The US and French withdrawal from the Sahel lets the Russians, Chinese, and Iranians in. Tehran, in particular, will be keen to buy Niger's uranium, despite this being a red line for Washington.

The two countries have a long history of online offensives against each other, which may come into play

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran in a development that pushes the region closer to all-out conflict

Ultra-religious hardliners are gaining power and yearn for confrontation

From the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus to Iran's retaliation on Israel, the Syrian leader has been acting strangely normal. Al Majalla gives a breakdown of the past two weeks.

While this marked the first time Iran directly struck Israel, the weak showing of these drone strikes demonstrates Tehran's clear desire to avoid getting sucked into a direct conflict

Iran launched a series of attacks on Israel overnight Saturday, and Israel's war cabinet vows a "significant response"

The remarkable precision of Israeli assassination strikes on Iranians and Hezbollah operatives in Syria has raised anxiety levels in Damascus and abroad

After Iranian generals were killed in Damascus, Tehran will feel it needs to hit back, not least because Iranians demand it. Doing so without declaring all-out war is the tricky bit.

In Syria, Tehran-backed militias helped Assad fight rebels with air cover from the Kremlin, while in Ukraine Putin flies Iranian drones at Kyiv. Best friends? Not quite. This alliance is complex.