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November 5, 2026

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A protest sign is seen near the White House the day after Election Day

Feature

Emboldened Democrats gear up to challenge Trump over Iran war, Gulf business ties

Democrats are weighing options to enforce Congress’ authority to declare war.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

Political sources describe the Democrats' midterm victory as a political blow to both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Latest News

From Tehran to Tel Aviv, Democrats’ midterm triumph sparks Middle East reactions

The sun sets on the US Capitol on Election Day evening on Nov. 3, 2026 in Washington.

'Generational wipeout': Democratic gains to reshape Trump's final years

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Gulf markets gain, oil falls as Democrats win Congress

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via 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

A Palestinian boy who lives in a container as a temporary replacement for his house that was destroyed in the 2014 war, looks out on a rainy day in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip December 15, 2016. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem - RC1DAD9F6BE0

Will Israel, Qatar cooperate to save Gaza?

US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt called for Israel and Qatar to cooperate in order to save the Gaza Strip from a humanitarian crisis.

Abbas draws two-year timeline

According to Palestinian sources, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has given up on the Americans and is not ruling out an armed intifada.

U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks with reporters as he walks from the Senate floor between votes on procedural measures leading up to potential tax overhaul legislation at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1657C8AC00

Senate rebuffs White House request to water down Palestinian aid cuts

The US Senate wants to beef up legislation cutting aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the House passed a watered-down version last year at the insistence of President Donald Trump’s peace envoy.

UNSPECIFIED, UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 07: Contract workers load a Hellfire missile onto a U.S. Air Force MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), at a secret air base in the Persian Gulf region on January 7, 2016. The U.S. military and coalition forces use the base, located in an undisclosed location, to launch drone airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, as well as to distribute cargo and transport troops supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. The Predators at the base are operated and maintained by

Pentagon seeks massive boost in bomb budget for Iraq, Syria

The Defense Department wants $1.8 billion for precision-guided munitions to finish wiping out the Islamic State.

Turkish soldiers guard a position on Mount Bersaya, north of the Syrian town of Azaz near the border with Turkey, on January 29, 2018.
Turkey launched operation "Olive Branch" on January 20 against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in Afrin, supporting Syrian opposition fighters with ground troops and air strikes. / AFP PHOTO / Nazeer al-Khatib (Photo credit should read NAZEER AL-KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Real target of Erdogan's Olive Branch could be US clout

In the third week of Turkey's frustrating fight against Syrian Kurdish forces in Afrin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be betting on an even bigger payoff than domestic support: seeing the United States effectively pushed out of Syria.

Turkish public divided over military's alliance with FSA

Turkey’s preoccupation with military insignia helps deepen anti-Americanism while also signaling the top echelons’ obsession with the United States.

A Bombardier CRJ 1000 of French low-cost Hop! airline company takes off the Toulouse-Blagnac airport, near Toulouse, on October 19, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / PASCAL PAVANI (Photo credit should read PASCAL PAVANI/AFP/Getty Images)

Questions abound as Iranians claim US Treasury licensing plane sales to Iran

The US Treasury Department is reportedly finally moving on issuing the necessary licenses for airplane sales to Iran after a long period of inactivity.

International pressure on Israeli settlements renews push for US anti-boycott laws

Pro-Israel advocates trying to fight boycotts of Israel's settlements face a new urgency as the UN turns its spotlight on the West Bank, but legal challenges to federal and state laws are creating significant hurdles.

Trump opposes Netanyahu on annexation plans

The White House accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of lying, after he declared during a closed party meeting that he was discussing annexation plans with the American administration.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 17: L to R, Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Doran, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, and John Hannah, senior counselor at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, testify during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing titled "White House Narratives on the Iran Nuclear Deal," on Capitol Hill, May 17, 2016, in Washington, DC. Ben Rhodes, White House Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communication, has been und

US expected to name former Cheney aide as Syria envoy

The Trump administration is expected to name John Hannah the next US Syria envoy.

A Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighter walks near a wall, which activists said was put up by Turkish authorities, on the Syria-Turkish border in the western countryside of Ras al-Ain, Syria January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - GF10000289206

Pentagon seeks to soothe Turkish fears over Syria border security request

The Defense Department insists that its $300 million request to train and equip Syrian forces won’t be used to create a Kurdish-dominated “border guard” on Turkey’s doorstep.

Animosity toward US uniting Turkey, Russia, Iran in Syria

A loose alliance between Turkey, Russia and Iran in Syria is fraught with tensions driven by developments on the ground, but the three remain united in their desire not to provide advantage to the United States.