Syria announces capture of senior ISIS official near Manbij: What to know Abu Jihad al-Muhajir is the highest-profile alleged Islamic State official captured by Syrian government forces since US troops withdrew from the country in April. By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
What we know about Israeli strikes on Syrian air base tied to Turkey An Israeli official told Fox News on Tuesday that Israel shared “highly sensitive intelligence” with the US ahead of the strike, without providing further details. By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
Analysis Netanyahu yields to Trump on Gaza, betting Hamas won’t disarm Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to advance the US administration's Gaza plan in a meeting with envoy Jared Kushner despite his skepticism about Hamas' commitment. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
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 By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Analysis Israel defies Trump on Lebanon as Netanyahu, Katz prioritize elections By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Israel, Hezbollah exchange threats of imminent war As Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Israeli government continue to warn each other of a coming cataclysm, both sides predict it would take place in Syria as well as Lebanon this time. Israel
PMU spearheads Hawija battle, as IS fighters 'vanish' A long-besieged pocket of Islamic State-held territory and surrounding villages in north-central Iraq have been retaken by a mixture of local Sunni and non-local Shiite-led Popular Mobilization Units, alongside Defense and Interior Ministry forces. Iraq
Bottom line in Syria: No one is safe yet A battle begins in Syria between opposition moderates and the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as the latter also fights its radical rival, the Islamic State. Syria
Libya on alert after murder of four tribal peacekeepers Four men belonging to a local Libyan tribe and working on mediations between warring tribes were murdered recently, raising questions about reconciliation efforts. Libya
Jordan pressures Syrian rebels to reopen Nasib crossing Syrian opposition groups have been refusing to cave in to Jordanian pressure to hand over the Nasib border crossing to the Syrian government, while Jordan, which hopes to revive this trade route and encourage Syrian refugees to return home, has plenty of leverage over the rebels. Jordan
Who will control Gaza forces? An Egyptian proposal for a Fatah-Hamas joint security council in the Gaza Strip could pave the way for Palestinian reconciliation. Palestine
Hamas’ weapons risk could kill Palestinian reconciliation Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has set new conditions for reconciling with Hamas that some say could hinder the process, though others are more optimistic. Palestine
Challenges still stalk Syrian peace efforts Despite the apparent progress in peace talks, there's still a lot of maneuvering going on in Syria — on the ground and among the many parties involved. Syria
Moscow welcomes Libya’s fighting factions Russia continues to boost its image as a peacemaker in the Middle East by engaging both of Libya’s warring parties. Libya
Latest Syria peace talks solidify final de-escalation zone Russia, Turkey and Iran met with opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to ink an agreement on the four safe zones. Syria
Is this beginning of the end for Idlib's jihadi groups? Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is facing several setbacks in Idlib including internal discord as foreign powers plan a military offensive against them. Syria
Aoun sees role for Hezbollah until threats to Lebanon cease Speaking to Al-Monitor ahead of his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, Lebanese President Michel Aoun spoke about the refugee crisis facing his country, Hezbollah's role amid the ongoing regional crisis and Beirut's expanding ties with Moscow. Lebanon
