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Politics & Security

A flare fired by the Israeli military lands over the highlands of the area of Ali al-Taher as seen from nearby Marjayoun (Marjeyoun) in southern Lebanon on June 14, 2026.

Why Ali al-Taher ridge is emerging as an Israel-Hezbollah flashpoint

Israel has intensified its strikes and ground operations around the strategic hill in a bid to force Hezbollah out.

Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Israel to release 5 Lebanese prisoners ahead of next talks: What to know

Israel said the detainees are "civilians who are not members of a terrorist organization" and "were not involved in terrorism," concluding, "There is no reason to continue holding them in Israel."

Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

After gun found in lake, French police probe link to 2012 Iraqi family murder

A recently discovered Luger pistol may have been used in the mysterious 2012 killing of the al-Hilli family near the Alpine town of Chevaline in eastern France.

A women stands overlooking the water as ships are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 10, 2026, off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran.

US expands Iran campaign with strikes on oil tankers

Airstrikes on Iranian oil tankers mark a subtle tactical pivot after months of periodic bombardment targeting IRGC military infrastructure failed to shut down the IRGC’s attacks in Hormuz.

Latest News

Iran vows continued military action amid renewed hostilities with US

In this picture obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim on September 2, 2026 a destroyed vehicle is pictured at the site of an overnight strike in Kuhestak, Sirik County, in Iran's southern Hormozgan province on September 2, 2026. Iranian forces said on September 2 that they launched attacks on US military targets in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and other countries in the region, vowing "severe" consequences for renewed American attacks on the Islamic republic. (Photo by Masoud Moha

Xi makes first Egypt visit in decade as Cairo gets caught in US-China AI row

Vehicles drive beneath a large screen displaying portraits of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Cairo on Aug. 31, 2026.

Fresh fighting in Syria's Suwayda leaves one dead: What to know

Tribal and Bedouin fighters deploy in the western neighborhood of southern Syria's predominantly Druze city of Suwayda amid clashes with Druze gunmen on July 19, 2025.

US airstrikes target Iran's Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island

ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Zamir

Israel's Netanyahu, army chief face off over possible Gaza City offensive

Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir opposes plans to take control of Gaza City, where some 800,000 Palestinians reside.

pakistan

Analysis

As Iran looks East, Pezeshkian courts Pakistan to ease economic woes

During his visit to neighboring Pakistan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to deepen political and economic ties as part of a broader foreign policy strategy to ease sanctions and offset the fallout from the recent war with Israel.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

People who fled the Zamzam camp for the internally displaced after it fell under RSF control queue for food rations in a makeshift encampment in an open field near the town of Tawila in Sudan's western Darfur region on April 13, 2025.

UN: Sudanese children 'skin and bones' as 250,000 in El Fasher face starvation

The warnings come as reports claim that Colombian mercenaries have taken control over the nearby Zamzam refugee camp.

Lebanese demonstrators march during a gathering to honour the victims of the catastrophic port explosion in 2020 and to call for accountability for the blast, in Beirut on August 4, 2025. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on August 4, vowed justice and accountability five years after a catastrophic explosion at Beirut's port, as the investigating judge finished questioning defendants, a judicial official said. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon tasks army with plan to control weapons as Hezbollah rejects disarmament

Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of the session, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the army must draft its plan and present it before the government for review before Aug. 31.

Former Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani addresses the media following his registration at the elections registration office in Tehran, on May 31, 2024, ahead of the country's election of a new president next month.

Who Is Ali Larijani? Khamenei confidant returns to Iran’s top security post

The appointment comes amid a wider security reshuffling following Iran’s war with Israel in June.

Turkmen Alabai

Fears mount over fate of missing Turkmen dissidents in Turkey

The pair vanished after being released from a Turkish deportation center, prompting concerns they were abducted or secretly returned to Turkmenistan.

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa holds a joint press conference with the Turkish president following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, on Feb. 4, 2025.

As Trump warms to Syria, US pushes UN to lift Sharaa sanctions

The move comes as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa prepares to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next month.

An Israeli army infantry-fighting vehicle leaves a cloud of dust as it moves at a position along Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip, Aug. 5, 2025.

Analysis

Collision course: 'Desperate' Netanyahu pushes Gaza takeover plan as military balks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is poised to escalate the military operation in the Gaza Strip and may even order the Israeli army to seize control of all of Gaza.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A cargo ship is seen in a port in central Mogadishu, Somalia, April 25, 2025.

Somalia’s Puntland releases Turkey arms cargo ship: What to know

Talks between Turkey and Puntland follow the seizure of a military cargo ship amid simmering disputes over authority with Mogadishu.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey names new army chief in unexpected reshuffle

While official releases cited staffing shortages as the reason, it has been roughly a decade since a Turkish chief of staff has retired before completing a full four-year tenure.

Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) line up to put their weapons into a pit during a ceremony in Sulaimaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on July 11, 2025.

Kurdish militants return abducted Turkish agents as fragile peace push continues

The handover is seen as a confidence-building measure, as Erdogan seeks a deal with militants to secure Kurdish support for extending his presidency beyond 2028.

A picture shows a metal installation set up across from the destroyed Beirut port silos during a gathering to honour the victims of the catastrophic port explosion in 2020 and to call for accountability for the blast, in Beirut on August 4, 2025. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on August 4, vowed justice and accountability five years after a catastrophic explosion at Beirut's port, as the investigating judge finished questioning defendants, a judicial official said. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSE

5 years after Lebanon's port explosion: Can Beirut find accountability?

Not one official has been held accountable five years after the deadly port blast that killed over 220 people and destroyed much of Beirut.