Sami Moubayed

1 week ago | newlinesmag.com | Sami Moubayed

On May 30, 1945, as French forces bombarded Damascus in the final months of World War II, a rumor swept through the city’s Kurdish quarter, on the slopes of Mount Qasioun: The Syrian government had collapsed, and President Shukri al-Quwatli had fled the capital. Seizing the moment, young Kurdish Damascenes took up arms, ostensibly in self-defense, and some even raised the Kurdish tricolor flag — a symbol devised in 1920 by the Istanbul-based Society for the Rise of Kurdistan.

Dec 8, 2024 | gulfnews.com | Sami Moubayed

During the Lebanese parliamentary elections of 2009, few had heard of Masaad Boulos, a relatively unknown Greek Orthodox tycoon was running on a Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) ticket headed by Michel Aoun. His affiliation to Aon ran through his father-in-law, who was one of FPM founders in the 1990s and Bolos had served as its liaison in Nigeria, where he made his fortune.

Nov 20, 2024 | gulfnews.com | Sami Moubayed

Hezbollah’s media spokesman Mohammad Afif was not an important target for Israel. He was not a military figure and probably knew nothing about battle strategy or arms. He had not been targeted since outbreak of war in mid-September and would often speak to international journalists from well-known locations, without the need to hide in bunkers.

Oct 27, 2024 | gulfnews.com | Sami Moubayed

Early on Saturday, Israel struck Iranian territory for the second time this year, following an earlier strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on 1 April 2024. The last time the Iranian capital was targeted was during the Iran-Iraq War of the mid-1980s, but Saturday’s attack was nowhere as fatal as those of Saddam Hussein, targeting none of Iran’s refineries or power stations.

Oct 21, 2024 | gulfnews.com | Sami Moubayed

The Oct. 16 killing of Hamas leader Yehya Al Sinwar raises plenty of questions about what the future holds both for Hamas and the entire Gaza Strip. The architect of the Aqsa Flood Operation is dead. Hamas is a shadow of its former self. Gaza is in rubble, so will Benjamin Netanyahu now accept a ceasefire, as his relationship with the outgoing Biden Administration passes through a difficult moment?