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Politics & Security

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, speaks during a press conference

Explainer

Who will lead Congress? Democrats weigh Schumer alternatives, Jeffries bid

A number of contenders have emerged as challengers to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, including strong critics of the Iran war and US support to Israel.

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

Manon Roca / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon files charges against 2 Hezbollah members as UNIFIL prepares to withdraw

The move comes amid growing security concerns in the south less than two months before the UNIFIL mandate expires.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

Latest News

Explainer

Arab parties' backing gives Eisenkot edge over Netanyahu for PM: What to know

Tomer Neuberg / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Massie renews Hegseth impeachment push as GOP blames Iran war for midterm losses

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, on July 21, 2026, in Washington.

Jared Szuba

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

Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift?

TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images

Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopters fly over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy, northeastern Hasakeh province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2021.

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

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

General Assembly votes to grant Palestine more UN rights short of membership

By a significant majority, the UN General Assembly recommended the Security Council reconsider the Palestinian bid for full membership.

Motorists drive along a flooded street following heavy rains in Dubai early on April 17, 2024.

Record rainfall forces Gulf cities to rethink climate change

A climate change monitor estimates that global warming made the Gulf deluge 10-40% more intense than it would have been in the pre-industrial era.

United Arab Emirates

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 9: U.S. President Joe Biden points to WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces players and other invited guests as he walks towards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on May 9, 2024 in Washington, DC, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Biden is traveling to San Francisco, California for campaign fundraisers. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Analysis

As Netanyahu fans flames, will Biden lose Israeli center over arms cut?

Israeli leaders, including from the political center, were surprised and disappointed by President Joe Biden's threat to withhold the delivery of offensive arms to Israel in the event of a large-scale Rafah operation.

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

Displaced Palestinians gather their belongings before fleeing al-Mawasi to a safer area in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 9, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and militants from the Hamas movement.

Biden approaches 'red line' with Netanyahu 7 months into Gaza war

After months spent warning Israel against launching an assault in Rafah, Biden said such an operation would result in the US blocking arms shipments to the Jewish state.

People are gathered to protest cooperation between Turkey and Israel.

Turkey, Israel tangle in fresh row over trade ban

The fresh tensions between the two regional powers seem to be stemming from a Turkish directive sent to companies that were doing business with Israel to introduce a three-month adjustment period for implementation of the trade ban.

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan looks on during an interview with AFP at the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais Royal in Paris on Feb. 7, 2024.

Can Republicans in Congress punish ICC if it issues Israel arrest warrants?

“Target Israel and we will target you,” lawmakers warn prosecutor Karim Khan, as the court reportedly prepares to indict the Israeli prime minister and other Israeli officials.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

With draft letters done, Turkey and US inch closer to concluding $23B F-16 deal

Turkey has concluded its part on draft letter of offer for the $23 billion sale, a Turkish official said.

AFP via Getty Images

CIA director, Israel and Hamas leave Egypt talks with no deal reached

After representatives of Hamas and the United States left Cairo, the Israeli delegation also departed on Thursday as sources told Kan news agency that "irreconcilable gaps" had emerged between the parties.

Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran's atomic energy department, and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi take part in a press conference in Isfahan on May 7, 2024.

Iran warns it will change ‘nuclear doctrine’ if threatened by Israel

The remarks come less than a month after an unprecedented Iranian drone attack in Israel and apparent retaliatory strikes in Iran’s Isfahan.

Tourists visit the Chora (Kariye) Church Museum, the 11th century church of St. Savior on August 21, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Erdogan's Byzantine church conversion roils Greece ahead of PM's Turkey visit

The Byzantine-era cathedral's inauguration as a working mosque came just days before a landmark visit to Turkey by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which is due to kick off on May 13.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

CIA chief meets Netanyahu as Israel sees no imminent deal from Cairo talks

Israel kept its negotiating team in Cairo as CIA chief William Burns met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

Biden pauses transfer of bombs to Israel amid concerns of Rafah invasion

It's the first time the Biden administration has admitted restricting the flow of arms to Israel in a bid to shape the ongoing war in Gaza, but the move failed to stop a limited initial incursion into Rafah.