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Politics & Security

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.

Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi and Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, meet on the sidelines of the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX2026), Jan. 20, 2026.

Somalia, Qatar sign defense pact after Mogadishu scraps UAE deals: What to know

Somalia and Qatar signed a defense cooperation agreement in Doha on Monday to strengthen bilateral military ties and security collaboration, days after Mogadishu ended all its contracts with the United Arab Emirates.

Latest News

Analysis

Israel assesses Iran protest wave over, regrets not targeting Khamenei

A protester holds up a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a demonstration near the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, on Jan. 16, 2026.

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

Trump demands end to clashes with Kurds in call with Syria's Sharaa

US President Donald Trump meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House, Nov. 10, 2025.

Erdogan welcomes Syria-SDF agreement, urges full implementation

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - JANUARY 18: Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa signs a ceasefire agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on January 18, 2026 in Damascus, Syria. According to Syrian state media, the deal includes a handover of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa governates into government control, and the full integration of SDF fighters into state institutions. It follows the government's recent push towards the key city of Raqqa, after SDF fighters withdrew from Aleppo amid deadly clashes over the

Iran blackout enters 12th day as filtered internet reveals crackdown

Pedestrians make their way along a path at Tehran Grand Bazaar, on Jan. 18, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

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 take part in a march called by Palestinian and Lebanese youth organizations in the southern Lebanese city of Saida on August 5, 2024, to protest against the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh (portrait) and a Hezbollah military commander.

Iran defiant as world powers work to avert retaliation against Israel

Unlike in April when Tehran telegraphed its attack in advance, Iran has this time kept details of its expected attack against Israel close to its chest.

Erdogan and Thani

Qatar's emir visits Turkey amid push for de-escalation, Gaza talks

The Qatari emir's visit to Turkey comes as regional countries are ramping up efforts to prevent a broader conflict in the region after the Hamas political chief’s killing.

Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) gather near a US Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) during a joint military exercise with forces of the US-led "Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve" coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group in the countryside of the town of al-Malikiya (Derik in Kurdish) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Sept. 7, 2022.

Clashes between Arab tribes, SDF forces in Syria pose challenge to US

The clashes between Iranian-backed Arab tribes and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by the United States, come at a time of heightened tensions in the region ahead of an imminent Iranian response to the killing of Hamas’ leader.

TOPSHOT - (L-R) Mahmoud al-Aloul, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of Palestinian organisation and political party Fatah, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Mussa Abu Marzuk, senior member of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, attend an event at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on July 23, 2024. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on July 23 hailed an agreement by 14 Palestinian factions to set up an "interim national reconciliation government" to govern Gaza after the war. (Photo by Pe

Analysis

Hamas reshuffle constrains China as Yahya Sinwar consolidates power

Ismail Haniyeh was no ally of Beijing, but he and Hamas' political wing emerged in recent years as a bridge to expand China's diplomatic influence in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Joyce Karam

Egyptian army vehicles are deployed along the border with the Gaza Strip on July 4, 2024 in el-Arish, in the north Sinai Peninsula, amid continuing battles between Hamas and Israel in Palestinian besieged territory. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Netanyahu says arms smuggling from Egypt's Sinai, not Qatar, fueled Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Time magazine that his approval of Qatari financial assistance to Hamas over the years was not the reason the group became powerful enough to attack Israel.

Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani addresses the United Nations Security Council during an emergency meeting on April 14, 2024 at U.N. Headquarters in New York City. The U.N. Security Council convened for the meeting at the request of Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan after Iran's attack on Israel. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Iran says cease-fire in Gaza 'priority' as US sees deal 'closer than ever'

Iran's statement on a cease-fire comes as Washington intensifies its efforts to reach a deal that could avert Iranian retaliation against Israel and a potential regional war.

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R), and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro (L) attend a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara on June 8, 2022.

Turkey’s Erdogan calls Venezuela's Maduro after contested elections, urges dialogue

The Turkish president stopped short of extending congratulations to Nicolas Maduro but expressed his well-wishes for the South American nation after the contested election results, according to a Turkish readout.

Ballistic missile Zelzal is launched during the second day of military exercises, codenamed Great Prophet-6, for Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards at an undisclosed location on June 28, 2011.

As Egypt tells airlines to avoid Iran, region braces for attack on Israel

Iran is expected to strike Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, prompting flight suspensions and safety notices for Iranian airspace.

Judge and president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Nawaf Salam (2nd R) delivers a nonbinding ruling on the legal consequences of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on July 19, 2024.

Turkey applies to join ICJ genocide case against Israel with a caveat

Turkey’s submission didn’t include a written commitment to accept the judgment as binding, which experts link to Ankara’s efforts to prevent the recognition of the mass killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as genocide.

Israeli tanks move toward Rafah during the wider military operation in the Gaza Strip, May 29, 2024.

US says cease-fire talks in 'final stage' as Hamas taps Sinwar to be new leader

The nomination of Gaza Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as head of the organization's political bureau does not mean that the door of cease-fire and hostage release negotiations is closed.

This picture taken on April 25, 2023, shows a shrapnel-pocked walled in the village of Hiror near the Turkish border in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

Turkey says PKK attack kills Turkish soldier in northern Iraq

The attack comes at a time when Turkey has intensified its offensive against the militant group in an effort to clear the PKK from the Iraq-Turkey border areas and establish up to a 40-kilometer-deep (24 miles) security zone in northern Iraq.

WOODSTOCK, ENGLAND - JULY 18: French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for the European Political Community Summit at Blenheim Palace on July 18, 2024 in Woodstock, England. At the 4th European Political Community Summit, Europe’s leaders will focus on energy, infrastructures, connectivity, cybersecurity, countering disinformation and migration. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Analysis

France struggles to find its footing, play role in Lebanon-Israel crisis

French President Emmanuel Macron has multiplied his contact with Middle Eastern leaders, trying to prevent escalation in the region, but so far, has not sent his foreign minister to Beirut.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs