Aron Lund
@aronlund.bsky.social
Syria, Middle East politics, and Mediterranean security at the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI). Associate fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI). Occasional freelance writer.
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces knock the Houthis out of most of the Bab al-Mandab adjacent territory they captured last month. Timour Azhari & Mohammed Ghobari, @reuters.com: www.reuters.com/world/yemeni...
Yemeni government forces drive Houthis from Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces staged a lightning advance on Monday to retake the coast around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait up to the city of Mocha, the government said, pushing the Iran-backed Ho...
reuters.com
Mecca Alliance says Turkey and Pakistan will deploy military assets to Saudi Arabia, supporting it against the Houthis. ara.tv/eyjiv
حلف مكة الدفاعي: نشر القدرات العسكرية في السعودية
قررت اللجنة الإستراتيجية السياسية والدفاعية لحلف مكة الدفاعي الانتقال الفوري إلى التنفيذ العملي لالتزامات الدفاع المشترك، واتخاذ الإجراءات اللازمة لتوفير
ara.tv
“Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government said on Sunday it was launching a major military campaign to recapture all areas of the country controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis.” www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
Yemeni government launches offensive to seize all areas from Iran-backed Houthis
The government’s armed forces would press the offensive “until the country is liberated from the grip of the terrorist militia,” Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi said in a televised address.
reuters.com
Aron Lund@aronlund.bsky.social · 3d agoWestern and Middle Eastern sources say Saudi Arabia plans an offensive against the Houthis in the not so distant future, using Yemeni ground troops and Saudi air power. Mubasher Bukhari and Timour Azhari, @reuters.com: www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
U.S. sanctions notice indicates Iran still collects protection money for Hormuz passage, which, in turn, suggests that one reason for the increased oil flow out of the Gulf could be that some transfers take place on Iranian terms. home.treasury.gov/news/press-r... (via @BrettErickson28 on Twitter)
Australia renews counterterrorism sanctions on Lebanese-Australian head of Syrian Sovereign Fund: www.dfat.gov.au/news/news/li... Via: www.enabbaladi.net/827899/%d8%a...
dfat.gov.au
Western and Middle Eastern sources say Saudi Arabia plans an offensive against the Houthis in the not so distant future, using Yemeni ground troops and Saudi air power. Mubasher Bukhari and Timour Azhari, @reuters.com: www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
Saudis plan assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold
Saudi Arabia is planning an offensive against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, with options being considered including a coastal push to secure the Red Sea shipping route or an assault on multip...
reuters.com
Former OPCW IIT investigator Al Borrelli argues that Russia could not, by 2018, have been unaware of the Syrian Tiger Forces’ habit of using chlorine, and concludes that Russia’s level of insight or involvement in the Douma attack should be investigated. commandwatch.substack.com/p/russia-the...
Russia, the Tiger Forces, and the Douma Chemical Attack
An analysis of the Eastern Ghouta campaign and what Russian operational integration means for understanding what happened in Douma in 2018.
commandwatch.substack.com
Translation & overview of Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Shura Council's recent statement, amid ongoing calls by some supporters of new Sharaa-led order for the group to dissolve itself. Statement deals w/group's positions on situation in Syria & wider region www.aymennaltamimi.com/p/syrian-mus...
Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Shura Council Statement
Translation and Overview: Self-Dissolution?
aymennaltamimi.com
Saudi, Emirati, Qatari, Bahraini, Kuwaiti, and Iraqi oil shipments “averaged 15.5mn barrels a day in September, the highest level of the war and more than 80 per cent of the average in the 12 months before the conflict began, according to data provider Kpler.” www.ft.com/content/26c5...
Middle Eastern oil exports rise to highest level since Iran war began
Shuttle services through Strait of Hormuz have brought shipments to more than 80% of prewar daily average
ft.com
The Syrian government is in talks with Hezbollah in Turkey. Feras Dalatey, Timour Azhari, and Laila Bassam, @reuters.com: www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Trevlig och informativ FOI-rapport för dig som vill lära dig allt om kärnvapen innan det är för sent. foi.se/rapportsamma... @foiresearch.bsky.social
FOI informerar om – Kärnvapen - Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut - FOI
Sedan slutet av andra världskriget har kärnvapen varit en viktig faktor i världspolitiken och har i olika grad präglat internationella relationer. I Sverige har Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut, FOI...
foi.se
“Qatar-based conglomerate UCC purchases the gasoline, and Syria manages transportation and receives transit fees. The shipments are then transported by land to Iraq from the northwestern port through al-Tanf in southeastern Syria.” Ghaith Alsayed, @apnews.com: apnews.com/article/syri...
Iraq begins importing gasoline via Syrian port to bypass the closed Strait of Hormuz
Iraqi fuel trucks are loading gasoline at a Syrian port to meet surging global energy demand as the critical Strait of Hormuz remains closed and mediators work with Iran and the United States to end t...
apnews.com
UAE Vice President Mansour bin Zayed visited Riyadh, met both Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman. First visit by a high-ranking Emirati official to Saudi Arabia since relations soured over Yemen, Sudan, etc. @reuters.com: www.reuters.com/world/middle...
UAE vice president visits Saudi Arabia in first visit since rift
UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and met with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the kingdom's defence minister, the first visit by a...
reuters.com
The United States will be re-leaving Iraq on Wednesday. www.reuters.com/world/middle...
US forces exit Iraq after two decades, leaving opening for Iran
The departure is celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war.
reuters.com
After Iranian Pres. Pezeshkian expressed interest in rekindling the relationship with Damascus, the Syrian Foreign Ministry says it is up to Iran to “respect Syria’s sovereignty and the will of its people, review its past policy, and build trust.” sana.sy/politics/259...
الخارجية: موقف سوريا من إيران نتاج 14 عاماً من الحرب والقتل ولا يقبل التجاهل
أكد مستشار الشؤون الأفرو-آسيوية في وزارة الخارجية والمغتربين محمد الجفال أن الموقف السوري تجاه السياسة الإيرانية لم يكن موقفاً سياسياً عابراً، بل نتج عن تجربة أربعة عشر عاماً من الحرب والقتل والتهجير ...
sana.sy
The General Secretariat doesn’t normally do this kind of thing, I think? Maybe it’s fronting for the president himself, who doesn’t want to be seen to be a bearer of bad news.
Aron Lund@aronlund.bsky.social · 7d agoSyria’s General Secretariat of the Presidency imposes immediate governmental cost-reduction measures, ordering ministries and public agencies to deprioritize non-urgent projects, spend less money, and use less fuel. Probably not a great sign. alikhbariah.com?p=87294
Syria’s General Secretariat of the Presidency imposes immediate governmental cost-reduction measures, ordering ministries and public agencies to deprioritize non-urgent projects, spend less money, and use less fuel. Probably not a great sign. alikhbariah.com?p=87294
الأمانة العامة لرئاسة الجمهورية تصدر تعميماً لترشيد الإنفاق العام
تتجه الجهات العامة إلى إعادة ترتيب أولويات الإنفاق وضبط النفقات غير الأساسية، بموجب بلاغ حكومي أصدرته الأمانة العامة لرئاسة الجمهورية، ألزم الوزارات والجهات العامة ذات الطابعين الإداري والاقتصادي باتخ...
alikhbariah.com
“Nearly two years after the fall of the regime, Syrians’ patience is running thin as prices continue to climb.” From Sep. 17, @natachadanon.bsky.social & @syriadirect.bsky.social on how rising fuel prices stir up discontent in the Sharaa government’s heartland: syriadirect.org/fuel-anger-e...
Fuel anger erupts in the government’s Idlib heartland
Fuel price hikes have sparked widespread protests across Syria, with anger reaching Idlib’s Maarat al-Numan, where residents say rising costs threaten livelihoods, reconstruction and the country’s agr...
syriadirect.org
Tracking appointments to local Hasakah positions, mapped by subdistrict akmckeever.substack.com/p/the-develo...
The developing al-Hasakah goverment
Provincial and sub-provincial appointments
akmckeever.substack.com
How Israel’s regional neighbors see its upcoming elections – @afp.com. www.arabnews.com/middle-east/...
How Israel’s regional neighbors see its upcoming elections
How Israel’s regional neighbors see its upcoming elections
arabnews.com
Iraqi Kurdistan PM Masrour Barzani isn’t happy about the US leaving mid-war: “The threat is real—we are vulnerable, we are being attacked. […] Now, to be left alone without any, let’s say, appropriate defensive system, it’s shameful.” Mehul Srivastava, @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/c478...
US withdrawal from Iraq ‘shameful’, Kurdish leader says
Iraqi Kurdistan’s prime minister tells FT that departure of American troops leaves them vulnerable to Iranian attack
ft.com
Self-serving version of history, but also puts the finger on Moscow’s frustrating experience in the Middle East: it’s always either being treated as Budget America by those who can’t get the real deal, or used for leverage to improve terms with Washington. www.rudaw.net/english/cate...
Den nya Mekkaalliansen samlar tre av Syd- och Västasiens starkaste militärmakter, med 1,4 miljoner man under vapen, enorma oljeresurser, egen försvarsindustri – och kärnvapen. Men räcker det för att skapa en fungerande allians? Läs min senaste UNT-spalt! www.unt.se/ledare/kroni...
Macron says France has agreed with Saudi Arabia to dispatch French “soldiers, radars, defensive systems” to protect the Yanbu oil terminal on the Saudi Red Sea coast, which was recently hit by Iran-allied groups. www.tf1info.fr/politique/cr...
Crise des carburants : Macron mobilise des "moyens militaires" pour "protéger" un site clé en Arabie saoudite | TF1 Info
[VIDÉO] Emmanuel Macron a annoncé, jeudi 24 septembre, l'envoi de "moyens militaires" pour "protéger" le site stratégique de Yanbu, en Arabie saoudite. Le chef de l'État a dit vouloir "protéger" ce ma...
tf1info.fr
I mean, maybe they do, but WSJ’s framing just isn’t backed up by the evidence provided in the article.
Aron Lund@aronlund.bsky.social · 2w agoOn Chinese support for Iran’s drone and missile programs. It’s clear that Iran sources a lot of stuff from Chinese companies, but, as before, the evidence of a deliberate Chinese state effort to arm Iran or help it kill US troops feels underwhelming. @WSJ.com: www.wsj.com/politics/chi...
On Chinese support for Iran’s drone and missile programs. It’s clear that Iran sources a lot of stuff from Chinese companies, but, as before, the evidence of a deliberate Chinese state effort to arm Iran or help it kill US troops feels underwhelming. @WSJ.com: www.wsj.com/politics/chi...
Iran Has a Secret Weapon in Its War With America: Help From China
Trump wants to preserve relations with Xi, but Iranian customs data show Chinese entities have made thousands of shipments of components used in drones and missiles.
wsj.com
