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
Iraq tries to improve human rights through education Although the Ministry of Education and the Commission on Human Rights in Qadisiyah province are working to introduce human rights principles in schools, the project lacks much-needed support from the state. Iraq
Babil’s Jewish shrine, mosque share space The tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel, located next to a mosque in Kifl, Babil, is a site of both controversy and religious coexistence. Iraq
Iran’s new strategy in Syria Iran and its allies, such as Hezbollah, seem to be getting more involved in the Syrian civil war. Iraq
Services improve under IS in Mosul Some say there is a silver lining to the Islamic State’s takeover of Mosul in Iraq, namely an improvement in services, in an apparent attempt by the group to gain legitimacy and garner the support of Mosul residents. Iraq
Congress decides Iraqi Kurds, Sunnis aren't countries after all The annual defense bill gets a new look after backlash from Baghdad. Iraq
Iraq’s toxic partisanship continues Iraq is still hashing out its long overdue parties law, which will need ratification by the very parties it's intended to rein in. Iraq
How IS uses water as weapon of war The Islamic State's expanding control over the water resources of the Middle East will only compound the region's water crisis. Egypt
Comparing Iraq's Shiite forces to Iran's Basij While the circumstances of Iran's Basij and Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units share similarities, there were differences in the domestic politics of the countries during the formation of these groups. Iraq
Concerns rise over execution of IS militants Captured members of the Islamic State in Iraq are being executed, increasing the possibility of mass killings of civilians and destroying Iraq's future as a unitary state. Iraq
Carter: Syria 'safe zones' would be 'major combat mission' US secretary of defense tells Congress no-fly zone would be "difficult thing to contemplate"; state institutions collapse as result of war in Yemen; Obama administration rejects direct arms to Iraqi Kurdistan. Saudi Arabia
Abadi tries to balance Iraq between Iran, Turkey Under Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi government did not hide its strong ties with Iran, but with a new administration in place, Haider al-Abadi is trying to cultivate a more balanced policy toward its neighbors. Iraq
Babylon awaits tourists' return Cultural authorities are trying to revive tourism to Iraq's Babil, historic Babylon, after years of neglect and destruction in the area. Iraq