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Politics & Security

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

Analysis

Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, Iran looks to China as guarantor — but with reservations

Tehran is closely watching the Trump-Xi meeting to determine whether China will continue acting primarily as a protector or if it will gradually emerge as the power capable of pressuring Iran into a narrower strategic corner.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Latest News

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

TTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages

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.

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 army soldiers are positioned with their Merkava tanks near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, Oct. 9, 2023

Analysis

Israel's Gaza ground operation delayed over US preparations, possible hostage deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must wait for the Americans to complete military preparations in the region and for the Qataris to broker a deal for the liberation of hostages before a ground operation in Gaza.

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

Eyup Kadir Inan

Official boycott, sit-ins target Starbucks in Turkey amid protests against Israel

The decision by Turkey’s state-run rail company to stop selling Starbucks products in its dining cars marked the first official boycott targeting an international brand over the Israel-Hamas war.

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

Blasts in Egypt near Israeli border as Gaza war rages on

The Israeli military blamed two explosions in Egypt, resulted in injuries, on an “aerial threat” from the Red Sea, a possible reference to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, but some details are unclear.

Members of Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement, march in Gaza City on May 22, 2021, in commemoration of senior Hamas commander Bassem Issa who was killed along with other militants in Israeli airstrikes last week.

US imposes sanctions on Hamas' envoy to Iran, IRGC trainers

The sanctions targeting Hamas and its benefactors in Iran followed the Pentagon's announcement of airstrikes targeting Iran-linked facilities in eastern Syria.

Smoke and fire rise from buildings as people gather amid the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Gaza City on Oct. 26, 2023, as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.

Day 21 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Oct. 27

A F18 Hornet fighter jet prepares to land on the deck of a US navy aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, May 8, 2018.

US launches airstrikes on Iran militia facilities in Syria

President Joe Biden authorized the F-16 strikes in a bid to put a halt to nearly 20 drone attacks targeting US bases in Iraq and Syria over the past week as Washington and Iran trade warnings amid Israel's impending invasion of Gaza.

Jared Szuba

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

Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan is seen on a TV monitor.

Israel considers denying visas for UN officials

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rejects Israel's claim that he justified the Hamas attacks.

Graves are made ready to receive the new dead in the cemetery in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

Gaza turns to ‘graveyard’ as bombing, siege intensify

Despite the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip, the UN Security Council has yet to pass a resolution that would bring a sliver of hope to the Gazan population.

ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas delegation arrives in Russia

Russia maintains cordial relations with Hamas as well as Israel and other actors in the Gaza conflict. The discussions with Hamas in Moscow focused on the release of foreign hostages.

Israel says it is seeking to totally destroy Gaza's Hamas rulers after the deadly October 7 attacks which caused the worst bloodshed in Israel's history

Day 20 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Oct. 26

Israeli soldiers prepare a tank near the border between Israel and Lebanon on Oct. 16, 2023, in Shlomi, Israel.

Hamas threatens 'hell on earth' in event of Israeli ground invasion

Israel has amassed troops and military equipment in preparation for its ground offensive on Gaza, while Palestinian factions have further warned that the Israeli army would incur more losses should it invade Gaza.

Gaza refugees

‘They have no answers’: Americans trapped in Gaza wait for US help

Hundreds of US citizens are stranded in the Gaza Strip despite a US-led diplomatic effort to open the border to aid deliveries.