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Politics & Security

Milak border crossing near the town of Zabol, Iran

Third Sunni cleric killed in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province: What to know

Iran says it is stepping up its crackdown on armed groups in the impoverished province as Sunni clerics have been reported killed there and in the predominantly Kurdish northwest.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

CENTCOM chief meets Saudi Arabia's MBS amid Houthi gains in Yemen

The low-profile meeting between the Pentagon's commander in the Middle East and Saudi crown prince comes as Yemen's Houthis seized the high ground overlooking a vital economic waterway.

People swim next to the Russian-flagged cargo ship OMSKIY-107, which was attacked off the Black Sea coast and eventually ran aground off the shore of the Sile district, Istanbul, Sept. 3, 2026.

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

The Russia-Ukraine drone war is hitting Turkish commercial interests, exposing the limits of Ankara’s ability to protect shipping while remaining outside the conflict.

Erik Marmor

Analysis

Once Netanyahu’s top challenger, Bennett loses ground to Eisenkot: What to know

Facing the popular Gadi Eisenkot, the Together party of former premiers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid is sinking in Israeli opinion polls.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

Latest News

Analysis

What does Houthi advance mean for Yemen’s southern separatists?

Yemeni separatists

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Analysis

Houthi gains in Yemen are testing Saudi Arabia’s security strategy

boats and a container ship near the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Iran, misreading Trump’s resolve, escalates conflict in Yemen ahead of US midterms

Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement, arrive with their weapons to rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon, in Sanaa on April 8, 2026, following the announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East war.

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

Dignitaries pose together in a photo at the start of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership.

Iranian, Saudi FMs meet in Jordan after months of stalled dialogue

The Iranian-Saudi dialogue stalled earlier this year amid the protests in Iran and political tensions in Iraq.

Dignitaries pose together in a family photo at the start of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership.

Iraqi PM stresses need for regional reconciliation at summit in Jordan

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attended the second round of the Baghdad conference today in Jordan and expressed Iraq's willingness to push forward on regional cooperation and partnership.

Turkey's main opposition party chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, meet in an attempt to dispel rumors of rivalry over which of them will become the presidential candidate.

Opposition rallies around Istanbul mayor as Turks reel from conviction

Polls find that most Turks, including a sizable number of supporters of the ruling party and its nationalist ally, see the prison sentence and political ban against Istanbul’s charismatic mayor as unfair and politically motivated.

Ghassan Banat holds a picture of his brother, late Palestinian activist Nizar Banat, outside the International Criminal Court, after submitting a case accusing top Palestinian officials over his death in custody, The Hague, Netherlands, December 2022.

Family of Palestinian activist appeals to ICC to probe death

One and a half years after his death, the family of Palestinian political and opposition activist Niza Banat filed the first complaint against the Palestinian Authority before the International Criminal Court, accusing the security services of killing Banat.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive with other dignitaries at the start of the "Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership" in Sweimeh by the Dead Sea shore in central-west Jordan on Dec. 20, 2022.

Iran FM talks nuclear deal as hard-liners defend bomb deterrence

Iran’s top diplomat spoke with the EU foreign policy chief on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, but the meeting was strained against the backdrop of deadly unrest at home and hard-liners' push for nuclear weapons.

Ground crew unload weapons and other military hardware delivered by the US military at Boryspil International Airport, Boryspil, Ukraine, Jan. 25, 2022.

Turkish military cargo planes stranded in Ukraine return to Turkey

Turkish military planes that were stranded at a Kyiv airport after the Russian invasion of Ukraine have returned to Turkey.

Amir Levy/Getty Images

Netanyahu’s new government will set Israel back, tech leaders warn

Mass letters to Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu are warning that the legislation his coalition partners are currently advancing will harm Israel’s flourishing tech industry and beyond.

Palestinians take part in a demonstration demanding the release of Nasser Abu Hamid, a Palestinian prisoner held by Israel who has cancer, Ramallah, West Bank, Sept. 21, 2022.

Cancer-stricken Palestinian detainee dies in Israeli custody

Nasser Abu Hamid, jailed by Israel since 2002, died on Tuesday morning following a battle with cancer. Palestinian rights groups accuse Israel of negligence.

Bulent Kenes

Turkey blasts Swedish extradition refusal as 'very unfavorable'

Turkey has lashed out at Sweden over a court ruling against the extradition of a journalist sought by Ankara.

Libyan security forces affiliated with Tripoli-based interim Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah take part in a parade marking the 6th anniversary of the liberation of Sirte from Islamic State (IS) group, in the northwestern city of Misrata, on December 17, 2022. (Photo by MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images)

Libya court sentences 17 Islamic State members to death

The Tripoli court found them guilty of joining the group and killing 53 people.

Governor Rakan al-Jabouri (C) attends the repatriation ceremony for members of Iraq's federal police members who were killed in suspected IS attack, at Kirkuk airport in northern Iraq on December 18, 2022. (Photo by MARWAN IBRAHIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Latest Islamic State attack highlights security challenges facing Iraq

The Islamic State continues to carry out attacks in northern Iraq, creating serious security challenges for the country.

A Tweet about the execution announced by Iranian authorities of Majidreza Rahnavard.

Iran judiciary urges swift carrying out of sentences

Despite backlash, Iran judiciary urges carrying out sentences “without delay.”