Newsletter: Daily Briefing Trump touts Iran deal as Hegseth warns Tehran Iran stands to gain from deal; 3 Iranian tankers pass US blockade; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Daily Briefing G7 leaders urge Lebanon ceasefire G7 leaders press for a Lebanon ceasefire as scrutiny grows over Trump’s Iran deal and Israeli politics shift ahead of elections. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
'Let Syria take care of Hezbollah': Trump criticizes Israel, leans on Sharaa to help in Lebanon President Donald Trump insisted he has a great relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but criticized the scale of Israel’s strikes in Lebanon. Syria
Explainer Ben-Gvir's move to run separately in Israel elections revives debate over party alliances National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the far-right Jewish Power party, has refused to merge with the far-right Religious Zionism party ahead of the elections. Israel
Analysis 'He knew it was over': Inside Netanyahu’s response to Trump’s Iran deal as Israel recalibrates By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Analysis Squeezed by Trump and Iran war, how vulnerable is Netanyahu in polls? By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Despite US pressure, expect regional players to phone in Manama meeting Several regional states will show up for the US-led conference in Bahrain, but none of them really believes it will promote Middle East peace. Saudi Arabia
Construction sector in Gaza under pressure The Israeli siege and the deteriorating economic situation in the Gaza Strip have forced dozens of construction companies to shut down and relocate to the West Bank or neighboring countries. Palestine
Israel’s religious right plays the merger game Ahead of September elections, Israel’s religious right is busy examining their current positions and alliances and whether to continue with the United Right. Israel
Will Arabs in Israel revive Joint List for new elections? Palestinian citizens in Israel lost three seats in the April 10 elections due in large part to the low turnout, which came as a result of apathy and unhappiness about the fact that the united list was divided into two. Israel
Netanyahu's choice for Egypt envoy known for diplomatic gaffes Despite of his history of diplomatic and security missteps, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering appointing Communications Minister Ayoub Kara to the extremely sensitive position of ambassador to Egypt. Egypt
Islamic Jihad mulls military action to foil US peace plan As the United States gets closer to officially revealing details of its Middle East peace plan, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad says it and its allies are ready to do whatever is necessary to stop the lopsided deal. Palestine
Who stands in the way of Israel’s Shaked premiership? Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked did not make it to the Knesset in the April elections, yet her high popularity generates several proposals for running in the September vote. Israel
Election of Israel’s state comptroller turning political For Giora Romm, the Blue and White party made no real effort to promote his candidacy for the position of state comptroller and did not try to mobilize other opposition parties for the vote. Israel
Which road will Israel’s new justice minister take? Justice Minister Amir Ohana has the opportunity to engage Israeli Supreme Court justices in a dialogue that could ultimately benefit the entire judicial system, but he might just as well continue to attack the court in ways pleasing to the person who appointed him, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
Settlers target McDonald’s over what they call boycott of West Bank Israel no longer fears retaliating against international companies such as McDonald’s that settlers say are boycotting West Bank settlements by not opening up shop there. Palestine
Will Hamas rockets upstage the Bahrain conference? On the backdrop of the upcoming economic conference in Bahrain and as arrangement with Israel is delayed, Hamas opts for more escalation. Palestine
Scorn for US peace plan brings Hamas, Hezbollah closer Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is calling for a Palestinian-Lebanese dialogue to counter the US peace plan, an approach welcomed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Palestine