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Politics & Security

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

The move will mark the first time Morocco and Israel have exchanged ambassadors.

AFP via Getty Images

China presses Iran, US to reopen Hormuz as disruptions threaten oil supply

Conflicts in the region are disrupting two key routes for oil bound for China, with Iranian crude affected by the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi shipments facing growing risks in the Red Sea.

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 2026.

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

Showing its support for Lebanon, Paris is backing Beirut’s request at the UN for a short-term extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, although French sources acknowledge that the chances of the request being approved are slim.

Sky News

Algeria pulls Sky News Arabia accreditation amid UAE rift: What to know

Algeria severed diplomatic ties with the UAE, which owns Sky News Arabia through Abu Dhabi-based International Media Investments, last Thursday.

Latest News

Saudi Arabia says attempted Mecca drone attack ‘red line’ as Houthis deny claim

People and pilgrims walk at the Grand Mosque Complex in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on Sept. 16, 2026.

Exclusive

Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

How far will Iran push Houthis against Saudi Arabia amid raging conflict?

Houthi fighters marching

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Turkey’s Central Bank ducks soaring inflation to cut rates again

Despite the highest inflation in 24 years, Turkey’s Central Bank has made its third interest cut ahead of elections next June.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli candidates treat violence in Arab towns as niche problem

Instead of treating the rise of violence in Arab society as a national problem, Prime Minister Yair Lapid and opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu are only making Arab Israelis promises to remedy the situation.

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Iran sanctions BBC Persian

The Islamic Republic has been lashing out at London-based Iranian news outlets for their coverage of the anti-government protests in Iran.

Kyiv

Ukraine pressures Israel to supply weapons, cites Iranian threat

With reports of Iran supplying Russia with attack drones, Israel is finding it increasingly difficult to reject Ukraine’s pleas for defensive weaponry.

A general shot taken on June 30, 2015, shows a neighborhood in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Syrian government retaliates for killing of soldiers by Islamic State

The Syrian government and Russia accused the Islamic State of blowing up a troop bus of the Syrian army’s Fourth Division in its main headquarters near Damascus.

AFP via Getty Images

Russian referendums strain Egypt-Ukraine ties

Egypt denies sending observers to monitor the Russian referendums on illegally annexing four regions in Ukraine.

Iran ukraine drones

Analysis

The Takeaway: Iranian drones in Ukraine send message to West

Closer Iran-Russia ties are another thing to worry about; Israel won't send missile defenses to Ukraine; Lebanon-Israel agreement still needs details filled in; and why the region may need nuclear energy to meet climate goals.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti

drone attack

US military eyes counter-drone experimentation in Saudi Arabia

US Central Command is moving ahead with plans to help enable shared air and missile defense across the Middle East.

A Tunisian prostitute works in a brothel in the district of Abdallah Guech in Tunis on Feb. 19, 2011.

Tunisia's sex workers want their brothels back

The crackdown on legal brothels in Tunisia puts its sex workers at risk of further harm.

HDP MP Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu holds a photograph depicting censorship.

Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, writers reject Turkey’s new 'censorship' bill

Turkey’s main opposition has taken the newly enacted bill to the Constitutional Court for annulment, while Erdogan described the law he swiftly ratified as “a pressing necessity.”

Iron Dome

Israel won’t supply Ukraine with missile-defense systems

Defense Minister Benny Gantz continues to refuse requests by Kyiv to supply Ukraine with the Israel-US-developed Iron Dome or other anti-missile systems.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi authorities find nearly 4 million amphetamine pills hidden in peppers

One recent think tank report suggested Saudi Arabia needs to focus more on curtailing demand for such drugs among its population.