The Levant Files

By Özdil Nami In Turkish, there is a beautiful expression for efforts that raise hopes but ultimately fail to deliver: “trying to set fire to ashes.” That image came repeatedly to mind as I watched Secretary-General António Guterres's closing press conference. Standing alone behind the microphones, visibly tired and perhaps disappointed, he seemed to carry the weight of yet another diplomatic effort that had failed to generate the momentum many had anticipated. The visit had been preceded by considerable speculation. Many commentators suggested that the Secretary-General would arrive with a new initiative, present the parties with difficult choices, or inject fresh momentum into the process. Instead, from the moment he landed, he emphasized that progress ultimately depended on the willingness of the two leaders themselves. His message was clear: the United Nations could assist only if the parties were prepared to help themselves. While this was a realistic assessment, it also sugge...

A devastating wave of wildfires swept across Greece and Turkey over the past 24 hours, claiming the lives of at least five people — including three Greek firefighters who died heroically in the line of duty — while forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee their homes as flames devoured forests, homes, and infrastructure amid record-breaking heat and gale-force winds. Human Tragedy: Firefighters and Civilians Lost The human cost of the blazes became starkly apparent on Wednesday, July 29, when two Greek firefighters lost their lives battling a fast-moving wildfire in the Rethymno region of southern Crete. The victims, aged 58 and 25, were among approximately 125 firefighters confronting flames fanned by winds that stretched the fire front across more than 15 kilometers. According to the Greek Fire Service, the two became trapped in dense smoke and were surrounded by flames while responding to the blaze near Krya Vrysi. Authorities described them as having “fallen heroically i...

Hundreds of Jordanian political, legal, academic, tribal and cultural figures have signed an open letter demanding the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Jordan and a review of the kingdom’s security agreement with Washington, in what analysts describe as a rare public challenge to Amman’s long‑standing alliance with the United States.  The letter, circulated last week, argues that the American military presence “exposes Jordan to security, political, and economic risks that serve no national interest and increases the likelihood of our country being dragged into a regional conflict to which it is not a party,” according to reporting by The New York Times and other outlets.   Core demands and sovereignty argument Signatories call on the government to cancel or substantially revise the bilateral security arrangement that allows U.S. troops to operate from Jordanian bases, including the strategic Muwaffaq Salti airbase near Azraq.  They frame the demand as a matter of nati...

  The UN Secretary-General visited Cyprus this week — the first such visit to the island in a long time. António Guterres arrived on the back of his July 2026 Good Offices report, which had already flagged that most of the ten confidence-building measures agreed in mid-2025 — new crossing points, demining, a shared solar plant in the buffer zone — remain stuck and warned that the current window "should not be taken for granted". The visit produced nothing tangible. At its close, Guterres confined his remarks on the prospect of reunification to a vague, deferred 5+1 summit at some point in the future. Coming just a few months before the end of his term, the visit does not merely enter the record as one more unsuccessful attempt to keep the Cyprus negotiations on life support. It also illustrates the failure of the United Nations to resolve yet another chronic problem in the international arena. The UN, pressed by new challenges from several directions at once, shows serious we...

A new defense analysis, relayed by Iran's Entekhab, finds no clear evidence Tehran used foreign intelligence support in its recent strikes on U.S. bases — but points to Chinese satellite imagery, Russian-style drone tactics, and a real transformation in missile guidance and precision. Iran has strengthened its ability to strike U.S. bases and critical regional infrastructure through a combination of technical progress in its missile program, the use of satellite imagery, and combat tactics inspired by Russia's war in Ukraine, according to a Guardian analysis relayed by the Iranian outlet Entekhab. According to a new report from The Guardian, cited by The Entekhab, Iran's recent strikes demonstrate greater precision and destructive capability, while also revealing potential weaknesses in U.S. air-defense systems stationed in the region. The Muwaffaq Salti Strike and the THAAD Question The analysis centers on a strike against Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti air base — a facility ...

  Israeli and regional assessments say Washington expects diplomacy to fail but wants to avoid an energy crisis and an unpopular war before November, while rebuilding interceptor stocks and preparing for a broader confrontation later. U.S. President Donald Trump has settled on an Iran strategy for the coming months, according to assessments by officials in Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, as reported by Ron Ben-Yishai for Ynet. Trump said this week that the United States would strike Iran forcefully following its missile attack on Jordan, and the U.S. military carried out extensive strikes in Iran overnight. Yet those strikes were confined to the Persian Gulf region, and according to Ynet's analysis, Trump appears intent on avoiding a major escalation. A Calculated Pause, Not a De-Escalation Officials cited by Ynet say Trump does not want a broad confrontation or a sharp deterioration in the fighting before the U.S. midterm elections in early November. The concerns are th...

Maritime security firm Ambrey said Wednesday that a U.S.-owned and operated floating LNG storage vessel — flagged to the Marshall Islands — was struck by at least one drone at Egypt's Damietta port, according to reports citing Reuters and Ambrey. The strike coincided with an explosion that occurred during cargo discharge operations at the port's LNG terminal.    Confirmed Incident: Damietta LNG Terminal Inchcape Shipping Services reported an explosion at Damietta Port's LNG terminal during cargo discharge operations, with local authorities responding and the situation subsequently brought under control. The vessels involved were safely relocated outside the port area, and operations at other terminals and berths were expected to resume overnight.  A Fox News liveblog, citing Reuters and Ambrey, adds more specificity than earlier reporting suggested: the vessel struck was a U.S.-owned and operated floating LNG storage facility, Marshall Islands-flagged, hit by at least one...

Για την προτότυπη αγγλική έκδοση κάντε κλικ .  Για να διαβάσετε στα τουρκικά το άρθρο κάντε κλικ .   Σε ένα σπάνιο και σαφές μήνυμα προς την Ανατολική Μεσόγειο, δύο ανώτεροι Ιρανοί αξιωματούχοι ασφαλείας, μιλώντας υπό τον όρο της ανωνυμίας στο The Levant Files (TLF) μέσω υποστηρικτών και εθελοντών της περσόφωνης υπηρεσίας της ιστοσελίδας μας, περιέγραψαν τη μεταβαλλόμενη στάση της Τεχεράνης απέναντι στα κράτη της περιοχής που βρίσκονται εγκλωβισμένα ανάμεσα στις δυτικές στρατιωτικές υποδομές και τη διευρυνόμενη αντιπαράθεση της Ισλαμικής Δημοκρατίας με τις ΗΠΑ και το Ισραήλ. Οι δηλώσεις αυτές, οι οποίες αποσαφηνίζουν σημαντικά τη θέση του Ιράν απέναντι σε χώρες που είναι ευθυγραμμισμένες με το ΝΑΤΟ και την ΕΕ αλλά δεν εμπλέκονται άμεσα στις εχθροπραξίες, όπως η Κύπρος και η Ελλάδα, έρχονται εν μέσει ενός νέου διπλωματικού αδιεξόδου μετά την τελευταία συνάντηση του Ισραηλινού Πρωθυπουργού με τον Πρόεδρο των ΗΠΑ στην Ουάσινγκτον. «Φιλική» Προειδοποίηση σε Λευκωσία και Αθήνα Αναφ...

Yazının orjinal İngilizce versiyonu için tıklayın .   Doğu Akdeniz’e yönelik nadir ve net bir mesaj veren iki üst düzey İranlı güvenlik yetkilisi, Tahran'ın bölge ülkelerine yönelik değişen tutumunu gözler önüne serdi. The Levant Files’ın (TLF) deneme safhasındaki Farsça servisinde çalışan destekçiler ve gönüllüler aracılığıyla ve adlarının açıklanmaması şartıyla konuşan yetkililer; Batı askerî altyapısı ile İslam Cumhuriyeti'nin ABD ve İsrail ile derinleşen çatışması arasında kalan bölge devletlerine ilişkin değerlendirmelerde bulundu. İran'ın Kıbrıs ve Yunanistan gibi NATO ve AB müttefiki olan ancak çatışmalara doğrudan taraf olmayan ülkelere yönelik tutumuna belirgin bir açıklık getiren bu açıklamalar; İsrail Başbakanı ile ABD Başkanı'nın Washington'daki son görüşmesinin ardından yaşanan yeni bir diplomatik hareketlilik sürecinde geldi. Lefkoşa ve Atina’ya "Dostane" Uyarı Tahran’ın, süregelen çatışmaya doğrudan dâhil olmayan bölge ülkelerine karşı bir d...