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Politics & Security

An elections employee tapes a poster with instructions to voters ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026.

Feature

Gazans show cautious hope ahead of first local elections in 20 years

The city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza is set to hold municipal elections for the first time in nearly two decades.

Rasha Abou Jalal

By Rasha Abou Jalal

In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan (L) disembarks from an airplane upon his arrival at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on Jan. 23, 2025.

In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia pursues quiet diplomacy as Trump pushes Israel normalization

Saudi Arabia has been engaged in intense diplomacy in Lebanon in recent days, leading up to the extension of a ceasefire with Israel.

A young man stands in the entrance of tunnels that were used by the ISIS and the Assad's regime for fighting. Tadamon, Syria, February 7, 2025. (Photo by Raghed Waked / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by RAGHED WAKED/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria arrests Amjad Youssef, Tadamoun massacre perpetrator: What to know

Amjad Youssef appeared on video, allegedly killing dozens of civilians in 2013; he is the latest member of the Assad regime to be captured by the new Syrian government.

CORLU, TURKEY- MARCH 2: A B model of Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA (Assault Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the sky on March 2, 2022 in Corlu, Turkey. (Photo by Baykar Press Office/dia images via Getty Images)

Turkey’s Baykar tests K2 swarm kamikaze drones for first time: What to know

Baykar tested its K2 and new loitering drones, featuring AI-driven swarm capabilities and the ability to operate under GPS jamming.

Latest News

Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (R) holds a signed "Make America Great Again" hat while (L-R) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad listen to US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys at a new round of peace talks Thursday, with Beirut seeking a one-month extension of a

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

Kuwait acquits journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin after 7 weeks in detention

Ahmed Shihab‑Eldin attends the Opening Night during the Doha Film Festival 2025 on Nov. 20, 2025 in Doha, Qatar.

Lebanon bids farewell to Amal Khalil, journalist killed by Israel: What to know

Amal Khalil, a veteran correspondent for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, in the southern Lebanese border village of Jebbayn in 2024.

Analysis

On eve of Palestinian local elections, competition in short supply

Women read instructions to voters ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

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

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gives a statement at the Ritz Hotel as he meets Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, on Jan. 30, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

US-Iran talks uncertain as Tehran pushes to sideline regional countries

Iran is also pushing to move the negotiations to Oman and to exclude its missile program from the talks.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, son of Libyan leader Moamer Gadhafi, speaks during an interview with AFP in Tripoli on Feb. 26, 2011.

Saif Islam Gadhafi, son of late Libyan ruler, killed in gunfight: What to know

Gadhafi was a key figure in his father Moammar Gadhafi's regime, and faced legal prosecution for his alleged roles in crimes against Libyans.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks during a press conference on May 11, 2011, at the green zone area in Baghdad, Iraq.

Iraq’s Maliki rejects Trump criticism, vows to stay in PM race

Maliki refused to withdraw from the race, despite mounting pressure from the US, and expressed a desire for good relations with Iraq’s neighbors and Washington.

Commuters drive along a bridge near a building bearing a landmark anti-US mural in Tehran, on June 22, 2025.

Bracing for backlash, Iran sends mixed signals on US talks

Iran's public messaging remains fragmented, with cautious openness from the presidency, rigid red lines from security officials and outright rejection from hard-liners, who see negotiations as futile.

US Department of State's senior advisor to the president for Arab and African Affairs Massad Fares Boulos attends the Sudan Humanitarian Fund event at the Institute of Peace in Washington, on Feb. 3, 2026.

US says Sudan warring parties back withdrawal plan as donors pledge $700M in aid

State Department senior adviser Massad Boulos announced Tuesday that a "comprehensive peace plan" has been approved by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, though it still needs to be approved by Sudan's warring parties.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff arrives for a press conference with the US president and Israel's prime minister in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Witkoff meets Netanyahu as Israel warns against potential Iran deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s security chiefs briefed US envoy Steve Witkoff on the country’s concerns ahead of Friday’s US-Iran talks.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Iran seeks nuclear-only US talks, to drop Turkey as host: Source

Iran’s push for a bilateral, nuclear-only format and a possible shift to Oman has frustrated mediators.

This handout photo made available by the Iranian Army Office on March 12, 2025 shows navy vessels taking part in a joint Iranian-Russian-Chinese military drill in the Gulf of Oman.

US F-35 downs Iran drone as IRGC boats target tanker near Hormuz

The US military accused Iran of "unnecessary aggression" after shooting down an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and IRGC vessels approached a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz ahead of US-Iran talks later this week.

Diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates President Anwar Gargash (C) react on stage with Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe (R) during the World Governments Summit in Dubai on February 3, 2026. Spain will seek to ban social media for under-16s to protect them from harmful content such as pornography and violence, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on February 3, in the latest such move by governments. Australia established a world first i

On eve of talks, UAE's Gargash throws weight behind Iran-US deal

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, spoke at a panel discussion at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where he discussed the latest developments in Gaza, Iran, Sudan and Yemen.

United Arab Emirates

Lebanese soldiers standing atop a military vehicle in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel in southern Lebanon, on Nov. 28, 2025.

Lebanon’s army chief in Washington as Hezbollah disarmament enters critical phase

Gen. Rodolphe Haykal is seeking US support for what is likely to be a cautious approach to expanding the geographic scope of the Lebanese army's efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

Sudanese army soldiers parade in the streets of eastern Sudan's city of Gedaref on Aug. 14, 2025, to mark the 71st anniversary of the formation of the Sudanese army.

RSF shells Sudan’s Kordofan as US-Saudi truce plan stalls: What to know

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have launched drone and artillery attacks in Dilling, just a week after the Sudanese army said it broke a nearly two-year siege on the town.

A state building is covered with a giant anti-US billboard depicting a symbolic image of the destroyed USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 1, 2026.

Iran arrests Oscar-nominated writer, civil rights figures in expanding crackdown

Iranian authorities arrested three prominent activists over the weekend, including Oscar-nominated screenwriter and journalist Mehdi Mahmoudian as arrests surge across Iran.