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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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Articles

Members of the Al Qaeda-linked Jabhat Al Nusra in Syria are one of the many groups fighting to control the country. Khalil Ashawi / Reuters
The mystery of how Hayat Tahrir Al Sham could topple Assad so suddenly

With so many regional powers wrong-footed by the seismic events of the last two weeks, attention has shifted to the question of who was backing the rebels

MENADecember 13, 2024
Robert Tollast
A UN expert collects samples in the Ghouta suburb of Damascus in 2013, during an investigation into a suspected chemical weapons attack on the area two weeks earlier. AFP
Syria's chemical weapon sites need securing now, experts warn

'Serious concerns' remain over unaccounted stockpiles, according to Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

MENADecember 09, 2024
Robert Tollast
Billions of dollars a year worth of Captagon have crossed from Syria into other Arab countries through Jordan since 2018. AFP
ExclusiveCaptagon flows that enriched Assad regime come to 'near-full halt'

Abandonment of Captagon factories has brought down production by 90 per cent

MENADecember 09, 2024
Khaled Yacoub Oweis
Syrian army equipment and vehicles abandoned on the motorway to Damascus, near Suran, north of Hama. AFP
Syria's elite Tiger Forces fail to stem rebel advance in Hama

President Bashar Al Assad is rapidly running out of military options

MENADecember 05, 2024
Robert Tollast
A militant from Hayat Tahrir Al Sham gives instructions at a drone training centre. Photo: Hayat Tahrir Al Sham
Militias in Syria highlight future of guerrilla war with 3D-printed drones

Experts say insurgent movements are becoming deadlier, with important lessons for modern armies

MENADecember 04, 2024
Robert Tollast
A damaged Syrian army helicopter at the Nayrab military airport in Aleppo. EPA
Iraqi militias reinforce Syrian defences in latest push to stop new insurgency

Experts say hard fighting lies ahead for bitter rivals

NewsDecember 02, 2024
Robert Tollast
Fighters deploy to Atareb, Aleppo province as clashes between the Syrian army and Hayat Tahrir militants continues. AFP
Syria civil war re-erupts as militants close in on Aleppo

Fierce fighting with government forces on fringes of historic city is reminiscent of violent insurgencies after 2011 uprising

MENANovember 29, 2024
Robert Tollast
Fighters from Hayat Tahrir gather in Atarib in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo. AFP
At least 182 killed in extremist rebel offensive against army in northern Syria

Syrian and Russian troops reportedly hit back at Hayat Tahrir with air strikes

MENANovember 28, 2024
Robert Tollast
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel, on October 27, 2024. AP
Why did Israel accept a ceasefire with Hezbollah?

Most experts say Israel accepted the deal from a position of strength, but point to long-term opportunities for Hezbollah

NewsNovember 27, 2024
Robert Tollast
Rescuers search the rubble of a building after an Israeli air strike on Beirut, on 26 November. EPA
Counting the cost of Israel and Hezbollah's war with no winners

The war escalated with Israel's ground invasion on September 30 but the outcome is far from clear after weeks of devastation

MENANovember 26, 2024
Robert Tollast
Hezbollah fighters parade military equipment during a press tour of a resistance camp in southern Lebanon last year. EPA
How Hezbollah built a web of militias and arms supplies in Syria

President Bashar Al Assad's attempt to avoid direct involvement in Iran's struggle with Israel is failing as attention turns to Hezbollah's regional allies

MENANovember 23, 2024
Khaled Yacoub Oweis
Iranian satellite images show historic battles in the Middle East. Declassified intelligence satellite photographs. US Geological Survey. Archive maintained by the US National Archives and Records Administration
Satellite images show historic battles in the Middle East as they happened

How much did the US know about crises in the region at the height of the Cold War? Declassified satellite pictures reveal a lot

MENANovember 22, 2024
Robert Tollast
trump and the future of weapons / arms race shorthand image
Special reportTrump's return to power and the high-tech global arms race

US president-elect's second term could lead to surge in defence spending for the country and its allies

EuropeNovember 20, 2024
Robert Tollast
In the current war, both Israel and Hezbollah have demonstrated powerful new capabilities.
Israel and Hezbollah gains and losses obscured by fog of war

Experts say claims made by both sides are blocking a clear picture of the situation after Israel's ground invasion

MENANovember 20, 2024
Robert Tollast
This combination of file pictures shows X CEO Elon Musk (L) and Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani. AFP
Elon Musk meets Iran's UN ambassador to 'defuse tensions'

Tech billionaire and Trump ally has been vocal on American foreign policy

MENANovember 15, 2024
Robert Tollast
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