Author Archives: jonathanspyer

The Spectator, 19/8 The long civil war in Syria is still far from conclusion. Any real possibility of rebel victory ended with the entry of Russian forces last autumn — but while the initiative is now with the Assad regime, … Continue reading →

As of 16/8, my Facebook account has been reinstated.  The power of positive thinking evidently works wonders.  Much thanks to all.

Jerusalem Post, 12/08 Cautious and prudent Israeli policy has largely succeeded over the last five years in sealing off the Syrian civil war from Israel’s territory.  This has been achieved through the careful cultivation of a working relationship with rebel … Continue reading →

  Recently my Facebook profile, on which I was connected to around 5000 people, was closed down by Facebook. This has had some impact on my ability to do my job as a researcher and journalist, tho I have since … Continue reading →

  My article at Janes Intelligence Review on the rebellion in North west Syria can be accessed here:  http://www.janes.com/article/62756/syrian-insurgency-persists-despite-divisions

Jerusalem Report, 4/8   In June, 2016, I travelled to the border area between Turkey and Syria, in order to interview rebel fighters and leaders.  I was among the first foreign journalists to meet the rebels and visit their first … Continue reading →

PJMedia, 26/7 The terror attacks in Nice, Wurzburg and Normandy are the latest manifestations of what should now be seen as a still fairly low-level Islamist insurgency taking place in a number of west European countries. The fact that this … Continue reading →

19/7 On the night of August 9, 2006, our unit was ordered to cross the border and  commence an operation into Marj Ayoun and El Khiam.  It was the conclusion of a period of several days in which we had … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 8/7 ISIS’s pretensions to statehood are receding as it loses ground, but the organization is anything but defeated as a recent string of mass terror attacks shows. The latest wave of bombings by Islamic State confirm a pattern long … Continue reading →

(An abridged version of this article appeared in the Jerusalem Post, 23/6) 10 years since the Second Lebanon War.  For those of us who took part in it, that war remains, always just in view. Like a suitcase filled with … Continue reading →