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Politics & Security

Brahmos replicas are displayed during India's 60th Republic Day parade, Jan. 26, 2009, New Delhi.

Analysis

Why the UAE wants Indian missiles and a deeper strategic partnership

Talks on BrahMos cruise missiles and the Akashteer air defense network highlight Abu Dhabi’s effort to diversify military partnerships and reshape its postwar security strategy.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

From (L-R) Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attend a meeting in Cairo on June 21, 2026.

Analysis

Why Turkey and Egypt are deepening military ties amid regional turmoil

Turkey and Egypt are expanding military cooperation as overlapping security challenges, from Libya and Sudan to Gaza and the Red Sea, bring the former rivals closer together.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on June 18, 2026, vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysis

How competing visions over Hormuz strait threaten fragile Iran-US deal

Iran's latest measures in the strategic waterway expose widening gaps with the US and Gulf states, which could complicate the durability of recent diplomatic breakthroughs.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Analysts say the expected vote for recognition is not morally motivated, but intended to spite the Turkish leader.

Latest News

US carries out strikes in Iran after vessel attack

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at Sea.

US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, back) looks on as (L/R, front row) Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. Lebanon, Israel and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP

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

TOPSHOT - Syrian and Lebanese people in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli celebrate on December 9, 2024, after Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Fathi AL-MASRI / AFP) (Photo by FATHI AL-MASRI/AFP via Getty Images)

Clashes and protests in Lebanon over Syria's anniversary: What we know

As celebrations erupted in Lebanon to commemorate the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Hezbollah supporters held counter-rallies.

US President Donald Trump (L) greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House, Washington, Sept. 29, 2025.

Analysis

Differences over Hamas, Turkey and Iran overshadow Netanyahu-Trump summit

When Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu meets US President Donald Trump in Washington, expect him to focus on Hamas' disarmament and rail against Turkey taking part in the international stabilization force in Gaza.

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

US President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem.

Israel, US send mixed signals on Gaza phase 2 before Trump-Netanyahu meeting

The US president is expected to press Netanyahu to advance the second phase of the Gaza plan, halt plans for a large-scale strike on Hezbollah in Lebanon and compromise on issues related to Syria.

Sudanese repair crew work at the Heglig oil facility, after Sudan started pumping oil again from the war-damaged oil field on May 2, 2012, 12 days after occupying South Sudanese troops left the area.

RSF seizes Sudan’s largest oilfield: What to know

The Heglig oil field is the largest in Sudan and a key facility for South Sudan, which relies heavily on Heglig to export its oil.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Feature

A year after Assad's fall, divisions grow between Syria Kurds, Damascus

One year after a surprise offensive brought down Syria’s longtime dictator, the Kurdish-led entity and Damascus remain more estranged than ever as a US-brokered integration deal remains unimplemented.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

TOPSHOT - This aerial view shows people gathering to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the uprising against Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad for the first time since he was toppled in the Umayyad Square in the centre of Damascus on March 15, 2025. The rally in Damascus was the capital's first after years of repression under Assad, during which the square was the sole preserve of the ousted president's supporters. Activists called on people to hold similar demonstrations in the major cities of Homs

As Syria marks one year since Assad fall, some minorities skip celebrations

Despite President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s vows to protect all of Syria’s communities, sectarian violence has spiked against the minorities, namely against Alawites and Druze.

Basem Naim, member of Hamaspolitical bureau speaks during an interview with AFP in Istanbul on February 8, 2025. Hamas has no desire to return to war with Israel, a senior official with the Palestinian group told AFP on February 8, 2025, nearly three weeks into a fragile ceasefire that halted fighting in Gaza. "Returning to war is certainly not our wish nor our decision," Basem Naim said in an interview. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Exclusive

Hamas official says group needs guarantees on war's end and statehood to disarm

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim stopped short of pledging that Hamas would not fire on international troops, but said the militant group has "no problem” with the stabilization force.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

People shop in a market on June 17, 2025 in Damascus, Syria.

US set to scrap Syria sanctions as Caesar Act repeal heads to vote

The annual defense bill calls for the full repeal of the Caesar Act without conditions.

Israeli Druze from Majdal Shams crossed into Syria on July 16, 2025, to assist relatives in nearby villages following a reported massacre of Druze civilians by Syrian army forces and allied militias.

Analysis

Under US pressure, Israel softens Syria tone but is wary of Sharaa

The Trump administration has been pressuring Israel to reach a security deal with Syria, but talks are at a stalemate as both sides hold firm.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Security personnel from the Syrian Ministry of Interior stand outside the Justice Palace ahead of the first trial of more than a dozen suspects linked to massacres that left hundreds dead in Syria's Alawite coastal heartland earlier this year, in Aleppo on November 18, 2025. The first trial of more than a dozen suspects linked to massacres that left hundreds dead in Syria's Alawite coastal heartland earlier this year began on November 18, an AFP journalist in the courtroom said. The massacres in March, whic

Feature

A year since Assad’s fall, Aleppo trial tests Syria’s transitional justice

Syria recently launched its first open trial on the deadly sectarian violence in March, but questions about judicial independence and political influence make the upcoming hearings a major test of accountability in post-Assad Syria as the first anniversary of Assad’s fall approaches.

Alessandra Bajec

By Alessandra Bajec

An undated photo shows a Kizilelma unmanned fighter jet taking flight.

Analysis

Turkey's Kizilelma fighter jet redefines capability in air warfare: What to know

The unmanned fighter jet logged the first such strike by a drone against another drone in flight, underscoring Ankara’s ambition for next-generation aircraft.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Smoke rises as fire burns, in an alleged site of IRGC's missile launch targeted by Israel on the mountains of Shiraz, Iran on June 21, 2025. Israel attacked Iran in early hours of June 13, and the exchange of fire between the two countries continues ever since. (Photo by Hiroon / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HIROON/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel likely to strike Iran in 2026, European diplomats say

Israel might opt to strike Iran again next year if it assesses that the Tehran-based government is resuming high-level uranium enrichment.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs