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Politics & Security

Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos Hessebon meets with Marco Rubio in Washington on May 11, 2026.

Rubio hosts Ethiopia’s FM amid push to boost security ties: What to know

In response to heightening regional volatility, Ethiopia is prioritizing a strategic partnership with the Washington to secure its geopolitical standing.

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Panamanian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

Breaking | Last Updated: May 11, 2026, 4:31 pm

US hits China-linked Iran oil trade with sanctions ahead of Trump trip

The sanctions come after the United States rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war.

French Deputy Armed Forces Minister Alice Rufo

After year away, France returns ambassador to Algeria: What to know

France and Algeria have made efforts to improve ties recently, with the strain resulting from disagreements over Western Sahara and their shared colonial past.

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

Latest News

Trump calls Iran response 'piece of garbage,' set to meet military advisers

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 2: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on May 2, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago resort. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

Two men stand next to the burned remains of a Palestinian vehicle in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Susya village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 1, 2026.

Upcoming Lebanon-Israel talks will see higher-level participation, discuss security ‘framework’

Anwar AMRO / 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

Turkey to resume soccer league games as battered referee leaves hospital

Turkey’s soccer federation announced it will resume games after suspending them over an attack on a referee.

Family members of Americans who were taken hostage by Hamas during the terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, including (L-R) Yael Alexander, Orna Neutra, Adi Alexander and Liz Naftali, talk to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House on Dec. 13, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

Day 68 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Wednesday, Dec. 13

King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) speaks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi (R) during the Global Refugee Forum, in Geneva on December 13, 2023.

UN agencies multiply calls for Gaza cease-fire, Jordan steadfast on refugee policy

Speaking at the Global Refugee Forum, UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi urged an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, while taking a shot at the UN Security Council over its failure to demand a full cease-fire.

Palestinians wave yellow flags of Fatah group as they wait for the release of prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages held by Hamas, in Ramallah on Nov. 27, 2023.

Analysis

Is a Hamas-Fatah rapprochement in the cards?

Despite years of acrimony, some high-ranking officials from Fatah and Hamas say it's in the interest of both parties to join forces as part of a unity government.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military personnel are participating in the Ela Beit Al-Moghaddas (Al-Aqsa Mosque) military rally in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 24, 2023.

Iran holds military drill near Iraqi border to counter ISIS infiltration

The stated goal of the exercise appeared as a shift from Iran's older official line, in which it had declared and taken credit for a "full eradication" of the Islamic State (ISIS).

Protesters hold candles during a demonstration.

Israeli military repatriates bodies of two people kidnapped by Hamas

The Israeli military announced Tuesday that it had recovered two bodies of Israelis held by Hamas in Gaza in an operation that killed two Israeli soldiers.

Fashion giant Zara faces backlash over ad campaign

Spain-headquartered Zara is no stranger to controversy amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Smoke billows from an area targeted in a rocket strike by Lebanese Hezbollah militants near Israel's border with Lebanon, amid increasing cross-border tensions as fighting continues with Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 23, 2023.

Analysis

Israel braces for possible Hezbollah attack as Lebanese border heats up

Israel is hoping that international pressure will convince Hezbollah to withdraw its Radwan commando units to the other side of the Litani River, but also prepares for a scenario where Hezbollah will refuse such a move.

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

US President Joe Biden (L) listens to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he joins a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet in Tel Aviv on Oct. 18, 2023.

Day 67 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Tuesday, Dec. 12

A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian News Agency ISNA on June 13, 2019, reportedly shows fire and smoke billowing from Norwegian-owned Front Altair tanker said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman

Houthi missile hits Norwegian-flagged tanker in latest Red Sea attack

Iran-backed rebels hit a Norwegian-owned chemical tanker with a cruise missile, but the ship had no clear connection to Israel, signaling the Houthis may be widening the aperture of their attacks.

BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 16: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery on March 16, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. Netanyahu's one-day visit to Berlin is being accompanied by protests, including both by people angry over Israel’s policies towards Palestinians as well as those critical of possible new legislation in Israel supported by Netanyahu that would undermine the independence and the power of Israel's Suprem

Analysis

Germany's double approach to Israel: Expand Gaza aid, mum on cease-fire

Germany has seen significant spike in antisemitic attacks since the the war. Chancellor Olaf Scholz called this week on the Netanyahu government to do whatever it can to limit the number of casualties in Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid convoys.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Virginia, Arlington, aerial photograph of the eastern entrance of the Pentagon.

Key Pentagon policy officials to step down amid widening Middle East crisis

Mara Karlin, who oversaw the drafting of the Biden administration's national defense strategy and has filled in as the Pentagon’s no.-3 top official, and Dana Stroul, the department’s Middle East policy director, are both stepping down as Congressional dysfunction threatens to hold up their replacement.

Washington Connection