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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

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

2023 in review: Gaza war forces Palestinian question on Biden’s agenda

For most of 2023, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remained on the Biden administration’s back burner amid a major push for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (L) arrives under the rain to the Turkish Parliament to take oath of office after his election win at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on June 3, 2023. Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in for a third term as president on June 3, promising to serve "impartially" after winning a historic runoff election to extend his two-decade rule. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

2023 in review: From disaster to diplomacy, a climactic year for Turkey

Ankara and NATO capitals are once again at loggerheads despite Turkey’s restoration vision put forward after the May elections.

A picture taken in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 11, 2023.

Analysis

What will Israel’s next phase entail in Gaza as war drags on?

The Israeli military continues fighting in an attempt to mark as many achievements on the ground before it shifts to the third phase of the war.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

What does Saudi Arabia's CICA membership mean for its Asia pivot?

The kingdom’s achievement of observer status in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia follows similar moves with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS.

Turkey says US should 'fulfill' F-16s commitments ahead of Sweden's NATO vote

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on his American counterpart Antony Blinken to act in the spirit of alliance over the pending Turkish bid to buy new F-16 fighter jets from the United States.

Quique Kierszenbaum/Getty Images

Armenian clergy members attacked in Jerusalem over real estate dispute

Hooded men attacked several Armenian clergymen and theology students, apparently in relation to a disputed deal for the sale of a parking lot inside the Armenia Quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City.

MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images

Famine looms as more than 21,000 killed in Gaza

Israel presses on with its offensive in the Gaza Strip, while the humanitarian situation quickly deteriorates.

HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images

Day 83 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Dec. 28

Honor guards carry the coffin of Sayyed Razi Mousavi.

Funeral held for Iran's IRGC commander killed by Israel as Tehran vows revenge

Iran said Sayyed Razi Mousavi was killed in an Israeli strike in Syria. The death of the commander, who was mourned in Syria and Iraq, could ignite war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Smokes billows in Qamishli in northeastern Syria close to the Turkish border on Dec. 25, 2023.

Turkey speeds up attacks on Kurdish groups in Syria, Iraq

The latest escalation occurred after the killing of 12 Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq over the past week.

Turkey's Erdogan compares Netanyahu to Hitler, drawing Israel's rebuke

The Turkish president’s inflammatory comments drawing a parallel between Hitler to Netanyahu once again have ramped up tensions between Turkey and Israel.

Sigrid Kaag

Who is Sigrid Kaag, veteran diplomat and UN's new aid coordinator for Gaza?

Sigrid Kaag has worked extensively with the UN in the Middle East. She is fluent in Arabic and speaks Dutch, German, French, English and Spanish.