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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

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during a press conference at the San Carlos Palace in Bogota, on April 25, 2024.

House passes ICC sanctions bill, setting up showdown for Biden and Democrats

After passing the House with bipartisan support, the bill responding to a requested arrest warrant for Netanyahu now heads to the Senate.

Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan (C) welcomes his Chinese counterpart and Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Wang Yi (R) in Ankara, on July 26, 2023.

In China, Turkey’s Fidan says he plans to attend BRICS meeting in Russia

The top Turkish diplomat says his country explores new opportunities with BRICS

fire

Israeli war cabinet calls Lebanon meeting as Hezbollah tension spikes

Israel's war cabinet is set to convene to discuss the escalation of violence on the border with Lebanon.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani waves as he leaves after talks at the Coburg Palais, the venue of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Vienna, Austria, Aug. 4, 2022.

Iran’s acting FM meets Assad in Syria after talks with Hezbollah chief

Iran has been backing its proxies, including Hezbollah and Hamas, in their fight against Israel since the Gaza war erupted.

TOPSHOT - US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they meet on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 20, 2023. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Netanyahu in bind: Save his far-right coalition or save Israel from isolation

In an attempt to persuade them not to oppose the hostage deal now on the table, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is telling the extremist ministers in his cabinet not to take Biden’s plan at face value.

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

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 31: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on former U.S. President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in his hush-money trial before speaking on the Middle East at the White House on May 31, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden said Trump had a fair trial and an impartial jury found him guilty on all 34 counts and added it is dangerous for anyone to say the trial was rigged. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

As US downplays cease-fire gap with Israel, Biden urges Qatar to secure Hamas approval

The Biden administration is projecting confidence that Israeli leaders will follow through with the latest three-phase cease-fire plan, despite unresolved sticking points that burdened previous negotiations.

China's President Xi Jinping (L) shakes hands with United Arab Emirates' president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ahead of the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on May 30, 2024.

In rare clash with Iran, China reaffirms solidarity with UAE over disputed islands

Iran seized control of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs several decades ago, though the United Arab Emirates has long claimed sovereignty over the islands, a claim backed by Gulf states and Russia.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas waves during a swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed ministers, on March 31, 2024, in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian presidency criticizes Iran's Khamenei publicly: What we know

Iran has long backed Hamas and threw its support behind the group following its assault on southern Israel last October.

Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples DEM Party attend a rally for the Turkish Municipal elections to be held on March 31, in Esenyurt Square, in Istanbul on February 25, 2024. (Photo by YASIN AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s opposition stands with Kurds after sitting Kurdish mayor jailed

After Turkish police detained the mayor of Hakkari province, his party called on “all those on the side of democracy to take a stand."

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt sees change of government amid inflation, living costs woes

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah asked Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly to form a new government following the fourth cabinet reshuffle since 2018.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al -Thani meet in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. (WAM)

UAE, Qatar join efforts to support Biden's Gaza proposal

The US is reaching out to countries in the region to push for a recent proposal laid out by President Joe Biden that includes a cease-fire in Gaza and a hostage deal.

Palestinians walk past a jetty in Gaza City with a view of navy vessels off the coast as part of a humanitarian "maritime corridor" announced by US Central Command, amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, May 17, 2024.

Could US Congress vote shut down Gaza pier permanently?

A special resolution that gives Congress power over the use of US armed forces abroad could force Democrats to vote on Biden’s handling of the conflict and aid to Gaza