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
Turkey’s post-referendum fury exposes armed ‘volunteers’ Turkey’s nationalist opposition leader has warned of 5,000 volunteers ready to fight for the Turkmens in Kirkuk, but Turkey’s own Kurds seem to be the actual target of the threat. Turkey
Libya on alert after murder of four tribal peacekeepers Four men belonging to a local Libyan tribe and working on mediations between warring tribes were murdered recently, raising questions about reconciliation efforts. Libya
Jordan pressures Syrian rebels to reopen Nasib crossing Syrian opposition groups have been refusing to cave in to Jordanian pressure to hand over the Nasib border crossing to the Syrian government, while Jordan, which hopes to revive this trade route and encourage Syrian refugees to return home, has plenty of leverage over the rebels. Jordan
Who will control Gaza forces? An Egyptian proposal for a Fatah-Hamas joint security council in the Gaza Strip could pave the way for Palestinian reconciliation. Palestine
Dignity for Israel's disabled, Holocaust survivors Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and others shamefully abandoned the disabled and Holocaust survivors. Israel
Pentagon stops paying peshmerga salaries amid Kurdish independence backlash The Donald Trump administration has allowed a yearlong deal to pay stipends to the Kurdish militia to expire. Iraq
Hamas’ weapons risk could kill Palestinian reconciliation Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has set new conditions for reconciling with Hamas that some say could hinder the process, though others are more optimistic. Palestine
How Sinai tribes are helping Cairo fight IS Musa al-Dalah, the spokesman for the Tarabin tribe and one of the most prominent participants in the Sinai tribes’ battle against extremism, speaks to Al-Monitor about the tribal gains and losses in this battle. Palestine
Can Israel live with Lebanon-inspired Palestinian state? Israel fears that a Palestinian unity government would actually allow Hamas to preserve its armed forces. Palestine
Congress takes aim at Lebanese politicians with Hezbollah bill The US House of Representatives is expected to vote this month on legislation requiring the president to publicly report on Hezbollah allies’ net worth. Lebanon
Erdogan, Rouhani stand together against Iraqi Kurdish state The Turkish president's Iran visit opened with a joint news conference in which he and Iran's president repeated Turkey’s demands that the Kurdistan Regional Government annul the results of the referendum on Iraqi Kurdish independence. Iraq
After two years in Syria, what’s next for Russia? Russia and the United States are curious about each other's long-term goals in Syria, and each believes the other has something up its sleeve. Syria
