Defense/Security cooperation

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Analysis

Katz riles Iran, US as Netanyahu-Trump meeting raises questions

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to settle for a brief meeting with President Donald Trump, while his defense minister, Israel Katz, appeared intent on provoking Iran by publicly disclosing sensitive intelligence.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Trump Netanyahu

On eighth visit, Israel’s Netanyahu seeks to repair ties with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to focus on Iran in his Tuesday meeting with President Donald Trump, while the US leader is more likely to want to discuss Lebanon and Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon on July 14, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.

Zaidi to meet Erdogan as Turkey-Iraq ties take off, Kurds feel sidelined

The Iraqi prime minister's visits to Ankara and Riyadh underscore Baghdad's push to deepen regional ties as Turkey seeks closer cooperation on energy and security.

moke rises from a high-rise building following a drone attack in Kuwait City on March 8, 2026.

Analysis

Can Kuwait secure a Saudi-style defense pact with Pakistan?

Kuwait and other GCC states are looking to Pakistan, among other countries, for alternate security arrangements and multilayered deterrence.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Latest News

Analysis

Ahead of Trump meeting, Netanyahu lays groundwork for Israel to rejoin Iran war

GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP via Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Explainer

As Turkey rivalry heats up, Greece to acquire $4B Israeli air defense system

David's Sling.

Israel fears US deal would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium

US President Donald Trump (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands as they arrive to speak to journalists during a joint press conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 29, 2025.

Analysis

As Turkey eyes US naval revival, here is why big warship deals are unlikely

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey, greets Donald Trump, president of United States, during a welcome ceremony of allied heads of state and government, on July 8, 2026, in Ankara, Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Turkish troops to remain at Kabul airport after NATO withdrawal

The US president has committed to granting Turkey's requests for support to maintaining troops at Kabul International.

Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at their first working meeting since the establishment of the new government, Jerusalem; June 16, 2021.

After Netanyahu, Israel’s Bennett revives paralyzed security Cabinet

Contrary to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who sidelined and paralyzed the security Cabinet, Israel’s new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett turns it back into an essential link within the decision-making process.

US President Joe Biden (R) speaks with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to a plenary session of a NATO summit at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels, on June 14, 2021.

The Takeaway: Pragmatism is the new watchword in US-Turkey relations

Plus: A fresh start for Israel; Iran’s hard-line front-runner on the issues; Egypt’s faltering Palestinian mediation; Saudi-Syria talks; Golani’s makeover.

Riyadh skyline

Gulf states want Iran deal talks to address Tehran’s missiles program, support for proxy groups

The Gulf Cooperation Council’s statement on Wednesday echoed similar demands from members of Congress.

DONT USE - Gulf Pulse

Al-Udeid Air Base

NATO looks to Qatar for base to train Afghan forces

NATO is asking Qatar to host Afghan security forces for future training after withdrawal looms.

This photograph taken on May 14, 2014, shows a Gaza-Turkey solidarity flag projected on a wall of the Ankara Castle in Ankara, Turkey.

Turkey’s muddled approach to Palestine

Ankara sees a recently ratified security cooperation deal between Turkey and the Palestinian Authority as groundwork for a possible maritime boundary agreement between Turkey and Palestine. Experts see such prospects as far-fetched.

TB2 drone

Will Washington buy Ankara’s ‘drone crescent’ against Russia?

Scrambling for a thaw with Washington, Ankara hopes to draw on the success of its military drones — battle-proven against Russian weaponry — to cast itself as a key partner in US efforts to contain Russia in eastern Europe and beyond.

Kanopus-V satellite

Iran to acquire Russian high-resolution recon satellite

Russia is set to give Iran a satellite that could spy on Tehran's potential military targets.

Turkish soldiers at Kabul airport

Intel: US engages Turkey over Kabul airport security

Ankara could leave some troops in Afghanistan if Washington provides support.

S-400 launch in southern Russia

US, Turkey still far off on deal over Russian S-400 missiles

Is any feasible deal on the S-400 deployment in Turkey in the works?

Cranes loom over the second cargo reception terminal on June 23, 2010, in Djibouti port, Djibouti. Djibouti is the main transit point for seabound goods coming and going from land-locked Ethiopia.

Ethiopia’s plan to build Red Sea military bases fuels tension with Egypt

Amid the stalled negotiations with Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia is expressing its intention to build military bases in the Red Sea.

Palestinian-Jordanian Abdullah Abu Jaber, who was jailed in Israel after planting a bomb on a bus that wounded 13 civilians in 2000, is welcomed by his family upon his release at the Sheikh Hussein Crossing between Jordan and Israel on June 8, 2021.

Israel releases from prison Jordanian convicted of bus bombing

Abdullah Abu Jaber was the longest-serving Jordanian in Israeli prisons. Two other Jordanians were released for less serious offenses.