Lebanon charges 5 in alleged Hezbollah operation to train Assad loyalists A Lebanese military court has charged the five, including an Assad-era Syrian officer and Hezbollah members, with running a cross-border security network planning attacks in Syria’s coastal region. Lebanon
Analysis How Netanyahu is leveraging Houthi threat in secret Saudi normalization push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to capitalize on Riyadh's need for intelligence assistance to make normalization headway ahead of the October elections. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Former Assad official sentenced to 60 years in US for torture Samir Ousman Alsheikh was convicted by a jury in March of three counts of torture, one count of conspiracy to commit torture, visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud. Syria
Interview Yemen separatists urge US not to let Saudi Arabia ‘call the shots’ As Houthi fighters steamroll Yemen’s Red Sea coast, the country's southern separatists say an independent South Yemen is the best check on the group’s expansion.
Palestinian flag raises controversy in Israeli universities Right-wing Knesset members are advancing a bill that would prevent universities and other state-funded institutions from flying the Palestinian flag. Israel
Trench divides Syrian armed groups in Idib The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is digging a trench to isolate its stronghold in Idlib from the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army-held areas in Aleppo countryside, which will escalate the humanitarian crisis and increase the suffering of millions of Syrian displaced in northwestern Syria. Syria
Sudan military coup leaders tighten grip ahead of dialogue with civilians The leaders of the coup in Sudan are gearing up for direct talks with civilians for the first time since their seizure of power about eight months ago, a few days after lifting the state of emergency in the country. Sudan
Lebanon's opposition lawmakers start work in chaotic first session In their first session, Lebanon's newly elected opposition legislators found themselves immediately swamped in the quagmire of Lebanese politics. Lebanon
Iraqi border guards shoot down parasail in drug bust The operator may have fled to Kuwait as Iraq’s drug war rages on. Iraq
Israel’s government faces survival test with settlement bill Announcing that the renewal of regulations on Israeli civil law in West Bank settlements is a test for the coalition's viability, Justice Minister Gideon Saar pushes his own government into a dangerous political spiral. Israel
Turkish consumer inflation soars to 73.5% Turkey’s May consumer inflation came in lower than expected, but newly announced gas and electricity hikes bode a renewed resurge in prices across the board. Turkey
US lawmakers push sanctions for Syria's Tadamon massacre Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) called on the Biden administration to sanction four Syrians linked to the 2013 murder of 41 unarmed civilians. Syria
Pakistan’s new premier looks to Turkey for political, economic boost Shahbaz Sharif, who needs international economic and political support to stabilize his coalition government, is busy making deals with Ankara. Turkey
Polish president visits Egypt for the first time in decades The Polish president visited Egypt recently in the first such visit since 1992, which comes as the Russian war on Ukraine rages on. Egypt
Analysis Limits on Iran’s nuclear program are needed more than ever Two recent IAEA reports indicate Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to produce material for a nuclear weapon in mere weeks. By Mark Fitzpatrick
Clashes turn tribal between Turkish-backed opposition factions The Turkish-backed opposition factions are trying to portray their conflicts as tribal in a bid to absolve themselves of the violations committed in the area. Syria