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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

An Israeli soldier keeps watch by an Iron Dome rocket interceptor battery deployed near central Gaza Strip, southern Israel October 31, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC17FD29D770

Congress deepens US-Israel missile alliance

Congress’ annual defense bill tops Trump budget request by $500 million amid rising Iranian threat.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim delivers a speech during the AK Party's group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in Ankara on October 31, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey PM tries to reset relations with Washington

Turkey Prime Minister Binali Yildirim met with Vice President Mike Pence on Nov. 9 on a visit to Washington meant to try to ease strained US-Turkish ties, but the obstacles to improved relations are difficult to overcome.

Gold trader case threatens economic fallout for Turkey

The sanctions-busting case against Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab in the United States has raised the specter of continuing tensions in US-Turkish bilateral ties, with serious implications for the Turkish economy.

Shock suspension of Iranian hard-line daily over headline

Kayhan, the mouthpiece of Iran’s hard-liners, has been suspended for two days after a headline suggesting that Yemen’s Houthi movement will attack Dubai.

European Union Foreign Affairs Chief Federica Mogherini gives her remarks after attending a meeting of the parties to the Iran nuclear deal during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz - RC1AF2F97690

EU push to save Iran deal gets frosty reception on Capitol Hill

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini faced a tough audience with Republicans threatening new sanctions on Iran.

Upcoming Putin, Trump talks should prove interesting

What is the agenda for the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin? Trump wants to talk North Korea, but Moscow is seeking a broader, more in-depth conversation on the Middle East.

US resumes visas for Turks ahead of prime minister’s visit

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim will meet with US Vice President Mike Pence this week after a series of detentions and differences over Syria have damaged relations between the traditional allies.

Netanyahu unfaithful to Zionism vision

By turning its back on Israeli Arabs and distancing Reform and Conservative Jewish communities, the Netanyahu government denies the fundamentals of Zionism.

A Hezbollah fighter stands in front of anti-tank artillery at Juroud Arsal, the Syria-Lebanon border, July 29, 2017. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1B7DA4AC10

US sticks by Lebanese army despite Hariri resignation

State Department and Defense Department officials tell Al-Monitor that US military assistance is unaffected by Beirut’s latest political crisis.

IRGC commander denies Trump claim on Saudi missile attack

IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari denied that Iran was involved in the Yemeni missile attack on Riyadh.

Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to meet with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia October 30, 2017. REUTERS/Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool - RC1E30F1E010

Putin, Khamenei agree they need each other

Iran and Russia deepen energy cooperation; Iran has Hezbollah’s back; does the CIA have a back channel to Assad?

People walk near a Syrian national flag at the President bridge in Damascus, Syria March 14, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - GF10000345197

Washington silent on report US official went to Damascus

The CIA declined to comment on a report that a US official went to Damascus this week to discuss US citizens believed detained in Syria.