On eighth visit, Israel’s Netanyahu seeks to repair ties with Trump Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to focus on Iran in his Tuesday meeting with President Donald Trump, while the US leader is more likely to want to discuss Lebanon and Syria. United States
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran says it doesn’t seek to resume negotiations with Washington Sharaa says Syria seeks security deal with Israel; Red Sea shipping slows after Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Syria arrivals surge 111% as government bets on tourism revival The country welcomed 3.52 million visitors during the first half of 2026, more than double the figure recorded a year earlier, as the government pushes to reconnect to the world and promote tourism as a pillar of economic recovery. Syria
Syria seizes arms shipment on Iraq border destined for Hezbollah The operation comes as part of the Syrian authorities' efforts to curb illicit arms smuggling through its territory, namely intended for Hezbollah. Lebanon
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran declares 'existential war' as US strikes reach near Tehran By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Kremlin confirms S-400 talks with Turkey By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Jabhat al-Nusra, IS compete for foreign fighters Concerned that the Islamic State has an advantage in recruiting foreign jihadists with its declared Islamic caliphate, al-Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra, has declared an Islamic emirate. Syria
Domestic violence increases among Syrian refugees The stresses of the war and lack of income are resulting in more cases of domestic violence among Syrian refugees in Jordan. Jordan
Baath spokesman denies alliance with Islamic State The spokesman of the Baath Party, Khodair al-Morshedi, considers the Islamic State (IS) a terrorist organization and denies having any ties with it. Iraq
Coastal Syrians carry on despite threat of Islamic State Regime supporters along the Syrian coast are confident the Syrian army can triumph and that the Islamic caliphate declared by the Islamic State in eastern parts of the country won’t last. Syria
Who is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? Details emerge about the years that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State, spent in Afghanistan. Iraq
Israel considers costs of escalation in Gaza Gaza residents bear the costs of war; Israel weighs its option with Hamas; Al-Monitor interviews Iraqi political leaders; the forgotten war in Syria. Palestine
Global jihad benefits from Gaza crisis As Arab states do little to intervene in Gaza, militant jihadism continues to spread throughout the region. Palestine
Aleppo rebels caught between Islamic State, regime Rebels in Aleppo say they will struggle to prevent both the Syrian regime forces and a resurgent Islamic State from sweeping through the city and its countryside. Syria
Islamic State moves to capture another Turkish border crossing The Islamic State is attacking Kobani canton, or Ain al-Arab, in an attempt to encircle the Kurdish autonomous region in Syria and capture a third crossing to Turkey. Iraq
Turkey faces threat from returning jihadists Having lost the proxy war it waged against Syria, Turkey now faces a potential threat to its own peace and stability by Turkish jihadists returning from Syria. Iraq
Aleppans set up money transfer offices within the city The division of Aleppo has separated families and made transferring money from east to west near impossible, prompting locals to take matters into their own hands. Syria
Lebanon: The summer when everything went wrong Political, constitutional, livelihood and weather problems are happening simultaneously in Lebanon. Iraq
