Jonathan Spyer

Latest from Jonathan Spyer

The West stays silent as its Kurdish allies face attacks by Syria’s ‘reformed’ Islamist government

Without pressure, we may see the wholesale destruction of the forces and the authority that paid the highest price to defeat ISIS. It is also likely to result in the freeing of thousands of jailed jihadis

3 min read

Kurds fleeing a government advance arrive in the Kurdish Syrian city of Qamishli on January 19, 2026. (Image: Getty)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (R) (Image: Getty)

Playing arsonist and firefighter: How the West is falling for Qatar’s deadly game

4 min read

As Iranian power recedes, Turkey and its Sunni allies are filling the vacuum

3 min read

Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) fighters move past abandoned Syrian army military equipment and vehicles, as they reach al-Safirah town southeast of Aleppo city on December 3 (Getty Images)

What is happening in Syria is a microcosm of the dynamics of the Middle East

3 min read

By avoiding confrontation with Iran and its proxies the West is stoking up further aggression

The failure to grasp this basic fact has enabled unprecedented Houthi success – with no sign of change

4 min read

September 12, 2024 10:01

Houthis take part in a pro-Palestinian rally in Sanaa amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Why Israel must hit Iran

Demands that Israel stays its hand in responding to Tehran ignores the importance of identifying a slowly building threat, then taking determined action against it

3 min read

April 16, 2024 15:34

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (HASSAN AMMAR/AFP via Getty Images)

‘Our president’s Jewish... So what?’ say the fighters for a modern Ukraine

Security expert Jonathan Spyer discovers the real reason why soldiers are serving on the Donbas battlefields

3 min read

June 16, 2022 09:49

‘Our president’s Jewish... So what?’ say the fighters for a modern Ukraine

Why it's not so quiet on Israel's northern front

Key operations are part of the regional strategic contest underway between Israel and its allies and Iran

4 min read

February 8, 2021 09:09

Israeli troops are pictured during a military drill in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on January 13, 2021. - Israeli night raids targeting arms depots and military positions in eastern Syria killed at least seven Syrian soldiers and 16 allied fighters, in the deadliest raids this year, a war monitor said. The Israeli air force carried out more than 18 strikes against multiple targets in an area stretching from the eastern town of Deir Ezzor to the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. (Photo by JALAA MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran’s brutal militias are standing by for US sanctions to be eased

Jonathan Spyer argues that it is vital President Biden does not allow the cash to flow again

3 min read

January 14, 2021 16:36

Iran’s brutal militias are standing by for US sanctions to be eased

Jonathan Spyer

Latest from Jonathan Spyer

The West stays silent as its Kurdish allies face attacks by Syria’s ‘reformed’ Islamist government

Playing arsonist and firefighter: How the West is falling for Qatar’s deadly game

As Iranian power recedes, Turkey and its Sunni allies are filling the vacuum

What is happening in Syria is a microcosm of the dynamics of the Middle East

More from Jonathan Spyer

By avoiding confrontation with Iran and its proxies the West is stoking up further aggression

Why Israel must hit Iran

‘Our president’s Jewish... So what?’ say the fighters for a modern Ukraine

Why it's not so quiet on Israel's northern front

Iran’s brutal militias are standing by for US sanctions to be eased