Newsletter: Daily Briefing Trump touts Iran deal as Hegseth warns Tehran Iran stands to gain from deal; 3 Iranian tankers pass US blockade; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Daily Briefing G7 leaders urge Lebanon ceasefire G7 leaders press for a Lebanon ceasefire as scrutiny grows over Trump’s Iran deal and Israeli politics shift ahead of elections. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
'Let Syria take care of Hezbollah': Trump criticizes Israel, leans on Sharaa to help in Lebanon President Donald Trump insisted he has a great relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but criticized the scale of Israel’s strikes in Lebanon. Syria
Explainer Ben-Gvir's move to run separately in Israel elections revives debate over party alliances National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the far-right Jewish Power party, has refused to merge with the far-right Religious Zionism party ahead of the elections. Israel
Analysis 'He knew it was over': Inside Netanyahu’s response to Trump’s Iran deal as Israel recalibrates By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Analysis Squeezed by Trump and Iran war, how vulnerable is Netanyahu in polls? By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Israel mulls letting in Gazan workers if area stabilizes Despite very recent hostilities, Palestinians see a glimmer of hope in reports that a truce could allow Gazans to work inside Israel, even as conditions keep deteriorating in the besieged enclave. Qatar
Three changes that advance Trump’s Mideast peace plan Changes over the last few months in Israel, the United States and the Palestinian Authority make it all the more realistic for the Trump administration to submit its Palestinian-Israeli peace plan soon. Palestine
Putin pivots to Europe for next play on Syria Russian president intensifies diplomatic push; Erdogan goes "big" to leverage the Khashoggi murder with the Trump administration; Oman emerges as Israeli-Palestinian broker. Oman
‘Israelization’ of ultra-Orthodox affects municipal elections The integration of the ultra-Orthodox community into Israeli society at large and internal divisions within the ultra-Orthodox world have caused many ultra-Orthodox Jews to vote for candidates in the municipal elections, who are not themselves ultra-Orthodox. Israel
Israel’s unhealthy mix of sports and politics Israeli politicians love to be seen alongside successful athletes and frequently use athletic success for patriotic-nationalist purposes. Saudi Arabia
Israel pins hopes on American sanctions against Iran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman pin their hopes on the American sanctions against Iran to destabilize the Tehran regime and force it to renegotiate the nuclear agreement. Israel
The gatekeeper of Israeli democracy and rule of law Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber has drawn fire from Justice Minister Ayelet Shaket and the right by daring to criticize the government’s ‘loyalty in culture’ law and in the process publicly defending Israel's legal system against further weakening. Israel
Hamas, Palestinian factions back Iran against US sanctions Hamas and other Palestinian groups have reaffirmed their solidarity with Iran since the United States reimposed more sanctions on Tehran. Palestine
Israel’s 'Loyalty in Culture' law spreads to other ministries The spirit of the "Loyalty in Culture" law starts seeping into other government ministries, defunding cultural programs that criticize the government’s occupation policy. Palestine
Israeli celebration of ties with Gulf states premature The visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Oman is Sultan Qaboos’ way of signaling to Israelis what peace could look like, should they end the occupation of the Palestinians. United Arab Emirates
Midterms revamp Middle East policymaking in Congress Tuesday’s elections will re-order the committees in charge of foreign policy. Saudi Arabia
Cyber attacks increasingly penetrating Israel’s politics Israeli researchers fear that cyberwar in the form of fake social media accounts or even attacks on the vote count could plague the upcoming election year. Israel