What France’s military deployment means for Saudi Arabia’s fight against Houthis New pledges of limited British and French military deployments fall short of what Riyadh would likely need to defend its skies should the Houthis escalate further. Saudi Arabia
Explainer Saudi Arabia’s return to Hormuz puts oil transfer network to the test For months, Saudi Arabia had been eschewing the Strait of Hormuz, but the kingdom has now resorted to ship-to-ship transfers through the vital waterway. Saudi Arabia
Analysis Can Netanyahu turn Israel's UN isolation into strength at home? The absence of a Trump meeting would have been awkward for Netanyahu, who has long portrayed himself to Israeli voters as uniquely close to the US president. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Xi, Trump set to talk Iran Top Yemeni official calls for US military support against Houthis; Turkey agrees to hand over contentious Bashiqa base to Iraq; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: City Pulse Riyadh Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem challenges power in Berlin By Rebecca Anne Proctor In Dubai, reporting on culture
Newsletter: Gulf The Gulf's UN agenda By Francesco Schiavi In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance
Newsletter: Business & Tech Washington’s Iran airline squeeze By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse Gulf tech ambitions face Trump-Xi test By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
In shift, State’s Hook says Yemen’s Houthis independent from Iran A top Trump administration Iran official praised a de-escalation proposal by Yemen’s Houthi rebels amid apparent progress in Saudi-Houthi talks to end the war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia
US pushes to reintegrate militants after Islamic State fight A senior State Department official told Al-Monitor the administration is working to help Middle Eastern and African countries reintegrate thousands of fighters who joined the Islamic State and its affiliates. Saudi Arabia
Saudis' release of Houthis met with both hope, skepticism Houthi senior officials welcomed Saudi Arabia's release of detainees, but much remains to be resolved in the bloody four-year battle. Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s Taiz residents still drowning in woes despite deal Yemeni citizens in Taiz doubt the power-sharing deal brokered by Saudi Arabia will help them overcome the major destruction and humanitarian disasters caused by the ongoing war and Houthi siege on their city. Saudi Arabia
Gulf donors drawn into controversy over foreign influence at US campuses Six US universities are under investigation for allegedly failing to report $1.3 billion in gifts and contracts from Middle Eastern and other foreign sources. Saudi Arabia
Trump condemns Iran protest crackdown, stays mum on Oman, French mediation efforts President Donald Trump, responding to a reporter’s question in London, said the United States does not support the protesters in Iran before he later clarified his answer and castigated the Iranian government. Saudi Arabia
Turkey sees greater partnership with Qatar than is apparent Turkey's commercial gains from its partnership with Qatar have been modest and the media fanfare over fresh bilateral accords is hard to comprehend. Saudi Arabia
Concerns over finances, not Iran, will end Qatar crisis Citizens of Gulf States leading the embargo against Qatar are having to make economic sacrifices while their leaders continue their "ill-advised" and "unsupervised" spending. Saudi Arabia
Turkish-Saudi animosity spills over into cultural sphere A new multimillion-dollar series on a Saudi TV channel broadcast across the Middle East depicts Ottomans as tyrants who ravaged the Arab world. Saudi Arabia
Why this TV series causes high drama between Cairo, Ankara After a decade of Ottoman splendors shown in popular Turkish soap operas, "Kingdoms of Fire" casts Selim, the Grim as the villain. Saudi Arabia
Riyadh agreement neglects Yemen’s 'manmade' humanitarian crisis Since the Saudi-led coalition intervened against Houthis in Yemen in 2015, both warring sides have deliberately targeted medical facilities, while few if any projects are being carried out to revive the health care system in a country where millions are suffering. Saudi Arabia
Is Saudi Arabia finally seeking peace with Houthis? After years of fighting, it seems that Saudi Arabia, which is leading a military coalition in Yemen, is holding indirect talks with Houthi rebels to possibly reach a solution. Saudi Arabia