Defense/Security cooperation

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pose during a meeting with business leaders in Paris on June 29, 2026.

Oman's sultan meets Macron in first France visit since 1989: What to know

French President Emmanuel Macron has been pushing against any form of toll for the Strait of Hormuz.

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

Vance

Analysis

Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha

The US-Iran decision to launch direct talks between the IRGC and CENTCOM in Qatar deepens the rift between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while heightening Israeli fears that Washington is shifting toward Doha and Tehran.

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

The Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC Tasman VI and the Singapore-flagged container vessel Wan Hai 353 are docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 19, 2026.

Iran attacks cargo ship off Oman, testing Trump’s Hormuz Strait deal

The first Iranian attack on a cargo vessel since the ceasefire comes as top US diplomat Marco Rubio huddled with Gulf Cooperation Council ministers in Manama to reject Iran's claims to control the Strait of Hormuz.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Latest News

Trump hints at F-35 breakthrough with Turkey ahead of NATO summit

One of the first three US-made F-35 aircraft in Polish Air Force colors taxis along the runway at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, central Poland, while fire-fighting vehicles perform a water salute on May 22, 2026.

CENTCOM commander heads to Israel, Gulf as Lebanon talks stall

Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Navy Adm. Brad Cooper testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 14, 2026, in Washington.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Analysis

As US reshapes Lebanon strategy, Israel finds itself sidelined

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, Lebanon, on June 9, 2026.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Analysis

Why Gulf defense firms are betting on Europe in wake of Iran war

Illustration picture taken during the Eurosatory Defense and Security fair in Paris, France ,on June 15, 2026.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

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

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) speaks at the Capitol Hill National Security Forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC14236FD8D0

Congress seeks uptick in North Africa operations

The House Homeland Security panel chief wants to boost funding for counterterrorism in the Sahara region.

Vehicles of the US-led coalition battling the Islamic State group patrol the town of Rmelane in Syria's Hasakeh province on June 5, 2018. - The leading Syrian Kurdish militia said it would withdraw from Manbij, easing fears of a direct clash between NATO allies Washington and Ankara over the strategic northern town. Manbij is a Sunni Arab-majority town that lies just 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of the Turkish border, and where US and French troops belonging to the Western coalition against IS are station

Syrian opposition has high hopes for US-Turkish road map for Manbij

The US-Turkish road map for Manbij has entered the second of three phases, leading some to believe it might spare the area further bloodshed.

Turkey's presidential candidates divided over military cooperation with Moscow

For the most part, Turkey's presidential candidates urge good relations with Russia, but things are more complicated when it comes to cooperation in the military field.

Israeli soldiers aim their weapons during a protest by Palestinians ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, in Hebron in the occupied West Bank May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RC1AAAFDAA20

Ultra-Orthodox, leftists join forces against Israeli draft

Ultra-Orthodox and leftist Knesset members have joined forces and advanced a proposal to abolish Israel's compulsive military service.

Is the GCC dead?

The Gulf Cooperation Council is broken and may not be fixable.

Turkish army tanks and military personal are stationed in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo - S1BEUGNIHMAA

Iran coy on support for Turkish assault on PKK in Iraq

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s offensive appears linked to Turkish elections and Iraqi politics; Is Turkey staying or going in northern Syria? Putin and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri discuss Syrian refugees.

An Israeli soldier prays by a tank at an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) staging area in the central Gaza border November 21, 2012. Israeli air strikes shook the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rockets struck across the border as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks in Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday, seeking a truce that can hold back Israel's ground troops. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (ISRAEL - Tags: CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST MILITARY RELIGION) - GM1E8BL143K01

How IDF chief shapes Israeli military

The decision by IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot not to promote Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter has sparked fury within the national religious stream.

U.S. airmen walk next to a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft, as it is moved, on the eve of the 52nd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France June 18, 2017. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol - RC15E3E8E180

Congress splits over F-35 sale to Turkey

Parochial interests are undermining a united stance against Ankara in the US Senate.

A convoy of vehicles transport illegal immigrants, who were abandoned by traffickers in a remote desert area near the border with Libya, to Dongola May 3, 2014. Sudanese and Libyan forces located the immigrants in the desert area between Sudan and Libya, which is a major route for illegal immigrants trying to escape Sudan's war-torn regions. Many of them transit in Libya before trying to flee to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. REUTERS/Stringer (SUDAN - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW CONFLICT) - GM1EA540C

Will Libya’s newly signed border security agreement change anything?

Libya, Sudan, Chad and Niger signed a security protocol to fight cross-border criminal activities in the Sahel region.

A view of damage on a street where Houthis have recently clashed with forces loyal to slain Yemeni former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RC1476393DB0

Congress seeks to insulate Oman from Yemen instability

As the 3-year-old proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran continues to destabilize Yemen, Congress seeks to shore up security in neighboring Oman.

A female member of the anti-Iranian group, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), carries her weapon as she walks through their base deep in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region, on May 5, 2014. AFP PHOTO/SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

What's behind Turkish threats to invade PKK stronghold in Iraq?

Turkish leaders have raised the specter of a ground offensive on the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, home to the main camps of the PKK, but the motive and viability of such an operation remain questionable.

Idlib could be trump card or time bomb for Turkey

Turkey may be pushing its luck by expanding its operational field into Latakia province, provoking skirmishes with the Syrian army.