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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

cafe

Arab influx to Iraqi Kurdistan helps revive economy but corrupts local culture, critics say

Iraqi Kurds are alarmed by the influx of Arabs into their region, fearing they will dilute their ethnic identity and corrupt their values. Yet the Arabs are critical to the region's economy, which increasingly caters to their needs.

The LED board shows a photo of Grant Wahl, an American sports journalist who passed away whilst reporting on the Argentina and Netherlands match, prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between England and France at Al Bayt Stadium on December 10, 2022 in Al Khor, Qatar. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Grant Wahl’s body reaches US as second journalist dies at World Cup in Qatar

Two journalists have died covering the World Cup in Doha, leading to controversy and speculation during the politically charged tournament.

An Indian customer (L) at a foreign exchange outlet changes Indian rupees in Bangalore on August 24, 2013.

Gulf currencies pegged to dollar keep migrant workers’ families afloat

While the strong dollar has played in favor of Gulf migrant workers, they are not exempt from wage increases falling behind the inflation rate.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Cuban President in Ankara, on November 23, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Greece compares Turkey to North Korea in latest row with Erdogan

Erdogan’s remarks raise stakes in rivalry between fellow NATO members as threatening rhetoric escalates.

Joint List Party leader Ayman Odeh meets with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York on Dec. 9, 2022.

On US visit, Arab Israeli leader warns against Netanyahu’s new government

In a meeting with the United Nations secretary-general, Hadash-Ta’al party head Ayman Odeh blamed successive governments of neglecting to protect Israeli Arab citizens.

A man walks past a French-language daily newspaper stand displaying the final issue of Algerian French-language daily newspaper "Liberté" in Algeria's capital Algiers on April 14, 2022. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI/AFP via Getty Images)

In press freedom index, Middle Eastern countries go from bad to worse

Press freedom and journalist safety remain “very bad” in the majority of the Middle East and North Africa nations, Reporters Without Borders' 2022 index shows.

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli army to investigate death of 16-year-old Palestinian girl

Defense Minister Benny Gantz has shot down accusations that Israeli troops intentionally killed teenager Jana Majdi Assam Zakarna during a raid in the West Bank town of Jenin, but the military investigation is ongoing.

A photograph of Majid Reza Rahnavard, 23, stands on a table among candles during a demonstration by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran outside the German Foreign Ministry on December 12, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. (Sean Gallup/Getty)

Iran publicly executes another 23-year-old in connection to protests

Iran hanged on Monday protestor Majid Rahnavard, on charges of killing two members of the Basij force.

Iran protest

Group of Iranian artists defies hijab in taboo-breaking video

More Iranian women are beginning to post videos of themselves without the mandatory headscarves as part of the ongoing protests in the country.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Feb. 22, 2019.

As US watches, China and Saudi Arabia shy away from defense deals during Xi's visit

Pentagon officials are closely watching what deals result from the Chinese president's meetings with Arab leaders.

A picture taken during a tour organized by the Syrian Ministry of Information shows a Syrian national flag and cars in the district of Daraa al-Balad, Daraa, Syria, Sept. 12, 2021.

Jihadists accuse HTS of conspiring with Syrian government to kill IS leader

Jihadis opposed to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northern Syria accuse it of sending fighters from Idlib to Daraa, in the south of the country, to aid the Russians and government forces in eradicating Islamic State cells and their leader in the province.

Ahmed Read Jamus

By Ahmed Read Jamus

Mohsen Shekari

Raging backlash as Iran executes protester

Iranians expressed horror, disbelief and anger at the ruling establishment and its judiciary, which hanged a 23-year-old protester over his participation in an anti-government demonstration.