Iran's influence over Syria is a threat to the entire region, including Jordan
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
May 23, 2022
The Jordanian armed forces announced that they foiled an attempt to smuggle "large quantities" of drugs into the country from Syria on Sunday, which killed four smugglers, many of whom were wounded, and the others fled into the depths of Syria.
During the inspection of the area, Jordanian authorities seized 637,000 Captagon narcotic pills, 39,600 Tramadol pills, 181 palm-sized sheets of hashish and a Kalashnikov weapon. Read more
The war in Sudan is a struggle for power
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
April 20, 2023
It is difficult to provide an accurate military analysis of what is currently taking place in Sudan due to the lack of accurate information, but in general what is happening there is a struggle for power between two rival generals: The head of Sudan's armed forces General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country's de facto leader since a military coup in October 2021, and former war general Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and deputy head of the Sudanese government in the Sovereign Council. The Sudanese army has more military capabilities than the RSF and the army is Read more
Reshaping Ukraine and Russia's Battlefield
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
November 03, 2022
An exclusive interview was conducted by Middle East Eye on the use of combat drones, including the Turkish Bayraktar TB-2 and the Iranian Shahed-136 drones, to aid the opposing sides in the war between Ukraine and Russia.
The research team contacted our defence and security advisor, Mr. Mamoun Abu Nowar, a ret. Jordanian Airforce General, with 35 years of service as a fighter pilot,To learn more about the impact of the use of these combat drones and how it has become a primary. Read more
Jordan - Syria border tension: weapons and smugglers
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
January 20, 2022
The Syrian-Jordanian border has been under constant tension for decades, and it has become a threat to Jordan's national security in terms of arms and drug smuggling, chaos and terrorism,
This constant tension led to the death of Capt. Muhammad al-Khudayrat, a Jordanian army officer, and three others were injured after confronting a group of smugglers who tried to smuggle a large quantity of narcotics and opened fire at the northern border of Jordan with Syria. Read more
ISIS's caliph is killed, the organization
remained alive
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
February 10, 2022
The killing of the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS/Da'esh) does not mean that ISIS is over, the organization will remain a constant threat and we will soon see another ISIS leader.
The leader of the Islamic State, Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Salbi, widely known as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, kept himself shrouded in mystery for over two years as the "caliph of the group."There are often no public photos of him, he has never appeared. Read more
Assassination attempt: Iraq's prime minister
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
November 07, 2021
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped an assassination attempt after a drone attack on his residence inside Baghdad's high-security Green Zone. No group took immediate responsibility.
According to officials, a drone laden with explosives struck the building, injuring six of the Prime Minister bodyguards in an apparent assassination attempt. Security sources say three drones were used in the assassination attempt, and that they had been launched from 12km northeast of Baghdad, but two were shot down. Read more
The future of al-Qaeda following the Al-Zawahiri strike
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
August 6, 2022
On July 31, just over an hour after sunrise, al-Qaeda's long-time leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, walked on the balcony of a complex in downtown Kabul, reportedly a favourite post-prayer routine of the jihadist eye surgeon. It was the last thing al-Qaeda Amir could do.
At 6:18 a.m. (0148 GMT), a remote-controlled aircraft (drone) operated by the CIA fired two Hellfire missiles into the balcony, killing the Amir, one of the last remaining key figures behind the terrorist attacks. Read more
Sudan: Fighting to death
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
April 30, 2023
Fighting has continued in Sudan between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which failed to settle the matter on the first day of the fighting. This raises questions about why Hemedti did not succeed in his sudden attack, which he carried out on Saturday, April 15, 2023.
To date, neither side has succeeded, despite the uncertainty on the military scene, contradictory statements and information war between the two sides. Although both sides exchanged accusations Read more
Sudan armed forces use heavy weapons on protesters
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
December 12, 2021
An exclusive investigation was conducted by DW Arabic on the use of heavy weapons, including Armor-piercing and anti-aircraft Guns by Sudanese armed forces against peaceful demonstrators during and after the military coup in October 2021.
The investigation team contacted several organisations and experts, including our defence and security advisor, Mr. Mamoun Naji to find out the type and the origin of these weapons used in Khartoum and surrounding areas in October 2021. Read more
Evacuation of Kabul Airport: Situation is getting worse
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
August 26, 2021
The two explosions at the Kabul airport indicate a great danger and risk to the lives of the U.S. and allied forces, and Afghans who are cooperating with them, due to the overwhelming chaos that is currently taking place in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
According to the researchers, there were links between ISIS-K (Islamic State Khorasan Province) and Al-Qaeda with Taliban, there has been some cooperation between them in the past. Read more
The Last 48 Hours of Diplomacy Before Putin's Incursion
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
February 13, 2022
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis have so far been unsuccessful, particularly the meeting of the "Normandy Quartet". Besides the failure of French President Emmanuel Macron with Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
The decision to go to war is now entirely in Putin's hands, and nobody knows what's going on in his mind, but Ukraine will go to war on its own if it begins. In our view, sending arms to Ukraine is nothing Read more
The Chinese-sponsored agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia may lead to stability in the region.
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
March 20, 2023
The Chinese-backed deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran is a major political quake that will change many political alignments in the Middle East. Internationally, this is a setback for the United States, which has lost part of one of its most important regional allies, Saudi Arabia to China. The United States and Israel relied on the Saudis and Emiratis to help them weaken the Iranians, but failed to pay adequate Read more
Articles
The alarming presence of ISIS in Sahel
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
MENA Research Senior Analyst
July 19, 2023
The large inflow of ISIS operatives in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region, proves that ISIS did not end with the death of its leaders, and that the African continent, like other regions, has not yet achieved the level of being free from terrorism and violence.
ISIS and al-Qaeda have learned to use the Sahel region as a breeding ground for its expansion, which led to the recruitment of local groups, including "Boko Haram" in Nigeria and "Al-Shabaab" in Somalia, and their members pledged allegiance to the organizations and then Read more
Iran’s nuclear coexistence: Middle East
by Hamzeh Abu Nowar
M MENA Research Senior Analyst
Israel does not have the military capacity to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, and it must cross the airspace of Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, which will not allow it to do so, nor does it have the special munitions to strike these facilities located in the heart and the interior of the fortified mountains, and to destroy them requires hundreds of sorties, which the Israeli war generals certainly know.
The United States will not take the risk of striking Iran, and what we are witnessing now, sending B-52 planes, and deploying its forces into the Red Sea region, has not deterred anything, but when we see four to five aircraft carriers in the region, we expect action to be taken. Read more