Turkey’s Fidan heads to Libya as US-backed unification push gathers pace The Turkish foreign minister will hold talks in both Tripoli and Benghazi as Ankara seeks to preserve its military, maritime, energy and commercial interests while Washington pushes Libya’s rival camps toward a power-sharing arrangement. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death Turkey’s Fidan to visit Libya; Iran’s Khamenei appoints six military commanders; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Explainer Egypt, Libya begin studying $1B oil pipeline: What to know The two countries are nearing the launch of a joint project to build a pipeline linking the Egyptian city of Alexandria with the Libyan city of Tobruk, Asharq Bloomberg reported. Egypt
Turkey's intel chief hosts Libya delegation amid unification push: What to know The visit by Libya’s high-level delegation came as US-led efforts gathered pace to broker a power-sharing arrangement between the country’s rival camps. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel’s Netanyahu to discuss Iran, Lebanon with Trump By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis In Libya, maritime dispute could complicate Turkey’s backing of US unity push By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Qatar says no direct Iran-US talks in Doha By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Paris, Moscow agendas in Mideast are different but compatible France and Russia are polishing their diplomacy in the Middle East, and perhaps toward each other. Syria
Massive drops in migration to Italy bring Libya’s problems to light As the migration flow from Libyan shores to the Italian coast dropped by more than half within a month, analysts say deals between Italy and local armed groups to stop immigrants from boarding the boats are leading to abuses. North Africa
How Islamic State is undermining peace prospects in Libya As Libya’s rival parties are moving forward toward a political solution, it seems that the Islamic State and other extremist organizations are re-emerging on the internal scene in a bid to torpedo any such efforts for peace. Libya
Moscow, Cairo discuss boosting ties Representatives of Russia and Egypt seemed pleased with the outcome of their meetings this week, as they touched base on current regional developments and talked through their perspectives. Qatar
Moscow looking beyond Hifter in Libya Russia has an opportunity to play a significant role in achieving peace and political progress in Libya. North Africa
Russia weighs its role as arbiter in Libya As Moscow works to shore up its influence in bringing Libya’s rival governments together, it is examining whether Gen. Khalifa Hifter is more of an asset or a liability. United Arab Emirates
Libya’s pleas for Italian help unlikely to solve migration issue The Libyan plea to Italy to help counter the migration flow may not bring in the desired results, as the former colonial power has its own interests to serve during this election year. Libya
Rival Libyan leaders agree to elections, but challenges remain Although neither yet recognizes the other’s legitimacy, Libya’s military strongman Khalifa Hifter and Fayez al-Sarraj, the prime minister of the Tripoli-based government, agreed during a meeting in France to hold elections in a bid to end the country's conflict. Libya
Libya's Hifter sets his sights on the capital following Benghazi victory The Libyan National Army, operating under the command of Gen. Khalifa Hifter, declared victory in Benghazi after ousting Islamists, further consolidating the role Hifter could play in shaping Libya's future. Libya
Zuwara, the Libyan city working to stop migrant smuggling A group of local activists from the Amazigh-majority city of Zuwara in Libya are taking matters into their own hands and working to prevent illegal immigration from the shores of North Africa toward Europe. North Africa
New UN Libya envoy faces long road to peace The newly appointed UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, must review all previous steps and policies his predecessors made to avoid repeating their mistakes as the war and chaos continue to weigh heavily on Libya. Libya
French shift on Syria could open doors in Russia France’s newly elected president has indicated he is open to talks that could leave Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power, bringing the country closer to Russia’s stance. Saudi Arabia
