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Robert Tollast

Robert Tollast

Military Affairs Reporter
Abu Dhabi
Robert Tollast joined The National as Assistant Foreign Editor in 2020. Prior to this, he worked as a political and security risk analyst with NAMEA Group, focused on the Middle East, and with the Iraq Energy Institute think tank. Since 2011 he has written about Iraq for a variety of publications, including Foreign Affairs and USA Today.
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Debris scattered at the site of an Israeli strike on a military airbase near Hama in Syria this week. AP
Can Turkey's 'Steel Dome' deter Israel in Syria?

New government in Damascus could be seeking advanced Turkish military defences amid ongoing Israeli strikes

April 06, 2025
The wreckage of vehicles sits in a field in Syria's southern province of Daraa, on March 11. AFP
Why is Israel still bombing Syria?

Syria's new leaders have inherited a large stockpile of arms, but most is ageing and obsolete

March 31, 2025
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, right, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps aerospace force, and Maj Gen Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran's Armed Forces, tour a recently completed underground missile base. Photo: IRGC
US says Iran not building nuclear bomb as new underground base revealed

Assessment by US spy agencies says Iran's research is designed for diplomatic 'leverage'

March 26, 2025
US Air Force F/A-18 fighter aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier at sea reportedly amidst operations launched against Huthis in Yemen. AFP
Sharp rise in US naval air power targeting Houthis in Red Sea

President Donald Trump has warned the US military will ‘annihilate’ Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group

March 24, 2025
An F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet takes off from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. AFP
Trump's gamble with Houthis and Iran casts doubt over Washington's China strategy

US defence experts say their navy needs to maximise resources for the Pacific

March 21, 2025
A US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet takes off from the deck of the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier. AFP
Can the Houthis strike US aircraft carriers, the world’s largest warships?

Yemeni rebel group has built up a vast arsenal of weapons, but hitting distant ships involves a significant amount of luck

March 20, 2025
The Iron Beam system, part of Israel's multi-tiered air defence network, on display at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv. Photo: Israeli Ministry of Defence
Has Israel’s Iron Beam cracked the challenge of sending lasers to war?

For decades, commanders have dreamt of unlimited ammunition in the form of laser beams

March 18, 2025
Lebanese MP Haidar Nasser says violence against Alawites in Syria is 'not acceptable'. Photo: INA
World must intervene to stop killing of Alawites in Syria, says Lebanese MP

Independent representative says sectarian attacks on the minority group could lead to new refugee crisis in Lebanon

March 14, 2025
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, dismissed US calls for discussions over Tehran's nuclear programme, describing them as 'bullying'. Reuters
Why Iran’s nuclear programme spells trouble for Trump

Experts say US President’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign could derail diplomacy

March 12, 2025
The Chinese guided-missile destroyer Baotou takes part in joint naval exercises by Iran, China and Russia in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian Army / WANA
Iran, China and Russia show naval might in Gulf of Oman drills

China is rapidly growing an expeditionary naval force

March 11, 2025
Iran's new Shahed-149 'Gaza' drone. Photo: X
How Iran’s American-style drones compare to US models

Iran has long been accused of copying US drones, but how do its systems actually compare?

March 07, 2025
Israeli soldiers carry the coffins of deceased hostages after their bodies were handed over as part of the ceasefire deal. Reuters
Intelligence experts discuss bitter aftermath of Israel’s October 7 inquiry

Failure to spot signs of attack has been blamed on poor co-ordination between intelligence agencies

March 03, 2025
Armed Kurdish fighters from the PKK stand at attention after arriving in the Heror area, north-east of Duhok in May 2013. AP
How the PKK sustained its insurgency, from black market 1940s rifles to anti-aircraft missiles

Over decades of armed rebellion with different backers, the group has a wide array of weapons

February 27, 2025
The Taliban show their military might during a parade in Kandahar, Afghanistan. EPA
Trump says Taliban 'among world’s biggest arms dealers'. Is he right?

Group took possession of about $7.1 billion worth of US equipment when it seized control of Kabul in 2021

February 27, 2025
A boy watches Israeli troops during a military operation inside the Jenin refugee camp. EPA
Jenin’s devastation recalls darkest chapter of violence in occupied West Bank

Recent escalation, which displaced thousands, has been the worst for decades

February 27, 2025

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