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Politics & Security

An Israeli rescue team arrives in Venezuela after the earthquake in June 2026. Israeli Foreign Ministry

Analysis

Why Venezuela is moving closer to Israel but stopping short of full ties

Israel and Venezuela have practical and strategic reasons for advancing their relations after years of hostility, but establishing full ties faces challenges.

Rina Bassist

Adam Lucente

By Rina Bassist , Adam Lucente

An oil refinery located in the desert

As Saudi Arabia rallies against Yemen's Houthis, US stays focused on Iran

Jared Szuba

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

Israeli army vehicles move to a position in southern Lebanon, March 27, 2026.

Analysis

Israel defies Trump on Lebanon as Netanyahu, Katz prioritize elections

Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump face fateful elections this fall, but one needs progress in Lebanon while the other wants more of the same.

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

Latest News

Yemen’s Houthis claim new attack on Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia: What to know

military projectile are embedded in the ground

Iraq intel and security officials visit Saudi Arabia after drone attacks

A man inspects the damage at the site of a strike in Bartalla, in the northern Iraq's Nineveh province, after US-Saudi attacks on militias, July 29, 2026.

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 Israeli Iron Dome anti-rocket system (L) and an US Patriot missile defense system (R) are exposed during a joint Israeli-US military exercise Juniper Cobra at the Hatzor Air Force Base, March 8, 2018.

Analysis

Israel sells Arrow 3 to Germany as Ukraine war fuels demand

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has increased worldwide demand for Israeli-made high-tech defense systems.

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

Members of the Syrian security forces gather on the Syrian side of the border-crossing between Albu Kamal in Syria and Al-Qaim in Iraq, on September 30, 2019, after the crossing re-opened today after it was seized by the Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in 2014. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Pentagon denies US military to cut Iran’s land route into Syria

The top commander of US-led coalition forces in Iraq and Syria denied his forces are preparing to cut the road from al-Qaim to Albukamal, pushing back on recent reports in Arabic-language media.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

First cargo ship to challenge Russian blockade reaches Turkey from Ukraine

Joseph Schulte became the first civilian vessel to safely travel from Ukraine to Turkey after Russia’s withdrawal from a deal that had granted safe passage to commercial and civilian ships amid escalating tensions in the Black Sea.

NAZEER AL-KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

US sanctions Turkey-backed Syrian militias over rights abuses in Afrin

Washington has accused the Suleiman Shah Brigade, the Hamza Division and their leadership of committing serious rights abuses in the Kurdish-majority enclave of Afrin.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian gives a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart in Tehran on July 31, 2023.

Iran FM in Saudi Arabia for first visit since resumption of relations

Top Iranian and Saudi military officials also met in Russia in a further sign of detente between the two regional rivals.

A Green Without Borders outpost that Israel says Hezbollah is using.

US sanctions Lebanese environmental group for Hezbollah ties

The US imposed sanctions on Green Without Borders and its leader, Zuhair Subhi Nahla, for providing cover for Hezbollah's activities in southern Lebanon.

A tugboat passes a ship docked on a stretch of the Houston Ship Channel, part of the Port of Houston, on March 6, 2019 in Houston, Texas.

US lawmakers question if Iranian 'intimidation effort' delaying seized oil transfer

American shipping companies have reportedly been reluctant to offload Iranian oil from a tanker anchored off the coast of Texas.

RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images

US officials challenge Turkey’s claim to have killed Islamic State leader

US officials suggest that the Syrian jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham really was behind the death of Islamic State leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey roasts as extreme weather fuels wildfires, disrupts air traffic

In Turkey’s Mediterranean province of Antalya, soaring humidity levels have also disrupted air travel.

People walk past a mural painting showing the founder of the Islamic republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the national flag along the wall of the former US embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran on June 22, 2019.

US says burden on Iran to de-escalate following prisoner deal

Biden administration officials say they expect Iran to take de-escalatory steps and they'll continue to exercise a variety of options to deter any aggressive moves in the Persian Gulf region.

Washington Connection

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Istanbul mayor announces reelection bid in Turkey’s upcoming local polls

Ending a heated public debate, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said he would not seek Turkey’s main opposition leadership, but he implicitly linked the success of his reelection bid as mayor in the local polls to main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s resignation.

Iranian security forces deploy following an armed attack at the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in the city of Shiraz on Oct. 26, 2022.

Iran claims Israel behind shrine attack, pledges revenge

The shooting renewed debates on Iran's intelligence failures in thwarting deadly attacks in contrast to the official assertion that the country is an "island of stability" in a volatile Middle East.