Middle East missiles, large contracts and space ambitions: 2025 review
There was no shortage of news in the Middle East in 2025.
Turkey
Libya’s army chief dies in plane crash in Turkey
Libyan PM says Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad died after aircraft lost radio contact above AnkaraThe Libyan army’s chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has been killed in a plane crash after leaving Turkey’s capital, Ankara.The prime minister of…
What Would Follow a Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation?
DEEP DIVE — On November 24, 2025, President Trump launched a process to designate Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).Citing fresh intel…
Army Showcases Reconstructed Turkish YIHA Drone Used by Pakistan in Operation Sindoor
The Indian Army has unveiled a reconstructed Turkish Yiha drone, a kamikaze unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) deployed by Pakistan during the recent hostilities known as Operation Sindoor.This display took place on Monday, 15 December 2025, at an event hosted by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi to mark Vijay Diwas, which commemorates India’s victory in the 1971 war against Pakistan and the
Desperate Pakistan PM Sharif Gate-Crashes Vladimir Putin’s Closed-Door Meeting With Turkey’s Erdogan
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif faced widespread online ridicule after an awkward diplomatic episode at the International Forum on Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. On Friday, Sharif reportedly waited over 40 minutes for a scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, only to grow impatient and join an ongoing discussion between Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip
‘It’s a breach of trust’: fear and frustration over countries’ push to return Syrians home
Syrians who have rebuilt their lives abroad face uncertainty over their futures amid hardening of attitudesTears of joy streamed down Abdulhkeem Alshater’s face as he joined thousands of other Syrian nationals in central Vienna last year. The moment th…
All 187,460 Miles of Road That Led to Rome, Mapped
A digital atlas of ancient Rome’s highways and byways reveals a road network that was more extensive than thought.
Collector Surrenders ‘Nude Emperor’ Statue Identified as Looted
The statue and a marble head of a Greek orator seized from the Met Museum were among dozens of items found to have been looted that were handed over to Turkey at a ceremony in Manhattan.
Can Syria’s president turn wave of global goodwill into tangible results at home?
Sanctions, instability and external meddling are still problems for Ahmed al-Sharaa, one year after Assad’s fallDdivided Syria struggles to escape cycle of violenceThe fall of the house of Assad – in picturesIf ubiquity and handshakes were the only mea…
Disarming Hamas should not be first task of Gaza stabilisation force, Turkey says
Ankara’s foreign minister suggests international partners should start by separating Israeli troops from Hamas The international stabilisation force (ISF) in Gaza should make its priority the separation of Israeli troops and Hamas rather than the disar…