The clashes on May 27, 2023, between Taliban and Iranian forces along the Afghanistan-Iran border raise regional tensions. Stemming from a water treaty dispute, these clashes represent the first major violence between Iran and the Taliban since 2021. The article explores the events leading up to the clashes, the clashes themselves, and assesses whether they hold greater significance than initially portrayed.
In a concerning escalation of tensions, the Israeli military has reported that 34 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel, with at least four landing in Israeli territory. While the latest exchange of fire follows violent clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, it is the assessment of Midstone Centre that the instigation of tension in the region has been in the plans of the Iranian regime and its proxies for some time.
Pakistan is in the global spotlight once again: catastrophic flooding caused by untimely and intense monsoon rains – six to seven times the usual volume, according to estimates – have submerged more than half the country’s landmass.
