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Politics & Security

Khaled Hablas

Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know

Hablas was imprisoned for his role in the deadly 2014 clashes with the military and Hezbollah and his release follows Syria lobbying for the return of militants detained in Lebanon.

The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

Turkey’s draft maritime bill seeks to formalize Ankara’s claims in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black seas, raising tensions with Greece and Cyprus over contested maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights.

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

While Israeli and Lebanese delegations are set to meet in Washington for the third time, the Israeli military faces a growing threat from Hezbollah’s cheap yet highly lethal drones.

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

TTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages

Kuwait unveils Iran IRGC infiltration plot, arrests 4: What to know

According to Kuwaiti authorities, four suspects arrested earlier this month after attempting to enter the country illegally via the sea confessed to belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and planning attacks against Kuwait.

Latest News

Rubio hosts Ethiopia’s FM amid push to boost security ties: What to know

Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos Hessebon meets with Marco Rubio in Washington on May 11, 2026.

US hits China-linked Iran oil trade with sanctions ahead of Trump trip

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Panamanian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

After year away, France returns ambassador to Algeria: What to know

French Deputy Armed Forces Minister Alice Rufo

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

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Why is Hamas chief Haniyeh visiting Egypt after Iran meeting in Qatar?

Pressure is building on Israel to halt the fighting to allow access to humanitarian aid and the release of hostages.

Yemeni coastguard members loyal to the internationally-recognised government ride in boats in the Red Sea off of the government-held town of Mokha in the western Taiz province, close to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, on December 12, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Ziad / AFP) (Photo by KHALED ZIAD/AFP via Getty Images)

As US rallies new Red Sea task force, Arab states remain silent

The US is opting for a collective defensive approach after Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a dozen commercial ships with drones and missiles in the Red Sea during recent weeks in response to Israel's war in Gaza.

Third Nile Cataract, Sudan, 29 Dec. 29, 2022.

What failure of Nile dam talks means for Egypt and Ethiopia

Years of negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam have failed to yield an agreement, leading to tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia amid water issues related to climate change.

Assyrian Christians from Iraq, Syria and Lebanon attend a Christmas mass at Saint Georges church in an eastern Beirut suburb on Dec. 25, 2014.

Assyrian Christmas message raises tensions in Turkey’s parliament

The tensions are a snippet of the larger conflict regarding citizens’ rights to speak their mother tongues in the public and official sphere in multiethnic Turkey.

Yemeni coastguard members loyal to the internationally-recognised government ride in a patrol boat cruising in the Red Sea off of the government-held town of Mokha in the western Taiz province, close to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, on December 12, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Ziad / AFP) (Photo by KHALED ZIAD/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran launches new naval unit as Red Sea attacks intensify

Equipped with rocket-launching vessels, the additional force is introduced amid increasing encounters between Iranian and American vessels in the Persian Gulf.

Egyptian school children stand on a pier in the port town of Ismalia, 120 kilometers northeast of Cairo, as the US guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan transits the Suez from the Red Sea towards the Mediterranean on its way back home after a six-month counter-piracy operation around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

Day 74 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Tuesday, Dec. 19

Smoke rises above buildings during an Israeli strike on Rafah near the border with Egypt, in the southern Gaza Strip on December 1, 2023, after battles resumed between Israel and the Hamas movement. A temporary truce between Israel and Hamas expired on December 1, with the Israeli army saying combat operations had resumed, accusing Hamas of violating the operational pause. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

What does Israel's killing of Hamas financier Subhi Ferwana mean?

The Israeli military said Subhi Ferwana transferred millions of dollars to Hamas.

Turkey's Erdogan wants 'simultaneous' progress on F-16s, Sweden’s NATO bid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will handle the two processes simultaneously.

AFP via Getty Images

Sudan: 500,000 newly displaced as fighting death toll passes 12,000

As the RSF widens its attacks in Sudan, humanitarian agencies are sounding alarms over the deteriorating conditions there.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin (L) and Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant give a joint press conference in Tel Aviv on December 18, 2023. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Austin's wish list to Israel: No occupation of Gaza, no war deadline

Careful not to play into the hands of Hamas Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin did not present Israel with a clear deadline for reducing the scale of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip.

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

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin (L) and Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant give a joint press conference in Tel Aviv on December 18, 2023. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Austin takes firmer stance on Gaza war with Israel’s defense chiefs

After prompting by Washington, Israel's defense minister suggested a less destructive war campaign in Gaza is coming, but declined to lay out a timetable or to specify which objectives could lead to a new approach.

A picture taken during an organized tour by Yemen's Houthi rebels (onboard) on Nov. 22, 2023, shows the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by Houthi fighters.

US looks to China as Yemen’s Houthis ramp up Red Sea attacks

Maritime attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have rattled energy markets and thrown Yemen's peace process in doubt.