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August 7, 2026

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Analysis

As US rethinks regional presence, Israel shifts focus to destabilizing Iran

Uncertain how to interpret the American regional redeployment, Israel is focusing on efforts to destabilize the Iranian regime and stop its nuclear program.

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

Michigan Democratic Senate primary winner Abdul El-Sayed

AIPAC to oppose El-Sayed after major Michigan primary victory

The America Israel Public Affairs Committee said it will work to oppose Abdul El-Sayed’s “radical anti-Israel agenda” as his opponent seeks to paint him as extreme.

Latest News

Israel-Lebanon talks suspended amid escalation, set to resume Thursday

Israeli battle tanks deploy in the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah (Eastern Zawtar) in southern Lebanon as pictured from the nearby village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah (Western Zawtar) on August 2, 2026. Under a US-sponsored agreement signed in June, Lebanon's army is to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military is to withdraw from "pilot zones" where Lebanese forces will subsequently deploy. The deal came more than three months after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East with rocket fire at Israel in suppo

US lifts sanctions on Iraqi airline linked to Iran's IRGC: What to know

A memorial depicting Qassem Soleimani, the slain commander of the "Quds Force" of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who was killed by a US airstrike in Iraq in 2020, is pictured at Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026. Israeli strikes killed the intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as the Islamic republic on April 6 defied threats from the US President to devastate civilian infrastructure if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Ima

Abdul el-Sayed becomes first Muslim-American to win Michigan Senate primary

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 01: Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks after a radio appearance on Dr. Horace Sheffield's GOTV Community Rally on August 01, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. El-Sayed currently holds a 15-point lead against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) according to a recent poll. (Photo by Finn Gomez/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

Russia's winning the war for Turkish public's trust

Aided by the West's growing irritation with and neglect of Ankara, Moscow is convincing the Turkish public that Russia is its most reliable defense and security ally.

How Saudi regional moves impact Israel

The Saudi desire to change its role from a behind-the-scenes player to a forefront leader pushes it to engage in the US-led Mideast peace initiative.

Women walk past a collapsed roof of a building destroyed by a Saudi-led air strike in Yemen's capital Sanaa September 7, 2015. Jets belonging to a Saudi-led coalition killed at least 20 people at a wake in northern Yemen on Sunday, local tribesmen said, as warplanes pounded Houthis and other forces behind a missile strike that had killed dozens of Gulf Arab soldiers. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - GF10000196256

US support for Saudi war in Yemen soars under Trump

The Defense Department more than doubled US refueling support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen over the past year amid rising congressional opposition.

Zaka emergency personnel clean a bloodstain from the ground at the scene of a Palestinian stabbing attack in Tel Aviv, Israel November 19, 2015. REUTERS/Nir Elias - GF20000066046

House advances diluted bill cutting Palestinian aid

Original supporters of the Taylor Force Act say pushback from Democrats and the Trump administration has watered down their legislation.

Putin-Trump statement on Syria contradicts Erdogan’s calculations

A joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump that there is no military solution in Syria infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

An Airbus A321 painted in IranAir's livery rests on the tarmac as the company takes delivery of the first new Western jet under an international sanctions deal in Colomiers, near Toulouse, France, January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau - LR1ED1B13U7DL

Congress moves bill jeopardizing Iran nuclear deal

New legislation could violate the JCPOA by impeding aircraft sales to Iran.

Can US-Turkey relations be salvaged?

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s visit to Washington last week produced little to suggest a new chapter in ties is about to be opened.

Putin, Trump follow winding path to latest Syria agreement

Logistic challenges apparently detoured a definitive Washington-Moscow statement on Syria, but haven't derailed it — so far.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump chat as White House senior advisor Jared Kushner is seen in between them, during their meeting at the King David hotel in Jerusalem May 22, 2017. Kobi Gideon/Courtesy of Government Press Office/Handout via Reuters THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. ISRAEL OUT. NO SALES IN ISRAEL - RC1C12FE5EC0

Trump's Middle East peace initiative still on hold

According to diplomatic sources, a US peace initiative will not be launched before March 2018 while the details of the plan remain murky.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) speaks with members of the royal family during an allegiance pledging ceremony in Mecca, Saudi Arabia June 21, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1D46E7F800

Is US counseling restraint to Saudi crown prince?

Saudi Arabia claims two "acts of war" in one week; Israel and Syria both back the Druze.

Vehicles of Kurdish Peshmarga Forces are seen near Altun Kupri between Kirkuk and Erbil, Iraq October 20, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1FFF872240

Congress abandons constraints on Kurdish aid

US lawmakers wary of Iraqi Kurds’ independence push have shelved their concerns amid Baghdad’s Iran-backed push to reassert control.

Turkey’s misguided Middle East policy: From Syria, Iraq to the Gulf

Turkey’s misguided foreign policy has increasingly become apparent in three main spheres: Syria, Iraq and the Gulf region.