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
US troops leaving Syria can't stay in Iraq, Baghdad says Despite Washington's willingness to keep its troops in Iraq after withdrawing them from Syria, Baghdad has told the United States to get them out in short order. Iraq
Kurdish leader's rising profile with US, Russia angers Turkey The Turkish government has kicked off a campaign to demonize Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazlum Kobane after the latter's recent conversations with the US president and top Russian officials. Syria
Will Adana accord take Erdogan to Damascus? Drawing on a controversial 1998 accord between Ankara and Damascus, Russia wants to get Turkey on board with its game plans for Syria and beyond, including energy in the eastern Mediterranean. Syria
Islamic State leader dead in US raid Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during a raid in northwestern Syria, says President Donald Trump. Iraq
Syrian Kurdish commander sparks fresh US-Turkish row Mazlum Kobane, the chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, may visit Washington — a move that would likely prompt Turkish calls for his extradition. Syria
What IDF chiefs won’t say out loud Some of Israel’s previous military chiefs took a courageous stand and publicly stated that there was no military solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but current Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi is on the same wavelength as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Palestine
Palestinians wary of calm on Gaza-Israel border There have been no exchange of fire between Hamas and Israel in weeks, which could mean both parties are preoccupied with their internal crises and waiting for regional developments to unfold. Palestine
Israel’s army chief stands alone against security threats The combination of the American withdrawal from Syria and the political stalemate in Israel leaves the entire burden of Israel’s security on the shoulders of IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi. Israel
Pentagon weighs options to deter Russians in Syria After Russian forces in Syria appeared to be heading toward oil fields, the Pentagon proposed deploying tanks as a measure to guard the installations, a US official told Al-Monitor. Iraq
Israel forced to reassess demolition policy With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promising to rebuild every home demolished by the IDF, Israel’s defense establishment will have to reassess the demolition of terrorists’ homes as a deterrent. Palestine
How Iran sees Russia-Turkey deal on northeastern Syria Iran's exclusion from the Turkey-Russia talks on northern Syria reflected its lack of leverage on the matter, but Tehran welcomed the agreement forged, especially its support for the Adana Agreement. Syria
A post-mortem of Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring Turkey had seven net gains and six net losses from its two-week Operation Peace Spring against the Syrian Kurdish groups. Syria
