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
Lebanon returns to lockdown after post-explosion surge in virus The country has registered all-time highs in daily new COVID-19 cases following the massive Aug. 4 explosion. Lebanon
Trump, Kadhimi discuss new phase in US-Iraq strategic relationship Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's visit to Washington led to new energy deals and continued security cooperation. Iraq
Israel carries out multiple airstrikes after 12 rockets from Gaza Escalation on Israel-Gaza border: Israel Defense Forces jets struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip three times, after 12 rockets and projectiles were launched during the night from Gaza. Palestine
UAE official says F-35 request 'legitimate,' not connected to Israel deal UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said an arms deal should be easier now that his country inked a deal to normalize ties with Israel. United Arab Emirates
Jordan worries Israel-UAE deal will scuttle two-state solution Jordan has always been a staunch supporter of the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative, but that might not mean much anymore after Israel and the UAE agreed to normalize ties under a historic US-brokered deal. United Arab Emirates
Intel: Pompeo says US to trigger snapback sanctions on Iran 'soon' The Donald Trump administration will "soon" act on its threat to trigger a return of international sanctions on Iran, Secretary of State Pompeo said Wednesday after the United States lost its bid to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Tehran. United States
Despite dispute with Riyadh over Kashmir, Saudi-Pakistan ties remain strong Security and economic bonds mean that Islamabad’s recent disputes with Riyadh are unlikely to impact overall bilateral ties. Saudi Arabia
Israel files grievance against Hezbollah as UNSC retools UNIFIL Israel and the United States are campaigning for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's mandate to be revised, empowering the force to eject Hezbollah from south Lebanon. Israel
Intel: Iran paid bounties to Taliban for US soldiers, influencing Soleimani strike US officials tell CNN the administration took no action against the Taliban in order to preserve its peace deal with the insurgents. United States
Fact vs. fiction on US-Israel police exchanges Al-Monitor spoke to Israelis and Americans involved in police exchanges between the countries in response to far-left allegations they teach harmful practices. Israel
Is PA doing enough to stop arms proliferation in West Bank? Chaos prevails in the West Bank amid the proliferation of weapons, which embarrasses the Palestinian Authority that seems unable to curb this spread of arms that upped crime rates. Palestine
Israel cuts off fuel to Gaza as balloon attacks continue Israel’s defense minister has closed off fuel imports to Gaza, adding to the list of goods prohibited from crossing into the Strip in response to the explosive-laden balloons from Gaza. Palestine
