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
Can the Shin Bet stop hilltop youths' march to Armageddon? Shin Bet sources admit that they have little means to tamp down the young extremist settlers known as hilltop youth, who carry out violent attacks against Palestinians in the hopes of sparking a conflagration. Palestine
Qatar sinks into Gaza quagmire Qatar wanted to please the United States and help Gaza residents with aid money, but has found itself trapped in a standoff between Hamas and Israel. Qatar
Pentagon’s Iron Dome buy raises questions on US troop protection The Pentagon has agreed to acquire Israel’s Iron Dome to intercept cruise missiles, but experts are questioning whether the system can effectively defend US troops. Israel
Putin, Erdogan agree on Idlib but maneuver on Kurds While Moscow and Ankara agreed to reinforce cooperation on Idlib to fight Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Putin's proposal on the "buffer zone" in Syria's northeast sent Erdogan home thinking, at least until the next round of Astana talks Syria
Congress cuts deal on Middle East aid package The latest spending bill contains big wins for Egypt and Turkey while shunning Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan-Putin Syria meeting commences in Moscow Talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin appeared to start out on a warm note today and are likely centering on the future of Idlib as well as US plans to create a safe zone in Kurdish-dominated northeastern Syria. Syria
Israel wins this round against Iran in Syria According to security sources, the Iranians, headed by Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani, prepared its recent attack from Syria against Israel for weeks. Israel
Ankara set to boost naval posture with major exercise Turkey may be planning an ambitious air-naval military drill that would span three seas. Palestine
Senior Polish diplomat in Iran to mend ties amid Warsaw conference row Poland's deputy foreign minister visited Tehran to assure Iranians that an upcoming controversial conference in Warsaw will not turn into an anti-Iran event. United States
Is new energy league an alliance against Ankara? A Cairo-based partnership among Egypt, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority is ready to explore energy sources in the eastern Mediterranean — whether Turkey likes it or not. Palestine
Erdogan seeks lifeline from Putin in Syria The Turkish president will discuss Syria with his Russian counterpart in Moscow this coming week, as Qatar's Sheikh Tamim takes spotlight in Beirut. Saudi Arabia
Trump administration finds its Iran policy not working The Trump administration conducted an internal assessment of its Iran “maximum pressure” policy this month and determined that it so far has been ineffective, according to a new report. United States
