US seeks to train Lebanon army units to disarm Hezbollah: What to know Funding for such a program remains unclear, though the Pentagon has requested $36 million for fiscal year 2027 to support Lebanon’s army. Lebanon
Analysis Despite Trump pressure to limit Israel's Lebanon attacks, Aoun-Netanyahu meeting still unlikely As President Donald Trump pressures Israel to limit its strikes in Lebanon, Hezbollah is taking advantage of the situation. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Why US, Israel are freezing France out of Lebanon talks With talks between Israel and Lebanon being held in Washington, Paris still insists that it must be involved to balance possible American bias and to protect Beirut’s interests. Israel
Analysis Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps Some Israelis worry the US president might force them to accept an unsatisfactory agreement driven by his inability to secure a tangible achievement in Iran. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis As Iran's power struggle deepens, US talks stall, who’s calling the shots in Tehran? By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Re-empowerment of career diplomats could help Turkey salvage global image Operation Peace Spring undeniably revealed what was long feared: Turkey’s inability to explain itself to the world because of structural damage to the traditional workings of the Foreign Ministry, alienated skilled career diplomats and new agencies that are active in foreign policy. Turkey
Absent new agreements, Trump-Erdogan meeting ends with pledge to work together US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Washington to rebuild US-Turkish relations without setting a clear path for progress. Syria
Erdogan’s US welcome sparks fear Trump will halt Turkey sanctions As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the White House today amid protest from Congress, aides in Congress and experts lose faith that President Donald Trump will impose automatic sanctions on Turkey for taking delivery of a Russian air defense system over four months ago. Turkey
Intel: What’s on the agenda for the Trump-Erdogan meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Washington to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House today amid an intense crisis between the two NATO allies. Turkey
Tulsi Gabbard lays groundwork to force divisive vote on Syria withdrawal Presidential hopeful Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, could trigger a House vote forcing President Donald Trump to withdraw US troops from Syria — but it’s dividing the anti-war movement. Syria
National security officials fear White House reversal on Syria As a residual US troop presence arrives in Syria, some Donald Trump administration officials are worried that the president himself may once again reverse his decision to leave troops in the country. Syria
Trump’s amity with Erdogan deepens Turkey’s isolation The double blow the US House dealt Turkey over its military campaign in Syria shows how wrong Erdogan is to rely solely on his personal relationship with Trump to manage ties with the United States. Turkey
Interview Saudi Arabia still awaiting signs of ‘goodwill’ from Iran In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud talks about the "dramatic effect" of the September attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields, and says there will be no official Saudi contacts with Israel until the Palestinian issue is resolved. Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud Former Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the US
Congress hammers Turkey with sanctions and Armenian genocide votes Still outraged by Turkey’s Syria incursion, Congress votes to sanction Turkey and recognize the Armenian genocide. Syria
Kurds use Syria incursion to chip away at Erdogan The Syrian Democratic Forces, after having contributed to the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as well as an IS spokesman, push for a greater US condemnation of Turkey's latest incursion into Syria. Syria
Islamic State leader dead in US raid Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during a raid in northwestern Syria, says President Donald Trump. Iraq
Pentagon weighs options to deter Russians in Syria After Russian forces in Syria appeared to be heading toward oil fields, the Pentagon proposed deploying tanks as a measure to guard the installations, a US official told Al-Monitor. Iraq
