Defense/Security cooperation

Win McNamee/Getty Images

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

A woman uses her mobile phone to take picture of the damage created by debris, after ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi militia, fell at a house in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RC13CCD3D530

Trump declares Iran emergency to bypass Congress on Gulf arms sales

The Donald Trump administration cited Iran as the justification to invoke emergency powers to transfer arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over congressional objections.

Russian and Turkish delegations, led by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan, attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia April 8, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC16BFAECE20

Turkey squeezed between Russia, US in Syria

Turkey, pressed between Russia and the United States, is headed toward a foreign policy crash in addition to an economic one.

Viktor Zolotov, the director of the Federal Service of National Guard Troops and Commander of the National Guard Troops, attends a wreath laying ceremony marking the anniversary of the Nazi German invasion in 1941, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia June 22, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - RC17EE6222D0

Why 'Putin's personal army' chief visited Turkey

Viktor Zolotov, the head of Russian National Guard, also known as Vladimir Putin's personal army, paid a surprising visit to Turkey's capital.

What does the UAE expect from Egypt?

Political analysts believe Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to Cairo helps solidify UAE-Egypt relations as the situation escalates in the Gulf.

Turkish and Iraqi troops are pictured during a joint military exercise near the Turkish-Iraqi border in Silopi, Turkey September 26, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1FB6450AB0

How viable is Turkey’s bid for military partnership with Iraq?

Turkey and Iraq have agreed to work on sealing a military cooperation agreement, and although regional developments dictate the solution of bilateral crises, the volatile relationship between the two neighbors calls for tempered optimism.

Egyptian Air Force holds an air show displaying F-16 aircrafts delivered to Egypt by U.S., as part of a military package that had been unfrozen earlier this year, in Cairo, Egypt, July 31, 2015. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih - GF20000010043

House ratchets up pressure on Egypt

The House’s annual foreign aid bill would place conditions on military aid.

U.S. soldiers stand guard as a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft is moved on the eve of the 52nd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France June 18, 2017. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol - RC1634F4C3A0

Congressional appropriators move to tie up F-35 deliveries to Turkey

The new House foreign aid bill would prohibit spending federal dollars to transfer the jets unless Ankara abandons its plans to buy missile defenses from Moscow.

Libyan National Army (LNA) members, commanded by Khalifa Haftar, pose for a picture as they head out of Benghazi to reinforce the troops advancing to Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya April 7, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori - RC1AEB991490

Libyan Salafists fight alongside 'secular' Hifter

Although Libyan strongman Khalifa Hifter has often been perceived as a secular leader, his Libyan National Army contains many Salafi fighters.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attend a news conference in Ankara, Turkey April 16, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1373DFDF70

Turkey sticks to its guns on Russian missile-defense deal

Despite the efforts of NATO heavy-hitter Jens Stoltenberg, Turkey seems to be moving closer to Russia and its S-400 air-defense system.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) presents U.S. President Donald Trump with the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC18E76205A0

Congress tries to defund US nuclear transfers to Saudi Arabia

House Democrats want to use the power of the purse to halt the transfer of US civil nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.

Iran seeks broader defense cooperation with Russia amid US pressure

As part of a long-term military strategy to fortify its defenses against US threats, Iran is moving closer to Russia — with a vision entailing broader defense cooperation.

Smoke billows above building during reported shelling by government and allied forces, in the town of Hbeit in the southern countryside of the rebel-held Idlib province on May 3,2019. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Can assault on Idlib facilitate Russia-Turkey deal?

As the Russian Khmeimim base has come under militant shelling, the Russian military boosted the Syrian army assault on Idlib amid speculation over a back-channel Russian deal with Turkey.