U.S. Takes Fight to ISIS on Cyber Battlefield
No terrorist group has capitalized on networked technology more than ISIS, both for recruitment messaging and commanding their fighters on the ground. The internet is […] More
Syria
Israel and Hezbollah Eye Their Next War
On August 15, Israel’s Channel 2 news revealed satellite photos of an Iranian missile production facility near the town of Baniyas in northwestern Syria, capable […] More
IDF Would Face an Old Foe Battled-Tested by Syria
Hezbollah – an Iran-backed militia that controls southern Lebanon – boasts a medium-sized army and a whopping arsenal of up to 150,000 rockets and missiles. […] More
Focus on Clear Goals to Contain Iran in Iraq and Syria
With the liberation of Mosul from ISIS and the impending conquest of the “Caliphate” capital Raqqa, the U.S. is at a decision point in the […] More
Russia Wins When U.S. Stops Arming Anti-Assad Rebels
President Trump has decided to end the CIA-sponsored program to arm Syrian anti-Assad rebels, according to a Washington Post report on Wednesday. The newspaper quotes […] More
Cipher Brief Expert: Russia Wins When U.S. Stops Arming Anti-Assad Rebels
President Trump has decided to end the CIA-sponsored program to arm Syrian anti-Assad rebels, according to a Washington Post report on Wednesday. The newspaper quotes […] More
Trump Hands Syria to Putin on a Silver Platter
The Trump Administration is ending the covert program to support Syrian rebels fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Washington Post. […] More
The Messy Fight to Come in Northern Iraq and Syria
The territorial battle against ISIS is nearing its final stages in Iraq and Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has already declared that the ISIS […] More
The War Against ISIS Has Just Begun
Nearly three years ago, the Islamic State (ISIS) catapulted to the top of the news worldwide after the group seized vast swaths of Syria and […] More
Best Of: ISIS — From the Ground to Cyber Space
There are two schools of thought about the nature of the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Some experts say […] More
Best Of: Why ISIS Is Bullet-Proof
The Cipher Brief’s Bennett Seftel sat down with Michael W.S. Ryan, Senior Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, to discuss ISIS’ recent battlefield losses, the group’s […] More
White House Warning to Syria Leaves Little “Wiggle Room”
The White House late Monday night released a statement warning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime against launching another chemical weapons attack. The Trump administration said […] More
As ISIS Falls, Border Battles Loom
The U.S.-led military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria appears to be nearing its end. In Mosul, Iraqi military forces are now pushing into […] More
The Complex State of Play in Eastern Syria
The territorial battle against ISIS is nearing its final stages in Iraq and Syria. In Iraq, U.S. coalition-backed Iraqi forces have trapped the remaining ISIS […] More
The Fight for the Northern Iraq-Syria Border
The Iraq-Syria border has emerged in recent months as the hottest piece of real estate in the multi-sided struggle between the Islamic State (ISIS), anti-ISIS […] More
U.S. Downing of Syrian Warplane: A “Canary in the Coal Mine”
After a U.S. Navy F/A-18E shot down a Syrian SU-22 bomber on Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly condemned the action, announced that […] More
Close Calls or Worse Between U.S. and Russia in Syria
Last Sunday, a U.S. Navy F/A-18E fighter jet shot down a Syrian government SU-22 bomber in the U.S. military’s first air-to-air kill involving manned aircraft […] More
Putin Looks Elsewhere to Retaliate Against U.S. Acts in Syria
On June 18, a U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet shot down a Syrian Air Force Su-22 fighter bomber near the town of al-Tabqa in eastern […] More