Syria Iran

Israel reportedly carried out an airstrike on Damascus International airport and other positions south of Damascus, killing five Syrian soldiers.

Inside Israel's fight to thwart Tehran’s aspirations of regional hegemony and to thwart the smuggling of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon from Iran.

With Russia working closely with Iran and potentially acquiring their drones, the ramifications loom over the Middle East, and especially over Syria.  

A Ukrainian report claiming that Iran copied Israel's Spike anti-missile tank and put it on a drone has been circulating in Iran - exactly how Iran wants.

The US says the strike was intended to defend its forces from recent attacks.

While it is true Iran has made impressive advances, Raisi is trying to show that his administration is able to get around the sanctions and improve Iran’s standing.

Russia is at war in Ukraine and Turkey is demanding a new invasion of Syria. Meanwhile, Iran wants the US to leave Syria – and use it to threaten Israel.  

Should force be required to stop an Iranian bomb, Israel would have to act and almost certainly act alone. That is how the long-standing Israel-Iran proxy war could assume a terrible reality.

This marks Assad's second trip to Tehran since the start of the war in Syria.

The wider issue is the linkage of armed groups in southern Syria to the Syrian regime, Iran’s IRGC and likely to Hezbollah.