Did Khamenei blur his own red lines on sanctions?

Supreme Leader Khamenei gives strong backing for Iran’s negotiating team heading into Vienna talks; Assad holds off on hitting Islamic State, for now; Israel forced to clarify position on Jabhat al-Nusra; Egypt seeks to counter Turkey’s role in Syria.

Egypt

Syrian refugee influx leaves host countries vulnerable

Local Lebanese activists as well as the United Nations are working to improve living conditions and opportunities for Syrian refugees.

Lebanon

Aleppo's fuel prices quadruple

As the Islamic State continues to prevent the entry of fuel into rebel-held areas, all vital sectors in northern Syria are deeply affected.

Syria

Kurds fight Kurds in Syria

The Islamic State may be a bitter enemy of the Kurdish forces in Syria, but many Kurds — mostly from Turkey — are fighting in the jihadist ranks.

Syria

Cairo's shifting stance on Syrian crisis

Cairo and its regional ally Riyadh have not been seeing eye to eye when it comes to the Syrian crisis and ways to resolve it, amid bitterness on the part of Syrian opposition factions that accuse Cairo of not strongly contributing to finding a solution to the crisis.

Saudi Arabia

The Islamic State's first year

The Islamic State celebrates its first year anniversary amid military and strategic successes, while its regional and international enemies remain ever more confused.

Iraq

IDF denies ties between Israel, Jabhat al-Nusra

Following growing concerns in the Israeli Druze community over the fate of their Syrian brothers, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz tells Al-Monitor that Israel does not collaborate with Jabhat al-Nusra.

Israel

Does Israel have moral obligation to defend Syrian Druze?

In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Deputy Foreign Minister Majallie Whbee expresses concern about his Syrian Druze brothers.

Israel

Can PKK, Turkey’s Hezbollah reconcile?

Resurging violence between two old Kurdish adversaries in Turkey’s southeast, the PKK and the Islamist Hezbollah, has generated fears of renewed Kurdish fratricide in the region.

Syria

Did Ankara-backed group attack Turkish Kurds?

A string of unresolved attacks against Kurds has raised suspicions that the Turkish government is training and recruiting jihadist militants from the Syrian conflict as paramilitary forces to target government opponents.

Syria

After Tell Abyad, what's next for PYD?

While Ankara is confused what to do after the victory of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and Free Syrian Army in Tell Abyad, the PYD is deciding on its next target.

Syria

Kurds eye new corridor to Mediterranean

The dream of a Kurdish corridor from Jazeera to Afrin appears to be attainable, but everything depends on the complicated relationships the Kurds are working to maintain in the area's complex ethnic and ideological makeup.

Syria