The Levant Files

A high-level meeting in the Syrian capital between government officials and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi ended Sunday without an announced breakthrough, underscoring how difficult it remains to translate past understandings into concrete steps on the ground. [eng.pressbee.net], [english.al...rabiya.net] In a report published late Sunday, Enab Baladi said a government source told Syria’s al-Ikhbariya channel that the talks produced no tangible results that would speed up implementation of the existing agreement, though both sides agreed to continue discussions in future meetings.  The SDF confirmed the conclusion of the Damascus meeting, saying it brought a delegation from its leadership—accompanied by Abdi—together with Syrian government officials, and that the discussions focused on the military integration process.  The delegation traveling with Abdi included senior SDF figures Sozdar Derik and Sipan Hamo, according to the same account.  Despite...

İran'daki ülke çapındaki protesto hareketi, pazartesi günü dokuzuncu gününe girerken yeni sokak buluşmaları, yayılan esnaf grevleri ve şiddetlenen güvenlik önlemleriyle sürüyor. Yetkililer, parlamentoda ekonomik tavizlerin yolunu açarken bir yandan da aktivistlere ve gözaltına alınanların ailelerine yönelik baskıyı artırıyor. Grev Dalgası Sahil Kentlerinden Büyük Ticaret Merkezlerine Yayılıyor Çeşitli şehirlerden gelen haberler, kepenk kapatma ve koordineli iş bırakma eylemlerinin genişlediğine işaret ediyor. Bu taktik, tarihsel olarak Tahran yönetimi için siyasi ve ekonomik riskleri yükselten bir etkiye sahip. Güneydeki liman kenti Bandar Genave'de, Farsça yayın yapan bir medya kuruluşuna gönderilen görüntülerde, sıralar halinde kapalı iş yerleri görülüyor ve çoğu işletmenin şehir çapındaki greve katıldığı iddia ediliyor. Kazerun ve Karaj'ın bazı bölgelerindeki esnafın da ülke çapındaki grev çağrılarına destek için dükkanlarını kapattığı bildiriliyor. Pazar yerlerindeki ka...

Important note: Please note that the Arabic service of TLf is currently in a beta phase. We have launched this initiative with the support of our followers, volunteers, and AI technology. Please keep in mind that during this first phase, the Arabic text may contain slight phrasing or translation errors. We aim to launch a fully professional Arabic service in the near future. يرجى العلم أن الخدمة العربية لـ TLf لا تزال في مرحلة تجريبية (Beta). لقد أطلقنا هذه الخدمة بدعم من متابعينا والمتطوعين وباستخدام تقنيات الذكاء الاصطناعي. يرجى أخذ العلم أنه في هذه المرحلة الأولى قد تحتوي النصوص العربية على بعض الأخطاء البسيطة في الصياغة أو الترجمة. نهدف في المستقبل القريب إلى إطلاق خدمة عربية احترافية بالكامل.  يُعد رضا بهلوي (من مواليد 31 أكتوبر 1960) أحد أبرز الشخصيات في خضم الانتفاضة الشعبية المستمرة في إيران. هو ولي العهد الإيراني في المنفى والابن الأكبر لمحمد رضا شاه بهلوي، آخر ملوك إيران الذي أطيح به في الثورة الإيرانية عام 1979. قدم رضا بهلوي نفسه في أوقات مختلفة كمطالب بحق السلالة في ال...

Iran’s capital has again become a stage for anger over economic freefall and political stagnation, as protesters and striking shopkeepers push into the streets amid a plunging rial and worsening living conditions. “Indeed, sustained public opposition, protest, and mass demonstrations can lead to fundamental change in the regime, but this requires serious political leadership capable of offering an alternative. This did not happen in past protests, and it doesn't seem we are close to it now either.” The challenge, many Iranians say, is not the absence of grievance—but the absence of a credible, organized path from protest to power. In an analysis published by Arash Azizi for Israel Hayom, the historian and journalist describes a familiar dual mood: widespread sympathy for demonstrators paired with a weary sense of repetition after earlier uprisings failed to deliver lasting change. Azizi argues that while anger is deep and legitimacy is fraying, mass mobilization alone rarely topple...

History suggests that economic protests alone rarely succeed unless they evolve into broader political movements. Iran’s own past supports this pattern. That long-running lesson is being tested again as demonstrations that began with market closures and currency panic in late December 2025 have widened into a sharper challenge to the Islamic Republic—one that increasingly sounds less like a plea for reform and more like a demand for regime change. In a recent Foreign Policy analysis, Saeid Golkar and Jason M. Brodsky describe the current unrest as distinct from earlier economic flare-ups because the “center of gravity” is shifting: anger over livelihoods is merging with open political defiance, pushing slogans and expectations beyond policy fixes and toward the question of who governs Iran. The spark this time was unmistakably economic. As the rial plunged to roughly 1.4 million per U.S. dollar, inflation climbed above 52 percent, and the cost of basic goods surged, merchants in Tehran...

One of the best-known figures amid the ongoing popular uprising in Iran is Reza Pahlavi (born 31 October 1960), the exiled crown prince of Iran and the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last monarch of Iran, who was overthrown in the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Reza Pahlavi has presented himself at different times as a dynastic claimant—including declaring himself “shah” in exile after his father’s death in 1980—while more recently emphasizing that he is not seeking personal power and supports a democratic transition decided by Iranians. Early Life and Education Reza Pahlavi was officially named crown prince during his father’s reign and was raised within a royal environment, with much of his childhood kept insulated from the wider public. In 1978, at age 17, he left Iran for pilot training in the United States (Reese Air Force Base, Lubbock, Texas). After the revolution and years in exile, he completed U.S. Air Force training as a jet pilot and later earned a B.A. in politica...

Protests have erupted across Tehran and a growing number of Iranian cities as inflation accelerates and the national currency continues to slide, intensifying public anger at the government’s handling of the crisis. The demonstrations began with merchants and students in major urban centers but have increasingly spread to smaller cities, with reports of violence and fatalities emerging from clashes between demonstrators and security forces. In an analysis published by Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations, the latest unrest is described as arriving at an especially fraught moment for the Islamic Republic—one in which economic distress is colliding with heightened regional and military pressure. Takeyh notes that while the protest movement has grown quickly, the true scale of deaths and the identities of those killed are difficult to verify amid conflicting claims and limited independent access. The economic spark has been unmistakable. Iran’s cost-of-living surge has strained ...

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly prepared a contingency plan to leave the country if unrest escalates and security forces fail to contain widening demonstrations, according to an intelligence assessment described by people familiar with its contents. The Times reported that the plan would be triggered if Khamenei concluded that key units — from the army to internal security forces — were deserting, refusing orders, or defecting amid mounting street pressure. The same account said the supreme leader, 86, would depart Tehran with a tight circle of aides and relatives, potentially numbering up to 20, including his son Mojtaba, often described by insiders as a leading contender in succession calculations. People briefed on the report said Moscow is viewed as the preferred destination, framed as a refuge with political protection and a longstanding relationship with Tehran. The alleged exit strategy was compared to the flight of Syria’s former leader Bashar al‑A...

Iran’s nationwide protest movement entered its ninth day on Monday with fresh street gatherings, widening merchant strikes, and an intensifying security response, as authorities simultaneously pushed economic concessions in parliament and tightened pressure on activists and families of detainees. Strikes Expand from Coastal Towns to Major Commercial Hubs Reports circulating from multiple cities suggested a broadening of shop closures and coordinated work stoppages, a tactic that has historically raised the political and economic stakes for Tehran. In the southern port city of Bandar Gonaveh, footage sent to a Persian-language outlet showed rows of shuttered storefronts, with claims that most businesses joined a citywide strike. Merchants in Kazerun and parts of Karaj were also reported to have closed shops in solidarity with the national strike calls. The spread of marketplace shutdowns is significant: bazaars and local commercial networks have long functioned as economic barometers, a...

Οι κινητοποιήσεις εξαπλώνονται σε 60 πόλεις 25 επαρχιών – Το καθεστώς περιορίζει το διαδίκτυο καθώς δυσκολεύεται να συγκρατήσει τη λαϊκή εξέγερση Οι αντικυβερνητικές διαδηλώσεις στο Ιράν εισέρχονται στην όγδοη ημέρα τους, με τους διαδηλωτές να συνεχίζουν να κατεβαίνουν στους δρόμους παρά τη σκληρή καταστολή που έχει στοιχίσει τη ζωή σε τουλάχιστον 16 ανθρώπους, ενώ εκατοντάδες έχουν συλληφθεί. Αντίσταση Παρά τη Θανατηφόρα Βία Από τις εργατικές γειτονιές της Τεχεράνης μέχρι τις επαρχιακές πόλεις των περιοχών Φαρς, Μαζανταράν και Ιλάμ, οι Ιρανοί κατακλύζουν τους δρόμους φωνάζοντας συνθήματα που στοχεύουν απευθείας τον Ανώτατο Ηγέτη Αλί Χαμενεΐ. Σε βίντεο που διέρρευσαν από τις διαδηλώσεις, ακούγεται το πλήθος να φωνάζει «Φέτος είναι η χρονιά του αίματος, ο Σεγιέντ Αλί θα πέσει» και «Θάνατος στον δικτάτορα». Σύμφωνα με την έκθεση της οργάνωσης ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων Χάνα, τις πρώτες επτά ημέρες των ταραχών σημειώθηκαν διαδηλώσεις ή απεργίες σε τουλάχιστον 174 σημεία, σε 60 πόλεις 25 επαρχ...

Gösteriler 25 ilde 60 şehre yayıldı; rejim büyüyen halk hareketini bastırmakta zorlanırken internet erişimi kısıtlandı İran'da hükûmet karşıtı protestolar sekizinci gününe girerken, göstericiler en az 16 kişinin hayatını kaybettiği ve yüzlerce kişinin gözaltına alındığı sert müdahalelere rağmen sokaklara çıkmaya devam ediyor. Ölümcül Baskıya Rağmen Direniş Sürüyor Tahran'ın emekçi semtlerinden Fars, Mazenderan ve İlam illerindeki taşra şehirlerine kadar İranlılar, doğrudan Dini Lider Ali Hamaney'i hedef alan sloganlarla sokakları doldurdu. Protestolardan sızan videolarda kalabalıkların "Bu yıl kan yılı, Seyyid Ali devrilecek" ve "Diktatöre ölüm" sloganları attığı görülüyor. İnsan hakları örgütü Hana'nın raporuna göre, olayların başladığı ilk yedi günde 25 ildeki 60 şehirde en az 174 noktada protesto veya grev yaşandı. Bu süreçte en az 582 kişi gözaltına alındı; dikkat çekici şekilde 18 yaş altı gençlerin tutuklanmasında belirgin bir artış gözlemlendi...

Demonstrations spread to 60 cities across 25 provinces; internet throttled as regime struggles to contain growing unrest Anti-government protests swept through Iran for an eighth consecutive day on Sunday, with demonstrators taking to the streets in cities across the country despite a brutal crackdown that has left at least 16 protesters dead and hundreds detained, according to independent verification by Iran International. Protesters Defy Deadly Force From Tehran's working-class neighborhoods to provincial cities in Fars, Mazandaran, and Ilam provinces, Iranians flooded the streets chanting slogans directly targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Videos emerging from the protests show crowds shouting "This year is the year of blood, Seyed Ali will be overthrown" and "Death to the dictator." The human rights organization Hana reported that in the first seven days of unrest, at least 174 locations across 60 cities in 25 provinces witnessed protests or strikes, wi...

Important note: Please note that the Arabic service of TLf is currently in a beta phase. We have launched this initiative with the support of our followers, volunteers, and AI technology. Please keep in mind that during this first phase, the Arabic text may contain slight phrasing or translation errors. We aim to launch a fully professional Arabic service in the near future. يرجى العلم أن الخدمة العربية لـ TLf لا تزال في مرحلة تجريبية (Beta). لقد أطلقنا هذه الخدمة بدعم من متابعينا والمتطوعين وباستخدام تقنيات الذكاء الاصطناعي. يرجى أخذ العلم أنه في هذه المرحلة الأولى قد تحتوي النصوص العربية على بعض الأخطاء البسيطة في الصياغة أو الترجمة. نهدف في المستقبل القريب إلى إطلاق خدمة عربية احترافية بالكامل.  بكين تدين استخدام واشنطن للقوة وتعتبره انتهاكاً للقانون الدولي وميثاق الأمم المتحدة بكين، 4 يناير 2026 — أصدرت الصين إدانة شديدة اللهجة للتدخل العسكري الأمريكي في فنزويلا، واصفة العملية بأنها انتهاك خطير للقانون الدولي يهدد الاستقرار العالمي ويرسي سابقة خطيرة في العلاقات الدولية. وفي افت...

Beijing condemns Washington's use of force as violation of international law and UN Charter China has issued a fierce condemnation of the United States' military intervention in Venezuela, calling the operation a dangerous violation of international law that threatens global stability and sets a perilous precedent for international relations. In a sharply-worded editorial published Saturday by China Daily, Beijing expressed being "deeply shocked" by what it termed Washington's "blatant use of force," which included airstrikes on civilian and military targets across at least four Venezuelan states and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. "Such hegemonic acts seriously violate international law and Venezuela's sovereignty, threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region, and set a dangerous precedent for international relations," the editorial stated. 'Counter-Narcotics' Justification Rejected Th...

In a significant step toward unifying Syria's fractured military landscape, a high-level delegation from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has arrived in the Syrian capital to hold talks with government officials regarding military integration, the SDF officially announced on Sunday. According to Turkish news outlet T24, the SDF confirmed that a delegation headed by General Commander Mazlum Abdi traveled to Damascus on January 4, 2026, to discuss mechanisms for integrating the Kurdish-led forces into Syria's new national army. The report also indicated that Brigadier General Kevin Lambert, the newly appointed Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), will participate in the meetings between the two parties. The SDF Press Center released a statement confirming that senior officials are currently meeting with Damascus government representatives to discuss military-level integration processes. Accompanying Abdi are General Command members...