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Politics & Security

Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, shake hands before a bilateral meeting ahead of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 5, 2025.

UAE purchases 10 military aircraft from Brazil as BRICS ties grow

The purchase of C-390 Millennium aircraft for the Emirati air force comes as the UAE seeks to build up its military capabilities amid the war with Iran and boost ties with BRICS member states.

United Arab Emirates

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 18: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R), French President Emmanuel Macron (L), and European leaders at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted President Zelensky at the White House for a bilateral meeting and an expanded meeting with European leaders to discuss a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Macron casts doubt on Trump’s Hormuz operation as France-US gap grows

French President Emmanuel Macron slammed President Donald Trump for launching a unilateral operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz instead of pursuing a coordinated effort with Iran.

Sabah Fidan

Turkey hosts Kuwaiti FM as UAE's OAPEC exit fuels Gulf rift

Kuwait's top diplomat visited Turkey as the Gulf rift deepens following the UAE’s exit from OPEC and its affiliated alliances, forcing Ankara to balance ties between Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

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Analysis

What UAE’s $3.45B pullback from Pakistan signals about Abu Dhabi's priorities

A security personnel sits in a market after markets reopened in Islamabad on April 23, 2026, following heightened security measures amid the ongoing US-Iran peace talks.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Under US pressure, will Lebanon repeal Israel Boycott Law?

Members of Lebanese security forces stand guard in the perimeter of the Parliament, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president in Beirut on January 8, 2025. Lebanese political heavyweights held talks on January 8, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president of the tiny Mediterranean country, already deep in economic and political crisis, and which has been without a president for more than two years. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom

Zaidi

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Can Bennett, Lapid unite Israel’s opposition to unseat Netanyahu?

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid (L) speaks to outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, during a meeting at the Knesset (parliament), in Jerusalem on June 30, 2022. - Final approval of the parliament dissolution bill was initially expected by midnight but was postponed to June 30 as coalition and opposition lawmakers sparred over last-minute legislative details, several sources familiar with the parliamentary said. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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

Children sit along a fence at a camp for displaced Syrians in Deir Hassan village, in Idlib's northern countryside near the Turkish border, March 5, 2020.

Jihadi leader's donation to IDP camps in Syria questioned as PR stunt

Some observers feel that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani's donation of $1 million to displaced camp residents is more about public relations than benevolence.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt’s top judiciary body opens door to women for first time

Egyptian women can apply to join the State Council, a top judicial body, after 76 years of the council being limited to men.

Arrest drug smugglers

Baghdad announces crackdown on drug trafficking, gangs in Maysan

Security file in Maysan governorate has become a priority for the Iraqi government following assassinations, armed tribal conflicts, organized crime and drug trafficking.

A fully veiled woman collects items near the house in which the leader of Islamic State (IS) group Amir Mohammed Said Abd al-Rahman al-Mawla, aka Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi died during a raid by US special forces, in the town of Atme in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, on Feb. 4, 2022.

US raid raises questions on Turkey’s commitment vs. Islamic State

The Islamic State leader’s hideout a stone’s throw away from Turkey's border and Syrian Democratic Forces involvement in the raid have raised fresh questions over Ankara’s fight against the Islamic State.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran hard-liners overjoyed with new missile

Iran’s hard-liners are having a moment of patriotic jubilation with the unveiling of a new long-range missile with a menacing name.

MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images

What to expect now that Libya’s prime minister ousted

Libya’s controversial prime minister has been removed, but forcing his ouster could prove costly for the country.

BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images

Afghan evacuees in UAE protest US resettlement delay

From their shelter in Abu Dhabi, the protesters demanded they be resettled in the United States.

United Arab Emirates

INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's media watchdog threatens to block 3 international outlets

Turkey’s broadcasting watchdog will give three international media organizations a matter of days to obtain a formal license and avoid being blocked in a first use of its regulatory authority outside the country.

funeral of Omar Abdalmajeed Assad

Death of elderly Palestinian calls attention to notorious IDF unit

Israelis are shaken and embarrassed by an incident last month in which IDF soldiers arrested an almost 80-year-old man in the middle of the night and left him outside in the cold, where he died.

Israeli soldiers stand near a Merkava IV battle tank parked in a military post near the Syrian border in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, Jan. 24, 2022.

Israel fears fire exchange with Syria could indicate strategic shift

Israel strikes military targets in Damascus amid increased concerns over Syria-Russia ties.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Health catastrophe looms in Syria’s Idlib

Rights groups are warning about a health crisis that will affect more than 4 million Syrians as medical aid declines in the northwest.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Feb. 9, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Republicans vow to hinder Biden on Iran

Netanyahu and Pegasus; Ukraine and Turkey; Idlib; Gaza’s Sufis; Egypt’s pickled mummy fetus; and more…in less than 1,100 words.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

Joe Snell

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti , Joe Snell