Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
Jordan shows off its arsenal in new tank museum Established by King Abdullah's decree a decade ago, the recently opened tank museum in Jordan shows a large collection of local and international armored vehicles. Jordan
Exhibition pays tribute to prolific Lebanese cartoonist The Sursock Museum in Beirut is displaying thousands of cartoons by Pierre Sadek, who inspired many Lebanese satirists and created space for the next generation. Lebanon
Satterfield’s shuttle diplomacy may offer diplomatic opening for Syria Is there more to the talks about Block 9? Success of UN Security Council cease-fire depends on definition of "terrorist." Israel
Pentagon partners with Germany on Tunisia border security The Pentagon is sending nearly $20 million in high-tech help to the North African country as civil war rages in neighboring Libya. Libya
Israeli Bedouin women champion social progress The Israeli Interior Ministry together with the Association of Community Centers initiated a first-of-its-kind course designed to train Bedouin women to become members of executive boards. Israel
Jordanian artists combine music, satire to voice their woes A group of young Jordanian satirists poke fun at government decisions with songs that appeal to the youth. Jordan
Saudis recruit legal muscle for leverage in US nuclear negotiations Saudi Arabia has hired an international law firm to help negotiate a more favorable civil nuclear agreement with Washington amid pushback in Congress. Saudi Arabia
World financial watchdog keeps punting on Iran Iran had hoped to be removed from an international financial watch list but will have to settle for a continuation of an ambiguous status quo. United States
Congress skeptical of Saudi nuclear energy demands Lawmakers are making it clear that any proposal to share civilian nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia must include robust nonproliferation safeguards. Saudi Arabia
Al-Qaeda could stand to gain from changing Syrian situation Divergent goals of the major players in Syria, along with the apparent evolution of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group, could all wind up strengthening al-Qaeda. Syria
How my hometown became major smuggling route in Libya Libya's interior has become a hub for human smugglers who utilize the uncontrolled roads to transport migrants wishing to travel to Europe by sea. Libya
Pentagon stops budgeting for peshmerga salaries The Pentagon’s fiscal year 2019 budget doesn’t specifically dedicate payments for Iraq’s Kurdish fighting force after it stepped back from the front lines of the fight against the Islamic State. Iraq
