As the Middle East enters a new year, several major changes are taking place. Syria’s interim government is hosting foreign dignitaries and sending envoys on regional tours. In Gaza, there are reports that negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas have made significant progress.

In Lebanon, an imperfect ceasefire continues to hold as the country’s politicians prepare to meet this week and choose a new president. There is less expectation for progress in Yemen, which remains a hotspot of entrenched volatility. Last week, it was reported that extremists from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula executed 11 people, including a Yemeni journalist.

On New Year’s Eve, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired missiles at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and a power station in southern Jerusalem. The Houthis were on the receiving end of........

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