The Levant Files

Turkey and the United States are drawing closer in their efforts to stabilize Libya by supporting a political settlement between the country's rival eastern and western administrations. However, the durability of their cooperation could ultimately depend on Washington's position on Ankara's controversial 2019 maritime agreement with Libya, according to reporting by Barin Kayaoglu for Al-Monitor. A series of high-level diplomatic engagements has highlighted Washington's renewed focus on Libya. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently met Saddam Hifter, deputy commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), just days after holding talks with Government of National Unity (GNU) Deputy Defense Minister Abdulsalam al-Zubi. Earlier, US senior adviser for Arab and African affairs Massad Boulos met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Cairo, where the officials reaffirmed their suppor...

Greece's second-largest city woke to a thick, acrid smog on Sunday after a fast-moving wildfire tore through the Orfeas industrial area, prompting the public broadcaster ERT to urge residents to stay indoors and seal their windows against hazardous air. A dense black-grey smoke plume stretching more than 20 kilometres blanketed Thessaloniki on the morning of July 5, carrying a strong, acrid smell of burning plastic that was felt across the city, including at Aristotelous Square, the White Tower and the Thermaic Gulf. Authorities urged residents to remain indoors with windows and doors shut due to the hazardous air quality. While the forest fire itself has since been brought under control, flames continue to burn at two industrial facilities in the Orfeas area, which hosts plants processing lubricants, petroleum products, textiles and clothing, along with a large-scale plastic recycling facility. Simos Daniilidis, Mayor of Neapoli-Sykies, said multiple explosions were heard overnigh...

As Iran holds a sprawling six-day state funeral for assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's establishment appears to be using the ceremony for a purpose far larger than grief: demonstrating to the world, and to its own citizens, that the system built by Khamenei over nearly four decades has survived the war that killed him. Khamenei was killed alongside several family members in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike on his residence on February 28, 2026, the opening blow of a war between Iran and the two countries. The funeral, originally planned for March, was delayed for months as the conflict raged, and only proceeded once a fragile ceasefire and a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding took hold. That four-month gap has turned the funeral into something closer to a political spectacle than a rushed religious rite. Sina Azodi, director of the Middle East studies program at George Washington University, said the event gives those working to preserve Kha...

The Levant Files Sunday Movie Nights are back, bringing viewers another thought-provoking documentary that explores one of the Middle East's most influential and controversial movements. This Sunday, we feature Hezbollah: The Untold Story by Jedaal English YouTube Channel, a sweeping documentary that traces the origins, evolution, and regional impact of Hezbollah—from Lebanon's civil war and the Israeli invasions of the 1970s and 1980s to the 2006 Lebanon War, the Syrian conflict, and the dramatic events that reshaped the region after October 2023. Drawing on archival footage, historical recordings, interviews, and contemporary reporting, the film presents a chronological narrative of Hezbollah's development as both a military and political force. It examines the movement's rise amid Lebanon's complex sectarian landscape, its role in successive regional conflicts, and the strategic shifts that continue to influence the balance of power across the Levant. The documen...

Comedian Deniz Göktaş has become the center of a major legal and political controversy in Turkey after his YouTube stand-up special "Ölü Deniz" triggered a criminal investigation, his arrest, and heated debate in parliament over religion, satire, and free expression. Rapid Rise of a Digital Comedian Born in Ankara in 1994, Göktaş studied psychology at Middle East Technical University and later completed a master's degree in cinema and television. He built his reputation through Istanbul's independent stand-up scene and a podcast series before his 2023 special "Selam Selam" drew over six million views on YouTube. "Ölü Deniz" Goes Viral Released free on YouTube on June 24, "Ölü Deniz (Dead Sea)" surpassed three million views within two days and reached nine million within a week. The roughly 90-minute set weaves personal stories about family and masculinity with sharp commentary on Turkish politics, referencing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğa...

Nournews, an outlet closely tied to Iran's security establishment, published an article dismissing a CENTCOM-hosted security meeting in Bahrain as an American attempt to disguise Washington's strategic failures in West Asia rather than a genuine display of power. Nournews is widely regarded as a media platform close to Iran's Supreme National Security Council and associated with hardline security circles, and this article's framing—invoking "the Ramadan war," Iran's "resistance," and warnings to Gulf Arab states—reflects messaging closely aligned with the Islamic Republic's official security narrative. The piece repeatedly channels the language of Iran's military and political leadership, presenting Tehran as the indispensable arbiter of Gulf security and casting any Arab cooperation with Washington as a repeat of a "historic defeat". The CENTCOM Meeting in Bahrain According to the report, CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper met in Ma...

In a "Behind the Lines" analysis for The Jerusalem Post, veteran Middle East correspondent Jonathan Spyer identifies the rising influence of Turkey and an emergent Sunni Islamic alliance as one of the least understood shifts in current regional strategy. Spyer writes that Turkey, Qatar, and Pakistan form the core of this bloc, with efforts underway to draw Saudi Arabia and Egypt into its orbit.  According to Spyer's reporting, Ankara's approach combines close relations with the United States and Western powers with active support for anti-Western Islamist forces, and the rhetoric from Turkish officials leaves little ambiguity about their stance toward Israel. He cites President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's description of "Zionism" as a "genocidal, occupying, expansionist ideology" threatening "everyone," and Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci's June 6 prediction that Jerusalem would eventually be "liberated" as Damascus and Alep...

Regional tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran appeared to escalate again on Friday after Yemen's armed forces claimed Saudi military aircraft attempted to prevent an Iranian civilian plane from landing at Sanaa International Airport, raising fears of a renewed confrontation along the Saudi-Iran axis. According to Al Manar, the Yemeni Armed Forces said a formation of Saudi warplanes entered the airspace over several Yemeni provinces at approximately 5:20 a.m. local time in an attempt to stop an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport. The Yemeni military said the aircraft was carrying more than 200 passengers, including stranded Yemeni citizens, wounded individuals and patients returning to the country. The statement further claimed that Saudi Arabia's attempt to prevent the landing "failed" after Yemeni armed forces intervened, allowing the aircraft to land safely. No independent confirmation of the incident was immediately available, a...

Former Israeli ambassador to the United States Dr. Michael Oren has warned that the diplomatic stalemate between Washington and Tehran could give way to renewed military confrontation, arguing that the outcome of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections may prove decisive for both regional security and President Donald Trump's political future. Speaking to Israeli radio station 103FM in remarks reported by Maria, Oren expressed deep skepticism that ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran will produce a lasting agreement. "The negotiations are not progressing anywhere. The chances of reaching a permanent agreement are extremely slim," he said. According to Oren, Iran is closely monitoring the U.S. political calendar and could seek to exploit it by initiating military action that would drive up global oil prices and potentially damage Republican prospects in the November midterm elections. "The Iranians are not fools. They understand the political game. They...