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Politics & Security

CORLU, TURKEY- MARCH 2: A B model of Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA (Assault Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the sky on March 2, 2022 in Corlu, Turkey. (Photo by Baykar Press Office/dia images via Getty Images)

Turkey’s Baykar tests K2 swarm kamikaze drones for first time: What to know

Baykar tested its K2 and new loitering drones, featuring AI-driven swarm capabilities and the ability to operate under GPS jamming.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (R) holds a signed "Make America Great Again" hat while (L-R) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad listen to US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys at a new round of peace talks Thursday, with Beirut seeking a one-month extension of a

Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

Some Israelis worry the US president might force them to accept an unsatisfactory agreement driven by his inability to secure a tangible achievement in Iran.

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

Ahmed Shihab‑Eldin attends the Opening Night during the Doha Film Festival 2025 on Nov. 20, 2025 in Doha, Qatar.

Kuwait acquits journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin after 7 weeks in detention

The American-Kuwaiti journalist is expected to be released after 52 days in custody over posts about wartime damage.

Amal Khalil, a veteran correspondent for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, in the southern Lebanese border village of Jebbayn in 2024.

Lebanon bids farewell to Amal Khalil, journalist killed by Israel: What to know

Khalil's death in a targeted strike on a house where she and a colleague took cover sparked widespread condemnation by Lebanese officials and international media groups.

Latest News

Analysis

On eve of Palestinian local elections, competition in short supply

Women read instructions to voters ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Split over Maliki, Iraq’s Shiite bloc delays PM vote as deadline nears: What to know

Qais al-Khazali (L), head of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq group, stands along with former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki after casting their ballots at a polling station in Baghdad on Nov. 11, 2025.

Who is Ahmad Vahidi, IRGC chief and hard-liner against nuclear compromise?

Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi speaks at a candidates' registration office in Tehran on May 30, 2024, during the first day of registration ahead of the country's presidential election.

Analysis

'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance

President of Syria Ahmed al-Shara arrives for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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 soldiers walk past a destroyed building in Hatay, on Feb. 11, 2023.

Turkey’s earthquake victims face torture and abuse by security forces, rights groups say

The lack of government oversight in areas destroyed by the earthquakes has only worsened the abuse committed by security forces.

Pedestrians walk past a political mural at Palestine Square in the Iranian capital Tehran on September 7, 2019. - Iran said Saturday it has fired up advanced centrifuges to boost its enriched uranium stockpiles, in the latest scaling back of commitments under a crumbling 2015 nuclear deal. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran rules out interim nuclear deal

Iranian official dismisses talk of a "less for less" deal as "the outcome of some think tank brainstorming."

This picture taken on Jan. 26, 2019, shows journalists filming outside the departure lounge and control tower of Sulaimaniyah International Airport.

Turkey shuts airspace to Sulaimaniyah flights, citing Kurdish militants

The move is likely retaliation against ties between Kurdish militants and the Iraqi Kurdish Patriotic Union Party.

Saudi-Iran-China

China to host Saudi, Iranian foreign ministers as detente moves forward

The Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers are meeting in Beijing on Thursday to advance the deal announced last month to restore ties between the two countries.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli forces storm Al-Aqsa, arrest over 300 as clashes resume with Hamas

Violent clashes at the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound led to heavy rocket fire overnight from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli localities.

Ali Shamkhani with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed

Iran appoints first ambassador to UAE in 8 years as Gulf thaw continues

Reza Ameri previously served as Iran’s ambassador to Algeria, Sudan and Eritrea.

Turkish coast guard

3 Syrians dead, 3 missing as Ukraine-bound ship sinks off Turkey's coast

Rescuers are trying to reach three missing crew members of the Joe 2 ship, which had 14 crew on board.

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Downing Street to meet Britain's Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak,on March 24, 2023 in London, England. Benjamin Netanyahu visits London against a backdrop of unrest at home. Protests are being held weekly across Israel against legislation being pushed through the Knesset by his government to restrain the judiciary. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

UAE’s Mohamed bin Zayed calls Israel’s Netanyahu amid tensions

The call follows continued rescheduling of Netanyahu’s trip to the UAE and the Gulf state’s criticism of new coalition.

Mourners attend the funeral procession for two of Iran's revolutionary guard forces killed by Israel in Syria, held in Tehran on April 4, 2023. - The two Iranian fighters, identified as Milad Heidari and Meghdad Mahghani, were killed on March 31, 2023 when Israel launched several missiles from the occupied Golan Heights against pro-regime positions near Damascus. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran vows revenge against Israel after deadly Syria strikes

As tensions escalated, Iran's promise of vengeance was also coupled with a pledge to further bolster Syria's defenses against Israel.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (C) shakes hands.

Russia looks to reconcile Turkey, Syria as talks kick off in Moscow

Russia seeks to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus amid four-way talks in Moscow.

Members of the Syrian army deploy in the al-Rashidin 1 district, in Aleppo's southwestern countryside, on Feb. 16, 2020.

Three Assad advisers indicted in France for Syria war crimes

Sending a strong signal to the Assad regime, a French court decided to indict three senior intelligence advisers for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Egyptian officers monitor as fellow crewmembers unload pallets containing food sent by Egypt for people displaced during ethnic clashes in the Blue Nile State, from a plane at a military base in the capital Khartoum, on August 4, 2022. - Ethnic clashes in a deadly land dispute that erupted in Sudan's Blue Nile state in July have killed 105 people and wounded 291, according to the state's health minister. Fighting broke out in the southern state which borders Ethiopia and South Sudan on July 11 between membe

Egypt, Sudan hold joint military drills as Nile dispute with Ethiopia drags on

The naval drills come at a time of heightened tensions with Ethiopia as Addis Ababa works toward completing the filling of its controversial Nile dam without reaching an agreement with its downstream neighbors.