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
Tobruk parliamentarian explains south Libya's support for Hifter In an interview with Al-Monitor, a member of the Tobruk-based parliament talks about Gen. Khalifa Hifter’s operation to cleanse the south from armed gangs and secure oil fields. Libya
Fatah suspicious after Egypt releases Hamas members The recent release of four Hamas members abducted in Egypt in 2015 raises speculation about the price the movement might have paid for their release. Palestine
Signal jamming promises to rile Palestinian prisoners in Israel Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan's push to jam cellphones in prisons has infuriated Hamas prisoners and security heads warn the move could backfire on Israel. Palestine
Why Netanyahu is ignoring growing Israeli-Palestinian tensions Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would typically convene his Security Cabinet and security chiefs to avoid violence with the Palestinians, but this election season has altered business as usual. Palestine
Hajour tribes, Houthis locked in key battle in northern Yemen The tribe that the Houthis once bet on in their battles is the one fighting them now in Hajour district. Saudi Arabia
Hundreds of Jordanians march toward capital demanding jobs As unemployment rates rise, youths from different parts of Jordan have begun marching to the Royal Court in Amman for sit-ins demanding job opportunities. Jordan
Will Israel release Palestinian prisoners re-arrested in 2014? Thirty-one prisoners who were arrested in 2014, three years after their release in the Shalit prisoner-exchange deal, are now petitioning the Israeli High Court of Justice against their incarceration. Palestine
Is Netanyahu’s election campaign on the way to war? Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in 2008 that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had no moral authority to launch peace talks in Palestinians, so he should now implement the same rule on himself and avoid generating a war. Palestine
Moscow looks to boost support for Syria campaign with traveling exhibit As the Russian public's enthusiasm for the Syria campaign wanes, Moscow has sought to rally support for its Syria successes by hosting a traveling exhibit of war spoils. Syria
US shifts weapons from Iraq to Syria The Pentagon rerouted millions of dollars’ worth of weapons and vehicles from Iraq to Syria in the second half of 2018. Iraq
Turkey faces growing Kurdish insurgency in Syria's Afrin An investigative journalism site reports that hundreds of violent attacks claimed by several anti-Free Syrian Army groups in Afrin mirror the modus operandi of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Syria
Islamic State roots run deep in Middle East discontent There has been a sharp increase in reports that the Islamic State is being eradicated in Syria, but such declarations seem premature. Iraq
