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Politics & Security

Dmytro Chubenko, spokesperson of the Kharkiv prosecutor, and his assistant look at a Russian Shahed drone shot down by Ukraine's air defense forces in a field used for the storage of Russian missiles in Kharkiv, on April 30, 2025.

Ukraine sends teams to help Gulf counter Iranian drones: What to know

Ukraine has significant experience downing Iran’s Shahed drones, leading Gulf states to express interest in Ukrainian expertise and hardware.

A man looks at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut on March 12, 2026.

Lebanon summons Iran envoy over Hezbollah-IRGC attacks: What to know

The move comes after Hezbollah launched over 200 rockets toward Israel, just as Iran fired a barrage of missiles, triggering a violent Israeli escalation in Lebanon.

This photo taken in Tehran shows a statement by Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei being televised on March 12, 2026. Iran's new supreme leader ordered the vital Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane to remain closed on March 12, while US President Donald Trump said stopping the Islamic republic's "evil empire" was more important than crude prices. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly injured in an air strike, has yet to appear publicly since his nomination as supreme leader, and his defiant

In first remarks, Mojtaba Khamenei vows 'revenge,' holds firm on Hormuz closure

New Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei did not appear on camera and his remarks were read by presenters on state media.

Sipan Hemo

Top Kurdish critic of Damascus named Syria's deputy defense minister

The move cements a US-brokered truce and signals Damascus’ intent to integrate the Kurdish-led northeast into the national government, even as thorny security and political questions remain.

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US warns of kidnapping threat in Iraq as Iran-backed militia hits diplomatic facility

Fighters lift flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups, including al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, during a funeral in Baghdad for five militants killed a day earlier in a US strike in northern Iraq, on Dec. 4, 2023.

Citi, HSBC order Gulf evacuations after Iran threatens US tech, banks

People sit in a cafe outside the Apple Store in Dubai on May 8, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Spain recalls Israel ambassador, calls Iran war 'flagrant illegality': What to know

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a United Nations Summit on Palestinians at UN headquarters during the United Nations General Assembly, New York, Sept. 22, 2025.

US strikes Iran's IRGC minelayer boats near Hormuz: What to know

MEHDI MARIZAD/FARS NEWS/AFP via Getty Images

Jared Szuba

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

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

Ramil Sitdikov / AFP via Getty Images

Putin offers $1B in frozen assets for Gaza Board of Peace — will US unfreeze them?

It remains unclear how such an arrangement could be implemented, since any contribution from frozen assets would require formal unblocking by the US government.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum annual meeting, Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026.

Herzog: Saudi normalization talks could resume as Gaza ceasefire enters next phase

The Israeli president said the rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia “should be the future vision of the Middle East.”

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump launches Board of Peace: We can do 'whatever we want'

President Donald Trump pledged Gaza will be "beautifully rebuilt” as his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, laid out a multi-year redevelopment and demilitarization plan.

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

What Israel stands to lose in Syria-SDF agreement

The agreement signed Jan. 18 for the integration of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces into the Syrian state will bolster not only Turkey, Israel’s foe, but also President Ahmed al-Sharaa while he negotiates a security deal with Israel.

RAQQA, SYRIA - JANUARY 19: Syrian government forces are deployed near Al-Aqtan prison on January 19, 2026 in Raqqa, Syria. Yesterday, the Syrian government announced that a nationwide ceasefire deal had been reached with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who had been clashing with government forces in recent weeks. The Kurdish-led force, a long-time ally of the United States in the fight against ISIS, had controlled large swaths of northwest Syria during the years of the country's civil war. T

US military airlifts Syria ISIS prisoners to Iraq after SDF retreat: What to know

The airlift underscored the speed with which Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s forces took control of camps and prisons previously secured by US-backed and Kurdish-led militias.

Jared Szuba

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

A member of the Alawite community pastes on a wall, in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli , on December 6, 2007, pictures of Syrian opposition leader Rifaat al-Assad (R) and his son Ribal.

Rifaat al-Assad, perpetrator of Syria's 1982 Hama massacre, dies at 88

Known for his role in the 1982 Hama massacre, the late member of Syria’s former ruling family oversaw the killing of tens of thousands of civilians.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas (R) arrive for their talks in Moscow on May 10, 2025.

Russia to host PA’s Abbas as Putin mulls joining Trump's Gaza Board of Peace

President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit will coincide with the signing ceremony of the Trump administration's Board of Peace charter on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026.

Trump warns Hamas will be 'blown away' if it fails to disarm

“They were born with a weapon in their hands, so it's not easy to do," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump greets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war on Oct. 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Turkey, Israel, Pakistan to join Trump's Board of Peace as Italy hedges: What to know

The Turkish president accepted the US leader's invitation to join the Gaza Board of Peace along with Egypt and Israel.

People attend a pro-government rally on Jan. 12, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

Iran ramps up crackdown, vows 'to cut off hand' that threatens Khamenei

Iran doubled down on the narrative that the protesters were "Israel-linked mercenaries," as international calls grew for the regime's accountability after its bloody crackdown on the unrest.

Soldiers walk past a parked car as Syrian government forces make their way to the city of Hasakeh in northeastern Syria on Jan. 20, 2026.

Syria’s Kurds accept sweetened ceasefire deal as US envoy Barrack declares SDF obsolete

The ceasefire follows intense clashes and a rapid Syrian military advance in the Kurdish-held northeast, amid concerns over ISIS prisoners.

Joris Bolomey / AFP via Getty Images

Sudan's RSF says Chad border clashes 'unintentional' after 7 soldiers killed

Chad, which Sudan’s government accuses of backing the paramilitary RSF, said that the incursion killed seven Chadian soldiers.