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Politics & Security

Khaled Hablas

Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know

Hablas was imprisoned for his role in the deadly 2014 clashes with the military and Hezbollah and his release follows Syria lobbying for the return of militants detained in Lebanon.

The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

Turkey’s draft maritime bill seeks to formalize Ankara’s claims in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black seas, raising tensions with Greece and Cyprus over contested maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights.

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

While Israeli and Lebanese delegations are set to meet in Washington for the third time, the Israeli military faces a growing threat from Hezbollah’s cheap yet highly lethal drones.

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

TTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages

Kuwait unveils Iran IRGC infiltration plot, arrests 4: What to know

According to Kuwaiti authorities, four suspects arrested earlier this month after attempting to enter the country illegally via the sea confessed to belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and planning attacks against Kuwait.

Latest News

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

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

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

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.

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

French Deputy Armed Forces Minister Alice Rufo

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

Israeli armored vehicles are pictured during a raid by the Israeli army in the Jenin refugee camp, the occupied West Bank, Nov. 16, 2023.

Israel's raid in West Bank leaves several dead following US warning of escalation

Israel is increasing military raids in the West Bank concurrent with the war in Gaza.

Trucks carrying fuel enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, Oct. 22, 2023.

Israel approves daily fuel transfer to Gaza for water, sewage treatment after US request

Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi cites fear of disease affecting Gaza residents, Israeli soldiers, the military campaign and hostages for the move.

John Moore/Getty Images

Day 42 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Nov. 17

Israeli self-propelled artillery howitzers are stationed at an Israeli army base in Zawra, the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, April 6, 2023.

Suspected Israeli strikes in Syria target Hezbollah, Iran-backed groups

The strikes come amid the ongoing Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip.

Former Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and Israeli peace activist and hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin.

Feature

Why an Israeli hostage negotiator cut contact with Hamas

Gershon Baskin, who helped negotiate the release of Israeli solder Gilad Shalit in 2011, says his contacts in Hamas have no influence over the fate of the Israeli hostage.

Gabrielle Debinski

By Gabrielle Debinski

In New York City, reporting on the Middle East

Borrell

Analysis

US, French, Irish diplomats flock to Middle East with focus on Gaza aid

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and senior American officials are visiting Israel and the region in a bid to advance humanitarian aid for Gaza.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A religious protester holds a portrait of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden during a protest rally against the United States on July 30, 1999, in Islamabad.

Why is bin Laden’s ‘letter to America’ trending during Gaza war?

The controversial 2002 letter explains the al-Qaeda leader and 9/11 mastermind’s reasons for attacking the United States.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) addresses parliament to mark the opening of the new legislative year.

Turkey postpones vote on Sweden’s NATO bid as lawmakers raise F-16 sale

The postponement is believed to have linked Ankara’s approval of Stockholm's entry into NATO to progress on its own bid to buy new F-16 fighter jets from the United States.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey accused of double standard as Armenian journalist's killer walks free

Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink's murderer walked free in Turkey Wednesday while the government's critics pointed aghast to political prisoners held years beyond the court's authority to keep them.

KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images

Day 41 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Nov. 16

A police car sits in front of the Islamic Center Hamburg (Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg) in Hamburg, Germany, Nov. 9, 2022.

Germany raids Islamic center allegedly linked to Hezbollah

The nationwide operation comes as Hezbollah and Israel continue to exchange fire along the Lebanese border.

TOPSHOT - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (R) arrives to lay a wreath of flowers by the graves of Palestinians killed in recent Israeli military raids on the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees, north of the occupied West Bank on July 12, 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Can Abbas lead Palestinian Authority into Gaza after Israel-Hamas war?

As the humanitarian situation in Gaza grows more dire by the day, some Palestinians are frustrated at the slow pace of the leadership in Ramallah.