation but is doing everything possible to be part of it.

Iraq

Russia's Mideast role hot topic in final Clinton-Trump debate

The release of Democratic emails to WikiLeaks may have been less about helping a Republican candidate Russians see as unpredictable and more about fending off US interference in Russia's 2018 presidential election.

Syria

Mosul adds to staggering world refugee crisis

With the highest number of refugees and displaced people since World War II and continued brutal conflicts in Syria, Iraq and beyond forcing millions to flee, humanitarians lament a broken system running from crisis to crisis.

Iraq