Iraq aims to host first meeting between Turkey's Erdogan, Syria's Assad Baghdad is throwing its hat into the ring in hopes of brokering a historic restoration of ties between Turkey and the Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, as Syria's neighbors hope to return refugees back to the war-wracked country. Syria
Iran advances de-dollarization among BRICS members to counter US dominance As a new addition to the BRICS group of nations, Iran has been promoting an ambitious campaign within the alliance to counter US influence over global markets and alleviate the impacts of American sanctions on its own economy. Iran
Turkey committed to NATO but skeptical of alliance's future under incoming chief Turkey used the recent NATO summit in Washington to reiterate its role as a committed member of the alliance but also underlined its expectations of the upcoming NATO chief. Turkey
Dutch court rejects NGOs' demand for further ban on F-35 exports used in Israeli jets The case follows a February district court ruling ordering the Netherlands to withhold sending Israel F-35 components over concerns the aircraft might be used to break international humanitarian law in Gaza. Israel
Analysis Israeli Oct. 7 probe of Kibbutz Be'eri shows massive operational failures Israel is only now discovering the magnitude of the military, operational and intelligence failures that enabled the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be’eri and 20 other villages and cities in the south of Israel. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Israel fires at Lebanese army in south, strikes southern Syria An escalation in northern Israel and southern Lebanon has raised fears of an all-out war amid warnings that such a conflict could expand to the rest of the region. Lebanon
Analysis Why is Israel's anti-government protest movement struggling to gain steam? Hundreds of thousands of people come out to support the families of the hostages in their call for a deal to release them, but fewer join rallies calling for the Netanyahu government to resign over the failures of Oct. 7. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
