Analysis Why Turkey is drawing the line at defense in its support for Saudi Arabia Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia are forcing Mecca pact signatories to quickly operationalize their agreement, but are unlikely to draw Turkey into direct action against the Iran-backed group. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
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 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
Iranian military official: We will 'uproot' Jabhat al-Nusra Jabhat al-Nusra's rebranding as independent of its parent organization al-Qaeda has not raised eyebrows in Tehran, where officials say only the group’s name has changed. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia may keep playing 'Iran card' to defer decision on Yemen Yemen victim of Saudi-Iran hostility; Islamic State tries, and fails, to recruit Kurds; Al-Monitor resumes series on lobbying by Middle East governments. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's moment of truth in Yemen Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud has three options to choose from on Yemen, none of them good. Saudi Arabia
Saudi visit to Israel angers Hamas The Hamas movement is worried that a Saudi general's visit to Israel signifies a rapprochement between the two countries at the expense of Gaza relief efforts. Saudi Arabia
Were Saudis behind Abbas-MEK meeting? A meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Mujahedeen-e-Khalq leader Maryam Rajavi in Paris has sparked both Iranian and Palestinian suspicion about Saudi Arabia's ties to the Palestinian Authority. Saudi Arabia
Will Egypt hold popular referendum on islands transfer? In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Egyptian presidential candidate and lawyer Khalid Ali discusses the case he brought before the administrative court to challenge Cairo’s decision to transfer ownership of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Al-Qaeda affiliate’s desperate 'switch' validates US Syria policy Fear of US and Russian airstrikes on eve of Syrian offensive a sign that Jabhat al-Nusra may be feeling the heat; Turkey’s de-Gulenification campaign in context; retired Saudi general probes Israeli commitment to peace settlement. Saudi Arabia
What Saudi Arabia can offer Israel The unofficial visit by a retired Saudi general to Israel was a quiet overture that indicated Riyadh is willing to explore normalization with Israel in return for advancing the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. Saudi Arabia
Is Saudi Arabia really seeking regime change in Iran? While Iran has strongly reacted to former Saudi spy chief Turki bin Faisal Al Saud’s appearance at the MEK’s annual conference, Iranian observers merely see the Saudi move as bringing a longstanding hidden agenda out in the open. Saudi Arabia
Is Iran its own worst enemy in Twitter war with Saudi Arabia? In response to anti-Iranian hashtags generated by Saudi Arabian Twitter users, Iranians are calling for authorities to remove the block on the social media site. Saudi Arabia
IRGC head calls House of Saud 'clear enemy' of Iran As tensions continue to simmer, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said in a speech that Saudi Arabia is now one of Iran's "clear enemies" and accused the Saudis of trying to spread instability in the country. Saudi Arabia
How Nice attack brought together rival Iranian factions The terrorist attack in Nice draws condemnation in Iran, but also cross-factional criticism of the French government for hosting the exiled Iranian opposition group MEK. Saudi Arabia