Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies The move will mark the first time Morocco and Israel have exchanged ambassadors. Morocco
Analysis Why Saudi Arabia's balancing act with US, Iran, Houthis risks collapse Houthi rebels escalated their attacks on Tuesday, triggering alerts around the holy city of Mecca, Taif and the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Meet Wesley Hunt, Trump's pick for ambassador to Saudi Arabia The Texas Republican previously served for two years in the kingdom as a diplomatic liaison officer. Saudi Arabia
Analysis Israel braces for Iran attack as Trump’s economic squeeze on Tehran intensifies Skeptical about the effectiveness of the American economic blockade on Tehran to weaken the regime, Israel is preparing for the possibility that Iran could decide to strike the Jewish state during the upcoming high holidays. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis As Israeli settler attacks mount, Trump avoids public pressure on Netanyahu By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Intel: Washington eyes Lebanon sanctions over jailed US citizen Lebanon is finding itself staring down the prospect of US sanctions after jailing an American citizen for six months. Lebanon
PA seeks Israeli left's support to challenge US peace plan Despite the public's ire, the Palestinian Authority has been meeting with members of the Israeli media and the sympathetic left to boost Israeli opposition to the US peace plan ahead of the March 2 Knesset elections. Palestine
Hamas, Fatah trade blame for holdup on Gaza meeting Fatah and Hamas are accusing each other of delaying the PLO delegation visit to Gaza aimed at countering the US Mideast peace plan. Palestine
SDF avoids fight with Trump over budget cut The Trump administration's proposed 2021 budget would diminish the SDF's ability to effectively fight IS, but the coalition is unlikely to protest the steep cuts out of fear of angering Trump. Syria
Meet the AIPAC leaders bankrolling the Bernie Sanders attack ads Several high-profile AIPAC donors are bankrolling ads against Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid as the lobbying group tackles the growing criticism of Israel among Democrats. Israel
Iran says Zarif met with US senator for ‘public diplomacy’ Iran’s foreign minister says his weekend meeting with a US senator in Germany was a diplomatic effort to get his nation’s voice heard by the American people. Congress
Intel: What's behind Erdogan's latest threat of imminent attack in Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the parliament yesterday that an operation against Syrian government forces in the rebel-held province of Idlib was “a matter of moments” after talks between Turkish officials and their Russian counterparts in Moscow failed to deliver “the desired result.” Syria
Intel: Why Trump is calling a Democrat’s Iran meeting illegal President Donald Trump doubled down on his accusation today that Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., violated the law by meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the annual Munich Security Conference over the weekend. United States
Trump-linked lobbyist turns from Gulf Arabs to more toxic clients Robert Stryk’s Sonoran Policy Group is hemorrhaging both clients and employees. Saudi Arabia
12 years later, Olmert plan discussions could resume Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in New York to discuss reviving the Olmert plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestine
Pentagon tit-for-tat with Iran goes on A Katyusha rocket strikes an Iraqi base where US troops are housed and the US Navy intercepts an apparent Iranian arms shipment for Yemeni rebels as the conflict between the United States and Iran and its proxies continues. Yemen
Intel: Republican-held Senate sides against Trump on Iran war powers The Republican-held Senate passed a resolution 55-45 today to constrain President Donald Trump from initiating offensive military action against Iran. Congress
