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September 29, 2026

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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after speaking during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on Sept. 24, 2026.

Exclusive

Inside Netanyahu’s relentless push for meeting with UAE’s MBZ

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to persuade the Emiratis to receive him a month before Israel’s elections, but like other Arab capitals, Abu Dhabi is also in contact with his political rivals.

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

UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

MBS hosts Sheikh Mansour as Saudi-UAE ties thaw: What to know

The renewed outreach comes as Saudi Arabia faces mounting attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis.

United Arab Emirates

A picture taken on May 1, 2019 shows a railroad of Mar Mikhael neighborhood in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Lebanon seeks Turkey’s help to join Syria-Saudi rail link: What to know

Beirut is seeking Ankara’s support to link its ports to a railway project aiming to link Turkey to the Gulf, through Syria and Jordan.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed

UAE’s Sheikh Mansour to visit Saudi Arabia amid strained ties

The two Gulf countries have been at odds over Yemen, where Saudi Arabia backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government, while the UAE has supported the separatist Southern Transitional Council.

Latest News

Shipping giants sail cautiously back into Red Sea despite Houthi threats

AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's FM in UAE to discuss Yemen war, Hormuz closure: What to know

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) received His Excellency Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey (L), in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 28, 2026.

Rubio meets Saudi FM as fight against Yemen's Houthis intensifies

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud shakes hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as they pose for photos before a meeting at the US State Department on Sept. 28, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Analysis

Why Turkey is drawing the line at defense in its support for Saudi Arabia

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (3rd R) with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud (R) and Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (2nd R), Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman (C), Turkish Chief of the General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu (L), Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif (2nd R), Pakistani Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir (3rd R) at the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in relation to the

Ezgi Akin

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

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ASAAD ABBOUD
A Saudi man prepares to login into his Twitter account on his laptop on October 6, 2013 at his office in Riyadh. Despite sitting on the world's largest wealth of oil, Saudis complain their salaries are not enough to make ends meet, and have taken to Twitter demanding better income. AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Gulf atheism in the age of social media

The Arabian Peninsula is widely known for its strict observance of Islam, but a rising number of Gulf nationals are starting to distance themselves from religious practice.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud talk before a meeting at the King's desert encampment in Rawdat al-Khuraim January 5, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTX172WK

US, Saudi still far apart on regional issues

Saudi Arabia and the United States have competing visions for the future of the Middle East, with Saudi regional policy deeply rooted in its own domestic concerns.

A policeman watches as a bus, destroyed in an earlier explosion, is towed away in Volgograd December 30, 2013. A bomb ripped apart a bus in Volgograd on Monday, killing 14 people in the second deadly attack blamed on suicide bombers in the southern Russian city in 24 hours and raising fears of Islamist attacks on the Winter Olympics. REUTERS/Sergei Karpov (RUSSIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW DISASTER TRANSPORT) - RTX16XGD

Russia deals with rise in terrorism linked to Syria, Mideast

Fresh terror attacks have made Russia more concerned about the threat of Islamic terrorism and have shaped the country's policy in the Middle East.

People arrive for a meeting between the King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Rawdat al-Khuraim January 5, 2014. REUTERS/Pool/Brendan Smialowski (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX172YX

Saudi Arabia plans to pitch Obama for regime change in Syria

Saudi Arabia has recently taken steps to discourage its nationals from joining jihadist forces in Syria, as it plans an appeal to US President Barack Obama to become more engaged in Saudi-backed efforts to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Visitors look at books during the Riyadh Book Fair at the International Exhibition Center in Riyadh, March 7, 2013. REUTERS/Susan Baaghil (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR3EOPA

New Saudi writers offer form of Islamic liberation theology

A new generation of Saudi writers is blending Islam and global values for freedom and dignity in calling for reform.

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem listens to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (R) as they wait for lunch during a break in the Geneva-2 peace talks in Montreux January 22, 2014. Syria's government and opposition, meeting for the first time, angrily spelled out their mutual hostility on Wednesday at a U.N. peace conference where world powers also offered sharply divergent views on forcing out Bashar al-Assad. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann (SWITZERLAND - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX17PZ

Moallem: Aleppo proposal a response to Kerry's call for local cease-fires

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Walid Moallem said he proposed a plan for ending military operations in Aleppo last week in response to US Secretary of State John Kerry's appeal for a cease-fire there.

Iraq's Vice-President Adil Abdul-Mahdi speaks to reporters at the King Hussein Convention Centre during the World Economic Forum on the Middle East at the Dead Sea May 16, 2009. Hundreds of the world's businessmen gathered on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea to discuss social and political reforms in the world. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji (JORDAN POLITICS) - RTXHOKM

Former Iraq VP: Terrorism, political conflict behind Anbar crisis

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, former Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi speaks about the Anbar crisis, Iranian influence in Iraq and his expectations for the upcoming elections.

US Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns listens during a press conference at the US Department of the Treasury July 11, 2013 in Washington, DC. Officials from the United States and China are meeting to discus the two world powers' relationships during the 5th United States and China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Burns to Al-Monitor: 'No illusions' about nuclear diplomacy with Iran

In an exclusive interview, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns discusses leading the US back channel to Iran, the upcoming Geneva II conference on Syria, the role of secret diplomacy and 32 years in the US foreign service.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) attends a joint conference with Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour in Beirut January 13, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX17CRS

Zarif trip to Lebanon includes signal to Saudi Arabia

Iran and Hezbollah's abrupt change toward the formation of a Lebanese government might be part of a regional settlement.

Ahmad Jarba, leader of Syria's opposition National Coalition (L-R), French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attend a news conference at the French foreign ministry during a "Friends of Syria" meeting ahead of Geneva II peace talks, in Paris, January 12, 2014. The "Friends of Syria", an alliance of mainly Western and Gulf Arab countries who oppose Syrian President Bashar al-As

The new pulse of Geneva II

The trend in the Geneva II process shifts to cooperation on humanitarian and counterterrorism issues; Erdogan under fire in Turkey.

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud speaks during a news conference with Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif's adviser on foreign affairs, at Foreign Ministry in Islamabad January 7, 2014. REUTERS/Mian Khursheed (PAKISTAN - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTX1753R

Saudi strategy includes alliance with Pakistan

Saudi Arabia considers Pakistan a pivotal ally, both to contain Iran and to further Riyadh’s leadership bid in the Arab world.

Lakhdar Brahimi (C), the U.N. envoy on Syria, speaks with members of the French delegation prior to a meeting at the United Nations offices in Geneva December 20, 2013. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX16PMV

Geneva II must achieve peaceful solution

The Syrian government, the Syrian opposition and the world must take advantage of the opportunities afforded by Geneva II to bring peace to Syria.