Attack on ENKS Office in Kobane Triggers Tension Between Kurdish Parties

Logo of Kurdish National Council (ENKS)
Logo of Kurdish National Council (ENKS)
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Attack on ENKS Office in Kobane Triggers Tension Between Kurdish Parties

Logo of Kurdish National Council (ENKS)
Logo of Kurdish National Council (ENKS)

The headquarters of the opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS) in Kobane was attacked in the early hours of Tuesday, causing severe damage to the building and creating a state of terror in the neighborhood.

The council issued a statement accusing the Revolutionary Youth movement, affiliated with the Movement for a Democratic Society, of attacking the offices of the council in Ain al-Arab.

Head of the local council of ENKS Barkal Ahmed asserted that unknown gunmen threw two bombs at the building, then fired a round of bullets from machine guns. He noted that the attack damaged the building and shattered its windows.

The statement denounced “intimidating” actions, saying that this is not the first attack on its offices in Kurdish cities and towns.

The umbrella group of opposition parties, which includes 16 political parties as well as academic and social figures, accused the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD) of being responsible for the attacks.

Remarkably, the Union Party is the ruling party in the regions east of the Euphrates and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava).

However, the Council asserted that the unity of the Kurdish position is a strategic issue, and these “shameful acts of terror will not deter us.”

“Those who commit those actions amid intra-Kurdish talks, between ENKS and Kurdish National Unity Parties (PYNK), are evil people who want to harm the unity of Kurds in Syrian Kurdistan."

The general coordinator of the Kurdish Reform Movement, Faisal Yusuf, indicated that the talks were not suspended because of unresolved issues, but because the US sponsor is engaged in other matters.

He noted that the negotiations aim to resolve differences that persisted after the Dohuk Agreement (2014).

Yusuf called for promoting confidence-building measures between the Kurdish parties in Syria, stressing that the unity of the Kurdish position in Syria was, and still is, a strategic choice.

“We are negotiating for a political unity guaranteeing a true partnership that expresses the interest of the Kurdish people in Syria.”

The outstanding contentious issues between the two major components of the Kurdish movement revolve around several issues, such as the demand to reveal the fate of 10 kidnapped politicians and eight members of the Kurdish Military Council.

The Kurdish interference constitutes a major obstacle to the talks, as the council leaders accuse the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) of imposing its control over the Syrian Union Party, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the Kurdish Units.

The council also accuses the Party of working against any political partnership that may cancel its future role in the Kurdish-Syrian regions.

The council is ready to return to the US-sponsored negotiations with the unity parties and seeks a unified Kurdish position in the implementation of its political program.

Last October, unity talks stalled between Kurdish ruling and opposition parties after they moved to discuss more complex issues such as "protection, defense, and military forces" and the "Autonomous Administration partnership."



Iran’s Allies Constrained in Confronting Israel

Armed Houthi supporters carry images of deceased military and political figures from Iran-aligned groups during a protest in Sanaa against Israeli airstrikes on Iran (EPA)
Armed Houthi supporters carry images of deceased military and political figures from Iran-aligned groups during a protest in Sanaa against Israeli airstrikes on Iran (EPA)
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Iran’s Allies Constrained in Confronting Israel

Armed Houthi supporters carry images of deceased military and political figures from Iran-aligned groups during a protest in Sanaa against Israeli airstrikes on Iran (EPA)
Armed Houthi supporters carry images of deceased military and political figures from Iran-aligned groups during a protest in Sanaa against Israeli airstrikes on Iran (EPA)

As war rages between Tehran and Tel Aviv, Iran may soon need to call upon its network of regional allies - groups it has armed and funded for years. But now, the so-called “Axis of Resistance” looks strained, fragmented, and far from ready.

On June 19, 2025, General Mohammad Reza Naqdi of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard urged Iran’s regional allies to take action to relieve mounting pressure on Tehran. At that point, Iran was entering its second week of heavy Israeli bombardment. Strategically, an Israeli strike on the Iranian capital once seemed unthinkable, but the regional terrain has since shifted. Iran’s supply routes are now disrupted, and its key proxy groups have either been neutralized or weakened.

According to The Times of Israel, Israel launched this war after nearly two years of systematically targeting Iran’s allies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen. The 2023 Hamas attack on Israel had triggered a chain of retaliation that left many of Iran’s partners damaged or demoralized. With the Assad regime collapsed in Syria, Hezbollah weakened in Lebanon, and Hamas reduced to guerrilla tactics in Gaza, few proxies appear ready for a new confrontation.

In Gaza, Hamas has been forced into small ambushes and urban warfare, its rocket arsenal depleted and many senior leaders killed. Iranian communication channels with the group have also eroded. Israel’s targeted assassination of Mohammad Saeed Izadi, a key Quds Force commander linked to Palestinian factions, further strained coordination. For now, Hamas can offer little more than rhetorical support.

In Iraq, US forces have fortified their embassy in Baghdad, while withdrawing from bases such as Ain al-Asad. Iraqi factions loyal to Iran are posturing, threatening US interests should America enter the war. But most Iraqi leaders remain reluctant to drag the country into open conflict, knowing the consequences could be disastrous. Iran, too, is cautious about sacrificing Iraq’s political and economic value.

Hezbollah, reeling from the death of its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in a 2024 Israeli strike, is in disarray. Its military capacity and leadership have been significantly degraded. Though the party retains some strategic capabilities, domestic and regional pressures have so far restrained it from opening a major front.

In Yemen, the Houthis have emerged as Iran’s last viable card. They now play a key role in smuggling weapons and expanding Iranian influence into Africa. Should the US directly join Israel’s war, Tehran may finally authorize the Houthis to use their stockpile of ballistic missiles, signaling a decisive and potentially catastrophic new phase of the conflict.