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Politics & Security

Sudanese army soldier stands in front of a tank

Sudan ramps up Saudi Arabia, Turkey contacts amid growing Red Sea cooperation

Sudanese officials held parallel talks in Riyadh and Ankara as Saudi Arabia and Turkey deepen security cooperation around the Red Sea and fighting intensifies in Sudan.

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pays a private fraternal visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he held a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, at Al Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi, on Aug. 17, 2026.

Sultan of Oman meets UAE's MBZ as Iran-Hormuz talks advance

The talks come as Oman is in the midst of negotiations with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with King of Jordan Abdullah II during a signing ceremony at The Great Hall Of The People on Sept. 9, 2015, in Beijing, China.

Jordan's King Abdullah heads to China in first visit since 2015: What to know

Ahead of the visit, King Abdullah said that Jordan hopes to expand cooperation with China in green energy, tourism and aviation.

Smoke rises after explosions were heard and air defences activated near the airport in Erbil, on July 24, 2026.

Explainer

Why Iran targeted Barzani family stronghold in Iraqi Kurdistan

Iran’s Kurdish opposition groups have turned Iraqi Kurdistan into a frontline in the war.

Latest News

US general meets Lebanon’s army chief as ceasefire with Israel teeters

AFP via Getty Images

Jared Szuba

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

Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it 'gets in the way' of US-Iran deal

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence on Aug. 14, 2026 in Garden City, New York.

Analysis

RSF turns to drones, new fronts as Sudan battlefield pressure grows

View of some wreckage after the Rapid Support Forces targeted several civilian facilities in Al-Rahad Abu Dakna, one of the largest cities in North Kordofan, on the national highway linking Kosti and el-Obeid, July 25, 2026.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

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 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.

Retired Lebanese army and security forces veterans attempt to remove razor wire barricade during a demonstration demanding inflation-adjustments to their pensions, outside the government palace in Beirut on March 30, 2023. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

US slaps sanctions on two brothers in Lebanon for corruption

As Lebanon's economy deteriorated, the US Treasury said Lebanese businessmen Raymond Zina Rahme and Teddy Zina Rahme profited from public corruption.

US army soldiers stand near an armoured military vehicle on the outskirts of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province, bordering Turkey, on March 27, 2023. (Photo by Delil souleiman / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

US strike kills senior Islamic State leader in Syria

US Central Command accused Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri of plotting attacks in Europe and Turkey.

Israeli security forces inspect the scene of a stabbing attack near Tzrifin military base on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, on April 4, 2023. - Two soldiers were injured, and an alledged attacker arrested, following a stabbing attack in central Israel, police and medics said. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Two Israeli soldiers stabbed by a Palestinian near army base

Two IDF soldiers were injured in a stabbing attack near an army base in central Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu

Analysis

Israel fears US will push for interim nuclear deal with Iran

Israel is concerned about increasing efforts by the Biden administration to reach some sort of a deal with Tehran, almost at all cost.

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

A F-15 fighter jet takes part in an aerial display during the graduation ceremony of Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim base in the Negev desert, on June 23, 2022.

Fourth suspected Israeli strike on Syria in five days kills two

Two Iranian officers were killed by Israeli missiles late last week.

Passengers arrive on the Jordanian side of the King Hussein Bridge (also known as Allenby Bridge) crossing between the West Bank and Jordan on July 19, 2022. - The border crossing, which serves as a border crossing between Israel and Jordan mainly for the Palestinians and foreign tourists, has witnessed an issue with crowding with passengers stuck on the Jordanian side. (Photo by Khalil MAZRAAWI / AFP) (Photo by KHALIL MAZRAAWI/afp/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel expands border crossing hours for Palestinians going to Jordan

Following up on a promise made to US President Joe Biden, Israel agreed to expand the operation hours of the Allenby Bridge crossing point into Jordan.