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Analysis

Israel’s Lebanon dilemma: Confront Hezbollah without angering Trump, triggering Iran

Israeli sources point out that the pilot project for Israel's withdrawal and the Lebanese military taking control over the area is not working because of the government's reluctance to search for Hezbollah's weapons in private homes.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Demonstrations in Tehran, Iran

Analysis

How Iran is readying for economic protests as Trump escalates pressure

Iranian authorities are bracing for unrest as US pressure collides with a battered economy, fuel price indecision and fresh memories of bloodshed.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump arrives at Myrtle Beach International Airport on Aug. 21, 2026, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Trump says Hormuz mine-free as Iran, Oman agree to clear them

The US president again says Hormuz is clear of mines as Iran and Oman announce their plan to clear the strait.

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images

China warns US not to interfere with Iran trade: What to know

China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing was firmly opposed to what it called “illegal unilateral sanctions” and would take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its rights.

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Israel recalibrates Syria policy, explores path to security deal

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (C) watches as US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack prepares to sign an agreement in Damascus on September 16, 2025. Shaibani announced on September 16 a plan backed by Jordan and the United States to restore calm to Druze-majority Sweida province, which witnessed deadly violence in July. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

In 'warning shot,' US threatens sanctions on Iran’s trading partners

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent addresses the audience during opening remarks at the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism at the State Department on July 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. Bessent spoke alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller as they discussed the rise of far-left political terrorism as a transnational threat. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

Oil falls 1.8% as traders await 'toughest' sanctions on Iran

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

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

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gestures as he meets with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, in Amman, Jordan April 7, 2019. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RC1C415C6930

Intel: Why Russia is teaming up with China against US peace plan

Russia officially rejected participation in next month’s US-sponsored peace summit in Bahrain, a day after Chinese ambassador to Palestine Guo Wei announced that Beijing and Moscow had struck a deal to boycott it.

Egypt boosts ties with Gulf countries amid Iranian threats

Egypt has expressed concerns over the growing Iranian threats in the region, fearing it might affect navigation in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

Why Jordan is silent on Bahrain summit

Jordan has yet to officially announce its position on the US-sponsored Bahrain economic conference that is to kick off the long-awaited US Middle East peace plan.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks about the nuclear deal in Tehran, Iran May 8, 2018 in this still image taken from video. IRINN/Reuters TV via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. IRAN OUT. TV RESTRICTIONS: BROADCASTERS: No Use Iran. No Use BBC Persian. No Use Manoto. No Use VOA Persian. DIGITAL: No Use Iran. No Use BBC Persian. No Use Manoto. No Use VOA Persian. For Reuters customers only. - RC1F80659CA0

US 'maximum pressure' changing Iranian attitudes toward nuclear program

Amid rising anti-Americanism in Iran, attitudes are hardening, even among moderate elites, with some now espousing the use of the nuclear program as a deterrent.

Members of Palestinian security forces disperse a Hamas demonstration in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 14, 2018. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RC1DDCF99CD0

Palestinian Authority gearing up for unrest amid financial crisis

Israel has approved the transfer of light armored military vehicles to the West Bank amid fears of the Palestinian Authority's economic collapse.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend the opening session of the Paris Peace Forum as part of the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of the First World War, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool - RC1CEA9A8270

Can Russia, France work together to settle Idlib?

Moscow, Paris and Berlin have recently intensified talks over Syria's Idlib, but so far there's been more disagreement and defeated expectations than consent and progress.

Members of the Iraqi pro-government Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary forces gather in a street in the modern town of Hatra, near the eponymous UNESCO-listed ancient city, southwest of the northern city of Mosul, on April 28, 2017.
Iraqi forces retook the town of Hatra, southwest of Mosul, on the third day of an operation that saw them wrest back the archeological site from the Islamic State group. The ancient city is one of the heritage jewels of Iraq and was damaged by IS after they too

PMU economic offices undermine fragile stability in Mosul

The Popular Mobilization Units are spreading their economic influence in Mosul after playing a main part in the city's liberation.

A general view shows the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank September 11, 2018. Picture taken September 11, 2018. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RC14BC22BB50

Palestinians fear Israel moving to annex occupied West Bank

The Israeli Likud Party says it wants to extend the powers of some Israeli ministries in West Bank settlements, which could set the stage for Israel to annex some parts of the Palestinian territories.

A woman uses her mobile phone to take picture of the damage created by debris, after ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi militia, fell at a house in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RC13CCD3D530

Trump declares Iran emergency to bypass Congress on Gulf arms sales

The Donald Trump administration cited Iran as the justification to invoke emergency powers to transfer arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over congressional objections.

Russian servicemen sit in the cabins of S-400 missile air defence systems in Tverskaya Street before a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade, which marks the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in central Moscow, Russia April 29, 2019. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva - RC1E849FD530

Can Russian, Turkish military-technical cooperation go beyond S-400 production?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan boasted that Turkey will co-produce the S-500 missile system with Russia following completion of the S-400 deal, but existing realities put this into question.

U. S. sailors watch the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in Arabian Sea, May 17, 2019. Picture taken May 17, 2019. Nicholas R. Boris/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS- THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC11514055E0

US says Gulf troop surge ‘defensive in nature’

The Pentagon announced it will send additional US forces to the Middle East, but whether this is a smart defensive move or an unnecessary escalation of tensions with Iran remains to be seen.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (R) arrives to address the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 25, 2018. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - HP1EE9P1EGI66

Iran vs. US: From Talk of War to Talk of Talk

Trump repeats his offer of talks with Iran, but Iran is not interested.