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
UAE faces growing resentment in southern Yemen The United Arab Emirates is cutting back its forces in Yemen for a variety of reasons, though not exiting entirely, leaving Saudi Arabia to fill in at some strategic sites such as Aden and Perim Island to secure the Bab el-Mandeb Strait’s lucrative shipping lanes. Saudi Arabia
Why Syria's opposition council is opening offices in FSA-held areas The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces is opening offices in the Free Syrian Army-held areas to obtain the support of the people who believe such an institution to be a failure. Syria
Republicans push tepid Trump to sanction Turkey After huddling with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, Republican senators tell Al-Monitor that the president isn’t keen on sanctioning Turkey. Turkey
Intel: Pentagon chief says European-led Gulf initiative complements US On his first day on the job at the Pentagon, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that a fresh European-led initiative to defend ships transiting the Gulf was complementary to the Donald Trump administration’s separate efforts to gather allies to protect shipping in the region. United States
Intel: Why Russia is calling for rethinking Gulf security On Tuesday, Russia’s presidential envoy for the Middle East and African countries and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov laid out Russia’s proposal for collective security in the Persian Gulf. Russia
Abbas preserves security coordination despite its, and his, unpopularity Ongoing security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is one of the wonders of the complex relationship between the two parties. Palestine
Iraq seeks Iranian assistance to curb militias' reign Iraq's prime minister made a surprise visit to Tehran to request Iranian help in controlling Iran-backed militias in Iraq. Iraq
Hamas, let down by the Gulf states, revisits ties with Syria Hamas’ leaders have been exploring the restoration of ties with Syria in light of Gulf countries' engagement with the United States on a peace deal and therefore their increasing normalization of relations with Israel. Legacy: Gulf
Intel: Why 5 Democratic presidential hopefuls just rebelled against Trump’s new defense secretary An overwhelming bipartisan majority of the Senate voted 90-8 Tuesday to confirm former Army Secretary Mark Esper as President Donald Trump’s new defense secretary. Saudi Arabia
What's at stake for Russia with S-400 deliveries to Turkey? The decision to sell the missile system to Turkey is now seen as a win for Moscow, but this doesn't mean it came easy. And there are still potential downsides for Russia. Turkey
Special operations forces reflect on lessons of terror fight The Pentagon’s command for elite special operations forces is assessing how repeated deployments to the Middle East during the war on terror have impacted the forces' core values. Iraq
As Idlib burns, Turkey focuses on another corner of Syria Last year, Turkey helped stave off an attack on Syria’s last rebel stronghold of Idlib, but the truce may be crumbling as regime and Russian bombardments kill dozens. Syria
