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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

Palestinians injured in Israeli raids arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital on Nov. 14, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza.

Israel’s attacks on Gaza hospitals could amount to war crimes, says HRW

Human Rights Watch says the ongoing Israeli targeting of hospitals across Gaza “should be investigated as war crimes.”

Elizabeth Tsurkov

Proof of life video of Russian-Israeli scholar suggests Iraqi captors want to negotiate

The first video appearance of kidnapped Russian-Israeli scholar Elizabeth Tsurkov could mean her Shiite militia captors are seeking a deal for her release.

Palestinian fighters of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, take part in a military parade to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel, near the border in the central Gaza Strip on July 19, 2023. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Hamas buys time in hostage talks as it ups psychological war against Israel

Israel estimates that the publishing by Hamas of another video of a hostage and the demand by the group for five days of cease-fire as part of a deal to release captives, are meant for it to buy more time against the IDF ground offensive.

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

People protest against executions and detentions in Iran, in front of the Iranian Permanent Mission to the UN in New York City on December 17, 2022. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran executed 114 people since Israel-Hamas war began: report

It seems Iran is taking advantage of the world focus on the Israel-Hamas war to carry out mass executions across its prisons.

AFP via Getty Images

Day 39 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Tuesday, Nov. 14

The Soloturk aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force flies an F-16 aircraft over Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Turkish Republic's Founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey in Ankara, on October 29, 2023. Turkey marked its centenary as a post-Ottoman republic on October 29, 2023, with somewhat muted celebrations held in the shadow of Israel's escalating war with Hamas militants in Gaza. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALT

Turkey, Greece agree on confidence-building measures as Ankara eyes F-16s

The announcement comes as Ankara seeks to overcome congressional objections to its bid to purchase new F-16 jets from the United States.

US-made armoured vehicles bearing markings of the US Marine Corps are seen on a road north of Raqa in northern Syria on March 27, 2017. US-backed forces battled the Islamic State group around a key Syrian town, after the capture of an airbase brought them closer to besieging the jihadists in their stronghold Raqa.Operations are currently focused on the strategically important town of Tabqa on the Euphrates River, and the adjacent dam and military airport. / AFP PHOTO / DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should r

Four attacks against US troops in Syria hours after strikes on IRGC facilities

New rocket and drone attacks targeted US bases in Syria in the hours following the latest US airstrikes designed to dissuade the IRGC and its militias from continuing their attacks on American personnel.

An Israeli soldier runs to a position during a drill in the annexed Golan Heights on Nov. 9, 2023.

Analysis

As Israel-Hezbollah tensions escalate, Iran not keen on 'all-out' war

Israeli security experts note that while Hezbollah might not be interested in an all-out war with Israel, it has certainly increased its attacks against it in recent days.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images

At least 185 Palestinians killed in Israel's West Bank raids since Gaza war began

The violence coincides with the Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli military tanks take up a position during a drill in the annexed Golan Heights, amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Nov. 9, 2023.

Syria front on edge as Israel targets airports, US hits Iran-linked groups

Israel's continued airstrikes targeting Damascus and Aleppo airports arise from the threat Israel feels following attacks from within Syria on border areas led by Iranian-backed groups.

A F-18 Hornet fighter jet prepares to land on the deck of the US navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, May 8, 2018.

US airstrikes hit IRGC site in Syria in latest bid to halt attacks

Biden administration ups the ante by targeting a training facility and a safe house used by Iran's IRGC and associated militias near Syria's border with Iraq, after previous strikes failed to halt rocket and drone attacks against US forces.

A girl runs past a U.S. Army Oshkosh M-ATV Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle on May 26, 2021 near the Turkish border in northeastern Syria.

Day 38 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Monday, Nov. 13