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Politics & Security

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march

Analysis

As Iran regime marks 200 days of war, is it also preparing for dissent?

Seven months into the war with the US, Iranian authorities staged a pro-government mobilization in Tehran, combining patriotic spectacle with a carefully calibrated demonstration aimed for domestic internal security capacity.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani visits Latakia airport on Sept. 18, 2026.

Syria’s Shibani visits Latakia airport to review Russia deal progress: What to know

Syria is seeking to ensure that the August deal to turn Russian facilities in the country into joint training centers is implemented.

Hibatullah Barakat / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

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.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on as he attends a trade agreement signature ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on August 24, 2026. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

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.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

Former Assad official sentenced to 60 years in US for torture

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Interview

Yemen separatists urge US not to let Saudi Arabia ‘call the shots’

Yemenis gather during a rally to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the coastal port city of Aden, on December 14, 2025. (Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP via Getty Images)

Trump administration approves $24B sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia

A US Air Force F-35 fifth-generation jet fighter takes off during the NATO's Ramsteign Flag 2025 exercise at Leeuwarden Air Base on April 8, 2025.

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments

A pedestrian passes by the Treasury Building in Washington, DC on Jan. 18, 2023.

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

Palestinian Chief negotiator Ahmed Qorei Abu Ala (l) shakes hands with his Israeli counterpart Uri Savir (r) at the Taba hotel on the Egyptian shore of the Red Sea after signing the historical Taba agreement to extend Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank. Yasser Arafat, chairman of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is in the center. Sept. 24, 1995.

Uri Savir, key negotiator in Oslo Accords, passes away at 69

The death of former Foreign Ministry Director General Uri Savir, one of Israel's more creative and relentless peace-negotiators, leaves a void among those who battle for coexistence.

This general view shows an Ethiopian national flag flying infront of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, on Feb. 19, 2022.

Egypt, Ethiopia compete for US support in Nile dam file

Ethiopia’s former water minister presents his credentials as a new ambassador to the United States, in a move that aims to counter Egyptian efforts to win US support to its side in the GERD dispute.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Will Iran look east if nuclear deal talks fail?

The European Union’s deputy foreign policy chief was in Tehran this week, but there are indications that Iran may be preparing backup options.

Recreational boats along the shore of the salt lake of Urmia and Shahid Kalantari causeway crossing it in Iran.

Is a water crisis brewing between Turkey and Iran?

Discord over transboundary waters and dam construction emerges as a major factor underlying the strains in Turkish-Iranian ties.

Abu Akleh

Analysis

Israel-Palestinian conflict back at center of Middle East agenda

The confrontations at Jerusalem’s holy sites, recent terror attacks inside Israel, the killing of Al Jazeera Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a dire Palestnian economy and a more assertive Hamas have put the Palestinian question back at the core of the region’s many issues.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

PKK fighters guard a post bearing an image of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Kurdistan officials concerned about PKK, Iran and energy sector

High-ranking officials from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have voiced concerns over the lack of effective collaboration from Baghdad and risks to security from the presence of the PKK.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

EVAN VUCCI/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan dampens Finland, Sweden’s hope to join NATO

Turkey is pumping the brakes on Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids amid the growing confrontation between Russia and the West.

Palestinian mourners carry the casket of slain Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh stormed by Israeli police

Videos showing Israeli police officers beating and kicking mourners at the funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh in Jerusalem have gone viral.

HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images

Israel cannot win public-opinion battle over journalist's death

Israel knows that regardless of who shot Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, it cannot win the public opinion battle being waged across the Middle East and beyond.

Tunisia

Tunisia’s president to establish 'new republic' amid fear of new dictatorship

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has announced plans for a new constitution and a different system of government, which raises concerns among political and human rights circles about the possibility of imposing a dictatorship in the country.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Islamic State claims attack near Suez Canal

The Islamic State's attack on a water-pumping station near the Suez Canal could affect global trade.

An Israeli settler adds the finishing touches to a large Star of David.

Israel adds more than 4,000 new homes in settlements

The government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett authorized the construction of new housing units in settlements and legalized wildcat outposts despite the upcoming visit next month in Israel of President Joe Biden.