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Politics & Security

Truck carrying aid enters Gaza through the border crossing on Oct. 12, 2025, in Rafah, Egypt.

Israel recovers final Gaza hostage, Rafah crossing set to reopen: What to know

The Rafah crossing is expected to allow Palestinians to exit and reenter the Gaza Strip, primarily for those seeking medical treatment.

Galaxy Leader

Yemen’s Houthis hint at Red Sea attacks as US-Iran tensions rise: What to know

The Houthi warnings come as a US aircraft carrier accompanied by several guided missile destroyers entered Gulf waters amid tensions with Iran.

A woman with braided hair during a solidarity demonstration in Erbil, Iraq's Kurdistan region, on Jan. 23, 2026.

Turkey detains nurse over hair-braiding video in support of SDF

Authorities say the nurse’s social media post amounted to terror propaganda, while critics argue that her symbolic protest falls under freedom of expression as tensions over Syria spill into Turkey’s fragile peace process.

In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln transits the Strait of Hormuz as an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from the Nightdippers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5 lifts off from the flight deck, Nov. 19, 2019.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 26, 2026, 9:54 am

USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group reaches Middle Eastern waters

The carrier's presence gives the White House greater options to authorize strikes deep within Iranian territory while reducing the potential risk of regional blowback.

Latest News

Analysis

No strings attached: UAE, India deepen defense ties, balk at mutual guarantees

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet in New Delhi, Jan. 19, 2026.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Analysis

Can newly unified Arab Israeli bloc bridge gaps to block Netanyahu next election?

Four Arab Israeli parties join forces ahead of Israel's next elections.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

Analysis

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

Turkish Foreign Ministery Press Service / AFP via Getty Images

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

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

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.

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

US President Joe Biden (R) and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni react to journalists shouting questions after each leader delivered prepared remarks during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on March 1, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Breaking | Last Updated: March 2, 2024, 2:51 pm

Biden announces US airdrops of humanitarian aid to Gaza

The announcement comes as Biden faces withering criticism over the Israeli military's brutal campaign in Gaza, which has left a quarter of the population on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.

AFP via Getty Images

UN accuses Sudan’s RSF of rape, ethnic killings as Hemedti courts region

A new UN report has documented the shocking brutality of the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) man their armored vehicle in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura, near the border with Israel, Oct. 15, 2023.

Lebanon: Suspected Hezbollah-UNIFIL clashes amid Israel border escalation

The incident, which is not uncommon, comes at a time of heightened Israeli-Hezbollah tensions and growing fears of an all-out war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center left) meets with KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Feb. 29, 2024.

Analysis

Biden administration backs ‘resilient’ Iraqi Kurdistan Region

Visit of Iraqi Kurdistan PM Barzani to Washington a message to Baghdad and Iran.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

Masked Palestinian protesters walk near flaming tires during clashes with Israeli forces following a rally in solidarity with Gaza by supporters of the Fatah and Hamas movements, in the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on October 13, 2023. AFP correspondents and a security official reported clashes after rallies in solidarity with war-battered Gaza in Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarm, Hebron and other cities and towns, with the Palestinian Red Crescent reporting dozens wounded across the West Bank, some cr

Analysis

As Gaza boils, West Bank implosion tops Israel's, US fears on eve of Ramadan

US and Israeli officials fear potential unrest over access to Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan and its spread to Israeli Arab communities and the rest of the region.

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

Displaced Palestinians queue for food donations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 30, 2023.

US rushes for Gaza cease-fire as clock ticks toward Ramadan

Negotiators are working to secure a temporary cease-fire that would delay Israel’s planned offensive in Rafah and free some of the remaining hostages.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) hosts Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of Sudan, in Cairo, Feb. 29, 2024.

Sudan’s army chief in Egypt after Libya visit as civil war drags on

Sudanese Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is trying to drum up African support in the war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (C) inspects the guard of honour upon his arrival for a state visit at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare on July 13, 2023. (Photo by Jekesai NJIKIZANA / AFP) (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran’s Raisi to make first visit to Algeria in 14 years as Africa ties grow

Algeria has maintained friendly ties with Iran as Tehran faces growing Western isolation.

A US F/A-18 taxis to the runway of the USS Eisenhower in the southern Red Sea. Feb. 21, 2024

Analysis

US Navy faces down Houthi attacks as Washington signals open-ended effort

Saudi Arabia has restricted the US military from launching strikes in Yemen via Saudi airspace, leaving an aging US Navy aircraft carrier to shoulder the campaign in the Red Sea.

Jared Szuba

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

Farah Dakhlallah will be the first spokesperson for NATO of Arab descent.

Meet Farah Dakhlallah, NATO's first spokesperson of Arab descent

A British-Lebanese citizen, Dakhlallah will make history this Friday as NATO's first spokesperson from the region, which could boost the alliance's outreach to the Arab-speaking world.

Members of the Khabour Guards (MNK) Assyrian Syrian militia, affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), walk in the ruins of the Assyrian Church of the Virgin Mary, which was previously destroyed by Islamic State (IS) group fighters, in the village of Tal Nasri south of the town of Tal Tamr in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Nov. 15, 2019.

Turkish strike kills 3 members of Kurdish-allied Christian force in northeast Syria

Wednesday's drone strikes are in line with Turkey’s ongoing campaign to degrade and destroy the SDF and the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northeast Syria.

UWAYDA24/AFP via Getty Images

Syria: One killed in Suwayda as protests resume against Assad government

The death marks the first time a protester has been killed since the protests in Suwayda began last year over Syria’s dire economic situation.