Meet Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi, Iran's defense minister nominee Akhlaghi Ketabchi has been heavily involved in Iran's missiles programs, and it is not clear how much input Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had in the nomination process. Iran
Analysis Turkey revives F-16 talks with US amid Israel, Greece deterrence concerns Ankara’s renewed talks with Washington come as older aircraft near retirement while the Eurofighter and Kaan remain years from filling Turkey’s future air-power needs. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Exclusive Rights, faith groups urge Congress to block $2.8B bomb sale to Israel If the Trump administration moves forward with the transfer, dozens of groups are urging lawmakers to seek a joint resolution of disapproval. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Turkey to receive first 2 C-130J aircraft in December under $730M UK deal The aircraft are part of a 12-plane procurement deal from the United Kingdom as Ankara seeks to rapidly modernize its aging air fleet. Turkey
Analysis Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis LORA missile test reveals limits of Germany’s Gaza criticism of Israel By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Analysis With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
CENTCOM eyeing artificial intelligence to counter Iran’s drones, says Kurilla The top commander of US forces in the Middle East expressed concerns over China's inroads the region and told Al-Monitor he wants to turn up the heat at the next Red Sands exercise in Saudi Arabia to simulate more complex drone attacks. Washington Connection
Egypt denies report it planned to produce 40,000 rockets for Russia Moscow has also denied the claims that President Sisi ordered the military to secretly ship the rockets to Russia. Egypt
Egypt, Sudan hold joint military drills as Nile dispute with Ethiopia drags on The naval drills come at a time of heightened tensions with Ethiopia as Addis Ababa works toward completing the filling of its controversial Nile dam without reaching an agreement with its downstream neighbors. Egypt
Saudis joining Shanghai Cooperation Organization as China bromance blossoms Russia, China and a number of former Soviet states in Central Asia created the SCO in 2001 to counter US hegemony in the region. Legacy: Gulf
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt rank among world’s top 10 arms importers: SIPRI Middle East countries made up more than a fourth of the top 40 global arms importers from 2018 to 2022, according to a new report. Legacy: Gulf
UAE's IDEX weapons fair brings in Russia, China, and billion-dollar deals The United Arab Emirates’ defense expenditure amounted to $22.5 billion last year and is expected to reach $28.6 billion by 2027. Legacy: Gulf
How Israel’s HevenDrones latest hydrogen-powered drone can help UAE The lightweight aerial vehicle for defense or commercial use is the latest fruit of diplomatic normalization between the two countries, and will be featured at IDEX next week. Legacy: Gulf
Iran intel official says China in line to buy Tehran's drones Despite growing Western alarm over the Islamic Republic's drone shipments to Russia, the Iranian official said 90 countries were "queuing up" for purchases of the same products. Iran
Jordan's first female F-16 pilot celebrated as 'hero' Jordanian women are playing an increasingly prominent role in the country’s military, though challenges remain. There have been notable female air force pilots in other countries throughout the Middle East as well. Jordan
Turkish FM travels to Washington seeking to seal deal for F-16 fighter jets Mevlut Cavusoglu’s meeting with Antony Blinken comes as Washington reportedly ties warplane deal to NATO expansion. Turkey
Middle East military rankings: Turkey highest, Lebanon lowest per global index Turkey stands out as the most powerful country in terms of its military capacities in its region while Lebanon is the weakest, a global military strength index finds. Turkey
Greece compares Turkey to North Korea in latest row with Erdogan Erdogan’s remarks raise stakes in rivalry between fellow NATO members as threatening rhetoric escalates. Turkey
