Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel strikes south Lebanon after 2 soldiers killed Tehran says Iran, Oman agree on Hormuz shipping route; US lifts sanctions on Iraqi airline linked to Iran's IRGC; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Iraqi Kurdish president’s meeting with Syria’s Sharaa signals shift in SDF dynamics KRG President Nechirvan Barzani’s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa underscored the Kurdistan Region’s growing role in Syria’s Kurdish politics. Iraq
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran denies negotiations with US after Trump calls off strikes Pakistan’s death toll rises to 17 after suspected suicide bombing; Syria’s Sharaa meets with KRG President Barzani; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis Renewed Iraq attacks test Zaidi’s push to disarm Iran-backed militias An attempt by Iraqi government forces to seize weapons belonging to an Iranian-backed faction encountered resistance, raising questions about Prime Minister Ali Zaidi’s pledge to disarm militias by Sept. 30. By Mustafa Salim
Exclusive US nears full withdrawal from Iraq as bases in Kurdistan Region face attacks from Iran, proxies By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iraq's Zaidi cancels Riyadh visit after US-Saudi strikes By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Planning for the 'day after' Mosul As preparations advance to retake Mosul from IS, defense and foreign ministers from some 30 nations met in Washington to plan how to provide humanitarian relief and services for hundreds of thousands of people expected to be displaced. Iraq
Will Post-IS Iraq witness 'clear conflicts' between armed forces? The Iraqi army is no longer the strongest force in Iraq, making way for the possibility of conflict between various armed groups. Iraq
Without reforms, protests threaten to escalate in Iraq Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr led massive protests in Baghdad last week, and demonstrations are likely to continue until progress is made on the government reforms he demands. Iraq
Iraqi forces in Ninevah eye the ultimate prize: Mosul Iraqi forces are currently battling the Islamic State on the western side of the Tigris River with the aim of liberating Qayyarah after having taken the air base there in their march to Mosul. Iraq
Iraqi laborers facing harsh conditions in holy city of Najaf Due to the economic crisis, thousands of workers, including children from southern provinces, come to Najaf to work under difficult circumstances to support their families. Iraq
Sumerian city of Lagash slowly emerging from desert sands Archaeologists have resumed excavations at the site of the ancient city of Lagash in Iraq, but so have smugglers. Iraq
Mapping the road to the liberation of Mosul Mosul has become surrounded from the north and east by peshmerga forces, from the west by peshmerga and some Yazidi forces, and from the south in the Qayyarah base. Iraq
Will political party emerge out of Iraqi popular protests? So far, it seems that the protest movement led by leftist and young liberal Iraqis has not been able to establish a party or a political movement, which threatens its existence on the Iraqi scene. Iraq
Iraqis wary of political role for Popular Mobilization Units Signs indicate that the PMU hopes to assume a political role in Iraq, which has raised concerns among some Iraqis. Iraq
Is the Islamic State planning a cyber-caliphate? Under pressure on the battlefield, IS has been moving its caliphate to the virtual world and is targeting Turkey in particular. Iraq
Will conflict continue as Iraq's Sunni areas are liberated from IS? A new type of conflict may arise in Iraqi areas recently liberated from the Islamic State as different Sunni forces compete to regain political and economic control. Iraq
On eve of mass protests, what's next for Iraq's political crisis? Iraq's Supreme Court canceled the decision to dismiss the parliament speaker and the Abadi reform Cabinet, intensifying the political crisis as the popular movement prepares for mass demonstrations July 15. Iraq