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
Astana talks show Russia eager to keep plugging away at Idlib The new round of Syria talks in Kazakhstan produced a cease-fire in Idlib and the promise for a constitutional committee due to be announced in September, but will all of this ultimately happen? Syria
Iraq’s ever-increasing enforced disappearances The number of forcibly disappeared persons in Iraq remains significant, amid no serious measures from the Iraqi government to address the issue. Iraq
Tinderbox: Israeli military attacks in Iraq could complicate US strategy in Middle East Washington may need to draw some red lines to protect its larger regional interests. Iraq
Shiite military factions have long way to integrate into state forces Despite Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's decree about the Popular Mobilization Units, they have a long way to go to integrate into state forces. Iraq
Deadly school bus airstrike haunts Yemenis 1 year later Younis Qatabri was severely injured in the school bus bombing in August 2018 in Yemen, and a year later he remains in pain and cannot walk unaided. Saudi Arabia
How Syria’s White Helmets are avoiding regime strikes The Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, are coming up with new ways to avoid regime and Russian airstrikes. Syria
What's behind Israel's approval of construction permits for Palestinians? The decision of the Israeli security Cabinet to grant 715 construction permits for Palestinians and 6,000 permits for settlers mocks the Palestinians while hailing settlement policy. Palestine
Pentagon pushes Egypt to fight counterinsurgency campaign in Sinai The Pentagon used a visit by Egypt’s defense minister to push the US ally into a counterinsurgency-style approach to the fight against terror groups in the Sinai desert. Egypt
Israel, US, Iran prepare for out-of-the-atmosphere battle Israel and the United States are together developing super-technologies that enable missiles to hit other missiles out of the atmosphere. Israel
Iran, UK both rule out oil tanker swap deal Tehran says it will not release a British-flagged oil tanker it captured earlier this month in a possible barter with the UK, which is holding an Iranian vessel off the coast of Gibraltar. Iran
Is PA halting all agreements with Israel another toothless decision? The Palestinian Authority will stop abiding by the 1995 Oslo II agreement with regard to the classification of areas in the West Bank at the administrative and security levels. But what does this mean for Palestinians? Palestine
Intel: How Russia is deepening military ties with Iran to counter the US Russia and Iran have agreed to tighten their military ties in a joint challenge to perceived US hegemony in the Middle East. Russia
