Newsletter: Daily Briefing Syria blames Israel for strikes on military airport in Idlib Iran says Hormuz to remain shut until US meets conditions; Kushner agrees Hamas disarmament to precede Israeli withdrawal; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Explainer Why Iran targeted Barzani family stronghold in Iraqi Kurdistan Iran’s Kurdish opposition groups have turned Iraqi Kurdistan into a frontline in the war. Iran
Iraq intel and security officials visit Saudi Arabia after drone attacks Iraqi authorities are cracking down on drone attacks after US and Saudi airstrikes targeted Iran-backed militias in the country. Iraq
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Lebanon becomes first Arab country to abolish death penalty Hormuz shipping traffic falls to one-week low amid hostilities; Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan while quietly implementing it; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis What Qaani's Baghdad visit reveals about Iran's post-war dilemma By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Analysis How Turkey is deepening energy and economic ties with Iraq as Iran weakens By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel strikes south Lebanon after 2 soldiers killed By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Militias keep up attacks, hit US base in Kurdistan Region Rocket attacks continued in Iraq, as Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi seeks to rein in armed factions following the US government's threat to close its embassy in Iraq. Iraq
New Iraqi committee to build nuclear reactors, combat electricity woes The new committee will tackle a decadeslong electricity problem, which is one of the complaints of last October's protesters. Iraq
Militia rockets kill five civilians in Iraqi capital as US mulls embassy withdrawal Two women and three children were killed at a Baghdad home on Monday as the United States threatens to pull its diplomatic mission. Iraq
UK returning 4,000-year-old artifact to Iraq discovered in online auction The Sumerian relic is thought to be among thousands of artifacts stolen from Iraq in the last century. Iraq
Intel: HTS claims credit for death of Iraqi IS leader's brother Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has claimed responsibility for killing the brother of Hajj Taysir, an Iraqi Islamic State emir killed by the United States earlier this year. Iraq
Significant challenges face Kadhimi’s economic reform project The economic reform project that Mustafa al-Kadhimi's government is supposed to propose soon faces great challenges related to the need to get parliament’s approval before taking any step. Iraq
US shakes up Iraqi factions with reported warning on militias The Trump administration has warned Iraqi President Barham Salih that it could close its US Embassy in Baghdad if the militias' attacks against its bases and convoys continue. Iraq
Kadhimi follows through on promises to reform Iraq's security sector Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's recent appointments and reforms are likely to face resistance from some political blocs and armed groups who feel they are losing power. Iraq
Iran’s shadow looms large over southeastern Iraqi Kurdistan The recent bust of a major fraud and smuggling network at one of Iraqi Kurdistan's border crossings has drawn attention to the power wielded by Iran in that area, both on the local economy and on local water supplies due to dams built in recent years. Iraq
Iraq's Baath Party archive location unknown The United States last month shipped a historic archive of Baath regime documents to Iraq, but the government is keeping mum about its location and fate, given the political sensitivity of the documents. Iraq
Iraq cracks down on illegal arms flow to militias, armed groups Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s government has launched a campaign in southern provinces to get illegal arms out of the hands of militias and tribal groups. Iraq
OPEC+ pressures Iraq, UAE to further cut oil production Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members held a virtual meeting with Russia and other allied oil producers today to discuss the continuing low price of oil amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Saudi Arabia