★ISRAEL

1. Gaza Ceasefire Monitored, Disarmament Condition Imposed, Leadership Split

Senior U.S. officials and a multinational team activated a coordination center in Israel to monitor Gaza’s ceasefire and require Hamas’ total disarmament. American drones began verifying security arrangements, while 60% of Hamas tunnels remain operational. Washington named a veteran diplomat as Gaza Coordination Center director; negotiations continue for a technocrat-led local governance team. Allies and Israel dispute international oversight, reconstruction details, and monitoring roles, with Palestinians demanding limited foreign involvement.

2. Israel Continues Hunt For Hostage Remains Under Trump Pressure

Israel granted Egypt heavy excavation equipment and Red Cross access to Rafah. Hamas returned 15 hostage remains out of 80 killed. The group cited severe destruction that altered terrain features and complicated recovery. Trump imposed a 48‑hour deadline threatening unspecified consequences against “participating countries” if Hamas fails to produce remaining remains. Two Americans are among the missing.

3. Palestinian President Clarifies Succession Protocol Following Legal Dispute

President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree formally assigning interim presidential powers to Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh in case of vacancy, overriding past provisions favoring legislative leaders and guaranteeing Fatah remains in control until elections are held; this executive action resolves succession ambiguity and centralizes the transition process, carrying direct implications for U.S. and Israeli security liaisons with future Palestinian authorities.

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★IRAQ

4. Adnan Zurfi Positions Election As Iraq’s Sovereignty Turning Point

Adnan al-Zurfi, leader of Iraq’s Alternative Alliance, urged voters to reject Iranian-backed militias and choose reformists loyal to national sovereignty. He framed the election as a battle between independence and foreign domination, warning that Tehran-aligned factions aim to steer Iraq’s future security and economy. Zurfi’s movement promotes transparent governance, rule of law, and deeper cooperation with the United States and Israel to ensure regional balance. His campaign stresses job creation, energy reliability, and foreign investment to rebuild the economy and insulate Iraq from militia coercion. Across Anbar and the Kurdish north, tribal competition and separatist ambitions risk further instability, but Zurfi’s rising reform bloc presents the most credible path to a unified, sovereign Iraq. 

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★SYRIA

5. UN Monitors Detail Executions And Sexual Violence In Syria

UN investigators determined Syrian security forces and allied militias committed systematic executions, sexual violence, mass abductions, and the destruction of Druze communities during July’s Sweida massacres, with evidence from 33 burned villages and verified witness accounts pointing to deliberate and coordinated atrocities. Amnesty International and multiple rights organizations cite the government’s targeting of unarmed civilians—women and men executed in homes, schools, hospitals, and public squares—under operational orders from the Defense and Interior ministries. Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra’s October testimony before the fact-finding committee linked military command decisions, deployments, and security agency coordination to these violations, with committee officials confirming officer referrals for judicial accountability yet offering no substantive transparency on senior-level responsibility. The mission’s pursuit of evidence traces a subtle but direct command chain implicating Abu Qasra, substantiating UN claims of organized, state-directed violence and confirming the overlap between documented atrocities and the ministry’s operational oversight.

6. Assad Regime Hid Vast Chemical Arsenal, Inspectors Find New Sites

Evidence shows Bashar al-Assad’s government deceived the world, declaring just 27 chemical weapons facilities and destroying them before his ouster. Investigators now believe over 100 sites existed, with inspectors only recently granted access to two high-priority locations for the first time. OPCW and Western officials confirm the Assad regime systematically obstructed monitoring, withheld site information, and falsified compliance, raising urgent concerns about hidden stockpiles and proliferation risks that may still threaten U.S. and Israeli security interests.

7. Syria Installs First Submarine Cable To Boost Internet Access

Syria completed landing its first international undersea cable at Tartus, connecting the country directly to European and African data routes and ending dependence on intermediaries. Officials state the Medusa cable will support faster internet, higher capacity, and better digital services, vital for reconstruction and economic growth. However, government and technical experts warn the benefits will remain limited until Syria upgrades its outdated urban fiber networks and secures stable electricity nationwide. Authorities are negotiating $300 million in regional investment to synchronize cable integration, nationwide fiber rollout, and power sector rehabilitation. Progress is gradual, but aims to position Syria as a regional digital hub and enhance business, education, and e-commerce capabilities.

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★LEBANON 

8. Israeli Strike Eliminates Hezbollah Commander, Hits Arms Supply Lines

Israeli airstrikes killed senior Hezbollah commander Ali Hussein Mousawi and another operative in Lebanon’s Bekaa region, targeting strategic infrastructure and command centers vital for Iranian missile and arms shipments. Recent strikes targeted reconstruction facilities used by Hezbollah, with civilian casualties adding pressure on Lebanese authorities. U.S. and Egyptian officials plan emergency talks in Beirut as escalated Israeli engagement risks broader conflict, directly impacting Israeli national security and regional U.S. interests.

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★AFRICA

9. U.S. Quartet Demands Sudan Ceasefire Amid Darfur RSF Advances

President Trump’s adviser Musaad Boulos announced the Quartet’s formation of an operations committee, driving U.S. coordination to enforce an urgent Sudan ceasefire and humanitarian relief. The Quartet meeting prioritized rapid truce implementation and ending widespread civilian suffering, committing direct engagement to stabilize Sudan and support peace negotiations. As fighting surged, Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces captured the last army stronghold in Darfur, cementing control after months of urban conflict and population displacement. Intensified RSF-militia cooperation and threats of mass reprisals create new risks for U.S. diplomatic initiatives and Israeli interests, raising prospects of further instability, border insecurity, and proxy escalation.

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★TURKIYE

10. Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Becomes Ambassador To Syria

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan named his deputy, Nuh Yilmaz, as Turkiye’s ambassador to Damascus. Yilmaz served for a decade in the Turkish National Intelligence Organization, leading strategic analysis and talent centers, before becoming Deputy Foreign Minister and chairman of the ministry’s strategic policy think tank. Previous to government service, Yilmaz led SETA’s Washington D.C. office from December 2008 to July 2011, managing U.S.-Turkiye relations and policy projects.

11. PKK Disarms, Withdraws Fighters As Turkiye Eyes Amnesty

Kurdistan Workers’ Party announced complete withdrawal of fighters from Turkiye into northern Iraq, formally ending an armed conflict lasting more than forty years and causing over 40,000 deaths. Ankara welcomed the withdrawal as a milestone in counterterror operations and encouraged the dismantlement of all associated militias in Turkiye, Iraq, and Syria. 

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★IRAN

12. Russia Mediates Iran-Syria Dialogue, Arab Pressure Blocks Corridor

Moscow’s envoy held top-level talks with Iranian leaders to rebuild Syria-Iran ties after Assad’s fall, but Syrian sources say Iran faces strong public opposition and its proposals for reopening regional land routes to Hezbollah were refused. Syria now aligns with Arab states, rejecting Iran’s influence and asserting policies against Iranian expansion, setting back Tehran’s ambitions and reinforcing U.S.-Israel security objectives.

13. Iran-Backed Drug Smugglers Caught In Yemen Amid Houthi Strain

Yemen’s Interior Ministry exposed Iranian, Syrian, and Hezbollah operatives smuggling narcotics and supporting Houthi forces, linking these networks to Iranian-backed regional proxy activities. Arrests at Aden Airport and factory raids in al-Mahrah disrupted major drug and arms pipelines benefitting Houthis and revealed a strategic shift in illicit trade from Syria to Yemen following Assad’s decline. Saudi-Yemeni security cooperation enabled these breakthroughs, resulting in record drug interceptions and the dismantling of Houthi-affiliated sabotage cells. Ongoing strikes and defections further destabilize Houthi leadership, heightening risks to U.S. and Israeli interests as Iranian proxy connectivity and regional instability deepen.

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★ Disclaimer: This publication is a digest of various news sources compiled by the Early Phoenix team and edited by Rania Kisar. The items are curated, concise summaries of news items hyperlinked within each story. The items and summaries presented do not necessarily represent the views of the American Center for Levant Studies.