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Politics & Security

Members of the Kurdish forces hold a portrait of Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler which reads "Shame on the killers of innocents in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood" during a protest by Syrian Kurds against violence they say was committed by Syrian government forces during recent clashes in Aleppo's Kurdish neighbourhoods, in the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Qamishli on Jan. 13, 2026.

Syria declares 'closed military zone' east of Aleppo as Kurds protest

The Syrian government accused the Kurdish-led SDF of mobilizing in the area, reflecting ongoing turmoil following a ceasefire.

A Patriot missile battery is seen near Prince Sultan air base at al-Kharj on Feb. 20, 2020.

CENTCOM opens air defense cell at Qatar's Al Udeid base: What to know

Bringing together military officers from regional countries to coordinate air and missile defense marks a nascent step in CENTCOM’s decades-long push to diplomatically facilitate air defense cooperation between Gulf states against Iran.

President of Syria Ahmed al-Shara arrives for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City. — Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Syria’s Sharaa heads to Davos, ending years of global isolation

The World Economic Forum begins on January 19 and ends on January 23, hosting a cohort of around 400 political leaders.

Egyptians hold a plaque of the Muslim Brotherhood emblem which was removed from the party's burnt headquarters in the Moqattam district of Cairo on July 1, 2013 after it was set ablaze by opposition demonstrators overnight. Egypt's opposition gave Islamist Mohamed Morsi a day to quit or face civil disobedience after deadly protests demanded the country's first democratically elected president step down after just a year in office. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via G

US designates Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist organizations: What to know

The designations of the Brotherhood's branches in Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan follow President Donald Trump's executive order in November targeting the pan-Islamist movement.

Latest News

IRGC to Majlis: Who are central players in Iran's regime?

People cross a street next to a billboard bearing the portrait of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a quote that reads "Sing Oh Iran" in Tehran on July, 9, 2025.

Syria Druze leader Hijri calls for independent entity, says country ‘heading toward partition’

Sheikh Hikmat Salman al-Hijri is pictured at Qanawat, the headquarters of the Druze spiritual presidency, on Dec. 28, 2024, in Suwayda, Syria.

Analysis

Israel assesses Trump may opt for Iran strike despite protest crackdown

TEHRAN, IRAN - JANUARY 10: The heavily damaged Tax Affairs building is pictured on January 10, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Some areas of Tehran sustained heavy damage during ongoing protests that came to a head on January 8, amid a growing economic and political crisis sweeping the country. (Photo by Stringer/Getty Images)

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

From Iraq to Yemen, how Iran proxies are responding to protests

Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026.

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

A composite image of Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron (R).

Macron invites Syria’s Sharaa to France for first EU visit: What to know

France, like other EU countries, has expressed a desire to engage with Syria’s new administration and lift sanctions on the country.

Israeli soldier and kids use binoculars during a Sukkoth gathering, calling for resettling Gaza with Jewish communities near the border with the Gaza Strip on Oct. 21, 2024 in Southern Border, Israel.

Why Israel's far right is embracing Trump’s Gaza displacement plan

Israel's far right is elated by President Donald Trump's calls to drive Gazans away from the Strip and resettle them in other Arab states.

A Palestinian prisoner embraces a relative upon the arrival of some 90 prisoners set free by Israel in the early hours of Jan. 20, 2025, in the occupied West Bank town of Beitunia.

Palestinian prisoners sent to Egypt, Turkey as Tunisia declines: What we know

Egypt has taken 79 prisoners freed in the hostage-release and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, with more expected to be sent to Pakistan and possibly Algeria.

U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. on February 4, 2025. (Photo by Bryan Dozier / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by BRYAN DOZIER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

From Saudi Arabia to Australia and China, world leaders denounce Trump’s plan to 'take over' Gaza

President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about a possible US takeover of Gaza after relocating the Palestinians caused a wave of uproar across the region and the world.

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Could Trump’s Gaza plan be negotiating tactic for Saudi-Israel deal?

On a visit to the White House, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surely didn't imagine that President Donald Trump would propose the United States take over responsibility for managing and reconstructing the Gaza Strip.

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

US President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House on Feb. 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Meeting with Netanyahu, Trump calls for removal of Palestinians from Gaza

Prior to the bilateral meeting, the White House tried to put a humane spin on Trump's outlandish proposal, which critics and historians have likened to ethnic cleansing.

Jared Szuba

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa shake hands during a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, on February 4, 2025.

Pomp over substance marks Sharaa's first trip to Turkey as Syria's president

While the Turkish president lauded the visit as "historic," little of substance was announced and neither leader made any mention of an alleged defense pact reported Tuesday by Reuters.

Sweden

Iran summons Sweden's ambassador after Shiite cleric arrest

The Shiite Islamic center run by the Iranian cleric has been accused of posing threats to Sweden's national security and spying on Swedish citizens as well as exiled Iranians.

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa (front L) accompanied by his wife Latifa al-Droubi (front C), and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani perform the Umrah, or the minor pilgrimage, alongside their wives respectively and in Islam's holiest city of Mecca in western Saudi Arabia on February 3, 2025.

Sharaa's wife, Latifa Droubi, makes first appearance outside Syria: What we know

Pictures and videos on social media of Latifa al-Droubi, the wife of Syria's newly appointed interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, have sparked wide interest in Syria's new first lady.

Iranian naval vessels arrive at the Port of Khalid in Sharjah, on Feb. 4, 2024.

UAE welcomes Iran naval delegation & ships in first such visit: What we know

The Emirati Defense Ministry said that four Iranian naval vessels arrived at the Port of Khalid in Sharjah on Tuesday for a three-day unprecedented visit.

Ulas Tosun/Getty Images

Ocalan 'highly likely' to call for PKK disarmament: Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party

A much anticipated statement by jailed Kurdish militant Abdullah Ocalan will very likely include a call for the Kurdistan Workers Party to disarm, Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party has said.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) speaks at a press conference outside of USAID headquarters on Feb. 03, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Democrats warn Trump’s USAID freeze may fuel Middle East instability

Lawmakers vowed to challenge the takeover of the agency, with or without the support of Republicans members of Congress.