Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, Reuters—Russia moved on Tuesday to resume military talks with the United States aimed at setting rules for air-to-air conduct over Syria, a US official said, as the former Cold War foes carry out parallel, uncoordinated campaigns of airstrikes. The discussions on
Taiz, Jeddah and Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Forces from the Saudi-led coalition, Yemeni government loyalists, and the Yemeni army are readying for an assault on the Houthis and their allies in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province, which they hope will help them recapture the area from the rebels, a high-
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Monday praised Saudi Arabia’s role in organizing the annual Hajj pilgrimage and rejected criticism of the Kingdom regarding the deadly stampede that occurred during this year’s Hajj last month. Speaking during celebrations marking the
Aden and Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—In the latest sign of a shift in the tide of the conflict in Yemen, dozens of militias belonging to the Houthi movement are surrendering to forces of the Saudi-led coalition and Yemeni army, according to the governor of the central Ma’rib province. Speaking to Asharq
As a result of its military intervention, Russia has now complicated the situation in Syria in an unprecedented manner. Moreover, Moscow’s entry into the conflict is being conducted in full view of the entire world, and lacks any kind of convincing rationale whatsoever. Throughout the last four and
Aden, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Houthi movement has withdrawn half of its militias currently stationed in the central Ma’rib province to areas bordering Sana’a, in preparation for an impending assault on the capital by government loyalists and forces from the anti-Houthi coalition led by Saudi Arabia, acc
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran have not been this high since the end of the Iran–Iraq War 27 years ago. For those acquainted with the situation, it is not difficult to understand the reasons for Saudi concerns over Iran. Iran has expanded to the extent where it now has a military presence in
Moscow and Manchester, Reuters—Russian planes have flown 20 sorties in Syria and struck 10 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) targets in the past 24 hours, the country’s defense ministry said in a statement on Sunday. Russia has said it would step up its airstrikes in Syria, escalating a m
Who was waiting in ambush for whom? For the past few days, the question has been the spice of conversations in political circles in Tehran. One version, marketed by President Hassan Rouhani’s entourage, is that last Monday the US President Barrack Obama and his Secretary of State John Kerry were lur
Riyadh and Aden, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Yemeni government has decided to sever diplomatic ties with Iran over what its foreign ministry said was “a series of violations Tehran committed inside Yemeni territory.” Yemen’s Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday the “violations
Washington, Moscow and Beirut, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—US President Barack Obama warned Russia on Friday that its bombing campaign against Syrian rebels will suck Moscow into a “quagmire,” after a third straight day of air raids in support of President Bashar Al-Assad. At a White House n
Aden and Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s army and Saudi-led coalition forces retook the strategic Bab El-Mandeb Strait on the Red Sea on Thursday in a major military operation against Houthi rebels and allied supporters of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The operation had been planned for “a
Many were looking forward to the meeting between US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the United Nations earlier this week, as the UN celebrates its 70th anniversary. There are many topics that deserve discussion, most of which are extremely serious and have danger
Beirut and Moscow, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria to join a major ground offensive in support of President Bashar Al-Assad’s government, Lebanese sources said on Thursday, a sign the civil war is turning still more regional and global in scope. Russian
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Several Kurdish and Iraqi officials have rejected a recently announced initiative by Iraq’s government to cooperate with Russia, Iran, and Syria in the fight against the Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Baghdad announced on Sunday it would be sharing “security and int
It must be admitted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has managed to put Moscow on the world’s political map once again after almost three decades of marginalization by the new world order established after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. It is natural that Monday’s meeting between Puti
Manama, Asharq Al-Awsat—Bahraini police has uncovered more than 1.5 tons of explosive materials and a large bomb-making factory in two separate locations in a residential area south of the capital Manama, the interior ministry said on Wednesday. The discovery was made during a counterterrorism campa
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, has left northern Iraq to lead the battle against Iraqi army forces encircling the western city of Ramadi after a two-month lull in fighting, according to a senior Iraqi officer. Speaking o
The Crossing: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria By Samar Yazbek Rider Books, 280 pages London, 2015 “The world has abandoned us!” This is the tragic message that comes out of Samar Yazbek’s fascinating reportage from what she describes as “the shattered heart of Syria.” But how accurate is
New York, Asharq Al-Awsat—Despite the nuclear deal between world powers and Tehran, the United States still considers Iran a “state sponsor of terrorism,” a high-ranking US official told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday. The official was present at a United Nations-sponsored counterterrorism summit taking
