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
Zarif pushes Syria plan ahead of Iran-GCC talks With a nuclear deal in hand, Iran is focusing on jump-starting regional diplomacy and dealing with Syria. Legacy: Gulf
PKK vs. Turkey: Violence plagues people of Basak Turkish security forces expand their operations to urban areas in the southeast of the country. Iraq
Civilians 'biggest losers' of opposition infighting in eastern Ghouta The residents of eastern Ghouta are falling victim to disputes between the warring factions in the area, as each accuses the other of monopolizing control of tunnels and food commodities. Syria
Former US national security adviser endorses Iran deal Brent Scowcroft, former Republican US national security adviser, tells Al-Monitor that US failure to implement the nuclear agreement with Iran “would be an abdication of America’s unique role and responsibility, incurring justified dismay among our allies and friends.” Iran
Rethinking the Middle East's nuclear balance Following the Iran nuke deal, the US and the regional powers must strive for a regional security agreement, either based on a mutual deterrence verification system or a nuclear-free Middle East. Israel
Who is targeting Iranians in Turkey? A series of attacks on Iranian interests in Turkey raises the question of why the PKK may seek to hit Iran at this point. Iraq
Speculation about Turkish civil war is just that Clashes between Turkish security forces and the PKK are intensifying and becoming more violent. Iraq
Peshmerga 'ready' to advance on IS Fighting continues between the peshmerga forces and the Islamic State, but the two sides seem to be in a holding pattern as the Peshmerga await commands from Baghdad and coordination with the United States to advance. Iraq
Egypt and Israel: A lover and his mistress Like a lover and his mistress, Egypt and Israel intimately collaborate on the security front, but their relations do not extend much beyond this. Egypt
Syrian refugees in Gaza face limited job opportunities Syrian women who have fled the war in Syria to Gaza with their Palestinian husbands are denied institutional financial aid, under the pretext of being part of a Palestinian family not eligible to receive assistance dedicated to Syrian refugees. Palestine
Israel's prison service denies jails on verge of 'explosion' The Israel Prison Service claims that escalating tensions in prisons are not related to changes in the incarceration conditions of the Palestinian prisoners, but the impending shakeup of a new Prison Service chief and the lack of a diplomatic horizon. Palestine
Congressional Democrats visiting Israel get earful about 'bad' Iran deal Instead of adopting the assessment of several top security chiefs that the Iran deal is better than none, Zionist Camp leaders Tzipi Livni and Isaac Herzog have chosen to imitate the prime minister and deride the agreement in talks with Congressional Democrats visiting Israel. Palestine
