Amine Ayoub

Amine Ayoub is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco. His media contributions appeared in The Jerusalem Post, Yedioth Ahronoth , Arutz Sheva ,The Times of Israel and many others. His writings focus on Islamism, jihad, Israel and MENA politics. He tweets at @amineayoubx.

Articles by this Author
Tehran knows that Israel possesses the political will to strike directly at its strategic capabilities when necessary. However, the Iranian regime also knows that the Arab Gulf states remain deeply terrified of full-scale regional escalation. Image: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Middle East Forum Online
The Mirage of the Riyadh Shield: Why Saudi Arabia Refuses to Strike Tehran and What It Means for Israel
Riyadh Continues to Play a Calculated Game of Evasion
August 2, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
History shows what Tehran does with quiet periods. It rebuilds stockpiles. It moves weapons to its proxies. It studies what worked and what failed. The factories that build Shahed-type drones (above) do not shut down because diplomats are talking. The smuggling routes into Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen keep running.
Middle East Forum Online
The U.S.-Iran Pause Didn’t Stop Tehran’s Drone War, and This Worries Israel
Drones Kept Flying, Rockets Were Falling, and Iran’s Proxies Keep Operating as If Nothing Has Changed
July 31, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
The signing of an intergovernmental agreement by member states of the Economic Community of West African States in Sierra Leone in July 2026 marks a decisive geopolitical turning point. By formally endorsing the Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline, West Africa's primary regional bloc has cleared the way for a transformational 6,900-kilometer energy corridor. Image: An overland liquid natural gas pipeline system.
Middle East Forum Online
How the New Atlantic Gas Corridor Changes the Balance of Power in North Africa
It Delivers Energy Security, Weakens Algerian Leverage, and Creates a Major Strategic Win for Western-Aligned Partners
July 24, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
To secure this experimental enclave, the Peace Council relies on an International Stability Force, structured specifically to act as a buffer separating Palestinian Arab civilians from Israeli troops. Image: Palestinians returning to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah land crossing and arriving at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip; April 24, 2026.
Middle East Forum Online
The Rafah Sandbox: The Peace Council Plan Imperils Israeli Security
The Plan Constructs a Sovereign Blind Spot and a Sanctuary for the Reconstitution of Hostile Forces
July 14, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Since assuming emergency powers in July 2021, Tunisian President Kais Saied has methodically dismantled democratic institutions, sidelined elected bodies, muzzled independent media, and violated human rights under the pretext of combating corruption and terrorism.
Middle East Forum Online
Tunisia Is Dying While Chasing Political Ghosts
Legal Theater Cannot Feed a Collapsing Nation
July 10, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Al-Sharaa is a veteran of the global jihadist movement who gained operational experience fighting American forces alongside al-Qaeda in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. Following his subsequent incarceration at Camp Bucca, he spearheaded the creation of Jabhat al-Nusra, which operated as al-Qaeda’s official Syrian franchise. Image: Al-Sharaa in Berlin, March 30, 2026.
Middle East Forum Online
U.S.’s Overture to Ahmed Al-Sharaa: A Risky Bet on ‘Reformed’ Islamism
Sharaa’s Elevation from International Terrorist to Diplomatic Partner Is the Most Sophisticated Mutation of Salafi-Jihadist Ideology in the Modern Era
July 10, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Jerusalem’s task now is convincing Washington that the F-35 question and the Libya question are, in substance, the same question, asked in two different theaters. Image: a U.S. Air Force F-35B Lightning II.
Middle East Forum Online
Turkey Doesn’t Need F-35s to Threaten Israel; It’s Already Testing Its Arsenal in Libya
For Israeli Security Planners Gauging What Turkey Would Do with Expanded Access to Advanced Western Technology, the Most Useful Case Study Is Libya
July 9, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
The Algerian regime’s governance model consistently prioritizes tight political control over genuine economic reform. Public sector dominance, opaque decision-making, and selective anti-corruption campaigns, which often target political rivals rather than root causes, systematically undermine foreign and domestic investor confidence. International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters building in Washington, DC.
Middle East Forum Online
International Monetary Fund Warns Algeria on Deep Structural Failures in Economic Management
The Warning Stated That Sustaining Huge Deficit Levels Threatens the Sustainability of Public Finances, the Depletion of Foreign Reserves, and Escalating Debt
July 9, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Morocco's arrival in Gaza places an experienced, religiously credible Arab military inside the one part of the mission that foreign ministries elsewhere have been most hesitant to staff.
Middle East Forum Online
The Only Army in Gaza Israel Actually Trusts Isn’t Egypt’s; It’s Morocco’s
Egypt Got the Photo Op, Morocco Got the Trust, and No Hamas Back Channel to Manage
July 7, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Nearly 7,000 candidates are competing for 407 seats in the People's National Assembly, distributed through proportional representation with a 5 percent threshold that all but guarantees a parliament shaped to reinforce presidential authority. The real uncertainty, the number the regime cannot simply legislate into existence, is turnout.
Middle East Forum Online
Algeria’s July 2 Vote: Why the Regime Fears a Number, Not a Result
Algeria Criminalized Boycotting Its Own Elections, Then Spent the Entire Campaign Pleading with Citizens to Vote in Them Anyway
July 2, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Israel’s new Alumot unit is designed to move artificial-intelligence tools directly from development to frontline forces while Washington debates how deeply to institutionalize U.S.-Israel defense-technology cooperation.
Middle East Forum Online
The U.S. Can Debate AI Integration; Israel Has Already Operationalized It
Israel’s Alumot Unit Turns Battlefield AI From Research Into Real-Time Combat Capability
June 26, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Both Israel and Morocco are increasingly outmaneuvering their adversaries by creating undeniable facts on the ground while building robust international alliances.
Middle East Forum Online
The Parallels Between Morocco and Israel Are Impossible to Ignore
Both Nations Are Historical Pillars of Stability in a Volatile Region
June 24, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Middle East Forum Online
Algeria Is Spending $25 Billion to Counter Weapons Israel Built for Morocco
The Abraham Accords Have Reshaped The Maghreb’s Balance Of Power Far Beyond Their Diplomatic Origins.
June 23, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
France tied its recognition of a Palestinian state to Mahmoud Abbas’s pledge to hold national elections by June 2026. The deadline passed without a vote.
Middle East Forum Online
France Was Promised Palestinian Elections. It Got Abbas’s Son Instead
France Recognized Palestine in Exchange for Elections. The Deadline Passed with No Vote—and Another Abbas in Power
June 18, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
The Algerian military is turned against the Hirak protest movement’s remaining activists, independent journalists, lawyers, and Amazigh cultural figures. Hundreds of political prisoners remain in Algerian jails. The country ranks near the bottom of press freedom indices. Elections are managed affairs in which candidates are vetted before they appear on a ballot. Image: military fighting vehicles in a parade in Algiers, Algeria; July 5, 2020.
Middle East Forum Online
Algeria’s Military Diplomacy Theater: Strategic Ambiguity as a Tool of Survival
Algeria’s Military Establishment Is Not a Partner Seeking Regional Stability
June 16, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Vladimir Putin announced last week that Egypt's Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant could begin commissioning its first reactor unit as early as 2027. Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom is constructing four VVER-1200 reactors on Egypt's Mediterranean coast for $25 billion, financed through a soft Russian government loan that Cairo cannot easily escape.
Middle East Forum Online
Russia Is Building a Nuclear Beachhead in Egypt
Russia’s Role in Egypt’s Dabaa Nuclear Plant Is Less About Energy than Leverage—and Israel Is the Point
June 12, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Since assuming emergency powers in July 2021, Tunisian President Kais Saied has methodically dismantled democratic institutions, sidelined elected bodies, muzzled independent media, and violated human rights under the pretext of combating corruption and terrorism.
Middle East Forum Online
Tunisia’s Legal Trap: Saied Has Perfected the Art of Jailing Journalists
The Regime Recycles and Escalates Criminal Charges to Ensure That Inconvenient Voices Remain Locked Away
June 11, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Middle East Forum Online
Egypt’s Gaza Deployment: A Force Built to Fail
Egypt’s Refusal to Confront Hamas Exposes the Gaza Stabilization Force’s Fatal Mandate Problem
June 11, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Middle East Forum Online
Sisi Has Run This Con Seven Times. Washington Keeps Falling for It
Washington’s Strategic Dependence on Cairo Has Turned IMF Reform Into Political Theater
June 9, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
The Elbit Systems Hermes 900 Kochav is an Israeli medium-size, multi-payload, medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). ILA Berlin Air Show, June 5, 2024.
Middle East Forum Online
Europe Condemns Israel While Arms Makers Buy Billions in Israeli Weapons
European Armed Forces Are in the Midst of a Generational Modernization Push, and Israeli Defense Technology Sits at the Center of What They Need Most Urgently
June 7, 2026
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Amine Ayoub