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Politics & Security

US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos (L) meets with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, Jan. 8, 2026.

US envoy pushes for Sudan truce in meeting with UAE’s MBZ after talks in Saudi Arabia

Boulos’ meeting in Abu Dhabi follows discussions earlier this week in Riyadh, as the two Gulf countries navigate both Sudan diplomacy and a dispute over Yemen.

A protester flashes victory signs as traffic slows during demonstrations in Hamedan, Iran, on Jan. 1, 2026.

Iran sees largest protest day as regime cuts internet: What to know

Thousands of Iranians protested across the country on Thursday evening in one of the biggest challenges to Islamic Republic rule in decades.

An undated image of Foza Yusif.

Interview

Top Syrian Kurdish official Foza Yusuf says war with Damascus lose-lose for all

The Syrian Kurdish official warns that fighting in Aleppo could deepen the humanitarian crisis and stall political negotiations.

Foza Yusuf

Foza Yusuf

SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

Meet Aidarus Zubaidi: Separatist leader at heart of Yemen’s power struggle

Zubaidi’s Southern Transitional Council has experienced massive losses at the hands of the Yemeni government as Saudi Arabia ups its military campaign against the UAE-backed group.

Latest News

Turkey's Fidan says Israel ties harden SDF stance as Syria clashes grow

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon says phase 1 of Hezbollah disarmament complete as Iran FM visits Beirut

This photograph taken during a press tour organized by the Lebanese army shows Lebanese soldiers standing atop military vehicles in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel in southern Lebanon, on Nov. 28, 2025.

Aleppo clashes between Kurdish forces, Syrian government test US diplomacy

Bakr ALkasem / AFP via Getty Images

IRGC warns Israel it has 'hands on the trigger' as Iran protests enter 11th day

Mobina / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

Fighters loyal to Yemen's Southern Transitional Council separatists stand in the back of a pickup struck, bearing the portrait of STC Chief Aidarus al-Zubaidi

Yemen separatists accuse Saudi Arabia of 'betrayal' as pro-Riyadh forces advance

Southern Transitional Council head Aidarus al-Zubaidi did not board a scheduled flight to Saudi Arabia for talks as Riyadh intensified its airstrikes against the group.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan denies Turkey informed of US exile offer for Maduro prior to capture

While denying knowledge of a US exile plan for Nicolas Maduro, the Turkish president has been reluctant to directly criticize Washington over the Venezuelan leader’s capture.

Rocks, tree branches, and a toppled charity box remain on a street during unrest amid demonstrations in Hamedan, Iran, on Jan. 1, 2026

Hospital raids, mounting deaths: Iran's unrest enters volatile phase

Iran's nationwide unrest has deepened as lethal force collided with state warnings, exposing a widening gap between official control and fast-growing public defiance.

HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, in Riyadh, on Sept. 3, 2025.

Analysis

From Red Sea to Horn of Africa: How Yemen exposed the Saudi-UAE divide

Saudi Arabia’s confrontation with the UAE in Yemen has laid bare a deeper struggle for influence over the Red Sea and surrounding regions.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

somaliland

In first, Israel's foreign minister visits Somaliland: What to know

Ten days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recognized Somaliland, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar arrived in Hargeisa for the first official visit.

Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon pursues remnants of Syrian regime in country: What we know

Lebanon’s military has stepped up security efforts amid reports of remnants of the ousted regime of President Bashar al-Assad inside Lebanese territory.

A large anti-Israeli banner portraying an image of a Palestinian fighter and the slogan in Persian and Hebrew, "Endless Voice of Resistance" is erected in Palestine Square in Tehran on Dec. 31, 2025.

After Venezuela attack, Iran protests test Trump’s pledge of US 'rescue'

President Donald Trump is doubling down on warnings of US intervention in Iran following the US capture of Venezuela’s president.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands amid debris outside the Soroka Hospital after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran, Beersheba, Israel, June 19, 2025.

Analysis

Buoyed by Trump and protests, Israel sees opportunity against Iran regime

Israel’s leadership is warning Tehran not to launch an attack as a means of diverting Iranians’ attention from the ongoing anti-government demonstrations.

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

Burning debris lies next to an overturned dumpster in the middle of a street during unrest amid demonstrations in Hamedan, Iran, on January 1, 2026. The demonstrations erupted after shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar shut their businesses to protest the sharp fall of Iran's currency and worsening economic conditions, with clashes reported in several provinces and Iranian media and rights groups saying multiple people were killed in the violence, marking the largest protests to hit the Islamic Republic in

Iran protests enter second week as Ghalibaf warns of 'foreign' actors

Senior Iranian officials have begun pointing to foreign actors to explain the ongoing nationwide protests.