Explainer SDF chief Kobane’s Damascus visit a high wire act for Syria’s Kurds The SDF says its integration with Damascus is complete, but major questions remain over its fighters, weapons and the future of Kurdish self-rule. Syria
Houthis claim strike on Saudi oil tanker off Yanbu: What to know The incident is the latest in a string of Houthi attacks targeting Saudi oil and military assets. Yemen
Ex-defense minister: Israel in ‘worst possible’ Gaza situation as Hamas gains strength Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant criticized the Israeli government for allowing Hamas to retain control over half of the Gaza Strip. Israel
Wreck of ship sunk by Israeli military in Irgun clash found after 78 years The wreck of the Irgun underground's Altalena ship, bombed by the Israeli military in 1948 and deliberately sunk in 1949, was located off Israel's coast at a depth of 1,650 feet. Israel
Analysis Israel fears Turkey’s Syria ambitions and doubts Trump will stop them By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Libya's rogue militias cut capital’s water supply A group of armed men cut off water supplies to the Libyan capital Tripoli, which indicates the fragility of resources in a country plagued by chaos. Libya
Iran unlikely to sit idle as US targets Hezbollah, PMU Tehran views US actions against Iran's friends in the region as nothing short of a plot to sabotage the republic's strength and restrict its area of influence. Iraq
Will Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement undermine Iran’s role in Iraq? With US support, Saudi Arabia and Iraq are getting close to each other to minimize Iran's influence in Iraq. Saudi Arabia
Iraq's Christians ponder future in wake of Kurdish independence vote Iraqi Christians are divided over whether their areas in northern Iraq should be a part of Kurdistan, the Iraqi central government or an entirely new autonomous area. Iraq
Are Russia, Iran outflanking the US in Iraq? Russia deftly manages potentially choppy ties with Iran, while the United States claims Iran "subverting Iraq." Iraq
Saudi Arabia’s call for international coalition against Hezbollah faces obstacles A Saudi politician called for the establishment of an international coalition to confront Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a suggestion that did not garner much support, namely in Europe. Saudi Arabia
Congress threatens to withhold arms from Baghdad Allegations that Shiite-majority militias allied with Iraq’s central government have used US military equipment against Kurds in the disputed Kirkuk province has sparked outrage among US lawmakers. Iraq
Turkish deployment may redraw battle lines in Syria's Idlib The Turkish military deployment in Idlib has a direct impact on armed factions in the region, some of which have already accused Turkey of implementing Russia’s plans. Syria
Hasm claims embassy bombing in Cairo, may be looking to expand The Hasm movement in Egypt has been behind attacks against figures close to the regime, but since it said it perpetrated the Myanmar Embassy attack in Cairo, authorities are looking at the group's potential to grow. Egypt
Israel, Hezbollah exchange threats of imminent war As Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Israeli government continue to warn each other of a coming cataclysm, both sides predict it would take place in Syria as well as Lebanon this time. Israel
PMU spearheads Hawija battle, as IS fighters 'vanish' A long-besieged pocket of Islamic State-held territory and surrounding villages in north-central Iraq have been retaken by a mixture of local Sunni and non-local Shiite-led Popular Mobilization Units, alongside Defense and Interior Ministry forces. Iraq
Bottom line in Syria: No one is safe yet A battle begins in Syria between opposition moderates and the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as the latter also fights its radical rival, the Islamic State. Syria
