Analysis Iran’s Pickaxe mountain tests limits of Trump’s military options A secretive Pentagon innovation agency has hastened to test munitions that may penetrate deeper than the GBU-57 bombs dropped on Iran’s two main enrichment facilities. By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack The Emirati president reportedly warned that a planned attack could cause bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords. Israel
Brent crude sails past $100 as Middle East war intensifies The Iran war escalated this week as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked four southern Saudi Arabian cities and oil facilities. Saudi Arabia
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. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis Playing for time: Despite US pressure, Israel stalls Lebanon talks until after election By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Zarrab fingers Erdogan in NY trial bombshell Iranian-Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab, testifying before a New York jury, has implicated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his former economy minister in a massive sanctions-busting scheme as Turkey does its frantic best to spin the story at home. Turkey
Turkey squeezed between American hammer, Russian anvil on Syrian stage The Kurdish issue is only one of the catalysts to indicate Turkey’s weakened posture in Syria, the Middle East and the world. Syria
US Jews losing faith in Israel Many American Jews feel that the Netanyahu government favors Orthodox Jews over those belonging to progressive Judaism streams and, as a result, are questioning their ties to Israel. Israel
Congress pushes Tunisia aid compact to counter Trump cuts The fledgling North African democracy is dispatching dignitaries to argue for a multi-year memorandum of understanding to help combat terrorism and social unrest. Tunisia
Iran’s president: both diplomacy, military power needed in face of threats Iran’s president said his country doesn’t seek confrontation with Saudi Arabia. United States
US faces uphill battle recouping arms from Syrian Kurds As the fight against the Islamic State winds down, the Donald Trump administration says it plans to get back the weapons it loaned to Kurdish troops opposed by Turkey. Syria
Sochi summit leaves Turkey facing unsavory possibilities It's unknown how far Moscow will go to appease Ankara with regard to the Syrian Kurds. Syria
Trump promises to end 'nonsense' of arming Syrian Kurds, Turkey says Turkish officials say the US president promised Turkey’s leader that arms shipments to Kurds fighting the Islamic State would stop, but observers worry such a move will cost Washington a key partner and undermine stabilization efforts in Syria. Syria
Turkey's creative schemes aim to discredit Zarrab case in US Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his team failed to convince the United States to agree to a “diplomatic solution” in the financial crime case involving Reza Zarrab and Turkey’s top bankers and former ministers. Now, Erdogan claims the case is a conspiracy against Turkey between the United States and the Gulen movement. Turkey
Why Netanyahu actually supports Palestinian reconciliation Israel has yet to decide whether Palestinian reconciliation is good or bad for its national strategic interests. Palestine
Rift between Israel, US Jews deepens Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely's scandalous words, belittling the attachment of American Jewry to Israel, finally brought the drama of the Israel-US Jewry rift onto the Israeli public agenda. Israel
Proposed US sanctions on PMU put Iraq in tough spot Proposed sanctions against factions of the Shiite-dominated Popular Mobilization Units would place the Iraqi government squarely in the middle of a tug of war between Iran and the United States. Iraq