Seth J. Frantzman

The concept behind the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement seems more about starting a process than enabling these countries to rapidly deploy to any of their partners' homelands.

Houthi Red Sea offensive leaves Riyadh isolated

Dozens of US Reaper drones were lost in the Iran war, is there a silver lining? Many other countries that use large drones, including Israel, are learning from the war and may pivot to new tech.

Saudi Arabia shot down a Houthi drone outside of Mecca, but the Saudi military response remains in disarray.

A Kurdish Iranian opposition group said Iran targeted its headquarters in northern Iraq, the latest in a series of attacks on anti-Tehran factions.

“The two leaders will exchange views on regional developments amid the latest tensions and changes in the region, while also discussing ways to strengthen Egyptian-Saudi relations."

Syria and Turkey have signed 40 agreements and memoranda of understanding, creating links between 22 Syrian ministries and agencies and their Turkish counterparts, SANA reported.

Riyadh is juggling challeneges as Houthis advance and Iranian negotiations with Gulf states are postponed. Reliance on US CENTCOM grows increasingly important for the Kingdom.

The protests have affected most of the country. This includes incidents in Aleppo in the north, Dara’a in the south, Deir Ezzor on the Euphrates River, and Hasakah.

Baghdad’s push to bring armed groups under state control is gaining traction with the YBS, unlike with Iraq’s more powerful, Iranian-backed militias.