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Politics & Security

Milak border crossing near the town of Zabol, Iran

Third Sunni cleric killed in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province: What to know

Iran says it is stepping up its crackdown on armed groups in the impoverished province as Sunni clerics have been reported killed there and in the predominantly Kurdish northwest.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

CENTCOM chief meets Saudi Arabia's MBS amid Houthi gains in Yemen

The low-profile meeting between the Pentagon's commander in the Middle East and Saudi crown prince comes as Yemen's Houthis seized the high ground overlooking a vital economic waterway.

People swim next to the Russian-flagged cargo ship OMSKIY-107, which was attacked off the Black Sea coast and eventually ran aground off the shore of the Sile district, Istanbul, Sept. 3, 2026.

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

The Russia-Ukraine drone war is hitting Turkish commercial interests, exposing the limits of Ankara’s ability to protect shipping while remaining outside the conflict.

Erik Marmor

Analysis

Once Netanyahu’s top challenger, Bennett loses ground to Eisenkot: What to know

Facing the popular Gadi Eisenkot, the Together party of former premiers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid is sinking in Israeli opinion polls.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

Latest News

Analysis

What does Houthi advance mean for Yemen’s southern separatists?

Yemeni separatists

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Analysis

Houthi gains in Yemen are testing Saudi Arabia’s security strategy

boats and a container ship near the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Iran, misreading Trump’s resolve, escalates conflict in Yemen ahead of US midterms

Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement, arrive with their weapons to rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon, in Sanaa on April 8, 2026, following the announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East war.

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

People walk and drive past a billboard depicting as postage stamps the disputed Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb islands in Tehran on Oct. 26, 2024.

Iran-GCC clash over islands, nuclear talks underscores Tehran’s growing isolation

The Gulf Cooperation Council's renewed territorial claims on three Iran-controlled Persian Gulf islands come as Tehran is struggling under mounting international pressure and scrambling to rise from the ashes of its recent war with Israel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in the Chinese city of Tianjin to attend the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Aug. 31, 2025.

Turkey’s Erdogan holds hands with Iran’s Pezeshkian, sparks online buzz

A short video of Erdogan holding hands with Iran’s Pezeshkian at the SCO summit in China has captured global attention and stirred heated online reactions.

People inspect the debris following a landslide that devastated the village of Tarasin, in Sudan's Jebel Marra area, on Sept. 2, 2025.

Over 1,000 dead in Darfur landslide as Sudan war hinders relief efforts

A devastating landslide in the Marrah Mountains of Darfur has killed over 1,000 people, prompting appeals for international aid amid escalating violence in the region.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey: CHP Istanbul head ousted as court escalates pressure on Ozel

The court’s ruling has raised further challenges to the leadership of CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel, who led the party to victory in last year’s local elections.

PARKER SONG/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s Pezeshkian meets Xi in Beijing as China, Russia try to stall E3 sanctions

Iran’s president met China's in Beijing after the SCO summit, which backed Iran’s against international sanctions and condemned US-Israeli strikes on the country earlier this summer.

Representatives of prominent families in Hebron attend a gathering.

Israel arrests Hebron mayor, launches West Bank crackdown: What to know

Israeli forces carried out a series of raids across the West Bank, arresting several Palestinians, including the mayor of Hebron, amid reports of the possible dissolution of the Palestinian Authority.

MAZEN MAHDI/AFP via Getty Images

Bahraini protesters clash with police over new Israeli ambassador: What to know

Bahrain normalized ties with Israel in 2020 and has sought to balance friendly relations and maintaining calm among its pro-Palestinian population amid the Gaza war.

Israeli army soldiers stand atop the turret of a Merkava main battle tank positioned near armoured military bulldozers along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on Sept. 2, 2025.

Israel calls up 60,000 reservists for Gaza City op, but how many will show up?

The mobilization of 60,000 reservists for Gaza City could be undermined if significant numbers decline to serve.

Al Drago/Getty Images

US sanctions network smuggling Iranian oil diguised as Iraqi: What to know

The move come on the heels of the E3’s push to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran.

Israeli policemen stand guard near the settlement of Maale Adummim, in a land corridor known as E1, outside Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank on Aug. 14, 2025.

Analysis

Netanyahu eyes West Bank annexation as Palestine recognition grows, Trump holds final say

The Israeli government is debating whether to annex the Jordan Valley or settlement blocs in the West Bank in response to the anticipated recognition of Palestine by European states and others at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly meeting.

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

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (L) in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 1, 2025.

Turkey, Armenia leaders eye cooperation as Azerbaijan peace process advances

The meeting came after the Aug. 8 peace summit in Washington, hosted by US President Donald Trump, between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.

The Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun (left), receives Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Baabda Presidential Palace, on Sept. 1, 2025.

Lebanon faces tough test as army pushes plan to seize Hezbollah weapons

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam discussed preparations for a cabinet session due this week that will tackle an army plan to take control of weapons outside of the state’s authority.