For today, links to reports from Reuters and Middle East Eye, and to commentary from Indian Punchline and the Cradle; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA, WEST BANK, LEBANON and IRAN entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. SYRIA 2-2-25 and SYRIA 2-3-25 entries are HERE and HERE.) — MCM
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Syria’s Sharaa to discuss defense pact with Turkey’s Erdogan: sources. From Reuters. AMMAN / BEIRUT / DAMASCUS — Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan were expected to discuss a joint defense pact in Ankara today, including . . . READ MORE . . .
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Manbij car bomb attack suspends SDF-Damascus talks, by Ragip Soylu | Middle East Eye ANKARA — A deadly car bomb attack that killed at least 20 people on Monday near northern Syria’s Manbij has suspended negotiations between the Damascus interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, according to two sources familiar with . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 3 Trump turn is bad news for West Asia, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline On Tuesday the international community will get to see President Donald Trump wading into the midstream of West Asia’s crisis, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enters the Oval Office hoping for an opportunity to shape U.S. regional policy. Do you get déjà vu? . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM JAN. 31 In Syria, the lunatics are running the asylum, by Fuad Walid Itayim | The Cradle For years, many speculated what Syria – a country with deep religious and cultural diversity – would look like if the armed, extremist-dominated opposition managed to overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s government. READ MORE . . .