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Politics & Security

Turkish Foreign Ministery Press Service / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Turkey’s Syria gains come with risks as Damascus pushes Kurdish integration

Turkey has benefited from the Syrian government’s rollback of the Kurdish-led forces, but whether those gains translate into lasting security, refugee returns and domestic de-escalation will depend on political inclusion in Damascus.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

This photograph shows an Iranian national flag installed on the Beheshti Mosque that was damaged during recent public protests, in Tehran on Jan. 21, 2026.

Analysis

Proxies, maritime pressure, power plays: Iran’s options if US strikes

A military strike risks entrenching hard-liners in Tehran if Washington fails to accomplish regime change driven by a clear endgame.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Members of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane on January 23, 2026, after they withdrew from the Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqqa province of Syria.

Exclusive

US military negotiated SDF withdrawal from Syria's Raqqa prison

Syrian government forces took full control of Raqqa after hundreds of SDF fighters were evacuated to Kobani under US-negotiated safe passage.

Jared Szuba

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

Latest News

Thousands rally for South Yemen independence amid Saudi diplomatic push

AFP via Getty Images

Syria forces push deeper into SDF territory, take over ISIS prison: What to know

Members of Syrian government takeover the Al-Aqtan prison after Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) forces withdraw from al-Aqtan prison, bound for Kobani, on the outskirts of the northeastern Syrian city of Raqqa on Jan. 23, 2026.

Analysis

Could US shift on Syria’s Kurds unlock progress with Turkey?

Syrian government forces ride on the roof of a vehicle as they deploy after crossing the Euphrates River in the province of Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria, on Jan. 19, 2026.

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

An Israel tank rolls near the border with the Gaza Strip on May 2, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas returns to Egypt, Israel cabinet convenes amid Gaza cease-fire push

As Israel awaits Hamas' response to the Egyptian-mediated hostage-release/cease-fire deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted there are disagreements within the war cabinet over a military operation in Rafah.

Members of the Saraya al-Quds walked through alleyways during the funeral of Mateen Debaya, killed during an Israeli raid, in the Jenin refugee camp, near the West Bank city of the same name, in the occupied West Bank, on Oct. 14, 2022.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad denounce PA over killing of fighter in West Bank

The Palestinian Authority is unpopular in the West Bank, and the incident occurred as its leading Fatah faction is seeking to reconcile with Hamas and other armed groups.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey cuts all trade with Israel as ties fray

The Israeli Foreign Minister said Ankara was blocking Turkey’s ports for Israeli imports and exports.

China's President Xi Jinping talks with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas (R) during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 6, 2013.

Analysis

What’s behind China’s decision to host Hamas-Fatah talks?

China has not achieved any breakthroughs in its efforts to mediate between Fatah and Hamas but is seeking a greater role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in part due to its rivalry with the United States, says one expert.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

A Palestinian man looks at a ravaged neighborhood from a destroyed apartment in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, May 2, 2024.

Iran slaps sanctions on US, UK entities over support for Israel's war effort

Iran announced a series of measures against US and UK entities and individuals over their support for Israel in its war in Gaza, which has raised fear of a full-blown conflict in the region.

AFP via Getty Images

Interview

EU envoy says Israel cannot condition Gaza humanitarian aid on hostage deal

EU envoy to the Middle East process Sven Koopmans said Israel cannot condition the expansion of humanitarian aid in Gaza on reaching a hostage deal with Hamas.

Sven Koopmans

Sven Koopmans

EU Special Representative for Middle East Peace Process

Colombian President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech during a May Day rally in Bogota on May 1, 2024.

Colombian president says country cutting diplomatic ties with Israel

Addressing a public gathering on Labor Day, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a harsh critic of the Netanyahu government, announced his intention to sever diplomatic relations with Israel.

Members of the jury sit in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands, on Jan. 27, 2014.

Turkey seeks to join South Africa as plaintiff against Israel at ICJ

The move comes as Ankara seeks to dial up pressure on Israel after March 31 local elections.

A female protester holds up photographs of Mahsa Amini before cutting her hair with scissors as an act of solidarity with women in Iran during a demonstration against the death Amini on Sep. 23, 2022, in Berlin, Germany.

Iran’s case against the BBC over killed teenage girl: What we know

Nika Shakarami disappeared after attending an anti-government protest in Iran in 2022 and became a symbol of the demonstrations.

Protesters scuffle with riot police as they attempt to defy a ban and march on Taksim Square during a May Day (Labour Day) rally, marking International Workers' Day, at the Sarachane Park aqueduct in Istanbul, on May 1, 2024.

Turkey: Over 200 detained in May Day demonstrations

Police used pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

Blinken Bibi

Blinken meets Netanyahu, pressures Hamas to agree to cease-fire deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the rounds of senior Israeli officials on Wednesday after stops in Amman and Riyadh.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testifies before the House Armed Services Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on April 30, 2024 in Washington, DC. The committee heard from Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Brown Jr. and Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller Mike McCord about the Pentagon's FY2025 budget request. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Pentagon chief says US concerned over Israel's 'lack of execution' on Rafah evacuation plan

Hours after Netanyahu said Israel would launch an invasion of Rafah "with or without" a cease-fire deal, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin sought to pump the brakes, telling House lawmakers that Israel has not fulfilled necessary steps to provide Rafah's civilians with a safe haven ahead of the expected incursion.