Newsletter: Daily Briefing Kremlin confirms S-400 talks with Turkey Lebanon’s PM to meet Erdogan in Turkey; Pakistan, Qatar seek to revive US-Iran talks after renewed strikes; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis As US-Iran fighting resumes, Israel weighs 3 options with restraint winning, for now Despite Israel's military readiness to resume strikes on Iran, officials say looming elections make Netanyahu more likely to stay out unless Tehran forces his hand. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Israel warns US of new Iran plot to assassinate Trump: What to know US officials are reportedly still assessing the Israeli intelligence. United States
Why US strikes on Iran rail bridge signal shift in Hormuz conflict A US missile strike on the railway bridge linking Iran to Central and East Asia suggests the White House is once again flirting with politically coercive tactics after the June agreement failed to halt Iran's attacks on Hormuz shipping. Iran
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran hits Gulf, warns Hormuz will reopen on its terms By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Intel: Why military confrontation between Turkey, Kurds in Syria might be good news for Russia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s repeated threats to attack Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria depend on Ankara’s ability to meet certain conditions if they’re to become reality. Syria
Zarif says foreign ships making Gulf 'less safe' Iranian officials continue to push back against the naval presence of the United States and United Kingdom in the Persian Gulf. United States
Lacrosse is taking Israel by storm Israel's women's national lacrosse team, founded eight years ago, has already left its mark on international competitions by beating countries with long history of lacrosse. Israel
Deciphering cryptic safe-zone deal between Turkey, US Details are emerging of a safe-zone road map between the United States and Turkey in Syria. Syria
As US pressure increases on Iran-backed militias, they turn to Iran Iran-backed PMU factions are under intense pressure from the Iraqi government and the public, leading them to Iran. Iraq
Rebuking Trump, French FM defends Iran mediation efforts French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian directly rebukes Trump and insists France will continue "mediation efforts" with Iran "to avert a wider conflict." United States
Army failure to prepare training could impact North Africa efforts The Pentagon failed to properly prepare US Army troops in Africa to train foreign partner forces, a declassified inspector general investigation has found. North Africa
Why Egypt matters — maybe more than ever The US-Egyptian partnership deepens in Sinai, but human rights issues won’t go away. Palestine
How 2016 coup attempt led Turkey to buy Russian air defenses Turkey’s purchase of Russian air defense systems comes as part of Ankara’s efforts to obtain security and reassurance from Russia against the United States, which, it believes, was behind the 2016 coup attempt. Turkey
Why Moscow is ignoring US cyberattacks on Iran Despite Russia's partnership with Iran, Moscow turns a blind eye to American cyberattacks on key Iranian targets. Russia
Turkey, US agree to coordinate on Syrian buffer zone A deal to jointly control a strip of territory now held by Syrian Kurds could reduce friction between Turkey and the United States after Ankara threatened a unilateral military intervention, but some human rights advocates say Turkey will use it to put Syrian refugees back in harm's way. Syria
Iran says US-led maritime coalition will create instability Iran’s defense minister has told regional defense officials that the US-proposed military coalition in the Persian Gulf would lead to instability. United States