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Politics & Security

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese area of al-Hosh, near the coastal city of Tyre on May 16, 2026.

Lebanon-Israel talks at Pentagon undercut by escalation: What to know

The Lebanese army is expected to press for the full implementation of the ceasefire with Israel during military-level talks at the Pentagon, to allow it to carry out its plan to disarm Hezbollah.

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Israel strikes Lebanon's capital Beirut for first time in 3 weeks: What to know

According to Israeli media, Ali al-Husseini, the commander of the missile unit in the Imam Hussein Division, a brigade affiliated with Iran’s Quds Force that operates alongside Hezbollah, was the target of the attack.

Latest News

Trump threatens to 'blow up' Oman as US-Iran talks stall

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi (L) and US President Donald Trump pose during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

Iraq’s Sadr moves to place his militia under state control: What to know

Iraqis walk past portraits of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, including one on a banner calling for a boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Sadr City, east of Baghdad on October 29, 2025. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Iraq on 11 November 2025, which will determine the 329 members of Iraq's Council of Representatives, who are responsible for electing the country's president and approving the appointment of the prime minister. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by

Who was Mohammed Odeh, Hamas military commander killed by Israel in Gaza?

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Erdogan steps up pro-refugee rhetoric as 20,000 Ukrainians come to Turkey

The Turkish president’s pro-refugee rhetoric aims to deliver a positive message to Western allies and slash the opposition, but activists wonder if it is sincere.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran says nuclear deal within closest reach yet

The statements reflected fresh hope by Iran after Russia said its separate demands were being met by the United States.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Lawmakers call for probe as arms purchasers target US-based dissidents

Democratic lawmakers are seeking a congressional watchdog study on how the State Department is tracking extraterritorial harassment by countries that benefit from US security assistance or arms, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the US Congress by video to plead for support as his country is besieged by Russian forces, at the US Capitol, Washington, March 16, 2022.

Zelenskyy to give Zoom speech to Israeli Knesset Sunday

With the Knesset on recess and many parliamentarians on vacation, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said they will both attend the Zoom-delivered address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy March 20.

Iraq politics

Iraq's parliament sets date for selecting president from Kurdish ranks

The selection of Iraqi president have been delayed because of the sharp division between the two main Kurdish parties over which candidate should fill the role reserved for their group.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Done deal? Iran nuclear talks appear back on track

Putin opens door to Syrian fighters in Ukraine; Egyptian students’ harrowing escape from Ukraine; Hamas keeps quiet on Ukraine while building mega-mosques; Lebanon’s cancer crisis; and more … in about 1,300 words.

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Joe Snell

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn , Joe Snell

Children play on a swing on the first day of Eid al-Adha, in the opposition-held southern city of Daraa, Syria, Aug. 21, 2018.

Child kidnappings haunt civilians in Syria’s Daraa

Civilians in Syria’s southern province of Daraa are living in constant fear amid increasing cases of kidnappings.

Demonstrators carry placards during a gathering by cancer patients to protest against the shortage of medicine that is threatening the treatment of tens of thousands of patients, outside the headquarters of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 26, 2021.

In Lebanon, deterioration of health system endangers cancer patients' lives

Faced with the shortage of medication and the increase in hospital costs, cancer patients in Lebanon are finding it increasingly difficult or impossible to afford treatment.

Erdogan Putin

Will Erdogan draw lessons from Putin's Ukraine mistakes?

As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan watches Russian forces flounder in Ukraine, he may be rethinking his own ambitions — or concluding that Turkey is in a better spot than ever.

Russian rapper Oxxxymiron

In Istanbul, fleeing Russians mull next step of self-exile

Thousands of Russians fearing the political and economic fallout of the Ukraine war have fled to Istanbul, with most planning to travel on to Europe or former Soviet republics.

RONEN ZVULUN/AFP via Getty Images

Mixed feelings in Israel over Bennett’s mediation efforts on Ukraine

The Israeli opposition is criticizing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as overeager to drag Israel into the Russia-Ukraine quagmire.

Saudi drones

Middle East struggles against drones, despite billions in defense spending

Military unmanned aircraft, both custom-designed and retrofitted, pose an increasing threat to security in the region, and states' defense capabilities have not kept up with advances in attack technology.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo

By Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo