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TOPSHOT - Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system are pictured over Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel's public broadcaster reporting that the Iranian supreme leader had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel braces for Iran attack as Trump’s economic squeeze on Tehran intensifies

Skeptical about the effectiveness of the American economic blockade on Tehran to weaken the regime, Israel is preparing for the possibility that Iran could decide to strike the Jewish state during the upcoming high holidays.

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

An excavator digs as rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfar Roummane, southern Lebanon, Sept. 7, 2026.

Lebanon says at least 12 killed in Israeli strikes as tensions rise in south

The escalation in southern Lebanon casts a shadow over upcoming Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome.

A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

Washington’s growing role in controlling the Latin American country's crude riches could help reshape an energy order centered on OPEC as the Hormuz crisis pressures Gulf exports.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amir Yaryab

Who is Amir Yaryab, IRGC’s cyber commander in US crosshairs?

The US State Department has offered up to $10 million for information on Amir Yaryab, who oversees a key part of Iran’s cyber operations.

Latest News

Analysis

Playing for time: Despite US pressure, Israel stalls Lebanon talks until after election

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

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

Israel to release 5 Lebanese prisoners ahead of next talks: What to know

Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

US airstrikes target Iran's Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island

ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel favors status quo as tensions in Iran's leadership fuel escalation risk

missile

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

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 13: John Hannah, Vice President Dick Cheney 's national security adviser, leaves U.S. Federal Court after testifying in the I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby perjury trial February 13, 2007 in Washington, DC. Hannah testified that Libby was a very busy, forgetful manager at the White House. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Former Cheney aide will not take Syria envoy post

John Hannah, the national security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney, has decided to decline the post as the US administration casts about for heavyweight diplomats.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shipenkov/Pool - UP1EE2C1ID90J

Trump takes center stage in Abbas-Putin talks

While the Russian president expressed a desire to play a role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, he made it clear that Washington remains a key party in future talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump declares his opposition to domestic violence during a working session regarding the Opportunity Zones provided by tax reform in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC11BECC88B0

What Trump needs to know about Iranians

US President Donald Trump must take note of the erosion in goodwill toward the United States among Iranians before it is too late.

Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army fighter stands near stacked sandbags in Eastern Afrin, Syria, February 13, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1A6D3C0CA0

Turkey’s assault adds to 'climate of repression and decline' in northern Syria

Iran tries to broker deal between Ankara and Damascus to contain fighting over Syrian Kurds.

US seeks to double AK-47 supply to Syrian partners

The Pentagon wants more firepower to help the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces secure territory seized from the Islamic State.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani together with his counterparts Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan attend a joint news conference following their meeting in Sochi, Russia November 22, 2017. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC11C14BA4C0

Afrin puts Turkish-Iranian-Russian mistrust on full display

More than anything, the situation in Afrin puts on full display the deep and lingering mistrust between Iran, Turkey and Russia.

Tillerson deviates from Trump's position on Palestinian refugee agency

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson supports developing a sustainable funding mechanism for UNRWA, but it is unclear whether he can convince anyone else in the Trump administration of such an approach.

A Palestinian boy who lives in a container as a temporary replacement for his house that was destroyed in the 2014 war, looks out on a rainy day in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip December 15, 2016. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem - RC1DAD9F6BE0

Will Israel, Qatar cooperate to save Gaza?

US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt called for Israel and Qatar to cooperate in order to save the Gaza Strip from a humanitarian crisis.

Abbas draws two-year timeline

According to Palestinian sources, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has given up on the Americans and is not ruling out an armed intifada.

U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks with reporters as he walks from the Senate floor between votes on procedural measures leading up to potential tax overhaul legislation at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1657C8AC00

Senate rebuffs White House request to water down Palestinian aid cuts

The US Senate wants to beef up legislation cutting aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the House passed a watered-down version last year at the insistence of President Donald Trump’s peace envoy.

UNSPECIFIED, UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 07: Contract workers load a Hellfire missile onto a U.S. Air Force MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), at a secret air base in the Persian Gulf region on January 7, 2016. The U.S. military and coalition forces use the base, located in an undisclosed location, to launch drone airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, as well as to distribute cargo and transport troops supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. The Predators at the base are operated and maintained by

Pentagon seeks massive boost in bomb budget for Iraq, Syria

The Defense Department wants $1.8 billion for precision-guided munitions to finish wiping out the Islamic State.

Turkish soldiers guard a position on Mount Bersaya, north of the Syrian town of Azaz near the border with Turkey, on January 29, 2018.
Turkey launched operation "Olive Branch" on January 20 against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in Afrin, supporting Syrian opposition fighters with ground troops and air strikes. / AFP PHOTO / Nazeer al-Khatib (Photo credit should read NAZEER AL-KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Real target of Erdogan's Olive Branch could be US clout

In the third week of Turkey's frustrating fight against Syrian Kurdish forces in Afrin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be betting on an even bigger payoff than domestic support: seeing the United States effectively pushed out of Syria.