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Politics & Security

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs neighborhood of Haret Hreik on May 6, 2026.

Israel strikes Beirut in breach of Lebanon ceasefire

Israel has continued to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon but had not targeted Beirut since the ceasefire took effect.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Ankara comes amid rapidly expanding Turkish-Saudi coordination as the fallout from the Iran war reshapes Gulf security dynamics.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second right, talks to his Iranian Counterpart Abbas Araghchi, left, during the bilateral meeting in Beijing, Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Iran, China discuss Hormuz reopening amid potential US-Iran talks

China’s foreign minister told his Iranian counterpart that “persisting in negotiations is particularly important.”

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Lebanon, Israel eye third round of talks, but no Netanyahu-Aoun meeting in sight

The US appears to be pushing for a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the Lebanese government says it won't happen while Israel continues to launch attacks on Lebanon.

Latest News

Analysis

Iran's Gulf gambit: Attacking the UAE to shift US calculations

A billboard with the image of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wraps the front of a building in Tehran on May 5, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iran’s Araghchi heads to China as US presses Beijing over Hormuz: What to know

Parker Song / 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

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks das he meets with G7 Foreign Ministers during NATO's 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC, on July 11, 2024.

Blinken signals optimism that Gaza cease-fire within reach

The top US diplomat said negotiators are "inside the 10 yard line" of securing a deal to halt the nine-month war in return for the hostages' release.

Public hearings on the request for the indication or modification of provisional measures submitted by South Africa, application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel), The Hague, May 16-17, 2024.

Top UN court rules Israel’s presence in Palestinian territories illegal

Israel slammed the decision by the International Court of Justice, which held the occupation of Palestinian territories illegal and said it must cease immediately, including the evacuation of Jewish settlers.

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East takeaways from Trump’s Republican convention speech

The former president addressed the Gaza war and US policy toward Iran in the speech and pledged to build a missile defense system like Israel’s Iron Dome.

Empty baggage trucks are seen by a Turkish airlines Boeing 777, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Jan. 11, 2023.

Turkish Airlines cancels 84 flights amid global IT outage

The Turkish transportation minister said the government expects the disruption to end “within hours.”

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Netanyahu, regional leaders hedge on possible Trump win in November

The Israeli prime minister is under pressure to deliver on a cease-fire during his Washington visit next week; Biden can’t heal Democrat divisions over Israel and the Gaza war.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

ATTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages

Armed attack in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province kills police officer

Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni Islamist group of Baluchis fighting for the independence of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province, is known for attacking Iranian security and military forces.

A man looks at a building damaged by a drone explosion that Houthis rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for, Tel Aviv, July 19, 2024.

Analysis

Houthi drone attack exposes Israel’s vulnerability

As the military investigates the episode, an Israeli security official warns that Hamas "has not said its final word" despite receiving the "worst blow" in its history.

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

Sudanese soldiers and enrolled personnel drive a pickup truck mounted with a machine gun on a street in Gedaref city, Sudan, on Jan. 14, 2024.

UAE leader, Sudan army chief hold first call since civil war began

The acting Sudanese government has accused the UAE of backing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the conflict, charges the Gulf state denies.

Israeli policemen search the scene where an explosion took place in Tel Aviv, July 19, 2024.

Yemen's Houthis claim responsibility for deadly drone attack in Israel

One man was killed and ten injured when a drone exploded Friday morning in the center of Tel Aviv.

White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan arrives at the U.S. Capitol on April 18, 2024, in Washington, DC.

White House envoy McGurk heads to Jordan, UAE ahead of Netanyahu’s US visit

President Joe Biden is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week as Washington doubles down on its pursuit of a cease-fire in Gaza and initial steps toward Palestinian statehood.

Two Iranian women are walking in the street of Tehran with optional covering.

Women activists face 'severe sentences' in Iran, as new president vows easing of restrictions

A woman labor activist was sentenced to death in Iran for allegedly belonging to an outlawed Kurdish group, as authorities continue their crackdown against any type of dissent.

Iraq's new first lady and Iraqi-Kurdish politician and writer Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed receives a bouquet of flowers during her husband's inauguration and handover ceremony as the new Iraqi president at al-Salam Palace in the capital Baghdad on Oct. 17, 2022.

Iraq’s first lady blasts Turkey’s assault against PKK in Kurdistan Region

The first lady's own family history and the upcoming parliamentary elections are likely behind her decision to speak up now.