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January 17, 2026

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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. — Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Syria’s Sharaa heads to Davos, ending years of global isolation

The World Economic Forum begins on January 19 and ends on January 23, hosting a cohort of around 400 political leaders.

This picture shows a battery of Israel's Iron Dome air defence system in the southern city of Ashdod on May 12, 2023, as Israel's army and Gaza militants traded heavy cross-border fire. Israel and Gaza militants traded heavy fire today as hopes faded of securing a truce to end days of fighting that have killed dozens, all but one of them Palestinian. (Photo by Jack Guez / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel holds drills, prepares missile defenses for possible Iran attack: What to know

Israel is on high alert over the possibility of an American strike on Iran, which could trigger Iranian retaliation against the Jewish state.

Latest News

MidEast VC funding hits record $3.8B in 2025, driven by strong Gulf showing

The skyline of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 31, 2023.

Analysis

How Trump’s Venezuela oil grab could test OPEC’s power, Mideast energy models

A pump jack stands near an oil spill at a facility in Venezuela.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Amid Saudi-UAE rivalry, Turkey courts Riyadh without crossing Abu Dhabi

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) gestures as he welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (R) during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

US envoy pushes for Sudan truce in meeting with UAE’s MBZ after talks in Saudi Arabia

US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos (L) meets with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, Jan. 8, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Sabena Siddiqui

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

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani delivers remarks at a news conference during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith - RC1D88E5F060

If Trump will meet with Kim, why not Rouhani?

The White House could signal to Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman that the time has come to give diplomacy a chance to end the wars in Yemen and Syria.

Saudi Arabia looks to expand its footprint in Iraq

Following decades of setbacks and years of a rift, Saudi Arabia's rapprochement with Iraq and its support for stability there is accelerating, in what is deemed to be a fundamental change in the relations between the two countries.

The path to a nuclear-free Middle East

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should understand that he cannot forge a unified front with Saudi Arabia against the Iran-led Shiite axis while thwarting Saudi plans for commercial nuclear energy.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 13: Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill February 13, 2018 in Washington, DC. The intelligence chiefs were called to testify to the committee about 'world wide threats.' (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

State Department shake-up leaves Qatar hanging

President Trump’s ouster of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson knocks out a leading champion for resolving the monthslong Qatar crisis in the Persian Gulf.

Saudi soldiers stand in line at an airfield where Saudi military cargo planes land to deliver aid in Marib, Yemen January 26, 2018. Picture taken January 26, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RC1D0C8D9D00

No end to Yemen war in sight as Saudi Arabia, Iran lock horns

The war in Yemen drags on even as it continues to bleed Saudi Arabia while increasing international pressure on Iran.

A view of cranes, damaged by air strikes, at the container terminal of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen November 30, 2017. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC1FAA3EE280

Senate fissure opens up over ending Yemen war

Traditional centrists are pushing back against bipartisan efforts to stop US support for the Saudi coalition.

Saudi crown prince comes to Washington

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is coming to Washington to shore up support at a time when the situation at home and in the United States is more complicated than ever.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman visit the Suez Canal at the city of Ismailia, Egypt, March 5, 2018, in this handout picture courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. The Egyptian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC18F7347430

Iran dismisses Saudi talk of 'triangle of evil' as 'childish'

Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused Saudi Arabia of making accusations against Iran to hide its own failures in Yemen.

Smoke rises after an airstrike on the military site in Sanaa, Yemen January 11, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi - RC142F21CA80

US still pouring weapons into Yemen war

The United States sold Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates more than $650 million in weapons last year for their war against the Houthis, according to a new report.

Head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniya (R), meets with the head of a Qatari delegation Mohammed al-Emadi in Gaza City on September 25, 2012, where a number of projects included in the Qatari grant for the reconstruction of Gaza are expected to be launched. AFP PHOTO/MOHAMMED ABED (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/GettyImages)

Hamas entangled in regional polarization

While Hamas welcomed the recent statements made by Qatari Ambassador Mohammed al-Emadi regarding support for the Gaza Strip, it denounced Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir’s accusation that Hamas is an extremist movement, which shows a new alignment in the region.

Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah security chief, gestures in his office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates October 18, 2016. Picture taken October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer - S1AEUJEJBIAA

Dahlan encouraged to form Palestinian party outside Fatah

Despite his reluctance, dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan is getting support from other countries to challenge Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts at news conference following the weekly policy luncheons at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 19, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC1B03B24410

Progressive champion Sanders joins fight against Yemen war

Anti-war activists hope that a new bipartisan effort spearheaded by 2016 left-wing candidate Bernie Sanders will reinvigorate efforts to end US support for the Saudi-led campaign against the Houthis.