Aramco evacuates staff as Saudi Arabia braces for potential Houthi escalation: What to know The repeated and escalating Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia’s energy facilities and airports United States ordered the departure of non-essential government employees and their families from the kingdom, with oil giant Aramco reportedly evacuating its headquarters. Saudi Arabia
US moving away from Middle East security guarantor role, Barrack says The US envoy said that direct US military intervention on the ground against the Houthis would be "fruitless." By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Yemen displacement tops 250K as Houthis tighten siege on Taiz: What to know The Houthis are looking to completely seize Taiz city, with clashes escalating in other parts of the south as well. Yemen
Feature US aid runs dry as new fighting razes Yemen Sweeping funding cuts and the Houthis' targeting of aid workers have hobbled relief efforts in war-torn Yemen. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Analysis 'The problem and the solution': Netanyahu-Sharaa call exposes Israel's Syria dilemma By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Iraqi court suspends Abadi's act to pull Fayadh from posts A court ruling puts Faleh al-Fayadh back at the helm of Iraq's National Security Council and the Popular Mobilization Units, at least for now. Iraq
Has Iran's influence increased in Palestinian arena? Shortly after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad named Ziyad al-Nakhalah to be its new secretary-general and elected member of the political bureau, Nakhalah threatened Israel and launched an intra-Palestinian initiative in his first political discourse. Palestine
How Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rival operates in northern Syria Al-Monitor interviewed the spokesman of the National Liberation Front, which includes several armed opposition factions in northern Idlib, to find out its goals and plans for the future. Syria
Violence abates during tentative truce in Tripoli After violent clashes rocked Tripoli, Libyan officials are calling on the United Nations to assume a military role to mediate between rival militias. North Africa
Will Shiite militias become Iraq’s Basij? The Popular Mobilization Units are expanding their presence in the strategic city of Basra by forming a Voluntary Reserves force, similar to the Iranian Basij forces. Iraq
Intel: Congress wants to sanction Iran’s allies in Iraq. Here’s why the State Department thinks it’s a bad idea. Iraq
FSA factions prevent people from going to regime-held areas The local councils in the Euphrates Shield area in Aleppo’s countryside issued successive decisions banning citizens from traveling to areas under the regime’s control, for fear that the regime might infiltrate into FSA-controlled areas. Syria
Congress takes aim at pro-Iran election winners in Iraq US lawmakers are preparing sanctions as Tehran presses Baghdad to form a government friendly to its interests. Iraq
Putin grants Erdogan last chance to end Idlib quagmire on Turkey’s terms Erdogan saves face in Sochi; did Turkey and Syria collaborate to capture Reyhanli terrorist?; Erdogan, Ocalan and Syria. Syria
What to do about 10,000 al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Idlib? Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stymies Turkey’s bid for cease-fire, welcomes Syrian assault. Syria
Shiite split heats up as Iraqi lawmakers fail to elect speaker Two Iraqi Shiite coalitions — one favored by the United States and the other by Iran — are competing hard to gain a majority in the parliament to form the next government. Iraq
Not everyone in Iraq welcomes peshmerga's possible return to Kirkuk As Iraq's central and Kurdish governments tentatively make nice again, the potential return of the Kurdish peshmerga to Kirkuk has some groups in the country on edge. Iraq
