After meeting Netanyahu, Kushner agrees Hamas disarmament precedes Israel's withdrawal Israel and the Gaza Board of Peace have agreed that the Israeli military will begin withdrawing from the Gaza Strip after Hamas disarms. Israel
Analysis RSF turns to drones, new fronts as Sudan battlefield pressure grows A wave of RSF drone attacks reflects the group fighting back, but it also points to limited supply lines and difficulty mounting ground offensives beyond its territorial strongholds. By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Analysis Israel defies Trump on Lebanon as Netanyahu, Katz prioritize elections Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump face fateful elections this fall, but one needs progress in Lebanon while the other wants more of the same. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Yemen’s Houthis claim new attack on Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia: What to know The strike follows a deadly Houthi attack on a ship in the Red Sea as the renewed conflict take its toll on shipping. Yemen
Analysis What Qaani's Baghdad visit reveals about Iran's post-war dilemma By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Pompeo speaks at conference by controversial Iran opposition group Slovenia's prime minister and other former US officials also speak at virtual event held by Mujahedeen-e-Khalq. Iran
Taliban renew demand that Turkey leave Afghanistan American and Turkish officials are still ironing out the last details on how to secure Kabul's airport. Turkey
Confrontation between US, pro-Iranian groups in Syria and Iraq poses challenges for Russia While Moscow does not yet have the resources to eliminate Iranian influence in Syria, it would be in its interests to at least prevent the expansion of the activities of pro-Iranian paramilitary structures. Syria
Biden's airstrikes fail to halt cycle of militia violence in Iraq The Pentagon says it is taking a recent spate of drone and rocket attacks "deadly seriously." Syria
Cairo cracks down on Salafist preachers The Egyptian state and its institutions have been waging a fierce campaign against the preachers of Egypt’s Salafi movement over ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt
Gazan children graduate from Islamic Jihad’s military camp Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, concluded its summer training camps with the participation of more than 2,000 boys ages 14 to 17, who received military training simulating a confrontation with the Israeli army. Palestine
The Takeaway: Does Iran want to scuttle nuclear deal talks with militia attacks in Iraq? Also: Fresh reporting from Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Gaza; high oil prices may undercut GCC reforms; a cure for termites in Egypt; and more. Iraq
Militias launch spate of attacks on US positions in Iraq Iraq's Ain al-Asad air base was hit with the second rocket attack in just over 48 hours. Iraq
Defections threaten Ahrar al-Sham jihadist movement in Syria Once considered by some Western observers as a formidable opposition movement, Ahrar al-Sham is experiencing major defections and facing survival challenges. Syria
Pro-Iran militias increase attacks, rhetoric against foreign troops Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has called on the United States and Iran "to avoid settling scores in Iraq." Iraq
Islamic State suspected of sabotaging Iraqi electrical towers Power transmission towers have recently been targeted in Iraq, which already is suffering from major electricity shortages. Iraq
Turkey's mixed record against Islamic State Structural problems continue to keep Turkey from putting in place a comprehensive strategy to combat Islamic State elements in the country, despite numerous operations against networks linked to the radical Islamist group. Turkey
