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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

Israeli military tanks roll near the border with the Gaza Strip, amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas, Dec. 5, 2023.

‘Nowhere is safe’ in Gaza as Israel presses ground offensive

Concerns are emerging about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in south Gaza, where Israel is widening its campaign.

U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on October 19, 2023.

Admin presses Congress on Israel aid as Democrats weigh conditions

As the Senate gears up to vote on Israel's aid package, the Biden administration is publicly calling for the Israeli military to act with restraint in southern Gaza.

Hawk T1A trainer aircraft of the Saudi Falcons aerobatic team perform during an air show marking Saudi Arabia's 93rd National Day celebrations in Riyadh on September 23, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

What weapons is US selling to Saudi Arabia in latest $582 million deal?

The sale coincides with increased Houthi attacks in Gulf waters and growing Saudi concerns over its defense posture following the Israel-Hamas war.

A picture taken during an organized tour by Yemen's Houthi rebels (onboard) on Nov. 22, 2023.

Spread thin, US Navy seeks allies' help following Houthi attacks on shipping

With Israel's war in Gaza poised to drag on, Washington is turning to allies to help relieve the burden on the US Navy in pushing back on Iran-backed attacks against commercial shipping in Gulf waterways.

A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone is on view during a presentation at the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Siauliai, Lithuania, on July 6, 2022.

Israel, Turkey firms among world’s top 100 arms makers: SIPRI

Turkey’s Baykar, manufacturer of Bayraktar drones, recorded the largest revenue among the world’s top 100 arms producers and military service providers.

Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook, speaks during a session at the Congress centre on the second day of the World Economic Forum, on January 18, 2017.

‘Silence is complicity:’ Sheryl Sandberg speaks out on allegations of Hamas sexual violence

At the UN headquarters in New York, Israel’s envoy to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, slammed the organization UN Women for its reluctance to acknowledge the sexual crimes perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli women on Oct. 7.

Israeli security forces and onlookers gather in front of a car wash, where five Arab Israelis were shot dead, in the village of Yafia, west of Nazareth, on June 8, 2023.

Turkey threatens Israel with 'serious consequences' if it targets Hamas on territory

The rare public warning by Turkish intelligence came after the country's president shrugged Washington’s push to curb Hamas' fundraising activities in Turkey.

A newly released prisoner waves from a bus during a welcome ceremony following the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas since the October 7 attacks, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank early on November 30, 2023.

Day 55 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Nov. 30

Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

Day 59 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Monday, Dec. 4

INTERNATIONAL WATERS RED SEA, YEMEN - NOVEMBER 20: This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Yemen's Houthi fighters' takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo in the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, on November 20, 2023 in the Red Sea, Yemen. On Monday, the Houthi movement in Yemen released footage and photos of the Houthi-run coastguard taking over the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader Vessel in the Red Sea, which had 52 people onboard. Galaxy Leader is owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd in the Isle of Man and is li

US threatens response after Houthi missiles hit cargo ships in Red Sea

Iran-backed factions across the Middle East opened a new volley of attacks targeting Israeli-linked cargo vessels in the Red Sea and US troops in Iraq and Syria since Israel's truce with Hamas collapsed on Friday.

In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits the Strait of Hormuz as an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from the Nightdippers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 lifts off from the flight deck November 19, 2019.

Day 58 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Dec. 3

The Gaza Strip's Hamas Prime minister Ismail Haniya (L) and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan salute together the lawmakers of Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party at the Parliament in Ankara on January 3, 2012. Haniyeh's visit was a show of solidarity with the Islamic aid group IHH, which had planned to send the Mavi Marmara vessel with another Gaza flotilla last year but then dropped the plan. AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty

Will US pressure on Turkey over Hamas, Russia access to finance matter much?

Washington’s high-level warnings over Hamas financial activity in the country come at a time when Turkey’s economy management is trying to overcome its currency crunch by gaining the confidence of foreign investors.