When Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa officially assumed power after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in January 2025, he pledged to preserve “civil peace,” rebuild Syria’s military and security institutions, and restore state authority after years of fragmentation and civil war. It was an appealing proposition. Under Assad, weak…

The Israel-Lebanon agreement at the very least works against the equation established by the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Iran and the U.S. As Hussein Aboubakr Mansour observes, this equation is as disturbing to Gulf governments as it is to Jerusalem: If…

 Click here to read a transcript. In retaliation for Operation Epic Fury, Iranian forces launched thousands of missiles and drones at Gulf countries hosting U.S. military bases. These devastating attacks caused servicemember fatalities and injuries, destroyed aircraft, and took…