News and Analyses of events in the Middle East
United States oil futures plunges below zero for first time in history in unprecedented wipeout on Monday with traders dumping May contracts as analysts warn that crude storage will fill to the brim by next month, and US shale firms weigh the real possibility of shutting down production. Oil producers are running out of room…
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Never before in the history of mankind, had a pandemic inflicted with such horrendous cost. A pandemic is also an epidemic that spreads over several countries and continents while affecting a large group of people. On that note – all pandemics are epidemics but not all epidemics turn into pandemics. On the spreading of novel…
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Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has pledged to recapture ‘every inch’ of Syrian territory and regaining control of major highways at Idlib which would ease Syria’s sanctions-hit economy. The point here, Mr. Assad’s forces depend heavily on the support from Russia and militias backed by Iran. Speaking on Russian news outlet Russia 24, Mr. Assad…
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In Moscow, Russian and Turkish leaders held a press conference after coming to an agreement to de-escalate the situation in Idlib. The decision have come after hours of negotiation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow. Both leaders agreed on a ceasefire in Idlib starting from 6 March 2020 midnight. According…
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Turkish President Erdoğan and his counterpart Putin have repeatedly met each other in recent years to coordinate their moves in Syria. In September 2018, they reached a de-escalation deal on Idlib in Sochi, Russia, aimed at turning Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression and offensive are expressly prohibited. With nowhere to…
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It is reported by a Turkish media outlet that the US special representative for the region James Jeffrey has reiterated US support for Turkey on its ongoing Spring Shield operation inside Syria. He said, the United States is willing to provide ammunition alongside humanitarian assistance to Turkey in Syria’s war-torn Idlib region. “Turkey is a…
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I don’t believe the extensive military operation on a specific Syria-Turkish border will deteriorate Turkey-Russia relations. Rather, the military operation will deliver a couple of clear messages to two countries. Assad junior will come to know where and how his forces have been engaged in unwarranted military atrocities. Additionally, he should come to understand that…
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According to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “millions” of migrants and refugees will soon head towards Europe. He warned that while announcing withdraw form 2016 deal with the EU, which was to prevent migrants entering Europe. Turkey accused the EU bloc of not doing enough to provide aid and resettlement assistance for EU-bound refugees. On…
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Al Watan newspaper reported by citing a source that the Syrian government forces have recaptured the city of Saraqib in the east of the Idlib province. The source said that the city was recaptured by Syrian forces from the Jabhat al-Nusra group. In February, the Syrian government forces captured Saraqib, which angered Turkey. However, the…
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With the direct support from Turkey, Syrian anti-government forces including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), National Front for Liberation (NFL) make important advances in Southern Idlib on 1 March 2020, according to diversified sources. Analyzing the reports of those sources it can be said that Turkish-backed anti-Government forces managed to capture the towns of Fleifel, Kafr…
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