Exclusive Senior Houthi official says Bab el Mandab closure an option if any Gulf states join war Houthi Deputy Information Minister Mohammed Mansour also said the strait could be closed “should the aggression against Iran and Lebanon escalate.” By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Analysis Israel urges US escalation against Iran, possible ground invasion Israel has made clear it will not deploy ground forces to Iran, but would strongly support US military action if the Trump administration chooses to proceed. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Dermer’s return puts Netanyahu’s 'brain' at center of US-Israel calculus Dermer, former Israeli strategic affairs minister, is considered one of Netanyahu’s closest associates, having worked together for over two decades. Israel
Settler violence spike exposes Israeli government rift with military Knesset member Ram Ben-Barak of centrist Yesh Atid told Al-Monitor that the government must permit the use of administrative detention for extremist settlers to curb the violence. Israel
Exclusive Israel suspects Trump betting on 3 Iran officials, including Ghalibaf, to end war By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis Meet Bagher Zolghadr, a hard-line IRGC veteran now Iran's security chief By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Why Saudi Arabia is focused on tensions with Iran The Saudis have called an Arab summit for May 30 in Mecca to likely brand Iran as a terrorist state, with the apparent hope that the United States will strike Iran. Legacy: Gulf
Republicans rush to extinguish Iran war talk GOP lawmakers insist that Trump’s show of force is the best way to prevent an immediate Iranian attack, even as a long-term solution to tensions remains elusive. Congress
Israeli security: Unrest, despair increasing in West Bank Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot warns that sanctions and despair may soon generate an outburst of violence in the West Bank. Palestine
New Palestinian party has ties to Israel, seeks PLO reform President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party promptly attacked the newly launched Reform and Development Party in the West Bank and warned Palestinians to have nothing to do with it. Palestine
Trump to Iran: Call me Amid rising tensions, President Donald Trump urged Iran three times to call him and said he believed they could make a fair deal. Iraq
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. Saudi Arabia
Democrats slam ‘massive failure’ of Trump policy after Iran restarts nuclear activity Democrats are blaming the Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign for Tehran’s decision to resume some enrichment activity constrained by the 2015 nuclear deal. Congress
Intel: How Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign is bringing Iran and Russia closer together Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif's long-planned visit to Moscow today quickly turned into a grievance-sharing session with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov about the Donald Trump administration. Russia
Kushner rejects calls to delay release of Mideast peace plan Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, said Thursday the Trump administration would issue its Middle East peace plan, though several regional experts have argued that the plan's release would cause more harm. Palestine
Palestinian rift endangers opposition to US peace plan Backers of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas say the ongoing Palestinian division will only weaken efforts to defy the US peace plan, which is expected to be announced soon. Palestine
Trump allies push back on Muslim Brotherhood terror designation Even some hawkish lawmakers question the legal validity and political wisdom of a blanket designation. Egypt
