Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Iran operating new advanced centrifuges, nuclear watchdog finds According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran is now using IR-4 centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the nuclear accord. Iran
UN says Libya arms embargo 'totally ineffective' A United Nations panel of experts accused several member states, including Turkey and Russia, of fueling the Libyan conflict. Libya
Will Iraq's Sunnis form semi-autonomous region if US troops leave? Sunni politicians are said to be discussing the formation of a semi-autonomous Sunni region in Iraq following a parliamentary move supporting the expulsion of US troops from the country. Iraq
Intel: How many US troops do 2020 Democrats want to keep in the Middle East? Democratic presidential hopefuls started Tuesday’s debate by slamming President Donald Trump’s Iran policy and articulating their own vision for the future US force posture in the Middle East. Iraq
Who gains if Trump publishes peace plan before Israeli election? While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be pushing for the Trump administration to publish its "deal of the century" ahead of the March elections, the candidate who might gain the most from such a situation is Blue and White leader Benny Gantz. Palestine
Rocket fire from Gaza threatens Israel-Hamas arrangement Although the party behind recent missile attacks remains unclear, Israel held Hamas at least partially responsible and directed its military retaliation at the Islamist group. Palestine
Israel’s paring of Palestinian tax funds hampers PA budget preparation Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said the 2020 budget will go back to being a regular one; the PA operated on an emergency budget last year after Israel cut the PA's tax funds. Palestine
Reconciliation drive between Hamas, Saudis hits wall Hamas wants to restore ties with Saudi Arabia, but mediation efforts were stymied by disagreements over the US "deal of the century," the Arab Peace Initiative and other issues. Saudi Arabia
Pentagon doesn’t clarify ‘imminent’ threat to kill Soleimani Statements from the Pentagon throw into question Trump's justification for the US strike on Qasem Soleimani. United States
Can Libya be turned around and become Russia's 'second Syria'? Russia took an opportunity to mediate between the warring parties in Libya only to see Khalifa Hifter turn his back on Moscow's initiative — perhaps, just for now. Syria
Intel: Warren threatens Trump with insider trading probe over Soleimani strike Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Chris Van Hollen urged an insider trading investigation into President Donald Trump for reportedly telling Mar-a-Lago guests about the Soleimani strike in advance, according to a joint letter sent to the chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Monday. United States
Intel: Will US citizen's death result in sanctions on Egypt? Moustafa Kassem, a US citizen detained in Egypt for more than six years, died in prison Monday after a heart attack stemming from his yearlong hunger strike in protest of his incarceration. Egypt
What will happen first: Iranian nuclear bomb or fall of the regime? Israel is concerned not only about Iran enriching uranium to assemble a nuclear bomb but also about the possibility of Iran developing a missile that could carry such a bomb. Israel
