Deadly clashes erupted this week between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Defence Forces (SDF) after the two sides failed to reach a year-end deadline to merge the Kurdish fighters into the main Damascus military.<\/p>\n
“Turkey supports Syria’s fight against terrorist organisations,” the official told reporters, saying Ankara was “closely monitoring” developments in the north.<\/p>\n
“Should Syria request assistance, Turkey will provide the necessary support,” he added, echoing a long-standing offer by Ankara to extend military support to its allies in Damascus’s new government.<\/p>\n
Turkey has long been hostile to the Kurdish SDF that controls swathes of northeastern Syria, seeing it as an extension of the banned Kurdish militant group PKK, seeing it as a major threat along its southern border.<\/p>\n
It has repeatedly pushed for implementation of a March 2025 deal under which the Kurds’ semi-autonomous administration and military would be integrated into the Syrian military and security apparatus.<\/p>\n
The Kurds are pushing for decentralised rule, an idea which Syria’s new authorities have rejected, blocking the deal’s implementation causing tensions that have occasionally erupted into clashes.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the Syrian military began shelling two neighbourhoods in Aleppo after ordering all Kurdish fighters to leave the area following clashes that forced thousands of civilians to flee.<\/p>\n
Parliamentary speaker Numan Kurtulmus said Turkey wanted to help end the clashes.<\/p>\n
“Our aim is to bring an immediate end to the kind of clashes currently seen in Aleppo… and for a truly pluralistic, democratic regime that meets the needs of Syria’s people to be established rapidly. Turkey is ready to provide all necessary support for this,” he told reporters.<\/p>\n
He also warned against any involvement by Israel in the ongoing dispute between Damascus and the SDF, echoing frequent concerns expressed by Turkish officials that Israel could exploit the unrest to further its own interests.<\/p>\n
Israel on Thursday denounced Damascus’s operation “against the Kurdish minority in Aleppo”, describing it as “grave and dangerous” for Syria’s minorities, hiking concern it could weigh.<\/p>\n
“Let me be very clear: Israel does not love the Sunni Arabs in Syria, nor does Israel love the Kurds of Syria,” Kurtulmus added.<\/p>\n
“We know the fundamental aim of some countries in the region is to fragment and divide this region further, to turn people against each other on ethnic, religious, and sectarian grounds and even turn them into enemies.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turkey’s military is ready to “support” Syria in its battle with Kurdish fighters in the northwestern city of Aleppo if Damascus asks for help, a defence ministry official announced Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":352504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1220,282],"tags":[41,1234],"class_list":{"0":"post-352501","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wired","8":"category-middle-east","9":"tag-syria","10":"tag-turkey"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352501"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":352506,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352501\/revisions\/352506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":352499,"date":"2026-01-08T13:09:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T13:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/?p=352499"},"modified":"2026-01-08T13:09:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T13:09:13","slug":"lebanon-talks-to-focus-on-israels-threats-irans-fm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/lebanon-talks-to-focus-on-israels-threats-irans-fm\/","title":{"rendered":"Lebanon Talks to focus on Israel\u2019s threats: Iran’s FM"},"content":{"rendered":"
Araqchi arrived at Beirut\u2019s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Thursday, January 8, where he was welcomed by Lebanese officials.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters upon arrival, Araqchi said he would meet Lebanese officials over the course of Thursday and Friday, adding that his primary objective was to consult closely with them on regional developments.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday and tomorrow, I will meet with Lebanese officials, and the first goal is consultations with our Lebanese friends about regional developments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also thanked Khalil Hamdan, a representative of Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, for the reception and remarks at the airport.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Araqchi warned that the region was facing serious challenges and threats that he said were clearly emanating from the Israeli regime.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur region is facing serious challenges and threats, threats that are specifically coming from the Israeli regime and perhaps have never been this serious,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that over the past two years, seven countries in the region, including Iran and Lebanon, had been attacked by the regime.<\/p>\n
Araqchi said parts of Lebanese territory remain under occupation by Israeli soldiers and that a ceasefire in place over the past year had been repeatedly violated.<\/p>\n
\u201cParts of Lebanese territory are still under occupation by Zionist soldiers, and over the past year the ceasefire that was established has been repeatedly violated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said the main purpose of his visit was to hold close consultations with senior Lebanese officials on these challenges and threats.<\/p>\n
Separately, Araqchi described Lebanon as a key country in the region, saying it plays an important role in regional peace and stability.<\/p>\n
He added that Iran was in consultations with all countries in the region and that his visit to Lebanon came at a very sensitive time.<\/p>\n
Turning to bilateral relations, Araqchi said the second objective of his visit was to advance ties between Iran and Lebanon.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran and Lebanon have long had political relations and economic and cultural ties, and we are seeking to expand these relations, especially economic relations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said Iran was pursuing comprehensive relations with the entire Lebanese government and that he would meet Lebanon\u2019s economy minister during the visit to expand economic and trade cooperation.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Araqchi said both countries possess rich cultures and civilizations, adding that cultural exchanges could help deepen friendship and interaction between the two nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran and Lebanon also enjoy rich cultures and ancient civilizations, and cultural exchanges can help expand friendship and deep interactions between our two countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He reiterated Iran\u2019s support for Lebanon\u2019s territorial integrity, national unity and independence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran will always support Lebanon\u2019s territorial integrity, national unity and independence, and the Lebanese government\u2019s position toward Iran has always been the same,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that Tehran sought to expand relations based on mutual respect and shared interests.<\/p>\n
Responding to a question about Israeli regime threats against Lebanon, Araqchi said Iran would hold close consultations with Lebanese officials on the issue.<\/p>\n
In response to another question about threats by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran, Araqchi said both had already attempted to attack Iran and failed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe United States and Israel once tried attacking Iran and they failed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time they repeat this experience, they will get the same result,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He said Iran was fully prepared for any scenario, while stressing that Tehran was not seeking war.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not seeking war, but we are prepared,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also said Iran was open to negotiations, provided they were based on mutual respect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also ready for negotiations, but negotiations that are based on mutual respect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever the Americans accept that negotiations are different from dictation, negotiations can begin,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated on Thursday he would hold consultations with Lebanese officials over escalating threats posed by Israel, after arriving in Beirut for a two-day visit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":352502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1220,32],"tags":[3094,220],"class_list":{"0":"post-352499","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wired","8":"category-foreign-policies","9":"tag-iran-israel","10":"tag-iran-lebanon"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352499"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":352503,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352499\/revisions\/352503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":352498,"date":"2026-01-08T12:41:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T12:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/?p=352498"},"modified":"2026-01-08T12:41:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T12:41:48","slug":"report-denies-claims-of-turkey-evacuating-citizens-from-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/report-denies-claims-of-turkey-evacuating-citizens-from-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Report denies claims of Turkey evacuating citizens from Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"
According to ISNA, follow-ups with the Turkish Embassy in Tehran confirm that claims published by some social media channels about Ankara removing Turkish nationals from Iran are not accurate.<\/p>\n
Earlier, several online accounts had alleged that Turkey was taking such action due to developments in Iran and the region.<\/p>\n
The embassy, however, dismissed these reports as unfounded.<\/p>\n
This comes amid ongoing protests against Iran\u2019s economic downturn and hiking prices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A news agency has denied reports circulating on social media that Turkey is evacuating its citizens from Iran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":248728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1221,32],"tags":[173],"class_list":{"0":"post-352498","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-exclusive","8":"category-foreign-policies","9":"tag-iran-turkey"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":352500,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352498\/revisions\/352500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":352492,"date":"2026-01-08T11:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T11:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/?p=352492"},"modified":"2026-01-08T11:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T11:59:17","slug":"lebanons-military-claims-completed-first-phase-of-disarming-hezbollah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/lebanons-military-claims-completed-first-phase-of-disarming-hezbollah\/","title":{"rendered":"Lebanon’s military claims completed first phase of disarming Hezbollah"},"content":{"rendered":"
In a statement, the army said it had “achieved the objectives of the first phase” of its plan, with an intention to extend it to the rest of Lebanon.<\/p>\n
Hezbollah, weakened after a deadly war with Israel in November 2024, refuses to surrender its weapons in the rest of Lebanon.<\/p>\n
The army added it now controls the area in Lebanon south of the Litani River “with the exception of territory and positions still occupied by Israel” near the border.<\/p>\n
Despite a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in place for over a year, which stipulates that Israel must withdraw from Lebanese territory, Israel continues to occupy five strategic points near the border.<\/p>\n
The Israeli army is still conducting operations against Hezbollah, which it accuses of seeking to rearm, and is questioning the effectiveness of the Lebanese army’s disarmament efforts.<\/p>\n
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah must withdraw its forces north of the Litani River and have its military infrastructure dismantled in the evacuated areas.<\/p>\n
The Lebanese army said its operations will continue south of the Litani to “complete the disposal of unexploded ordnance” and search for tunnels dug by Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
It added that it will take measures to “permanently prevent armed groups from rebuilding their capabilities”.<\/p>\n
Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal is scheduled to brief the government Thursday afternoon on the progress made.<\/p>\n
The Lebanese government is under intense pressure from the United States to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah, amid fears of an escalation in Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar praised the Lebanese government and army’s efforts on Sunday, but added that they were “far from sufficient”.<\/p>\n
A committee comprised of representatives from the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and the United Nations is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Lebanese army has announced that it has completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, covering the area between the Israeli border and the Litani River.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":352495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1220,282],"tags":[53665338,1176,1178],"class_list":{"0":"post-352492","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wired","8":"category-middle-east","9":"tag-hezbollah","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-lebanon"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352492"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":352497,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352492\/revisions\/352497"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":352491,"date":"2026-01-08T11:44:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T11:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/?p=352491"},"modified":"2026-01-08T11:44:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T11:44:41","slug":"former-iran-fm-zarif-says-era-of-loyalty-in-global-order-over-citing-venezuela-irans-12-day-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/former-iran-fm-zarif-says-era-of-loyalty-in-global-order-over-citing-venezuela-irans-12-day-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Iran FM Zarif says era of loyalty in global order over, citing Venezuela, Iran\u2019s 12-day war"},"content":{"rendered":"
Speaking at the unveiling of the book \u201cThe World Ahead: Discourses on the Global Order\u201d, Zarif said the current international system can no longer be described as clearly bipolar or multipolar.<\/p>\n
He argued that the world has entered a \u201cpost-polar\u201d phase in which power is fragmented across military, economic, and technological domains.<\/p>\n
Referring to Venezuela, Zarif said the country\u2019s experience demonstrated that loyalty does not work in today\u2019s global system, noting that neither China nor Russia came to Caracas\u2019s aid.<\/p>\n
He added that a similar lesson was learned by Iran during the recent war with the US-Israeli coalition, when expectations of meaningful sacrifice or support from major powers proved misplaced.<\/p>\n
Zarif also pointed to developments in the US, NATO, and transatlantic relations as evidence of shifting global dynamics, citing US positions on Ukraine and remarks by US President Donald Trump regarding Greenland.<\/p>\n
According to Zarif, clinging to outdated, bloc-based views of the world leads to flawed analysis and conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n
He stressed that Iran and other countries must adopt a new understanding of the international system to better anticipate global trends and protect their national interests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the era in which countries could rely on the loyalty and sacrifice of global powers has passed, arguing that recent international developments show expectations of steadfast support are no longer realistic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":321333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1221,32,413],"tags":[53664630],"class_list":{"0":"post-352491","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-exclusive","8":"category-foreign-policies","9":"category-selected","10":"tag-iran-israel-war"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352491"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":352494,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352491\/revisions\/352494"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifpnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]