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Politics & Security

Lebanese soldiers standing atop a military vehicle in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel in southern Lebanon, on Nov. 28, 2025.

Lebanon’s army chief in Washington as Hezbollah disarmament enters critical phase

Gen. Rodolphe Haykal is seeking US support for what is likely to be a cautious approach to expanding the geographic scope of the Lebanese army's efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

Sudanese army soldiers parade in the streets of eastern Sudan's city of Gedaref on Aug. 14, 2025, to mark the 71st anniversary of the formation of the Sudanese army.

RSF shells Sudan’s Kordofan as US-Saudi truce plan stalls: What to know

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have launched drone and artillery attacks in Dilling, just a week after the Sudanese army said it broke a nearly two-year siege on the town.

A state building is covered with a giant anti-US billboard depicting a symbolic image of the destroyed USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 1, 2026.

Iran arrests Oscar-nominated writer, civil rights figures in expanding crackdown

Iranian authorities arrested three prominent activists over the weekend, including Oscar-nominated screenwriter and journalist Mehdi Mahmoudian as arrests surge across Iran.

Syrian Democratic Forces fighters stand on a pick-up truck to provide security during an inspection of SDF positions on the Tell Brak frontline in Syria on Jan. 26, 2026.

France's role in Syria-SDF agreement: What to know

French diplomatic sources highlight the role played by Paris in recent months in reaching an agreement between the Sharaa government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Latest News

Iraq's Shiite bloc holds talks with Kurds as deadlock on president, PM persists

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani meets the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, in Erbil on Monday.

UAE’s MBZ reportedly cancels Japan visit amid US-Iran standoff: What to know

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrives for a welcoming ceremony prior to talks with the Russian president at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Jan. 29, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Meet Kuwait’s newest ministers in latest government shake-up

YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey emerges as possible host for US-Iran talks: What to know

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi (L) give a statement at the Ritz Hotel as they meet on Jan. 30, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

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

pumpjacks in Syria

Canadian energy firm to develop major oil field in Turkey’s Kurdish southeast

A Canadian firm will help Turkey develop its new oil field in Sirnak province.

Israeli policemen detain a Palestinian man at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound following clashes that erupted during the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan in Jerusalem on April 5, 2023.

Israel holds over 1,200 mostly Palestinian detainees without charge, highest in 3 decades

A report published on Wednesday by a nongovernmental group says the number of people in Israeli administrative detention is the highest in the last three decades.

MEHDI MARIZAD/FARS NEWS/AFP via Getty Images

Iran's IRGC holds military drills at disputed UAE islands

Iran held war games as a top oil official said the Islamic Republic will not give up “one iota” of its rights to the disputed Durra gas field in a potential sign of tension with Arab Gulf states.

Kais Saied Hashani

Tunisia’s president appoints new prime minister amid deepening crisis

The country is facing growing economic woes amid pressure to approve an IMF rescue program.

A man rinses his face with water from a bottle to cool off during a heat wave in Tehran on July 11, 2023.

Iran: Unprecedented heat wave triggers emergency holidays

The high temperatures have widely been linked to the overall impacts of climate change, which is hitting Iran twice harder than global averages, according to official data.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (L) meets Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi in Tehran on March 13, 2023.

Iran, Belarus sign defense MOU as they explore cooperation on drones

Belarus may start playing a bigger role in Russia’s use of Iranian drones in the war on Ukraine.

ZAID AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

UK formally recognizes genocide against Yazidis by Islamic State

The United Kingdom is the latest country to recognize the 2014 mass slaughter of Yazidis by the Islamic State as genocide.

ZAID AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

Islamic State attack in Syria targets oil convoy, kills 5 soldiers: Monitor

Islamic State sleeper cells have regularly attacked government forces in central and eastern Syria despite losing the last of their territory in 2019.

A picture shows a electoral banner for Israel's National Unity bloc, which includes the Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) led by Defence Minister Benny Gantz (R), and a portrait of Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu (L), in Tel Aviv on October 27, 2022, ahead of the November general elections. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

For Israeli normalization with Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu needs new coalition

Israeli and US officials assess that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to get on board opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz, if he wants to neutralize his coalition’s extreme members and reach a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia.

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

A picture taken on July 21, 2021, shows a center-pivot irrigation system spraying water in agricultural fields near the border with Jordan (background), south of the Sea of Galilee, or Lake Tiberias, one of the main water sources in Israel. As scientific warnings of dire climate change-induced drought grow, many in Israel and Jordan cast worried eyes at the river running between them and the critical but limited resources they share. (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Ima

Israel’s efforts at water diplomacy make slow progress

Israel is keen on leveraging its water technology and achievements in exploiting limited water resources to build ties with the Arab world.

David Rosenberg

David Rosenberg

In Tel Aviv, reporting on business and tech

Members of the Amhara militia ride in the back of a pickup truck in the city of Gondar, Ethiopia.

Israeli kidnapped in Ethiopia released after 3 weeks in captivity

Three weeks after he was reported kidnapped, Israeli-Ethiopian citizen Francis Adbabayi was released and united with his sons.

A picture taken during a guided tour organized by Egypt's State Information Service on Feb. 11, 2020.

Why Senate Democrats are urging Biden to withhold part of Egypt's military aid

The letter led by Sen. Chris Murphy called for the Biden administration to withhold $320 million from Egypt's annual military assistance package.