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
Iran’s new strategy in Syria Iran and its allies, such as Hezbollah, seem to be getting more involved in the Syrian civil war. Iraq
IAEA comments on military sites strike nerve in Iran Iran's hard-liners have rejected a call by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency for Iran to allow inspections of military sites. Iran
Congress decides Iraqi Kurds, Sunnis aren't countries after all The annual defense bill gets a new look after backlash from Baghdad. Iraq
The Turkey-Saudi axis against Damascus Will the US support the gains of Islamist opposition in Syria? Saudi Arabia
Libyan air force attacks Turkish ship Turkey’s foreign policy was the real target when Libyan forces struck a Turkish freighter off the coast of Derne, killing one crew member and wounding five others. Turkey
US willing to 'compensate' Israel on Iran deal The United States doesn’t understand why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to focus on battling the Iranian deal and rejects two large and strategic “special interest deals” with the US administration. Israel
US works to assure Gulf allies US Secretary of State John Kerry has been in Paris to try and ease tensions with Gulf allies over the prospective Iran nuclear deal ahead of the GCC meeting in Washington. Legacy: Gulf
The battle at Qalamoun Hezbollah and the Syrian regime army have been fighting militants for control of the Qalamoun area near the border. Lebanon
How IS uses water as weapon of war The Islamic State's expanding control over the water resources of the Middle East will only compound the region's water crisis. Egypt
Comparing Iraq's Shiite forces to Iran's Basij While the circumstances of Iran's Basij and Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units share similarities, there were differences in the domestic politics of the countries during the formation of these groups. Iraq
Hamas military wing dictates movement's policies Inside Hamas, the military branch is gradually taking even stronger control of the movement's institutions and blocking attempts to reach a long-term cease-fire with Israel. Palestine
Erdogan ends discussion on 'Armenian opening' Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement last week seemed to confirm that the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement was indeed an effort driven mainly by Abdullah Gul and blocked mainly by Erdogan. Turkey
