Pope Leo gets rock star's reception in Lebanon, drawing cheers, celebrations Pope Leo began his second day in crisis-hit Lebanon with visits to notable Christian shrines in the country and an interfaith meeting in the capital, Beirut. Lebanon
Lebanon celebrates Pope Leo’s visit as Israel escalates attacks The pontiff's visit to Lebanon comes as many in the country fear a potential restart of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon
In first foreign visit, Pope Leo meets Erdogan, urges Turkey to uphold pluralism On his inaugural foreign visit to Turkey, Pope Leo called for respect for pluralism after meeting with the Turkish president. Turkey
Analysis Pope Leo in Turkey, navigating faith, politics and Orthodox tensions The visit will bolster Turkey’s image on religious tolerance and shared positions with the Vatican while Ankara navigates sensitive issues surrounding the Halki Seminary and the Greek Patriarchate’s ecumenical status. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Analysis Israel scrambles for strategy as Mamdani’s NYC victory sparks alarm By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Analysis As Trump hosts Sharaa, Israel cautiously seeks Syria security deal By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Dozens killed at stampede in Israel during religious celebration At least 45 people were crushed to death during the Lag Ba’Omer celebrations at the Mount Meron site. Israel
Court case against priest evokes bitter memories for Turkey’s Assyrians Turkey’s tiny Assyrian community views a jail term handed to an Assyrian priest on “terrorism charges” as an official strong-arming tactic, while Assyrians around the world call for dismissal of the case. Turkey
Biden calls Erdogan ahead of expected Armenian genocide labeling The White House readout of the call between the two leaders did not mention the Armenian genocide. News Brief
Turkish talk of reconciliation angers Armenians on 106th anniversary of genocide Turkey has warned the United States that President Joe Biden's expected characterization of the mass killings of the Ottoman Armenians in 1915 as a genocide will derail Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and further damage US-Turkish ties. Armenians say there is no reconciliation process to speak of. Turkey
Pope may visit Lebanon once new government is formed Pope Francis met Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri in Vatican City today. Lebanon
Egypt's Christians fearful after IS killing in Sinai The latest killing of a Christian man in Sinai by the Islamic State has brought back to Egypt's Christians memories of past attacks on churches by the terrorist group, even as the Coptic Orthodox Church appeared defiant. Egypt
Jerusalem seethes with clashes between Jews, Arabs The week has been violent in Jerusalem with both Israeli Jews and Arabs reportedly attacking each other in well documented incidents. Israel
New Israeli legislator smuggles Torah scroll for Women of the Wall One of the first actions of new Labor Knesset member Rabbi Gilad Kari was sneaking a Torah scroll into the Western Wall plaza for women activists to pray from. Israel
New ultra-Orthodox residents make Israel's Dimona nervous Many secular residents of the southern town of Dimona are afraid that new residents, families from the Gur Hasidic community, will change the character of their town. Israel
The lost Jewish surnames of Cairo An extensive list of the surnames of the Jewish families who lived in Cairo has been published, helping tell stories across generations. Egypt
Syria’s Armenian community resilient, but faces uncertain future Syrian Armenians, despite the fragility of their presence in the region, are determined to stay and rebuild. Syria
Pope's pilgrimage to Iraq and land of Abraham begins The first-ever papal visit to Iraq starts as Pope Francis lands in Baghdad. Iraq
