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Politics & Security

Israeli soldiers react after taking cover near the Israel-Lebanon border following a Hezbollah drone attack that hit the northern border on May 19, 2026. The Israeli military on May 19 warned residents of 12 towns and villages in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate ahead of expected attacks against Hezbollah, the latest despite a ceasefire. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images)

In first, US sanctions Lebanon military, intel officials for aiding Hezbollah

New tranche of sanctions marks a warning shot from Washington as Senate Republicans threaten to freeze funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces if it does not move more aggressively to disarm Hezbollah.

Iranians drive next to a billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi " Science is the power," at the Enqelab Square in Tehran, on Aug. 29, 2025.

US, Iran trade mixed signals on enriched uranium as Tehran weighs response

Speaking on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he would be willing to wait "a couple of days" for Tehran's response to the latest US proposal to end the war.

TOPSHOT - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City on September 22, 2025. (Photo by Bing Guan / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

With sanctions off, what’s keeping Syria on US terror blacklist?

Despite President Donald Trump’s pledge to lift all sanctions on Syria, the country's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism continues to discourage investment.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Israel targets Turkey charity amid Gaza flotilla tensions

The request, published in Israeli media, marks a further escalation in tensions with Turkey amid disputes over Gaza aid operations.

Latest News

Iran’s Hormuz authority declares control over ports in UAE, Oman: What to know

AFP via Getty Images

Ethiopia accuses Egypt of obstructing Red Sea access bid: What to know

TO GO WITH STORY by Peter Martell: "Eritrea-economy-port": A couple of boats and two tug boats can be seen in Eritrea's Red Sea port of Massawa on November 18, 2007. Once one of East Africa's busiest ports, the town is still recovering after being badly bombed in 1990 during Eritrea's war of liberation from Ethiopia. The government is trying to revitalize the port, but efforts are hampered by a sluggish economy and threat of a renewed conflict with Ethiopia. AFP PHOTO/Peter MARTELL (Photo credit should read

Turkish court ousts CHP leadership amid opposition crackdown

Leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ozgur Ozel addresses the audience during a rally in Istanbul on April 9, 2025.

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

Bradley D’coutho

Israel, Jordan sign first environmental agreement at COP27

The environmental agreement signed yesterday between Israel and Jordan is the first such development ever between the two countries.

(L to R) Israel's Defence Minister Benny Gantz, US President Joe Biden and Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, stand in front of Israel's Iron Dome defence system during a tour at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on July 13, 2022.

The Security Briefing: Pentagon talks tech with Israelis

In this weekly newsletter, Jared Szuba rounds up the biggest security stories from the Middle East.

Syrian demonstrators gather to protest Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group.

Syrian jihadist group HTS challenges Turkish-backed factions

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham tried to enter the Turkey-backed factions’ stronghold to support Ahrar al-Sham that refused to support the newly formed leadership by some groups within the movement.

People tour the Qatar COP27 pavillon, displaying the various stadiums that will be hosting the matches of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Center, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 14, 2022.

GCC states focused on both oil, green energy at COP27

During the COP27 in Egypt, Gulf Cooperation Council states have focused on both oil and green energy in light of rising energy demand and the nations’ reliance on energy exports.

Rally in Germany for Iran protests

As Iran's crackdown on protests enters violent new phase, casualties surge

Lethal force was used against mourners at funerals, women were tear-gassed at a crowded subway station, and more than two months of unrest in Iran appeared far from fizzling out.

ILYAS AKENGIN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s first national soccer game in Kurdish heartland hints at electioneering

The match was set in Diyarbakir by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he faces a tough vote next year.

LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

France's Macron calls Iran protests a ‘revolution,’ impacting nuclear talks

French President Emmanuel Macron admitted this week that amid ongoing protests in Iran and the mass detention of demonstrators, it would be very difficult for the West to make progress on talks for a new nuclear deal.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Netanyahu

Netanyahu, Erdogan pledge new era of Israeli-Turkish relations in phone call

Nine years after their last conversation, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the phone and promised to continue rapprochement between the two countries.

Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer speaks during the annual Days of Remembrance event at the Emancipation Hall in the US Capitol, Washington, April 29, 2019.

Netanyahu considers former US Envoy Ron Dermer as Israel’s next foreign minister

The relationship between Dermer and Netanyahu is considered as nearly familial.

Demonstrators marching in solidarity with protesters in Iran stand around the Lincol Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, on Oct. 29, 2022.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Republicans to dial up Iran pressure in 2023

Plus, Israeli officials were surprised by the reported FBI investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh's death, and the US blames Iran for a drone attack in the Gulf of Oman.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

The Israeli-linked Japanese-owned tanker MT Mercer Street.

Iran behind drone strike on Israeli-owned tanker, US says

Drone debris recovered from the MV Pacific Zircon belonged to an Iranian-made Shahed drone, the US military said today.

Israel Balad

Left out of Knesset, Arab Israeli party fights for survival

Failing to pass the electoral threshold, the Arab party Balad must find new goals, new faces and new enthusiasm in order to survive.