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September 19, 2026

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Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on as he attends a trade agreement signature ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on August 24, 2026. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Netanyahu is leveraging Houthi threat in secret Saudi normalization push

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to capitalize on Riyadh's need for intelligence assistance to make normalization headway ahead of the October elections.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Former Assad official sentenced to 60 years in US for torture

Samir Ousman Alsheikh was convicted by a jury in March of three counts of torture, one count of conspiracy to commit torture, visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud.

A US Air Force F-35 fifth-generation jet fighter takes off during the NATO's Ramsteign Flag 2025 exercise at Leeuwarden Air Base on April 8, 2025.

Trump administration approves $24B sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia

Trump first announced the planned sale in November 2025, ahead of hosting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 2026.

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

Showing its support for Lebanon, Paris is backing Beirut’s request at the UN for a short-term extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, although French sources acknowledge that the chances of the request being approved are slim.

Latest News

Exclusive

Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Meet Wesley Hunt, Trump's pick for ambassador to Saudi Arabia

US Republican Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas gestures after speaking during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024.

US hits major Russian bank VTB with Iran-linked sanctions

VTB Bank in Moscow

CENTCOM chief meets Saudi Arabia's MBS amid Houthi gains in Yemen

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) announces a bipartisan agreement on Turkey sanctions during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott - RC15A7BFD700

Intel: Washington eyes Lebanon sanctions over jailed US citizen

Lebanon is finding itself staring down the prospect of US sanctions after jailing an American citizen for six months.

Can Ankara’s sudden change of heart on NATO save the day in Idlib?

Ankara’s abrupt U-turn to reembrace NATO appears driven by conjunctural necessity to balance Russia in Idlib and Libya rather than a new realization of structural dependency between Turkey and NATO.

Idlib exposes Erdogan's untenable policies

Turkey’s predicament in Idlib has laid bare its weaknesses and the longstanding inconsistencies in its foreign and security policy as never before, boding adverse repercussions for the government, both at home and abroad.

PA seeks Israeli left's support to challenge US peace plan

Despite the public's ire, the Palestinian Authority has been meeting with members of the Israeli media and the sympathetic left to boost Israeli opposition to the US peace plan ahead of the March 2 Knesset elections.

Al-Azhar’s imam faces hostile media campaign

Al-Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb is facing a campaign of persecution and media blockade in an attempt by the state to push him to renege on his positions.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1A050005F0

The urgent conversation Trump, Putin need to have about Syria

As Idlib refugee crisis grows, US risks superpower confrontation over missiles.

U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 10, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller - RC1C1F12DE90

How Turkey’s anti-Gulen lobbyist risks Washington’s ire with Venezuela contract

Amsterdam and Partners has picked up the Maduro government account after Foley & Lardner dropped it amid political blowback.

Specialist Tevin Howe and Specialist Eduardo Martinez take part in training on a U.S. Army Patriot surface-to-air missile launcher at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, January 12, 2019. Picture taken January 12, 2019. U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Darnell T. Cannady/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC1CE04C3590

Turkey asks US for missile defense amid Syria standoff

Turkey has asked the United States to deploy Patriot batteries to its southern border, a US official told Al-Monitor.

Head of the Guardian Council Ahmad Jannati delivers a sermon during Tehran's Friday prayers August 21, 2009. Hardline Iranian cleric Jannati urged the judiciary on Friday to arrest the leaders of post-election unrest, in what appeared to be a reference to defeated moderate presidential candidates Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN POLITICS RELIGION) - GM1E58L1HAE01

US sanctions Iranian Guardian Council members, holds off on UN snapback penalties

The Trump administration is coming under pressure from anti-Iran deal advocates to find a way to trigger the "snapback" of UN sanctions this year.

Russian and Syrian national flags flutter on military vehicles near Manbij, Syria October 15, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC1E8CFB81C0

Is Russia cozying up to Syria's Kurds amid rift with Turkey?

The United States has reportedly cautioned the Kurds not to fight Turkey in any potential escalation in Syria, but Russia appears to have moved closer to the Kurds, as suggested by Kurdish collaboration with the Syrian army in areas along Idlib’s boundaries with Afrin.

Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat gestures as he speaks to the media in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank July 1, 2019. Picture taken July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC18AC22D710

Hamas, Fatah trade blame for holdup on Gaza meeting

Fatah and Hamas are accusing each other of delaying the PLO delegation visit to Gaza aimed at countering the US Mideast peace plan.

Palestinian demonstrators gather near the Israeli barrier in the village of Bilin as the Jewish settlement of Modiin Illit is seen in the background, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank February 7, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC2NVE9EZDCB

Another UN step underscoring illegality of Israeli settlements

The Palestinians are banking on the newly released UN list of businesses operating in the Israeli settlements to bring those businesses before the judiciary and pressure them to end activities in the settlements.