MECRA
US-Iran and Israel-Iran tensions timeline 2020 January to March
This timeline is the second part of a timeline that goes back to 2017, see the first part here. It seeks to include details about rising...
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MECRA RESEARCH BLOG
The MECRA research blog is composed of short articles and may include outside contributions. The views expressed in these blogs and articles are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis editorial stance.
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MECRA
Feb 28, 20205 min read
How did Turkey, Russia and the Syrian regime get to the Feb. 27 crises in Idlib
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Turkey suffered unprecedented losses in Idlib on Thursday February 27, 2020 with dozens of soldiers killed and...
MECRA
Feb 25, 20206 min read
Coronavirus Middle East LIVE-UPDATES Feb. 25
For the first installment the Middle East Coronavirus Daily Update (MECDU) of our daily updates on coronavirus in the Middle East see...
MECRA
Feb 21, 20203 min read
US-Russia tensions in eastern Syria
US-Russia tensions appear to be increasing in eastern Syria after several incidents. A new video shows two vehicles almost collide. We...
MECRA
Feb 12, 20205 min read
Analysis: How Serious Are Talks Between Assad and Syrian Kurds?
By MECRA staff Co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Ilham Ahmed this week said the Syrian regime has agreed to begin political...
MECRA
Feb 12, 20208 min read
Incident at Khirbet Amo: A US patrol in Syria, pro-regime protesters and a death
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN A US patrol in eastern Syria near Qamishli faced off against stone-throwing locals and at least two gunmen in an...
MECRA
Jan 21, 20204 min read
Who is Iran's new deputy IRGC Quds Force commander: Mohammad Hejazi
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN and MECRA STAFF Iran has appointed a new deputy commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force in...
MECRA
Dec 4, 20198 min read
Keeping ISIS defeated in Syria and Iraq, an interview with Coalition spokesman Caggins
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN On November 17 I spoke to Col. Myles B. Caggins III, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the 81-member...
MECRA
Nov 19, 201916 min read
Timeline of Israel-Iran tensions in Syria and the region
Growing tensions between Israel and Iran, particularly in Syria, have led to rocket fire from Syria directed at Israel and numerous...
MECRA
Oct 24, 20198 min read
The US Syria withdrawal Oct 6-23: Documents, maps and confusion
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN On October 6, 2019 US President Donald Trump announced the US would withdraw from part of Syria, paving the way for...
MECRA
Oct 19, 20191 min read
PHOTO ESSAY: The refugees fleeing Turkey's offensive in Syria
A photo essay shows refugees who arrived after fleeing fighting and the Turkish offensive in Syria. They arrived to refugee camps in...
MECRA
Aug 24, 20198 min read
Analysis: The SDF's Deir Ezzor challenge
By WLADIMIR VAN WILGENBURG Text and photos by Wladimir Van Wilgenburg ISIS lost its final stronghold in Baghuz in the province of Deir...
MECRA
Aug 24, 201911 min read
Scorched Black Lands: Preliminary Review of Recent Developments in Southwestern Syria, August 2019
By STEPHANE COHEN By the end of July 2018, the rebel forces in southern Syria collapsed under the regime’s attacks and surrendered....
MECRA
Aug 6, 20197 min read
In Northeast Syria, a mix of relief and concerns
By ADAM LUCENTE Raqqa, Syria — Two-lane roads through the vast Syrian desert connect Raqqa to government-held Aleppo, the Syrian...
MECRA
Jun 29, 201916 min read
Hizballah’s Deep State: the creeping annexation of Lebanese State Institutions and political life
By JONATHAN SPYER The concept of a ‘deep state’ is customarily used to describe a structure existing within and separate from the formal...
MECRA
Jun 8, 20197 min read
Death of Abdel Basset Al-Sarout shocks Syrian opposition: Reflections and memories on social media
Abdel Basset Sarout (Abdul Basset Saroot, Abdel Basset al-Sarout, Abd Al Basset El Sarwat #Abdel_AlBasset_ElSarwot , عبد الباسط...
MECRA
Jun 1, 20192 min read
Bombings target Raqqa, near symbolic Naim Square
Bombings targeted Raqqa (الرقة) on the night of June 1 before midnight. It comes amid an uptick in ISIS threats that have occurred across...
MECRA
May 19, 20194 min read
Southern Syria's Yarmouk Basin after the Syrian government's return
Southern Syria's Yarmouk Basin after the Syrian government returned in the summer of 2018 has experienced changes and fears
MECRA
Mar 23, 201911 min read
Analysis: The threat of sleeper cells continues after ISIS territorial defeat in Syria
By WLADIMIR VAN WILGENBURG March 23, 2019* With the liberation of the last ISIS pocket in Baghouz (Baghuz) in the Deir Ezzor (Deir ar...
MECRA
Mar 12, 20199 min read
How Baghuz unfolded: Humanitarian aid, 22,000 people, FBR and the end of ISIS
Interview with Paul Curtis Bradley By SETH J. FRANTZMAN March 11, 2019 Free Burma Rangers is a humanitarian relief org that specializes...
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