As the US-Iran war intensifies, it has drawn in non-state actors across the region. While Baghdad says it is not a party to the conflict, militias have stepped in on Tehran's side.
Some are happy to do so, some may need coaxing, and others have completely ruled it out. Al Majalla gives an overview of the different armed factions and what they want.
HTS's recent overthrow of the Assad regime recalls the key role militias played throughout history—from Sudan's recent civil war all the way back to the American Revolution. Al Majalla explains.
While Trump's rhetoric doesn't always match his actions, there are more signs than not that the US will draw down its forces in the region, leaving room for other actors to step in
The Assad family's 54-year rule over Syria has collapsed, as has the Iranian axis. In control of Damascus, HTS and its allied factions can write a new chapter in Syrian history.
The Assad family's 54-year rule over Syria has collapsed, as has the Iranian axis. In control of Damascus, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allied factions can write a new chapter in Syrian history
Destroying most of Syria's defence assets, Tel Aviv has left its northern neighbour vulnerable to the same instability that followed the dissolution of the Iraqi army. That suits Netanyahu nicely
With both internal and external security threats, plus a ceasefire agreement that leaves more questions than answers, the Lebanese Armed Forces seems trapped between a rock and a hard place
The US-Israeli war against Iran aims to draw in Gulf states, but history has shown that entering wars is far easier than exiting them. Prudence is needed now more than ever.
PA Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin tells Al Majalla that Israel is taking advantage of the fact that the world is distracted by the US-Iran war to create irreversible facts on the ground
Given the effective closure of the Hormuz Strait and Houthi threats to close off the Red Sea, Syria may emerge as a corridor and conduit to bypass these embattled maritime chokepoints
A former army forensics employee who later became known as Caesar tells Al Majalla how he risked his life to expose the torture and killing of countless Syrians in regime prisons