The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
Archive Upfront from Jan 2, 2020 US strike on Iranian military leader sparks escalation fears President Donald Trump authorized a US strike that killed the influential Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in Iraq early Friday morning, the Pentagon said in a statement. Iraq
Turkish parliament approves troop deployment to Libya The Turkish parliament approved a one-year mandate to deploy troops in support of the Tripoli government against an ongoing offensive led by eastern Libya commander Khalifa Hifter. Turkey
Will Netanyahu's survival campaign tear up Israeli society? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to delegitimize Israel’s judicial system, saying that only the judgment by the "people" matters. Israel
Multibillion-dollar lawsuit in Israel against Arab Bank Israeli casualties of terrorism sue the Jordan-based Arab Bank over its alleged assistance to terror groups. Palestine
Intel: US marshals diplomatic support after Iraq embassy attack Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is busy marshalling support for the United States in the region as Iraq becomes ground zero in the escalating feud between Washington and Tehran. Iraq
Intel: How Netanyahu plans to hold onto power despite bribery charges Facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the Israeli parliament for immunity. Israel
Iran VP denies Tehran behind attack inside Iraq Iranian officials have reiterated comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that they will not start the war but will fight back against an invasion. Iraq
Pentagon: Preemptive strikes on table to deter Iran in Iraq The Pentagon could make preemptive strikes to protect US forces and personnel in Iraq, top Pentagon officials said today. Iraq
US Embassy attack backfires on Iran-backed militias in Iraq The attack against the US Embassy in Baghdad by Iranian militias inside Iraq received no support from the Iraqi public and sparked much criticism against Iran, which led the militias to end the attack before achieving any of their goals. Iraq
Will Russia, Turkey launch 'Syria scenario' for Libya? Despite their disagreements, Moscow and Ankara have good reasons to cooperate on Libya. Syria
Algerian cartoonist, other political detainees released to rejoin protests The Algerian government surprised lawyers and activists by suddenly releasing dozens of prisoners detained over protest activities. Algeria
Mosul joins the protests in Iraq but in a different way Although Mosul seems quiet amid ongoing protests in Iraq, residents of the Ninevah capital are expressing solidarity with the anti-government protests in various ways. Iraq
