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Politics & Security

Syrian government troops stand guard next to a burning tyre along a street of Tabqa, in Raqa province, on the southwestern banks of the Euphrates on Jan. 18, 2026.

Bowing to US pressure, Syrian military advances, Kurdish-led SDF agrees to Sharaa's terms

Syrian government forces rapidly retook Raqqa and key eastern territories from the US-backed SDF, prompting a ceasefire agreement that effectively restores Damascus’ control over much of Syria’s oil-rich northeast.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) speaks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) during the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, on June 21, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey braces for Iran fallout: Trade disruptions, refugees and shifting geopolitics

Turkey is urging restraint between Tehran and Washington as unrest in Iran and the US president's threats heighten fears in Ankara of disrupted trade routes, refugee flows and a regional shift that could strengthen Israel.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

TEHRAN, IRAN - JANUARY 12: Security forces are seen during a pro-government rally on January 12, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tehran's Enqelab Square on Monday, as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, made a speech denouncing western intervention in Iran, following ongoing anti-government protests. In recent days, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military action if Iranian security forces kill protesters. (Photo by Stringer/G

Feature

Bodies for ransom: Iranians fleeing to Turkey recount regime crackdown, retribution

Transiting Istanbul Airport, they also spoke of the internet blackout, hurried departures and skepticism of foreign intervention providing relief.

Ezgi Akin

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

US President Donald Trump departs Air Force One after arriving at Palm Beach International Airport on Jan. 16, 2026.

Trump tempers threats, 'thanks' Iran for halting protester executions

President Trump said the canceled Iranian executions “had a big impact” on his decision-making regarding a military response.

Latest News

Trump's Venezuela buildup delays US aircraft carrier, raising stakes of Iran strike

A US Navy officer walks past fighter jets parked on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham, Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 26, 2024

Jared Szuba

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

Iran plans to create closed internet network offering tiered access: Report

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Witkoff lays out conditions for deal with Iran, warns alternative 'bad one'

Witkoff

Analysis

Israel 'frustrated' by Trump’s Iran backtrack, unsure if strategy or cold feet

US President Donald Trump (R) greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 29, 2025.

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

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

US President Joe Biden (R) and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (L) attend a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on July 16, 2022. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

UAE president to visit White House as frustrations mount over Gaza endgame

Abu Dhabi has hardened its stance on Israel as Gulf states consider their role in rebuilding Gaza.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured) in Jeddah, on March 20, 2024.

Saudi crown prince says no Israel normalization without Palestinian state

The crown prince's comments follow the kingdom's top diplomat saying that any deal with Israel would require a pathway toward a Palestinian state.

AFP via Getty Images

At least 14 killed, 450 injured as second wave of blasts targets Hezbollah devices in Lebanon

Hezbollah has vowed to respond to the pagers attack, which it pinned on Israel, as the two parties continue to exchange fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

An Israeli soldier works on a tank as troops gather at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on Nov. 7, 2023.

Israel deploys forces to Lebanon border after pager attack on Hezbollah

Reflecting a shift in priorities, the Israeli military has transferred the elite 98th Division from the Gaza Strip to the Lebanon border area.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by the country's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, meets with Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in Saint Petersburg, on Sept. 12, 2024.

Top Putin aides in Iran as Russia seeks to ease concerns on Zangezur Corridor

The flurry of diplomatic visits and discussions appear to be a fresh move by Moscow to reenergize Iran-Russia bilateral ties, which have recently faced new complexities.

Lebanese army soldiers stand guard as an ambulance rushes wounded people to a hospital in Beirut on Sept. 17, 2024.

Exclusive

Exclusive: Hezbollah suspicions forced Israel to expedite Lebanon pager attack

It was not Israel’s preferred course of action to detonate the pagers ahead of a full-scale war with Hezbollah, but security officials made an 11th-hour decision after at least two Hezbollah members suspected something was amiss with the devices.

Gabrielle Debinski

Tyler Huffman

By Gabrielle Debinski , Tyler Huffman

Ambulances are surrounded by people at the entrance of the American University of Beirut Medical Center, on September 17, 2024, after explosions hit locations in several Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon amid ongoing cross-border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah fighters.

Pentagon denies role in suspected Israeli pager attacks in Lebanon

Phone pagers exploded across Lebanon and in Syria, injuring thousands in a suspected Israeli attack targeting Hezbollah just a day after top Washington officials urged Israeli leaders not to escalate the conflict.

Jared Szuba

Rina Bassist

By Jared Szuba , Rina Bassist

EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images

Palestinian poll finds majority of Gazans say Hamas' Oct. 7 attack was wrong

A September public opinion poll from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research shows that Palestinian support for Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack has dropped and a majority of Palestinians in Gaza say the attack was not the right move.

An ambulance rushes wounded people to the American University of Beirut Medical Center, on Sept. 17, 2024.

Lebanon: At least 11 killed, 4,000 injured in suspected Israeli pager attack against Hezbollah

The blasts, which reportedly killed several and injured thousands, came amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

Iran's former President Hassan Rouhani (L) waves to the media as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks on before a meeting at Hyderabad house, New Delhi, India, Feb. 17, 2018.

India tells Iran’s Khamenei to 'look at own record' over comments on Muslims suffering

India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei’s remarks on the treatment of Muslims.

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant meets soldiers on the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, Sderot, Israel, Oct. 19, 2023.

Analysis

Can Netanyahu both fire Gallant and go to war in Lebanon?

The Biden administration clearly finds it hard to believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will go through with firing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant while warning that war with Hezbollah could break out soon.

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

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Israel’s Shin Bet foils Hezbollah plot to kill former senior security official

Israel's Shin Bet has announced it thwarted an attempted Hezbollah attack on a former senior Israeli security figure.