Ethnic/Religious Minorities

Travelers from the Middle East arrive at the International Arrivals section at Los Angeles International Airport on June 29, 2017.

Trump travel ban 2.0: Assessing the impact on Mideast nations

Trump’s new decision excludes Syria and Iraq, both of which were part of his previous ban issued during his first term in 2017.

A handout picture from the Syrian state news agency SANA showing members of the security forces in Syria's coastal region

EU sanctions Sunni factions accused of violence against Syria’s Alawites, Kurds

As former rebel leaders take positions in the new Syrian government, Kurdish officials warn of renewed threats to their autonomy.

A man walks by the synagogue of Rouen, in northwestern France, on Jan. 7, 2025, following the discovery of an antisemitic graffiti.

Rise in antisemitism in US, Europe preceded Washington shooting: What to know

In the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia, the number and severity of antisemitic incidents continue to rise.

new delhi

Iranian, Saudi officials in India as more airlines halt service amid Pakistan row

Iranian and Saudi officials headed to New Delhi in separate visits following Indian airstrikes in Pakistan that raised fears of war between the neighboring countries.

Latest News

Macron after meeting Sharaa: Lifting Syria sanctions 'in everyone's interest'

Tom Nicholson/Getty Images

Syria Druze leader decries 'genocidal attack' as clashes leave 101 dead

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East churches, Al-Azhar, leaders mourn Pope Francis

Pope Francis is welcomed at Presidential Palace on Feb. 4, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Pope Francis, voice for Middle East peace and first to visit Gulf, dies at 88

A worshiper waves the flag of Argentina as Pope Francis arrives for the weekly general audience on June 5, 2019 at St. Peter's square in the Vatican. (Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP) (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images)

By Rosaleen Carroll

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

People carry a banner during a march demanding truth and justice for Kurdish activists, Paris, Jan. 11, 2025.

27 Kurdish civilians, activists arrested in Iran following protests

After protests over the death sentences of Kurdish political prisoners, Iranian authorities arrested at least 27 people across the Kurdistan region.

The destroyed grain silos and a sculpture made from salvaged steel following the explosion stand in the port of Beirut as the sun sets on Lebanon, Jan. 11, 2024.

Analysis

Eyeing reconstruction, port investment, UAE resets Lebanon ties

A weakened Hezbollah and a new government in Beirut give room for the Emirates to play a big role, politically and economically, in Lebanon.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

A fighter affiliated with Syria's new administration gestures with his rifle in Syria's western coastal city of Latakia on December 26, 2024. Syria's new authorities launched an operation in a stronghold of ousted president Bashar al-Assad on December 26, with a war monitor saying three gunmen affiliated with the former government were killed, a day after angry protests erupted in several areas around Syria over a video showing an attack on an Alawite shrine that circulated online. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / A

Feature

As sectarian tensions rise, what future awaits Syria's Alawite community?

In post-Assad Syria, the Alawite community, long associated with the fallen regime, faces deepening insecurity and sectarian anxiety.

Danny Makki

In London, reporting on Syrian politics and culture

Fighters affiliated with Syria's new administration are deployed after closing a road leading to the Alawite-majority Mazzeh 86 neighbourhood in western Damascus, on Dec. 26, 2024.

Amid Alawite tensions, Syria's new rulers launch security operation: What we know

Syrian authorities conducted a search and made arrests in Tartous on Thursday following an ambush the day prior and amid rising violence throughout the country.

Zebulon Simantov reads his old, tattered Hebrew prayer book as he celebrates the Jewish New Year feast of Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 18, 2009, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Three years after fleeing, Afghanistan's last Jew arrives in Israel

Having fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, heading to Istanbul via Pakistan, Afghanistan's last Jew has now arrived in Israel.

A view of Zahedan from ShirAbad neighbourhood in Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran, on Dec. 3, 2018.

As IRGC begins offensive, Iran links Sunni militant attacks to 'Israeli plot'

The Revolutionary Guards said it was successfully advancing on a Sunni insurgency in the country's restive southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, claiming the militants had launched their most recent attack as part of an Israeli conspiracy to destabilize Iran.

Israelis sit in a coffee shop in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya, on April 14, 2024, one day after Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory.

Analysis

Post Oct. 7 Israel: Divided, veering right and embracing Jewish identity

A divided, polarized and more right-wing-than-ever Israeli Jewish society marks the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

Iran's former President Hassan Rouhani (L) waves to the media as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks on before a meeting at Hyderabad house, New Delhi, India, Feb. 17, 2018.

India tells Iran’s Khamenei to 'look at own record' over comments on Muslims suffering

India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei’s remarks on the treatment of Muslims.

US President Pro Tempore of the Senate Patty Murray (D-WA) swears in US Senate-Designate George Hemly (D-N.J.).

George Helmy becomes first Coptic Christian sworn into US Senate

Helmy fills the New Jersey seat left vacant after Sen. Bob Menendez was convicted of federal crimes and resigned.

Shiite Muslim devotees attend mourning rituals in Iraq's central holy shrine city of Karbala on August 23, 2024 ahead of the Arbaeen commemorations that mark the end of the 40-day mourning period for the seventh century killing of the Prophet Mohamed's grandson Imam Hussein ibn Ali. (Photo by Ali Abdul Wahid / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by ALI ABDUL WAHID/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

On eve of Iran’s Pezeshkian visit, Iraq jostles for Shiite space amid rivalries

Ahead of a top-level visit by Iran’s new president, Iraq seems to be garnering greater attention as the go-to place for Shiites looking for an alternative to its eastern neighbor.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Jewish worshippers pray at Joseph's Tomb as hundreds of faithful mark the anniversary of the biblical Joseph's death, Nablus, West Bank, July 4, 2011.

Hundreds of Israeli pilgrims pray at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus

Joseph's Tomb in Nablus has often been the site of violent conflicts between Palestinians and Israelis.

An armed Israeli soldier watches nationalists gathered at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on June 5, 2024, during the so-called Jerusalem Day flag march.

Ben-Gvir’s Temple Mount visit angers both Muslims, ultra-Orthodox

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's visit to the Temple Mount on the fasting day of Tisha B’Av drew condemnation not only from the Muslim world but also the ultra-Orthodox community.