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Politics & Security

JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

Israel’s Shin Bet chief meets Mohammed Dahlan in UAE: What to know

Shin Bet Chief David Zini met in the United Arab Emirates with former senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, who is seen by Israel and the United States as a leading candidate to administer the Gaza Strip after the war.

An undated image of Foza Yusif.

Interview

Top Syrian Kurdish official slams parliamentary vote in northeast as 'undemocratic'

Foza Yusuf, a senior figure in Syria’s Kurdish-led autonomous administration, said the May 24 parliamentary vote was structured to disadvantage Kurdish parties.

Foza Yusuf

Foza Yusuf

Top Syrian Kurdish official

Vehicles drive past a billboard on the facade of a building depicting the Strait of Hormuz with a caption in Persian reading, "Forever in Iran's Hand," at Vanak Square, Tehran, Iran, May 25, 2026.

US, Iran signal progress toward war deal, but no breakthrough imminent

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson described the document under discussion as a 14-point framework agreement rather than a final deal.

Latest News

Interview

As Sudan war drags on, US-Iran conflict compounds humanitarian crisis in Darfur

Janti Soeripto helps at a community kitchen serving hot meals to displaced families arriving from El-Fasher.

Janti Soeripto

President and CEO of Save the Children US

Analysis

Cheap drones, costly threats: Why Gulf states are looking to Turkey for defense deals

SAHA EXPO 2024

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Explainer

Why Sunni frustration is growing over Lebanon’s amnesty law

Women hold portraits of jailed Islamist cleric Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir during a protest calling for his release in Beirut on April 24, 2025.

Analysis

US, Turkey boost Libya coordination, but unity push faces political hurdles

Abdullah DOMA / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

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

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

Captagon

Syria's new government seizes 3 million Captagon pills in Aleppo

Authorities have pledged to crack down on Captagon as production and trade continue elsewhere in the region.

Sudanese army soldiers patrol an area in Khartoum North on Nov. 3, 2024.

Sudan's army seizes presidential palace in blow to RSF: What we know

Sudan’s army has taken the presidential palace Khartoum, in RSF hands since the war broke out almost two years ago.

Pedestrians walk in front of the Istanbul Municipality headquarters in Istanbul on March 19, 2025. The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, the main opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on March 19, 2024 in the morning along with dozens of his aides, elected representatives and members of his party, accused of 'corruption', according to the city's public prosecutor. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey bans protests in Ankara, Izmir as crowds grow over Imamoglu's arrest

As protests widen in Turkey over the Istanbul mayor’s detention, authorities issue fresh bans and take legal action against protesters.

An F18 Hornet fighter jet lands on the 330 meters navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on May 8, 2018.

US looks to bolster Middle East defenses as strikes against Houthis ramp up

The Trump administration green-lit a $100 million sale of air-to-air missiles for Saudi Arabia as the Pentagon weighs deployments of additional air defense assets to the region.

Khartoum

Sudan army closes in on Khartoum's presidential palace in blow to RSF

A key battle is unfolding between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s capital Khartoum.

A protester waves a Turkish national flag and chants slogans as university students gather in protest in Besiktas district in Istanbul on March 20, 2025 following Istanbul metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's detention over a corruption probe. Istanbul's powerful mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, remained in police custody on March 20, 2025 over graft and terror allegations after being held the day before, as his party called for more protests in Turkey's largest city. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP

Turkey arrests 37 more as protests continue over Imamoglu's detention

As Turkey’s opposition parties rally in solidarity with Istanbul's mayor, Turkish authorities have moved forward with more detentions.

Sharaa Putin

Russia's Putin sends letter to Sharaa offering Syria 'practical cooperation'

The letter follows Putin and Sharaa speaking on the phone in February and thousands of Syrians seeking refugee at Russia’s base in the country earlier this month.

Men check the damages in an area struck by a US airstrike in Huthi-controlled Sanaa on March 20, 2025. Israel said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on March 20, as the Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed to have targeted Ben Gurion international airport. The United States, Israel's main backer, has pledged to hit Yemen with lethal and overwhelming force until the Huthis stop their harassment campaign. (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Can US halt Houthi attacks without getting embroiled in Gaza, Yemen wars?

The White House greenlit renewed air offensives in Yemen and in Gaza this week as the Pentagon insists it's not getting dragged into Middle East wars. What is President Donald Trump’s endgame?

Jared Szuba

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

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (R) shakes hands with Syria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hassan al-Shibani during their meeting on the sidelines of the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany on Feb. 15, 2025.

Germany reopens embassy in Syria after 13-year closure: What we know

Berlin was a vocal critic of the Assad regime and after its fall, has repeatedly stressed the need to ensure the unity of Syria and equality between all of its components, including Kurds, Druze, Christians and Alawites.

Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism of the State of Israel Amichai Chikli delivers a speech during the symposium on fighting antisemitism on Jan. 22, 2024, in Krakow, Poland.

Far-right Europeans invited to Israel's antisemitism conference, causing boycott

Jewish communities in Europe are furious over Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli's inviting far-right European politicians to an antisemitism conference in Jerusalem.

People hold placards as they ride in a convoy of vehicles during a rally held by relatives and friends of Ukrainian prisoners of war, as they call for their exchange with Russian prisoners, in Kyiv on March 9, 2025.

UAE brokers Ukraine-Russia swap for 350 prisoners: What we know

The Emirati mediation follows Saudi Arabia's hosting talks on the war and the UAE boosting its ties with Ukraine.

United Arab Emirates

Israeli army Merkava main battle tanks move at a position in southern Israel along the border fence with the northern Gaza Strip on March 18, 2025.

Israel launches ground operation in Gaza as ceasefire collapses: What we know

After heavy aerial bombardments, Israeli troops launched their first ground incursion into central Gaza since January's ceasefire was reached.