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Politics & Security

ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP via Getty Images

Israel tightens election safeguards as public distrust surges: What to know

Israelis have lost trust in the government and in its ability or willingness to conduct free and fair elections.

A Turkish soldier from the 1st Border Regiment Command looks out over the border wall to Syria during alert drills at a military outpost on the Turkey/Syria border on March 2, 2017 in Kilis, Turkey.

Analysis

Why Turkey sees Israeli strikes in Syria as warning over its military role, Mecca Pact

Ankara views Israel’s latest strikes in Syria as part of a broader effort to curb Turkey’s military influence in Damascus and a challenge to its regional defense partnerships.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey/Syria border

Analysis

Turkey bets on US deconfliction as Israel widens Syria red lines

As Washington pushes a new deconfliction mechanism between Turkey and Israel, the Jewish state shows little incentive to accept tighter constraints on its freedom of action in Syria, experts say.

Ezgi Akin

Rina Bassist

By Ezgi Akin , Rina Bassist

People shop at a store in the Grand Reza Bazaar near the shrine of Imam Reza following the funeral of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and his family members in Mashhad on July 10, 2026.

Analysis

Can Trump's economic war ultimately force Iran to compromise?

President Trump's new economic offensive comes as Iran is grappling with war damage, tighter oil restrictions and a shrinking ability to absorb another major shock.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Tunisia’s water, power crisis fuels growing protests against Saied: What to know

Members and supporters of the Nafas movement take part in an anti-government protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied, chanting "Degage" and calling for political change, in Tunis,Tunisia on August 20,2026. (Photo by Imen Ben Youssef / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)

Iraq’s Zaidi doubles down on militia disarmament, boosting oil exports

Zaidi

Analysis

Israel fears Turkey’s Syria ambitions and doubts Trump will stop them

ANKARA, TURKEY - JULY 7: U.S. President Donald Trump (L)shakes hands with with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during a formal arrival at the Bestepe Presidential Palace during the NATO summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Emrah Gurel - Pool/Getty Images)

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

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

Syrian rebel fighters for the National Liberation Front advance in a trench.

Idlib sees new escalation between Syrian government, opposition forces

Government forces escalated tensions on the battlefronts in Idlib in response to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham targeting the town of Kassab in the Latakia countryside after installing a statue of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.

Soldiers loyal to the Aden-based Yemeni government stand guard.

Yemen's new leadership seeks regional help with sweeping reforms at home

The recent overseas tours by Yemen's new leadership intend to garner support for implementing diverse national reforms.

Turkey protest

Turkish journalists, free speech advocates protest draft bill

Turkish press unions organized nationwide rallies Tuesday to protest the likely passage of a so-called disinformation bill. They worry that jail sentences of up to three years for spreading fake news could be applied to any news the government disapproves of.

People pay their respects by the grave of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist linked to the country's nuclear program who was killed months before.

Iran claims it arrested Israeli spies plotting to kill nuclear scientists

The arrests come at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, as the latter has been linked to a recent wave of attacks targeting Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

Israel's former premier Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press at the Knesset in Jerusalem on June 20, 2022.

Process of dispersing Israel's Knesset set to start Wednesday

The government is now trying to expedite the disbanding of the Knesset and conclude the process within a week to avoid a situation in which the opposition could establish an alternative Cabinet.

In this photo made available by the US Navy, a boat of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy operates in close proximity to patrol coastal ship USS Sirocco.

Iran’s IRGC harasses US Navy in Persian Gulf as nuclear talks stall

The "unsafe and unprofessional" encounter was at least the second in just a few months, a Navy official confirmed.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian looks on during his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart at the Foreign Ministry headquarters, Tehran, Iran, June 14, 2022.

Iranian FM travels to India to upgrade ties

During a visit to New Delhi, Iran's foreign minister discussed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi upgrading bilateral relations, including on energy trade, the Chabahar port and regional connectivity.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a protest against the Israeli government, Jerusalem, April 6, 2022.

Netanyahu senses opportunity in Israel's political chaos

In his decision to dissolve parliament, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett prefers his legacy as the prime minister who took on Iran with unprecedented intensity, rather than the one who succumbed to backbenchers in his own party.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Prime Minister Nafrali Bennet and Knesset member Abir Kara attend a weekly Cabinet meeting, Jerusalem, May 29, 2022.

Israel's Arab Ra’am party rocked by decision to disperse Knesset

The Arab Ra’am party said clearly last night that they will try to be part of the next Israeli coalition, putting them at odds with the rival Arab Joint List.

Ethiopian Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity Seleshi Bekele.

Egypt skeptical of Ethiopia's call to resume Nile Dam talks

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said "no one will touch Egypt's water" as Ethiopia prepares for the third filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Algerian anti-government protesters take to the streets of Algiers as the Hirak pro-democracy movement keeps up its weekly demonstrations despite a ban on gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic, Algeria, March 26, 2021.

Algerian government shuts down leading pro-reform group

Human rights groups say the situation in Algeria has been deterioriating, including the recent arrest of three lawyers for representing Hirak protesters.

Iran foreign ministry

Iran says Biden still following Trump’s policies

Iran’s foreign ministry says that the Trump administration's policies toward Iran have only continued under Biden.