Policy Analysis

The former head of the IDF's Strategic Planning Division discusses how Israel is prioritizing threats from Iran, the Islamic State, and Hezbollah, and outlines specific, immediate military steps the West can take in Syria instead of banking on containment or elusive political solutions.

For many factions operating in Iraq, defeating the Islamic State is not priority number one.

Although their close tactical coordination has prevented any bilateral flare-ups so far, Israel needs to plan for the likelihood that its relative freedom of operation in Syria will diminish the minute its actions interfere with Moscow's interests.

No, President Obama didn't set out to promote Russian and Iranian ambitions in the Middle East, but his policies have contributed to strengthening them.

The reported frontrunner has close ties to the Syrian regime, so his selection may not help mitigate sectarian tensions as hoped.

Unless the United States quickly establishes a mechanism for Bashar al-Assad's departure, the Islamic State and similar groups will remain potent regional actors.

The group's much-vaunted media machine seems to have slowed down over the past half year, suggesting that military efforts against its forces are taking a toll.

The escalating conflict remains a sectarian war, and deliberate ethnic cleansing by various actors is drawing new internal borders that will be difficult to erase.

A yes vote is important not just for the expected increase in tactical effectiveness it would bring on the Syrian battlefield, but also for signaling that the strategic alliance within the EU and between Europe and the United States is seamless.

After a decade of trying to become a Middle East player in its own right, Turkey may now find comfort in the NATO alliance when faced with the historic Russian menace.

Ironically, most of the Sunni Arab states see Israel as a bulwark against Iran and the Islamic State, so emphasizing those security relationships and restoring the image of American reliability would make it easier to ask more of them on both fronts.

Establishing a safe haven in Syria could press Putin to fight ISIS in earnest, and convince him that protecting Assad will only prolong the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on the sidelines of the UN climate summit in Paris today to discuss the situation in Syria, fighting terrorism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Russian and Western press reports. Earlier, at Israel's initiative according to a Kremlin

A new Israeli diplomatic office in the UAE is a rare public indication of a broader trend.

For now, Moscow's retaliation will most likely come against Turkish commercial exports or gas imports, but continued Russian operations near the border mean that a dangerous military escalation is still possible.

Despite endorsing the nuclear deal, the Supreme Leader has empowered the IRGC Intelligence Organization to tighten Iran's domestic political environment ahead of 2016 elections.

An old conflict through the prism of a new institution: an insider’s explanation of the effects of Palestine’s recognition as a “State” under the Rome Statute

Expectations for Secretary Kerry's trip to Jerusalem and Ramallah are low, but given the mounting violence, he must nevertheless ask each side to take separate de-escalatory steps.

French experts discuss how the Paris attacks will affect European foreign and domestic policy, including efforts to broaden and deepen the coalition in Syria.

ISIS and other groups have appropriated an inherently nonpolitical ideology to suit their political ambitions.