Newsletter: Daily Briefing Kremlin confirms S-400 talks with Turkey Lebanon’s PM to meet Erdogan in Turkey; Pakistan, Qatar seek to revive US-Iran talks after renewed strikes; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis As US-Iran fighting resumes, Israel weighs 3 options with restraint winning, for now Despite Israel's military readiness to resume strikes on Iran, officials say looming elections make Netanyahu more likely to stay out unless Tehran forces his hand. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Israel warns US of new Iran plot to assassinate Trump: What to know US officials are reportedly still assessing the Israeli intelligence. United States
Why US strikes on Iran rail bridge signal shift in Hormuz conflict A US missile strike on the railway bridge linking Iran to Central and East Asia suggests the White House is once again flirting with politically coercive tactics after the June agreement failed to halt Iran's attacks on Hormuz shipping. Iran
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran hits Gulf, warns Hormuz will reopen on its terms By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Intel: How McConnell is forcing Democrats to side with Trump on Syria Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., managed to rebuke both President Donald Trump and Democrats with one vote. Syria
Intel: How the latest freshman-establishment spat is laying bare Democrats’ Palestinian problem An escalating feud between freshman Palestinian-American Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Minn., and the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is laying bare Democrats’ gaping divide over Israel. Palestine
Intel: How the Europeans’ new Iran sanctions work-around helps Trump The European Union launched its much-anticipated Iran trade mechanism today to an audible meh from the Donald Trump administration. United States
Intel: Why US plan to have Europeans run Syria safe zone is no sure bet The Donald Trump administration has asked European allies to participate in a safe zone to protect the US-backed Syrian Kurds. Syria
Why Kurds seek talks with Assad regime In an interview with Al-Monitor, Aldar Khalil, a leading figure of the Movement for a Democratic Society, speaks of the general landscape in Syria and voices his opinion about the US withdrawal of forces and potential talks with the Assad regime. Syria
Maduro gives Erdogan a new lifeline President Erdogan's vocal support for Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro is being echoed in the Turkish media, with TV channels broadcasting programs on past CIA coups. Turkey
US 'coup' in Venezuela equally abhorred by Iran's hard-liners, Reformists Iran's rival Reformist and hard-line political camps, which rarely see eye to eye, are now both expressing solidarity with Venezuela's incumbent president, blaming the United States for the crisis that has gripped the oil-rich South American nation. United States
Top Democrat on foreign affairs shoots down pro-Palestinian trips House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., is unwilling to approve a proposed congressional delegation to the West Bank. Palestine
US intel assessment suggests Trump's Iran policy not working A new US intelligence assessment suggests that the Donald Trump administration’s Iran policy is not achieving its goals and may in fact be counterproductive. Congress
Syrian Kurds tell Washington they may join forces with Assad if US pulls out of Syria A top Syrian Kurdish official said today that US-backed fighters will consider integrating with the Syrian army, a potential frustration to US policy in the country after troops withdraw. Syria
Ankara’s planned operation in northeast Syria remains murky Whether Ankara will stage an operation east of Euphrates depends on diplomatic efforts with Washington and Moscow. Iraq