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Politics & Security

A trilateral meeting was held today in Jeddah, bringing together His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 20, 2026.

Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar to deepen security ties amid Iran war: What to know

Gulf states and Jordan are aligning more closely as Iranian attacks persist.

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

Israel pushes deeper into Lebanon as Iran envoy refuses to go: What to know

Israeli forces have reportedly reached the banks of the Litani River as part of a plan to set up a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon.

Members of the Popular Mobilization Units stand guard along the Iraqi-Syrian border in Al-Qaim, west of Iraq, on Jan. 23, 2026.

Syria sustains drone attack from Iraq, tackles smuggling tunnels on Lebanon border

The incidents on Syria's borders follow threats against the transitional government by Iran and its proxies in Iraq.

German soldiers stand to attention in front of a German Patriot missile launcher at the Gazi barracks in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey on March 25, 2014.

Turkey says NATO defenses intercepted fourth missile from Iran

Turkey said NATO air defenses neutralized a ballistic munition launched from Iran that entered its airspace, marking the fourth such interception since March.

Latest News

Trump renews threat to Iran's energy, oil sites despite 'great progress' in talks

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One prior to departure from Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, March 29, 2026. US President Donald Trump is returning to the White House after spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

Dermer’s return puts Netanyahu’s 'brain' at center of US-Israel calculus

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) is joined by Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and other officials for a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon, July 9, 2025.

Analysis

Displacement and dissent: Hezbollah’s war with Israel splits Lebanon’s Shiites

A Hezbollah flag is seen in a destroyed car after an Israeli airstrike in Nabi Chit (Al-Nabi Shayth), Lebanon, on March 26, 2026. In the first week of March, the Israeli army carried out an unsuccessful nighttime commando operation there to recover the remains of Ron Arad, a pilot missing since 1986, triggering airstrikes and destruction in the area that forced residents to flee their homes. (Photo by Fabio Bucciarelli / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Karim Safieddine

By Karim Safieddine

In Beirut, reporting on politics

Analysis

Iran regime turns sights on UAE as war widens beyond conventional front

Pieces of missiles and drones recovered after Iran's strikes are displayed during a press briefing by the UAE government held in Abu Dhabi on March 3, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan (C) welcomes his Chinese counterpart and Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Wang Yi (R) in Ankara, on July 26, 2023.

In China, Turkey’s Fidan says he plans to attend BRICS meeting in Russia

The top Turkish diplomat says his country explores new opportunities with BRICS

fire

Israeli war cabinet calls Lebanon meeting as Hezbollah tension spikes

Israel's war cabinet is set to convene to discuss the escalation of violence on the border with Lebanon.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani waves as he leaves after talks at the Coburg Palais, the venue of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Vienna, Austria, Aug. 4, 2022.

Iran’s acting FM meets Assad in Syria after talks with Hezbollah chief

Iran has been backing its proxies, including Hezbollah and Hamas, in their fight against Israel since the Gaza war erupted.

TOPSHOT - US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they meet on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 20, 2023. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Netanyahu in bind: Save his far-right coalition or save Israel from isolation

In an attempt to persuade them not to oppose the hostage deal now on the table, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is telling the extremist ministers in his cabinet not to take Biden’s plan at face value.

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

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 31: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on former U.S. President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in his hush-money trial before speaking on the Middle East at the White House on May 31, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden said Trump had a fair trial and an impartial jury found him guilty on all 34 counts and added it is dangerous for anyone to say the trial was rigged. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

As US downplays cease-fire gap with Israel, Biden urges Qatar to secure Hamas approval

The Biden administration is projecting confidence that Israeli leaders will follow through with the latest three-phase cease-fire plan, despite unresolved sticking points that burdened previous negotiations.

China's President Xi Jinping (L) shakes hands with United Arab Emirates' president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ahead of the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on May 30, 2024.

In rare clash with Iran, China reaffirms solidarity with UAE over disputed islands

Iran seized control of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs several decades ago, though the United Arab Emirates has long claimed sovereignty over the islands, a claim backed by Gulf states and Russia.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas waves during a swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed ministers, on March 31, 2024, in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian presidency criticizes Iran's Khamenei publicly: What we know

Iran has long backed Hamas and threw its support behind the group following its assault on southern Israel last October.

Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples DEM Party attend a rally for the Turkish Municipal elections to be held on March 31, in Esenyurt Square, in Istanbul on February 25, 2024. (Photo by YASIN AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s opposition stands with Kurds after sitting Kurdish mayor jailed

After Turkish police detained the mayor of Hakkari province, his party called on “all those on the side of democracy to take a stand."

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt sees change of government amid inflation, living costs woes

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah asked Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly to form a new government following the fourth cabinet reshuffle since 2018.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al -Thani meet in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. (WAM)

UAE, Qatar join efforts to support Biden's Gaza proposal

The US is reaching out to countries in the region to push for a recent proposal laid out by President Joe Biden that includes a cease-fire in Gaza and a hostage deal.

Palestinians walk past a jetty in Gaza City with a view of navy vessels off the coast as part of a humanitarian "maritime corridor" announced by US Central Command, amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, May 17, 2024.

Could US Congress vote shut down Gaza pier permanently?

A special resolution that gives Congress power over the use of US armed forces abroad could force Democrats to vote on Biden’s handling of the conflict and aid to Gaza

GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Will Israel's far right topple government over Biden's Gaza proposal?

Far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir said they will not stay in a government that would accept a deal in which Hamas is not crushed.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs