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June 16, 2026

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Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa is welcomed by Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia on April 24, 2026, on the sidelines of a European summit.

Analysis

Why Trump’s push for Syria to confront Hezbollah is an unlikely bid

Trump’s proposal faces resistance from Damascus, skepticism from experts and opposition across Lebanon’s political spectrum.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

The meeting comes ahead of US President Trump’s expected attendance at next month's NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, after Trump personally urged his Turkish counterpart to reopen the Halki Seminary.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit, on June 16, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Leaders from the Group of 7 (G7) countries convened in Evian, France, near the Swiss border, for their annual summit to discuss challenges to peace and security for Ukraine and Europe, the situation in the Middle East, and other geopolitical issues. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Get

'Let Syria take care of Hezbollah': Trump criticizes Israel, leans on Sharaa to help in Lebanon

President Donald Trump insisted he has a great relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but criticized the scale of Israel’s strikes in Lebanon.

Latest News

Analysis

'He knew it was over': Inside Netanyahu’s response to Trump’s Iran deal as Israel recalibrates

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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

Analysis

Squeezed by Trump and Iran war, how vulnerable is Netanyahu in polls?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted by President Donald Trump at the White House, Washington, DC, July 7, 2025.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

US strikes on Indian-crewed tankers spark tensions with New Delhi

Punit PARANJPE / 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

Egyptian air force planes parade during the inauguration ceremony of the new Suez Canal, in Ismailia, Egypt, August 6, 2015. Egypt staged a show of international support on Thursday as it inaugurated a major extension of the Suez Canal which President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hopes will power an economic turnaround in the Arab world's most populous country. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - GF20000015690

US to boost Egyptian air defenses despite congressional anger

The Trump administration plans to provide Egypt with excess military equipment even as members of Congress seek sanctions against the country over the death of a US citizen.

US peace plan quashes hopes for Israel-Hamas cease-fire

The announcement of the US peace plan has undermined any prospect for a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas.

TOPSHOT - Israeli settlers scuffle with Israeli security forces at Netiv Haavot settlement, near Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank on June 12, 2018. - Fifteen Israeli settler families are expected to evacuate their homes in this outpost after it was declared illegal by the Israeli High Court (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump’s 'peace plan' rewards settler violence

President Donald Trump's blessing of territorial annexation is nothing less than a reward for government-sanctioned 'Wild West' settler violence and appropriation as illustrated by the small percentage of indictments for criminal acts committed against Palestinians on the West Bank.

Israeli left paralyzed over Trump’s peace plan

The Israeli left has failed to challenge President Donald Trump’s "deal of the century" or to suggest alternative ideas on peace despite the plan's troubling provisions, including revoking the citizenship of Israeli Arabs.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a statement on Iran's missile attacks on U.S.-led forces in Iraq, in the Grand Foyer at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC2TBE94VPE0

White House sends Congress mixed messages on Iran war votes

President Donald Trump told lawmakers to “vote with their hearts” on war powers legislation, but the White House is playing hardball with Republican defectors.

U.S. President Barack Obama (seated) signs H.R. 6156, the Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, December 14, 2012. From L-R are: U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, Obama, U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, U.S. Rep. Sandy Levin, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - GM1E8CF053K01

Magnitsky law spawns cottage industry of sanctions lobbying

The Magnitsky Act is being used in unexpected ways, with lobbyists pushing for human rights sanctions against nations on behalf of corporate clients.

TEHRAN, IRAN - MAY 23, 2013: Under the picture of Ayatollah Khomeini the former foreign minister of Iran and a special adviser to the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, one of the favorite principalist presidential candidates in 2013 race, Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati speaks about his presidential agenda at Tehran university on May 23, 2013 in Tehran, Iran. He is one the the three candidates in 2+1 coalition. (Photo by Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)

Khamenei adviser calls Trump Mideast plan ‘nightmare’

Iranian officials and social media users criticized the White House plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

U.S. President Donald Trump puts his hands on Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's shoulders as they deliver joint remarks on a Middle East peace plan proposal in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts? - RC27PE95YQQU

Netanyahu wants/needs annexation before elections

White House advisers Jason Greenblatt and Jared Kushner object Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intention to annex settlements before the March 2 elections, but Netanyahu has no intention of giving up.

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman attends the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia May 30, 2019. Picture taken May 30, 2019. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC182A708080

Intel: Democrats push Trump administration to crack down on Saudi prince

Emboldened by the latest United Nations report implicating Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in hacking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ phone, Democrats are pushing the Donald Trump administration to toughen up on the Saudi heir.

Smoke rises during a fight between members of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces and Eastern forces, in southern Tripoli, Libya June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Yosri al-Jamal - RC1D2EB356B0

Pentagon: Turkey’s deployment to Libya threatens escalation

The United States' top military officer in Africa has warned that Ankara's decision to send troops to Libya "risks a significant escalation."

Rival Palestinian factions unite against US 'deal of century'

Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials attended an emergency Palestinian leadership meeting in Ramallah to discuss how to respond to the US administration's peace plan, and another meeting is planned this week in the Gaza Strip.

TOPSHOT - Israeli nationalist settlers wave their national flag as they celebrate the Jerusalem Day at the Old City's Damascus gate in Jerusalem on May 13, 2018. - For Israelis, Sunday is Jerusalem Day, an annual celebration of the "reunification" of the city following the 1967 Six-Day War. (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP) (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Netanyahu's land of the settlers

Did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really think that he could fool US President Donald Trump and announce annexation of the West Bank without an angry response from the Americans?