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February 24, 2025

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Israeli soldiers walk along the buffer zone between northern Israel and southern Lebanon, Feb. 18, 2025.

Analysis

Israel facing 3 options after extending military presence in south Lebanon

Israeli forces remain at five outposts after their deadline to withdrew, and the parameters for their departure remain unclear.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

BEIJING, CHINA - NOVEMBER 9: Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a welcoming ceremony November 9, 2017 in Beijing, China. Trump is on a 10-day trip to Asia. (Photo by Thomas Peter-Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Iran's oil exports to China are surging despite Trump's 'maximum pressure'

Data from shipping analytics firm Kpler suggests Iran is offloading more crude from its floating storage off the coast of Malaysia and Singapore.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds flowers next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they meet at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 30, 2020. (Photo by MAXIM SHEMETOV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MAXIM SHEMETOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Will US-Russia rapprochement increase odds of Israel striking Iran?

Israeli leaders hope the thaw in relations will lead Moscow to stem strategic cooperation with Tehran, leaving Iran vulnerable to an attack on its nuclear facilities after a US green light.

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

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 18:: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks after signing an executive order on expanding access to IVF at his Mar-a-Lago resort on February 18, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. Later today, Fox News will air a joint interview between President Trump and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Will Trump heed Israel's call to strike Iran's nuclear program?

Israeli officials want the United States to redouble its engagement in the Middle East to ensure Iran does not refill the vacuum left by its once-in-a-generation losses in Syria and Lebanon.

Latest News

US, Arab partners headed for clash over Gaza’s future

Palestinians walk past tents lining the streets amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on Feb. 18, 2025.

UAE conveys frustrations to US' top diplomat Rubio over Gaza, Ukraine

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) walks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as they meet at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, on Feb. 19, 2025.

United Arab Emirates

Netanyahu taps confidant to lead Gaza negotiations, replacing Mossad chief: What we know

Ambassador of Israel to the US Ron Dermer speaks during the annual "Days of Remembrance" event at the Emancipation Hall of US Capitol April 29, 2019, in Washington, DC.

Why Trump turned to Saudi Arabia for US-Russia talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on February 17, 2025. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Elizabeth Hagedorn

State Department Correspondent

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

Jared Szuba

Pentagon Correspondent

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

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

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

Joyce Karam

Senior News Editor

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional geopolitics, China in the Middle East

Andrew Parasiliti

President and Chief Content Officer

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, national security

Megan Mineiro

In Washington, DC, reporting on US Congress

TOPSHOT - (L to R) US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban, the Russian president's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend a meeting together at Riyadh's Diriyah Palace on February 18, 2025. Top US and Russian diplomats were meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks on res

US-Russia talks conclude in Saudi Arabia, most high-level meeting since 2023: What to know

The US State Department said one purpose of the talks was to “reestablish” bilateral relations with Russia as Saudi Arabia seeks to mediate between the two.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 04: U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on February 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to visit Trump since he returned to the White House last month. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Analysis

Can Netanyahu rebuff Trump's envoy on Gaza talks as second phase looms?

US special envoy to the region Steve Witkoff is pushing the Netanyahu government to enter talks on the second phase of the deal, which should see the release of the rest of the hostages and the withdrawal of the Israeli military from the Gaza Strip.

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

France's President Emmanuel Macron (C), Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (R) and Syria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani pose for a group photograph during the International Conference on Syria at the Ministerial Conference Center, in Paris on February 13, 2025. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

France sees opening in Trump's USAID cuts to lead Syria humanitarian aid

The Paris conference on Syria positions France at the forefront of international efforts to support the interim regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump step off Air Force One upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on May 20, 2017. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Where US-Saudi ties stand as Trump eyes kingdom for Russia summit

Saudi Arabia could host a meeting between the president and his Russian counterpart on the Ukraine war as investment ties grow and Trump helps move along the LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger.

In this aerial image from a drone, tug boats tow the semi-submersible drilling platform Noble Danny Adkins through the Port Aransas Channel into the Gulf of Mexico on Dec. 12, 2020 in Port Aransas, Texas.

UAE's ADNOC eyes US acquisitions amid Trump's energy boom

Close political ties between the UAE and the Trump administration are likely to bode well for Abu Dhabi-based firms looking to tap the American shale boom.

United Arab Emirates

Marco Rubio

Ahead of Mideast tour, Rubio says 'now’s the time' for Arab alternatives to Trump's Gaza plan

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip remains on shaky ground and the US plan for the territory's reconstruction alarms Arab leaders.

In SPACE - MAY 19: This image captured by a satellite on May 19, 2001 shows the Bushehr Reactor in Iran. The nuclear facility is located approximately 17 kilometers south of the city of Bushehr. The reactor complex occupies a 2.5 Square Kilometer site area, which includes assembly halls, a concrete channel for cooling water that runs from the reactors to the Gulf, and a the harbor, which supports loading and unloading of foreign materials needed for construction and reactor operation. There are two reactor

Exclusive

Trump, Netanyahu have 'full understanding' on Iran as Israel mulls strikes on nuclear sites

A senior Israeli diplomatic source confirmed to Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity, that Israel and the United States have reached a “full understanding” on the Iranian issue. This includes agreed steps if Iran rejects a stricter nuclear deal than the 2015 accord abandoned by Trump in 2018.

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

Workers unload aid from an aircraft upon it's arrival from the United Arab Emirates at the Port Sudan airport, on May 5, 2023. - Air strikes and gunfire rocked the Sudanese capital on May 5 as fighting showed no signs of abating, despite the threat of renewed US sanctions and warnings of a "protracted" conflict. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE pledges $200M in aid to Sudan as it calls for Ramadan ceasefire

At a conference in Ethiopia, the UAE's minister of state for international cooperation called on the warring parties in Sudan to agree to a Ramadan "humanitarian pause" that will be followed by a political process.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, accompanied by his son, X Musk, speaks to the press as President Donald Trump looks on in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, DC, Feb. 11, 2025.

Elon Musk's Boring Co. to build Dubai Loop network of tunnels

The loop is a network of underground tunnels, similar to one being developed in Las Vegas, that allows passengers to be transported nonstop, in electric vehicles, to 11 stations.

United Arab Emirates

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Affairs and Special Envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn delivers a statment ahead of a meeting of the Syria constitution-writing committee on October 29, 2019 at the United Nations Offices in Geneva.

Trump admin taps Joel Rayburn for senior State Department position

The Trump administration has nominated Joel Rayburn as assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, a key role in shaping US policy in the Middle East.

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Jordan’s dependence on US foreign aid puts king in bind

Jared Szuba

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

President Donald Trump and Jordan's King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein shake hands during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, on Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington.

Trump backs off aid threat to Jordan but insists on Gaza takeover

President Donald Trump cited “US authority” to claim the Gaza Strip and send its population to Jordan and other neighboring countries.