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  • Will Saudi Arabia Send Troops to Syria? Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir Says Talks with U.S. Ongoing
     

    Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said it is “in discussions with the United States about sending troops to Syria,” according to the Washington Post, as President Trump seeks a way out for the U.S. military there. In comments to reporters in Riyadh, Al-Jubeir said the deliberations on what type of force needs to remain in […]

     
  • Arab Leaders Gather in Dhahran to Unite on Regional Challenges
     

    Arab leaders gathered in Dhahran this weekend for the 29th session of the Arab Summit, held for the first time at the recently-opened King Abdulaziz International Cultural Center in Dhahran. The group called on Sunday for an international probe into the “criminal” use of chemical weapons in Syria and condemned what it saw as Iran’s […]

     
  • Trump, King Salman Speak by Phone; Trump Urges End to Qatar Crisis
     

    President Trump and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman spoke by phone yesterday and discussed a number of regional issues, according to a readout of the call and wire reports. On the call, Trump “emphasized the importance of resolving the Gulf dispute and restoring a united Gulf Cooperation Council to counter Iranian malign influence and defeat terrorists and extremists.” The leaders […]

     
  • President Trump Calls King Salman, Urges End to Qatar Dispute
     

    President Trump and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman spoke by phone yesterday and discussed a number of regional issues, according to a readout of the call and wire reports. On the call, Trump “emphasized the importance of resolving the Gulf dispute and restoring a united Gulf Cooperation Council to counter Iranian malign influence and defeat terrorists and […]

     
  • At Davos, Saudi Leaders Discuss Energy, Foreign Policy on World Stage
     

    Saudi government leaders arrived to Davos, Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum to meet with other world leaders and discuss key foreign policy and energy challenges facing the Kingdom. The 48th Annual Meeting in Davos will host 3,000 participants across all stakeholder groups including public & private sectors, civil society, academia, media, and arts & culture. The Saudi delegation is led […]

     
  • Crucial Test for Saudi Arabia, Russia on Oil Output at OPEC Meeting in Vienna
     

    OPEC and Russia are facing a “crucial test” on Thursday at a meeting in Vienna as Saudi Arabia and Russia seek to come to an agreement on oil output. Oil traders are expecting OPEC to announce a nine-month extension to supply caps that are currently due to finish at the end of March 2018, but such […]

     
  • With Regional Turmoil and Domestic Changes, Resolution of Qatar Crisis Slips in Priority for Saudi Arabia
     

    The emergence of new foreign policy and domestic challenges for Saudi Arabia in recent weeks have taken precedent over resolving the Arab-led embargo of Qatar, according to Saudi Arabia’s leaders, as the United States reportedly has stepped in to support the Kingdom now elsewhere in the region. Exactly one month ago, Secretary of State Rex […]

     
  • Saudi-Russia Ties Strengthen as King Salman Visits around Russia Energy Week
     

    Saudi-Russia ties continue to warm ahead of King Salman’s visit as the Kingdom looks to expand bi-lateral investment opportunities, according to reports. Saudi Arabia and Russia are the two biggest energy players, producing almost a quarter of the world’s oil between them. As the de facto leader of OPEC, Saudi Arabia has forged a working […]

     
  • New Saudi Ambassador Prince Khaled bin Salman Gives Interview to Washington Post
     

    Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Washington Prince Khaled bin Salman, son of the current king and the brother of the new crown prince, gave an interview to the Washington Post‘s Lally Weymouth last week which appeared in the newspaper today. The interview is his first as ambassador, having presented his credentials to President Trump on […]

     
  • King Salman Issues Royal Decrees on Security as U.S. Praises ‘Strong Counterterrorism Relationship’
     

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued a number of royal decrees on Thursday regarding the Kingdom’s security governance, creating a new security authority and separating forces from the Ministry of the Interior, according to reports. The executive order creates a security authority known as the “The Presidency for State Security” linked with the Prime Minister’s Office, the […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Syria’s Assad tamps down expectations of closer ties with Turkey, Arab world

    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday tamped down expectations for his country's renewed ties with the Arab world, in his first televised interview since Damascus's membership of the Arab League was restored in May. In comments to Sky News Arabia in Damascus aired on Wednesday, Assad also said a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan could not happen due to a dispute over the withdrawal of Ankara's troops from rebel-held northwest Syria. Assad, 57, had been widely isolated over his crackdown on demonstrations that erupted against him in 2011 but the deadly earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey in February fast-tracked a resumption of ties with the Arab world and with Ankara.

  • Syria extends UN aid deliveries via two Turkish crossings until Nov. 13

    Syria has extended its permission for the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid via two Turkish border crossings until Nov. 13, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesperson said on Tuesday. "We greatly welcome the extension of permission by the Government of Syria to utilize the Bab al-Salam and Al Ra'ee border crossings until November 13th," Eri Kaneko said. After an earthquake killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria in February, Syria allowed the United Nations to use those two border crossings from Turkey to dispatch aid. The approval was due to expire on Aug. 13.

  • Two Syrian soldiers killed in Israeli missile strike

    Israeli missile strikes near the Syrian capital Damascus killed two Syrian soldiers and "caused some material damage", the state news agency SANA reported on Wednesday, citing a military source. "At about 12:25 a.m. the Israeli enemy launched an aerial aggression with bursts of missiles from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, targeting some points in the vicinity of Damascus," the source said.

  • US army sends military, logistic reinforcements to Syria

    The United States has sent military and logistic reinforcements to its bases in Syria's north-eastern Al-Hasakah province. Local sources said two convoys of military vehicles entered Al-Hasakah on Tuesday, after crossing into Syria through Al-Waleed border terminal with Iraq. They consisted of about 100 vehicles and headed to the US army bases in the towns of Rmelan, TalBeydar and Ash-Shaddadi in Al-Hasakah province, according to witnesses.

  • What Syrian civil society should do next

    Syria’s civil society is on the cusp of a potentially game-changing political intervention. Following two years of preparation, the Madaniya (“Civil”) initiative held its inaugural conference at the Institut du Monde Arabe, in Paris, on June 5-6. With over 180 participating organizations, it showcased the intellectual and networking capacity of Syrian civil society built over the past several years with mainly Western support.

  • Syria Allows U.N. to Use Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing for Aid Deliveries

    Under a previous arrangement, the U.N. and other aid agencies had Security Council approval to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria’s northern areas. That agreement, in place since 2014, fell apart two days ago.

  • Aid to Syria’s Rebel-Held Northwest to Continue — But for How Long?

    The delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria's rebel-held northwest from neighboring Turkey is virtually certain to get a green light to continue from the United Nations Security Council — but the big question is for how long. The council's current authorization for aid deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa crossing is set to expire Monday, but the council has two rival extension resolutions before it to vote on. A Russian resolution would continue aid deliveries for six months and a Brazil-Switzerland resolution backed by most council members and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would authorize a 12-month extension.

  • Captagon, the drug fueling the rise – and fall – of Syria’s war: Video

    Captagon, a stimulant mainly produced in Syria which has become particularly popular with users in Gulf countries, has received a lot of press. While it seems clear that its trade is now one of the Syrian government’s main sources of income, less understood are its effects on users. Ever-larger seizures by authorities from Beirut to Abu Dhabi are daily occurrences. Captagon is also part of normalisation discussions following Syria’s readmission to the Arab League. How severe is the Captagon problem in Syria and the Middle East? And will stopping its trade speed up peace with Syria?

  • US central command says it killed ISIS leader in Eastern Syria

    The U.S. Central Command said on Sunday it conducted a drone strike on July 7 that killed an ISIS leader in Eastern Syria. It used the same MQ-9 drones in the attack that had "earlier in the day been harassed by Russian aircraft in an encounter that had lasted almost two hours", it said in a statement. "U.S. Central Command conducted a strike in Syria that resulted in the death of Usamah al-Muhajir, an ISIS leader in eastern Syria," it said without giving any more details on al-Muhajir.

  • Exclusive: Syria brought Wagner Group fighters to heel as mutiny unfolded in Russia

    As Wagner mercenaries advanced on Moscow in an attempted mutiny in late June, authorities in Syria and Russian military commanders there took a series of swift measures against local Wagner operatives to prevent the uprising spreading, according to six sources familiar with the matter. The previously unreported crackdown included blocking phone lines, summoning around a dozen Wagner commanders to a Russian military base, and ordering mercenary fighters to sign new contracts with the Russian defence ministry or promptly leave Syria, according to the sources, who include Syrian security officials, sources based near deployed Russian forces, and regional officials.