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Politics & Security

US Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Wisconsin Air National Guard facility at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on July 8, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Vance says Israeli intelligence had ties to Epstein: What to know

Vice President JD Vance has grown more critical of Israel, possibly in an effort to capitalize on changing views among voters with an eye on the 2028 presidential election.

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 22: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) sits in between Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan (L) and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during a signing ceremony for the “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 22, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. The US-backed “Board of Peace” is intended to administer the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after the war between Israel and Hamas. The final makeup of the board has not been confirmed. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/G

Trump taps Russia-born investor to oversee $200M+ fund backing Armenia-Azerbaijan corridor

The appointment of Chicago-based investor Konstantin Sokolov to oversee a $200 million fund marks a new phase for Washington's proposed trade and transportation route linking Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cornerstone laying ceremony for the Atarot Heritage Center at an abandon airport in East Jerusalem near the separation wall with the Israeli occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on July 5, 2026.

Israeli PM Netanyahu 'will not travel' to US next week, his office says

On Wednesday, an Israeli official had told Al-Monitor that Netanyahu was planning to travel on Saturday and meet with President Donald Trump next week and attend the memorial service for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Latest News

Syria seizes arms shipment on Iraq border destined for Hezbollah

Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP via Getty Images

Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel could launch new party by August

Ozgu Ozel

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

MAZEN MAHDI/AFP via Getty Images

Republican says Congress 'kept in dark' as Iran envoy saga develops

Congressional Republicans are furious after the Tehran Times published a letter purportedly from the State Department discussing the suspension of Malley’s security clearance.

ALI DIA/AFP via Getty Images

Hezbollah says UNIFIL mandate will remain 'ink on paper' without change

The paramilitary group is objecting to the renewal of the UN peacekeeping mission over last year's modification that gave the mission freedom of movement in southern Lebanon without coordination with the army.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen addresses a joint press conference after talks with his German counterpart at the Foreign Office, Berlin, Germany, Feb. 28, 2023.

Analysis

Israel publicizing secret meeting with Libya FM damages Arab ties

When Foreign Minister Eli Cohen revealed his meeting last week with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush, it dealt a serious blow to Israel’s clandestine relations with Arab and Muslim countries.

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

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaks during the first power generation ceremony at the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Analysis

Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan resume talks on Nile River dam, but obstacles remain

The current talks follow the outbreak of violence in Sudan as well as mediation efforts by the UAE.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan to meet Putin in Sochi as Turkey looks to save Ukraine grain deal

Revival of the vital grain deal will top the agenda of the Turkish and Russian presidents in Sochi, but experts believe Moscow's quick return to the agreement is unlikely.

An Iranian Kurdish peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI).

Iran renews ultimatum for Iraq to disarm Kurdish opposition groups

A September deadline set to disarm the groups will “not be extended in any way.”

Syrian military airplanes fly by Aleppo's airport, February 19, 2020.

Suspected Israeli airstrikes knock Syria’s Aleppo airport out of service

The attack is one of several suspected Israeli strikes against Syrian airports this year.

Protests in Al-Karama Square in the center of Suwayda, Sunday Aug. 27, 2023.

Syria protests enter second week, activists close Baath headquarters

The protests now calling for the end of Bashar al-Assad’s rule were initially prompted by the government's decision to cut fuel subsidies.

Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush holds a press conference at the end of an Arab foreign ministers meeting in Tripoli, January 22, 2023.

Libya suspends foreign minister over secret meeting with Israeli counterpart

The Libyan government suspended Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush after Israel revealed she had met with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen last week in Italy.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/saudi-arabia-eyes-chinese-bid-nuclear-plant-wsj-2023-08-25/

US lawmakers make unannounced trip to northwest Syria

The three Republican lawmakers visited a school for displaced children during their short visit.

The President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi attends a meeting during the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Aug. 24, 2023.

Raisi pushes anti-US agenda in BRICS as Iran celebrates ascension

The Islamic Republic hopes that BRICS membership will remedy its ailing economy and open a new front against American influence in the global sphere.

A man walks past a power station on the outskirts of Beijing, April 7, 2005.

Analysis

US-Saudi nuclear cooperation makes sense because of China, not just Israel

The Biden administration plays the long game with China in the Middle East; prospects for a GCC gas grid; Hydrogen race is on in the Gulf.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti