Houthi rebels warned in a statement released at the end of a three-day forum that they will oversee the affairs of the state if the power vacuum continues for another 72 hours. The Houthis control all major government buildings in the capital and several key military facilities including the headquarters of the paramilitary Special Forces […]
Features
Jordan insists on prisoner swap, ISIS remains silent
Jordanian officials are hopeful that they will reach a deal with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for the liberation of their pilot lieutenant Muath al-Kasaesbeh. The extremist group has not responded to demands by Amman to prove that the pilot is alive in order to swap him for death row inmate Sajida […]
Tunisia: Nida Tounes versus three opposition parties
The political events that unfolded in Tunisia this week show that the mandate of the next government will be full of challenges and tough decisions. The Prime Minister-designate Habib Essid was forced to postpone the presentation of his cabinet to the parliament for approval because of uncertainty on whether he will be able to get […]
Turkey: PKK to disarm by 21 March, Deputy PM Akdogan
Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan has called on the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) to disarm before or on 21 March and has urged imprisoned Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan to renew his demand for disarmament despite acknowledging that the leader’s “role is being undermined by the organization from time to time.” The Turkish government and […]
Syria: Moscow talks ends peacefully
The talks between the Syrian government and the opposition have ended in Moscow after four days with the prospect of holding another meeting. The Moscow talks are already seen as a positive step towards ending the war in Syria although the U.S backed Syrian opposition based in Turkey is reported to have been absent. The […]
Libya’s Islamic State in Tripoli Province claims attack
A group calling itself the “Islamic State in Tripoli Province” has released a video message claiming that it carried out the attack on the Tripoli hotel which killed ten people. The attack was motivated by the death of Abu Anas al-Libi under US custody at the beginning of the year. The group has warned of […]
Egypt blasts “totally untruthful” foreign statements
Celebrations of the Fourth anniversary of the Egyptian uprising on Sunday were marred by violence which continued till Monday and has left dozens of people dead. Most of the confrontations are believed to be between supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and the security forces. Cairo has however alleged that statements from foreign governments and […]
Tunisia: Essid renegotiates as parliament failure seems imminent
The presentation of Prime Minister-designate Habib Essid’s cabinet to the parliament has been delayed less than 24hours before the scheduled time. The decision was made due to a possibility that his proposed government will fail to get the required 109 votes. The parties against Essid’s proposals are claiming that his cabinet does not represent a […]
Tunisia: Ennahda is against the proposed cabinet
Ennahda has announced that it will be voting against the cabinet that will be proposed during the week by Prime minister-designate Habib Essid. The announcement signals that tensions between the political parties still exist. Ennahda occupies most of the seats in the parliament after the Nidaa Touness party and could be a challenge for a […]
Lebanon: Hezbollah’s response awaited after Nasrallah’s hailed potentials
Barely a week after the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said in an interview that provoking the organization will lead to a dirty war because they have “weapons of all types” which have increased their resistance capability and increase their abilities to win a war, an Israeli air strike in Syria three days later […]









