The Levant Files

  Turkish authorities are investigating whether Tuesday’s attack outside the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul was carried out by Islamic State (ISIS) militants or by Iran-linked operatives, as competing lines of inquiry emerge following the incident. The attack took place around noon on Tuesday in the area outside the building that houses the Israeli Consulate. According to Turkish broadcaster NTV, three attackers were involved. One of them was killed after Turkish police opened fire, while the other two were arrested. Two Turkish police officers were also lightly injured during the incident, authorities said. The assault comes at a time of heightened security activity in Turkey. Before the attack, Turkish police had launched a new operation against an ISIS cell. In a separate development, Turkish security forces reportedly clashed for several hours with an ISIS-linked group in the Yalova district shortly before the Istanbul incident. Turkish sources who spoke to The Levant Files on c...

Escalating US/Israel-Iran tensions cast a long shadow over the region as intelligence agencies scramble to prevent potential strikes on Western and Israeli targets As the geopolitical fallout from the ongoing US/Israel-Iran confrontation reverberates far beyond the Middle East, three Eastern Mediterranean nations — Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus — are quietly bracing for a potential wave of "lone-wolf" style terrorist attacks targeting American, Israeli, and Western interests on their soil. Well-informed sources speaking to The Levant Files (TLF) have confirmed that terror alert levels across all three countries have been raised significantly, with security services working around the clock to identify and neutralize emerging threats before they materialize. Turkey: A Dual Threat From Iran Sympathizers And Isis In Turkey, the threat landscape appears particularly complex. Turkish security sources have revealed to TLF that the concern extends beyond Iran-aligned operatives. Accord...

In his first audio message in over two years, ISIS spokesman Abu Huzaifa al-Ansari calls for an all-out offensive against Syria's new government, claiming the country has traded Iranian occupation for American-Turkish control. The Islamic State (ISIS) has announced a dramatic escalation of its campaign against Syria's new government, with the group's spokesman releasing his first audio statement in more than two years to declare that jihadist fighters must now make overthrowing the Syrian leadership their primary objective. The message, released on Saturday, February 21, 2026, coincided with the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and marked a clear strategic shift by the organisation after years of keeping a low profile in the country. Abu Huzaifa al-Ansari, who has served as the group's official spokesman since August 2023, recorded the audio statement in which he declared that ISIS members in Syria must fight “the new Syrian regime, with its secular governm...

İki yılı aşkın bir aradan sonra ilk kez ses kaydı yayımlayan IŞİD sözcüsü Ebu Huzeyfe el-Ensari, örgüt militanlarını Suriye'nin geçiş dönemi hükûmetine karşı tam kapsamlı saldırı çağrısında bulundu. El-Ensari, Suriye'nin İran işgalinden Amerikan-Türk işgaline geçtiğini öne sürdü. IŞİD, Suriye'nin geçiş dönemi yönetimine yönelik saldırı kampanyasını kökten tırmandıracağını duyurdu. Örgütün sözcüsü Ebu Huzeyfe el-Ensari, iki yılı aşkın aradan sonra ilk kez bir ses kaydı yayımlayarak militanları ülkenin mevcut liderliğini devirmeyi birincil hedef olarak benimsemeye çağırdı. Ramazan ayının başlangıcına denk getirilen bu açıklama, örgütün uzun süredir düşük profil sergilediği Suriye'deki stratejik konumlanmasında köklü bir değişime işaret ediyor. El-Ensari, ses kaydında IŞİD militanlarının Suriye'deki 'laik hükûmeti ve ulusal ordusuyla birlikte yeni Suriye rejimiyle' savaşması gerektiğini ve bunun öncelikli hedef haline getirilmesi çağrısında bulundu. Suriye Geçi...

In a chilling development that has sent shockwaves through the Middle East, Iraq's intelligence chief has revealed that the Islamic State terror group has dramatically multiplied its ranks in Syria, raising the specter of a devastating resurgence of the extremist organization that once carved out a brutal caliphate across the region. Hamid al-Shatri, Iraq's head of intelligence, disclosed in a rare and alarming interview that ISIS fighters in Syria have ballooned from approximately 2,000 to a staggering 10,000 militants in little more than a year, according to The Washington Post . The dramatic fivefold increase has prompted Iraq to rush thousands of troops and militia members to its border with Syria in an emergency response to the escalating threat. The Washington Post reported that al-Shatri, speaking in Baghdad this month, has been "warily tracking the growing numbers of Islamic State militants over the border in Syria" throughout the past year. His assessment pai...

By Farhad Alaaldin, t he Iraqi Prime Minister's Advisor for Foreign Affairs Iraq's initiative to accept a number of the most dangerous ISIS members detained in northeastern Syria cannot be separated from the deeper transformations taking place in the counter-terrorism file in the region. This step is not merely a technical procedure or a temporary solution, but a calculated political and security initiative that reflects Baghdad's desire to deal directly with one of the most complex post-conflict issues, rather than leaving it stranded in ungoverned gray areas. For years, detention centers and camps in northeastern Syria have been a clear point of imbalance in the regional security equation. They are unstable spaces governed by temporary arrangements, housing extremists from various countries in a fragile, potentially explosive environment. This reality, long treated as a stopgap solution, is now seen internationally as a continuous source of danger that cannot be contained...

A prominent Turkish academic has issued stark warnings about the deteriorating situation in Syria, claiming that the new Syrian leadership operates entirely under Turkey's command while jihadist forces threaten regional stability. According to an interview published by Yeni Özgür Politika on January 21, Prof. Dr. Cengiz Aktar of Athens University stated that Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani) is "completely under Ankara's control" and "cannot defy Turkey's orders, nor does it seem likely he will." The professor warned that "ISIS is coming in the guise of the Syrian army" and that "Sunni Salafi jihadists cannot bring peace to Syria." Aktar argued that Washington prioritized countering Iran and abandoned the Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria. He suggested Turkey convinced the United States to accept Ankara's longstanding demands regarding Rojava in exchange for cooperation against Iran. This str...

Armenia's Foreign Intelligence Service (FISA) has released its 2026 Annual Report on external security risks, authored by Chief Kristinne Grigoryan and published in January 2026. In her opening address, Grigoryan states, "It is vital to foresee, prevent, counter and disrupt the threats against our country and to protect and reinforce the statehood, the independence and the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia." The document draws from open-source and intelligence analysis, using a probability scale from "remote chance" (under 10%) to "almost certain" (over 90%), and confirms the accuracy of FISA's prior predictions. Grigoryan emphasizes the Service's unique focus: "To us, as a Service, the answer lies in our favorite four words – the Republic of Armenia. It is the essence of our uniqueness and our constant purpose." Operating in a "rapidly changing global order" marked by instability, economic competition, and AI challenge...

Dozens of Islamic State detainees flee Al-Shaddadi facility as Syrian army and Kurdish forces clash over territorial handover Syrian interim authorities reported Tuesday that approximately 120 Islamic State terrorists escaped from Al-Shaddadi prison in northeastern Hasakah province during violent clashes between government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). However, Kurdish media outlets disputed the official figures, claiming that around 1,500 prisoners fled the facility, raising serious questions about the scale of the security breach and the stability of Syria's detention system during a period of unprecedented political transition. The incident occurred just one day after Syria's new leadership under President Ahmad Al Shara announced a comprehensive ceasefire and integration agreement with the SDF, marking what was intended to be a pivotal moment in stabilizing the war-torn nation. Instead, the prison break has exposed the fragility of the accord an...

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.  مرة أخرى، ومع اقترابنا من العام الجديد، قاموا بتسليم البلاد بأكملها للقلق والخوف من هجوم لتنظيم "داعش". وفي جذور هذا القلق وذلك الخوف تكمن حقيقة بسيطة: لسنوات طويلة، سُمح للعصابات الجهادية المدعومة في سوريا بالتجول بحرية في بلادنا، وفعل ما يحلو لها. إن مجرد نظرة سريعة على ما حدث في...

Once again, as we head into the New Year, they have handed the whole country over to the anxiety and fear of an ISIS attack. At the root of both that anxiety and that fear lies a simple fact: for years, the jihadist gangs supported in Syria have been allowed to roam freely in our country, doing as they please. Even a quick look at what happened in Yalova—and a recollection of previous attacks in Turkey—shows how the path was repeatedly cleared for the very same dark network. The history of jihadist gangs in Syria launching operations under the direction of imperial powers goes back to 2011. Since then, Syria has been turned into a hub—made into a hub—for jihadist gangs arriving from many parts of the world. And because the AKP government supported these jihadist forces against Assad from the very beginning of the process, our country—sharing a very long border with Syria—naturally became one of the main transit routes for these groups. In this way, Turkey became both a base and an orga...

A law enforcement operation targeting a suspected Islamic State (ISIS) cell in the northwestern Turkish province of Yalova has resulted in a deadly confrontation, leaving three police officers dead and several others wounded. The raid, intended to apprehend individuals allegedly linked to the extremist group, escalated into a violent exchange when security forces encountered significant resistance at the target residence. The incident has underscored the continued security challenges posed by sleeper cells in the region and has prompted immediate legal restrictions on media coverage regarding the specifics of the tactical engagement. According to details reported by the Turkish news outlet T24, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya addressed the public to confirm the casualty figures and operational outcomes. Minister Yerlikaya stated that a total of seven police officers sustained injuries during the raid, which reportedly involved the detonation of explosives by suspects attempting to evad...