Search results

Ankara and Damascus could clash in Idlib

Location:

SYRIA

Rebels complain that pro-government forces had earlier allowed IS safe passage to Idlib from Hama. At the same time, in northern Idlib, Turkish armoured convoys have deployed to…

Damascus can manage fragmented military forces

Location:

SYRIA

President Bashar al-Assad's two principal foreign backers, Russia and Iran, support and to some extent direct sizeable forces in Syria on which Assad relies. That contributes to a…

Turkey seeks veto role in Libya, not domination

Location:

LIBYA

The two discussed security cooperation, including training of Libyan security forces by Turkey. Ankara is stepping up its political and military engagements with the Libyan…

Chances of renewed conflict in western Yemen are high

Location:

YEMEN

That is one of the terms of the Stockholm Agreement, signed in December 2018, which was the first -- and thus far only -- successful step toward de-escalation taken by the warring…

Hezbollah and Israel will avoid intentional escalation

Location:

LEBANON

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah -- a Shia militant group and political party -- last month announced that the organisation would shoot down any Israeli drones in…

United Arab Emirates military will use proxy warfare

Location:

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The UAE military is deeply concerned about both direct and indirect threats from Iran and from Sunni political Islam. It has therefore focused on building alliances with global…

US-Iraqi offensive against Mosul may begin in mid-2015

Location:

US/IRAQ

The United States has sent 3,000 'train and assist' troops to the country, and passed a 1.6 billion dollar assistance package in December 2014 to provide funding for the Iraqi…

Gulf states will demonstrate military power in Yemen

Location:

GULF STATES

Ten Saudi and five Bahraini soldiers were also reportedly killed. The loss is a major setback for the Saudi-led coalition that has helped local fighters push Huthi militants from…

Another Turkish military coup cannot be ruled out

Location:

TURKEY

They had lost an appeal against life sentences handed down in 2018, but suspended on appeal, for ousting Turkey’s first Islamist-led government. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan…

Gulf arms sector localisation may be slow and patchy

Location:

GULF STATES

Some Gulf states have targeted the development of an indigenous arms industry as part of their economic diversification efforts.