The Levant Files

Usually, when a major geopolitical crisis erupts, we expect diplomacy to act like a pressure valve—slowly and safely releasing the tension. But what happens when the plumber shows up and decides to permanently weld the main pipe shut instead? The whole house explodes. That is exactly what we are witnessing right now in the Persian Gulf. Following the sudden and spectacular collapse of the historic US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad, the United States has initiated a staggering geopolitical paradigm shift. In a flash, a total US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was announced, fundamentally rewriting the rules of the modern world. This is no longer just a Middle Eastern conflict; it is a full-blown cardiac arrest for the global economy. By sealing off a narrow, 21-mile-wide waterway, the US Navy is suffocating 20% of the world's crude oil supply and effectively landlocking Qatar's massive Liquified Natural Gas exports. But the true hidden catastrophe lies in a heavily overloo...

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli deliver some of Ankara’s sharpest public broadsides against the Netanyahu government, framing Israeli rhetoric toward Turkey as a calculated attempt to manufacture a new enemy after Iran. Turkey escalated its war of words with Israel on Monday and Tuesday, with senior officials deploying some of the most biting language yet in the ongoing feud between Ankara and the Netanyahu government. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Tel Aviv of deliberately seeking to designate Turkey as a new adversary, while nationalist opposition leader Devlet Bahçeli called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a “moral bankruptcy” rooted in panic and guilt. ‘Israel Cannot Live Without Enemies’ Speaking at an editorial roundtable hosted by the Anadolu Agency on Tuesday, Fidan offered a pointed structural diagnosis of Israeli behaviour. “After Iran, Israel cannot live without enemie...

Naim Qassem delivers address rejecting ceasefire framework violations and internal political pressure Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem on Sunday delivered a televised address in which he rejected any direct negotiations with Israel, called on the Lebanese government to reverse what he described as a unilateral political decision, and reaffirmed the group's commitment to continued armed resistance, according to Al Mayadeen. Qassem said that the November 2024 ceasefire agreement — which he described as having included provisions for a halt to hostilities, prisoner releases, and reconstruction commitments — had not been implemented, and that Israeli military operations had continued in the interim. He stated that the resistance had chosen what it considered an opportune moment to act in response. On the question of direct engagement with Israel, the Hezbollah leader was unequivocal. Al Mayadeen reported him as saying that such a course constituted "a grave mistake...

Young women and girls brought from the West Bank describe years of violence and exploitation, with little recourse due to their lack of legal status A troubling pattern of exploitation has emerged across Israel, where Palestinian women and girls from the West Bank are being brought — often against their will — into polygamous marriages with Arab Israeli men, only to find themselves trapped in abusive situations with virtually no legal protection. According to an investigation by Haaretz, thousands of women are believed to have entered Israel from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jordan as second or third wives in polygamous households. Most come from economically vulnerable families, and many are brought in by force or under false pretences. Upon arrival, their lack of Israeli citizenship renders them almost entirely dependent on their husbands — unable to open bank accounts, access public healthcare, or seek legal assistance. Sold for 1,000 Shekels One woman, identified by Haaretz only ...

  China launched a coordinated diplomatic and media offensive on the last hours, using a high-level meeting with the United Arab Emirates, two editorial commentaries in Xinhua, and a foreign ministry briefing to project itself as the indispensable peacemaker in the Gulf crisis — while casting Washington's newly announced naval blockade of Iranian ports as reckless escalation that threatens global stability. At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Premier Li Qiang held talks with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in what amounted to a carefully staged signal of China's deepening strategic engagement with the Gulf at a moment of acute regional instability. Li declared that China is "ready to further play a constructive role and contribute to the restoration of peace and tranquility in the Gulf region," adding that Beijing has maintained "close communication with relevant parties" since the outbreak of the Iran confl...

Amid escalating tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran issues sweeping maritime warning   Iran's military has issued a stark warning that any attack on Iranian ports would render all ports across the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman insecure, according to state-affiliated Press TV, the Islamic Republic's English-language state broadcaster. Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, declared on Monday that maritime security in the region is a collective matter — one that must apply to all parties or to none. Speaking in a statement cited by state-affiliated Press TV, Zolfaqari said the Iranian Armed Forces regard the defense of national rights, including full sovereignty over territorial waters, as a lawful and natural obligation. The senior military official also announced that Iran intends to establish a permanent mechanism to control the Strait of Hormuz even after the current crisis is resolved — a significant esc...

Israel's military is on maximum readiness for a possible Iranian strike as early as Monday evening, while Washington weighs its next move after diplomatic talks collapsed in Islamabad, according to reports published Monday by Israeli outlet Maariv . A senior Israeli military source warned that Iran could launch attacks by 17:00 local time (Israel) in response to the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz announced earlier in the day. "We are prepared for the possibility that Iran will attempt to fire tonight," the source said, noting that potential targets could include American bases in the Gulf, Gulf state targets, and Israeli territory. "There is currently no specific intelligence indicating this, but we are monitoring the situation closely." The IDF has updated its target banks and placed all air force platforms on the highest state of readiness. Ground crews and technical teams are reportedly working around the clock. Holocaust Day Ceremony Pre-Recorde...

İsrail'in önde gelen gazetelerinden Maariv gazetesinin pazartesi günü yayımladığı haberlere göre, İsrail ordusu olası bir İran saldırısı için azami teyakkuz durumuna geçti. Saldırının en erken pazartesi akşamı gerçekleşebileceği belirtilirken, Washington da İslamabad'daki diplomatik görüşmelerin çökmesinin ardından atacağı bir sonraki adımı değerlendiriyor. Üst düzey bir İsrail askerî kaynağı, ABD'nin günün erken saatlerinde Hürmüz Boğazı'na yönelik deniz ablukası ilan etmesine karşılık İran'ın yerel saatle 17:00'de (İsrail saati) saldırılar düzenleyebileceği uyarısında bulundu. Kaynak, "İran'ın bu gece ateş etmeye teşebbüs edebileceği ihtimaline hazırlıklıyız" dedi ve potansiyel hedefler arasında Körfez'deki Amerikan üsleri, Körfez ülkelerine ait hedefler ve İsrail topraklarının bulunabileceğini kaydetti. "Şu an için buna işaret eden spesifik bir istihbarat yok, ancak durumu yakından izliyoruz." İsrail Savunma Kuvvetleri (Israel Defe...

The South China Morning Post, one of Asia's most prominent English-language outlets and Hong Kong's flagship newspaper, has published a strongly-worded opinion piece arguing that Iran is on course to become a major world power as a direct result of the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel — and that this outcome should be welcomed by the international community. Writing in his regular column "My Take," SCMP columnist Alex Lo contends that Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz — through which approximately one fifth of the world's oil and gas passes — could fundamentally redraw the global order. Lo cites University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape, who argued in a New York Times analysis that Iran is rapidly emerging as a fourth centre of global power alongside the US, China, and Russia, deriving its newfound leverage not from economic or military parity but from its grip on the world's most critical energy chokepoint. The SCMP colum...