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Politics & Security

US Republican Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas gestures after speaking during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024.

Meet Wesley Hunt, Trump's pick for ambassador to Saudi Arabia

The Texas Republican previously served for two years in the kingdom as a diplomatic liaison officer.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on upon his arrival during a welcome ceremony as part of his two-day official visit to France, at the Hotel des Invalides, Paris, France, Aug. 24, 2026.

Saudi Arabia’s MBS visits Egypt as Red Sea crisis with Houthis escalates

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Egypt at a time the kingdom faces repeated Houthi attacks, while the Iranian-backed rebels close in on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, threatening maritime security.

Mecca

In first, Saudi Arabia activates Mecca warning system amid Houthi threat

Saudi Arabia activated emergency alerts in the holy city for the first time since Yemen's Houthi group intensified its drone and missile attacks on the kingdom.

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.

Latest News

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

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

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.

Analysis

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

Erik Marmor

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

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

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

Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune delivers a speech during a signing ceremony in the pavilion of honor at Algiers airport, Algiers, Algeria, Aug. 27, 2022.

Algeria forces Russia to make concessions

As the war in Ukraine carries on, the list of problematic issues between Algeria and Moscow is growing.

Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli far-right lawmaker and leader of the Religious Zionist Party.

US apprehensive Netanyahu will nominate far-right defense minister

More and more American and Arab officials are sending designated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu messages, warning him against offering far-right Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich the defense portfolio.

Palestinian Fatah movement supporters gather during a rally commemorating the 18th anniversary of late Palestininian leader Yasser Arafat's death in the West Bank city of Nablus on November 14, 2022.

The Palestine Briefing: Palestinians remember Arafat as internal rivalries escalate

In this weekly newsletter, Daoud Kuttab rounds up the biggest stories on Palestine.

Iranians walk past Iran's Shahed 129 drone displayed during celebrations in Tehran to mark the 37th anniversary of the Islamic revolution on Feb. 11, 2016.

US sanctions target production, transfer of Iranian drones to Russia

The US Treasury Department targeted the Iranian manufacturer of the Shahed-series drones used in recent Russian attacks in Kyiv, Odesa and the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.

SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan, Biden talk NATO enlargement, security at G20

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US leader Joe Biden held a rare meeting in the wake of the Turkish interior minister's accusations that Washington supports Kurdish militant groups.

NATO’s Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Bettina Cadenbach (3rd R) with other NATO seniors at a meeting in Israel with Foreign Ministry officials, Jerusalem, Nov. 14 2022.

Senior NATO official visits Israel as Ukraine war rages on

Senior NATO officials find the time to visit Israel, strengthen relations and seek more venues for collaboration.

Members of the United Nations General Assembly vote on a draft resolution during a special session in the General Assembly Hall, UN headquarters, New York, Nov. 14, 2022.

Israel abstains on UN vote against Russia over Ukraine war

The Kremlin and the White House are both waiting to see if Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu will shift Israel’s policy on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Fighters from the Third Legion of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army.

Infighting in Turkish-backed faction leads to tension in Syria's Afrin

It seems Hayat Tahrir al-Sham lost a loyal faction after several currents with the Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham factions isolated the movement’s current leadership and appointed their own leader.

Algeria's Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab.

Turkey eyes risky energy partnership with Algeria

Turkey’s plan for joint oil and gas exploration with Algeria raises the specter of operational and financial challenges for a country already under economic strain, experts say.

A man holds up an Iranian flag during a vigil in support of protestors in Iran.

Iran sentences protester to death

Iran’s judiciary sentenced a protester to death for setting fire to a government building.

The headquarters of BlackRock on Nov. 4, 2021, in New York City.

Saudi Public Investment Fund partners with BlackRock

The US investment firm also signed a cooperation deal with the UAE earlier this year.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks to the press at the White House on Nov. 10, 2022, in Washington, DC.

US alarmed by death sentence, sham trials of protesters in Iran

National security adviser Jake Sullivan warned of consequences if Iran's repression of peaceful protesters continues.