Syria restores Raqqa oil field in former ISIS stronghold: What to know Before Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, national oil production stood at between 400,000 and 500,00 barrels per day before falling to under 100,000 bpd during the conflict. Syria
Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border. Turkey
Iraq's Shiite alliance nominates Ali al-Zaidi as PM candidate: What to know Ali al-Zaidi, who leads a bank accused of money laundering, received support from previous nominee Nouri al-Maliki and incumbent Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, though it remains unclear whether the Trump administration will approve of him. Iraq
Trump says Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended by three weeks President Trump said the second meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese envoys went "very well." Lebanon
Analysis 'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Analysis Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds? By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Not everyone in Iraq welcomes peshmerga's possible return to Kirkuk As Iraq's central and Kurdish governments tentatively make nice again, the potential return of the Kurdish peshmerga to Kirkuk has some groups in the country on edge. Iraq
Iran readjusts its Syria strategy amid Russia’s changing role Having achieved military victory in the key southwestern region of Syria, Iran is actively maneuvering to redefine its approach to securing its aims in the war-torn country. Israel
Terrorist attack on Erbil government building raises concern in Iraqi Kurdistan An attack on an Erbil government building highlights homegrown terror networks and reveals dangerous security fissures in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. Iraq
Renewal of anti-terror law threatens human rights in Iraqi Kurdistan The Iraqi Kurdistan parliament has extended an austere law put in place to combat the Islamic State, raising serious concerns about human rights abuses and trials behind closed doors. Iraq
Iraq struggles to provide war orphans with identities The living victims of the war in Iraq against the Islamic State include children whose parents were killed or can't be identified. Iraq
IS remains a threat in Iraqi desert, tribal villages Popular Mobilization Units are conducting regular patrols in the Iraqi desert to prevent activity by Islamic State sleeper cells. Iraq
Islamic State awakens sleeper cells in Iraq's Kirkuk The Islamic State is gradually rekindling its terrorist activities in Iraq through sleeper cells in Kirkuk province, where security is already stretched thin by political unrest. Iraq
IS killings and kidnappings in central Iraq raise questions The desert area west of Salahuddin and other depopulated areas have faced a spate of kidnappings and killings claimed by the Islamic State. Iraq
Armed opposition infighting triggers uptick in IS attacks in northern Syria The Islamic State escalated its attacks in northern Syria, taking advantage of the infighting between the Syrian armed factions controlling the areas there. Syria
Islamic State fighters buried without identification in Iraq A year after Mosul was liberated from the Islamic State, the bodies of the group’s fighters are finally being recovered from the rubble of their last stronghold in the city. Iraq
Police not apologizing over death of Israeli Bedouin New reports indicate that a police doctor failed to treat an Israeli Bedouin wounded during an evacuation of his village last year, yet no one has approached his widow to apologize. Israel
Iran faces new threat as Kurdish jihadis join IS in Afghanistan The rise of the Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan poses a new challenge for the Islamic Republic, as it is becoming a magnet for Iranian Kurdish recruits. Iraqi-Kurdistan
