Hezbollah calls for resistance against IS

Hezbollah sources told Al-Monitor that the Islamic State’s attack on Arsal was only the beginning of another series of attacks in parts of Lebanon.

Lebanon

Alawites prepare as IS, Jabhat al-Nusra close in on regime areas

Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad long dismissed the threat from the Islamic State, but that threat has become real as jihadists move into the Homs countryside, approaching Alawite and Christian areas.

Syria

Clashes between Druze, Bedouins rattle Syria’s south

Violent clashes erupted last week between Druze residents of Suwayda province and Bedouins backed by Jabhat al-Nusra, threatening to drag this relatively quiet area into Syria’s civil war.

Syria

Islamic State calls for revenge against Syria’s rebels

The Islamic State alleges Syrian rebels raped and abused female relatives of IS militants when rebels ousted IS from Aleppo earlier this year, and is using that as a rallying cry for its militants as it pushes into rebel-held territory.

Syria

Russia keeps eye on Islamic State

Russia views the expansion of the Islamic State in Iraq as a threat to its own security, especially given the potential return home of Russian-born jihadists.

Iraq

Davutoglu faces uneasy relationship with Assad

Ahmet Davutoglu declared two years ago in his role as foreign minister that he would rather resign than shake Bashar al-Assad’s hand; he now has to find a way to coexist with Syria.

Iraq

Islamic State inciting Arab-Kurdish divide in Iraq

Reports of Ninevah province Arabs fighting with the Islamic State are contributing to anti-Arab sentiments among Iraqi Kurds.

Syria

Saudi Arabia toughens stance on jihadist groups

Saudi Arabia is responding to widespread accusations that it is supporting extremist groups by publicly toughening its rhetoric against jihadists.

Saudi Arabia

As IS advances, Syrian rebels reinforce northern strategic town

The rebel-held town of Marea in the Aleppo countryside — the last supply line for the rebels to Turkey — is at risk of falling to the Islamic State.

Syria

The Islamic State's social media strategy

The Islamic State is using social and other media to recruit followers and scare its enemies into submission.

Iraq

Can Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE form Arab security alliance?

With the Islamic State (IS) out to change the regional order, Gulf states ought to establish a security alliance to prevent this from happening.

Saudi Arabia

Aleppo's Christians in Syrian crossfire

Christians in Aleppo fear an uncertain fate; Iran’s decisive role in the appointment of Haider al-Abadi as Iraqi prime minister-designate; battle for Arsal may not be over yet; Netanyahu is Israel’s "weakest prime minister" ever; lobbying profiles of Gulf countries to be released.

Iraq