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
Syria’s Future Is Vengeance Shlomi Eldar writes that post-Assad Syria will be a vast campaign of retaliation. Israel
Regional Chaos Makes Israel Seem Like an Island of Stability Israel, stable and predictable for the first time in many years, worries about the changes and chaos in which its neighbors have been caught up, writes Ben Caspit. Israel
Hezbollah Plans to Aid Displaced Syrians As the year-end holidays approach, Hezbollah reportedly plans to donate food and blankets to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Nasser Chararah reports. Lebanon
For Lebanese, Syrian Crisis Cuts along Sectarian Lines Within both the March 8 & 14 Alliances, reactions differ at the grass-roots level regarding the events transpiring in the country bordering Lebanon, Elie Hajj reports Lebanon
New Jerusalem Neighborhood Threatens Territorial Solution The plans for a new Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem will preclude any possibility of a territorial solution along the lines of the Clinton Parameters and render those proposals for Israeli-Palestinian peace null and void, writes Akiva Eldar Palestine
Syrian Minister Says US Ignores 'Lessons of Afghanistan' In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, who rarely speaks to the Western press, cast violence in Syria as a war against Salafi terrorists backed by predominantly Sunni Arab nations. "If ending the violence was in the hands of the Syrian government, then I assure you we would have ended it yesterday," Moallem said. Syria
