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Politics & Security

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, speaks during a press conference

Explainer

Who will lead Congress? Democrats weigh Schumer alternatives, Jeffries bid

A number of contenders have emerged as challengers to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, including strong critics of the Iran war and US support to Israel.

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

Manon Roca / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon files charges against 2 Hezbollah members as UNIFIL prepares to withdraw

The move comes amid growing security concerns in the south less than two months before the UNIFIL mandate expires.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

Latest News

Explainer

Arab parties' backing gives Eisenkot edge over Netanyahu for PM: What to know

Tomer Neuberg / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Massie renews Hegseth impeachment push as GOP blames Iran war for midterm losses

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, on July 21, 2026, in Washington.

Jared Szuba

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

Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift?

TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images

Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopters fly over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy, northeastern Hasakeh province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2021.

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

NIR ELIAS/AFP via Getty Images

With Sinwar dead, US pushes Israel’s Netanyahu to take off-ramp

Israel’s killing of Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks, has renewed hope for a cease-fire deal that would free the remaining hostages.

JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images

Gulf governments silent as Iran, proxies mourn Hamas' Yahya Sinwar

Regional governments have not commented on Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar’s killing by Israeli forces in Gaza, but Iran and its proxy groups mourned his death, vowing that the resistance against Israel will continue.

US President Joe Biden speaks at the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee Autumn Dinner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 15, 2024.

‘Too little, too late’: Biden’s latest threat to Israel faces skepticism

The Biden administration has set a monthlong deadline for Israel to either increase aid to the Gaza Strip or face a possible weapons cutoff. Those on the ground say there is no time to waste.

Yahya Sinwar, leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement speaks during a gathering in Gaza City, April 30, 2022.

Who was Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' elusive leader killed by Israel in Gaza?

Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza and head of the group's political bureau, is one of several high-ranking Hamas officials to be killed by Israel in the ongoing war.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with his Egyptian counterpart (not pictured) in Cairo, on Oct. 17, 2024.

Iran FM Araghchi meets Egypt’s Sisi amid diplomatic push: What we know

The Iranian foreign minister held talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, during which both agreed on the need to promote relations between the two countries.

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

Israel confirms killing Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar in Gaza operation

Sinwar, 61, was killed Wednesday in fighting with Israeli forces in Rafah, southern Gaza. After the killing of Ismail Haniyeh this past July in Iran, Sinwar assumed the leadership of both the political and military wings of Hamas.

Afghan refugees walk with their belongings after deporting back from Iran at the Islam Qala border between Afghanistan and Iran, in the western Herat province on May 30, 2024.

Taliban minister endorses return of Afghan migrants from Iran

Afghan migrants in Iran have faced violence and hostility recently, according to reports, and the Islamic Republic has vowed to deport them by the end of the year.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets KRG leader Nechirvan Barzani in Ankara, on Oct. 16, 2024.

Turkey’s Erdogan meets KRG President Barzani ahead of Iraqi Kurdistan vote

Barzani’s visit comes just amid Turkey's nascent attempt to use diplomacy, alongside ongoing military measures, to solve the 40-year-old Kurdish conflict.

Egypt's new intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Hassan Mahmoud Rashad (L), is sworn in in front of Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R), in Cairo on Oct. 16, 2024.

Egypt's Sisi appoints new chief of powerful intelligence agency

Egypt's president on Wednesday appointed a new director of its General Intelligence Service, a powerful agency that has played a key role in Gaza cease-fire talks.

View taken on Oct. 27, 2008, of the Israel Aerospace Industries booth at the world's leading trade show for naval and maritime safety, in Le Bourget, north of Paris.

France again bans Israeli firms from defense fair, deepening diplomatic rift

In another sign of deteriorating bilateral relations between Israel and France, Israeli companies will be prevented from featuring their products at the international maritime exposition Euronaval in Paris in November.

MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s FM Araghchi mobilizes against Israel in visits to Jordan, Egypt, Turkey

Iran’s foreign minister has paid visits to several countries in the region in the past weeks, with the latest stop taking him to Jordan, amid Israel’s expected retaliation for Iran's missile attack.

Iran's new foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, waits for the arrival of his Qatari counterpart before their meeting in Tehran on Aug. 26, 2024.

Iran suspends indirect talks with US amid regional escalation

Iran's foreign minister made the announcement while touring one country after another as the region braced for further tensions amid Israeli plans for a military strike on Iran.