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
Stateless Jerusalemites call on Jordan to restore their citizenship Palestinians living in Jerusalem are concerned about their future and ways to protect themselves and their properties amid calls to have their Jordanian citizenship restored. Palestine
Turkish troops in Syria threatened at Idlib outposts Turkey could be seriously sidelined by a highly effective operation undertaken recently by Syrian forces. Syria
Turkey accepts invitation to deploy troops to Libya, Erdogan says The Turkish Parliament will vote on sending soldiers to the north African country to support its internationally recognized government, but the deployment could entrench Turkey in Libya’s long-running internal strife as well as intensify regional tensions. Turkey
Syrian Christians on front line have sad Christmas, again Turkey's Operation Peace Spring has made life ever more difficult for Syrian Christians, some of whom decided not to celebrate Christmas. Syria
Tehran clamps down as Iran mourns protesters The Iranian authorities prepared for events commemorating 40 days since the November protests with arrests, internet disruptions and a heavy police presence. Iran
Expressing solidarity with protesters, Iraqi minorities cancel celebrations Iraqi minorities cancel celebrations of major events such as Christmas and New Year's in support of the protesters. Iraq
Reshuffle of HTS-linked government fails to bring hope in Idlib It appears that the new cabinet of an Idlib-based opposition government connected to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham will not earn the trust of the public, which continues to suffer under tough economic and humanitarian conditions. Syria
Could Congress' latest Syria sanctions bill backfire? The congressional bill will exacerbate the economic situation in Syria and ultimately increase Syria’s dependency on Iran. Syria
For many Gazans, it's another Christmas barred from Bethlehem While most of Gaza's Christians submitted requests to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem, only a small number were granted access by Israel. Palestine
Intel: Pentagon refuses to put timeline on Syria mission Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused to put a timeline on the Pentagon’s scaled-down mission to defeat the Islamic State and guard Syrian oil fields at the agency’s last press briefing of the year. Syria
Turkey’s Libya gambit raises stakes in eastern Mediterranean Turkey’s military commitments to Libya’s Tripoli-based government have escalated the conflict in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey
Potential oil spill disaster looms off Yemen's coast, but who’s to blame? Calls are rising to separate the politics of the military conflict in Yemen from the issue of an abandoned oil tanker in the Red Sea, in light of a looming ecological disaster that could affect the entire region. Saudi Arabia
