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June 17, 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

Saudi Arabia Defense Attache Major General Fawaz Al Fawaz and his Embassy staff and other officials arrive to meet with the Saudi students who remain restricted to the Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola base by their Saudi commanding officer, in Pensacola, Florida, U.S. December 9, 2019. Picture taken December 9, 2019. FBI Jacksonville/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2ISD9IDSIC

Pentagon set to ramp up student vetting after Pensacola shooting

Foreign military students in the United States will face new restrictions after the shooting at a Florida naval base in December.

Members of a Palestinian family sit around a fire to warm themselves at the site of their destroyed house, on a rainy day in the southern Gaza Strip January 10, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC24DE9KGKN8

Islamic Jihad undermines shaky Gaza cease-fire with rocket barrage

Israel, Egypt holding Hamas accountable for all attacks from Gaza; the wisdom of Sultan Qaboos.

U.S. soldiers inspect the site where an Iranian missile hit at Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar province, Iraq January 13, 2020. REUTERS/John Davison - RC23FE9R37HE

Pentagon receives late notice of US injuries in Iranian strike

Eleven US troops have received treatment for possible traumatic brain injuries stemming from an Iranian missile attack on a US base in Iraq.

Despite US efforts, Ethiopia-Egypt dam spat holds strong

A meeting in Washington produced agreement on some items to be included in a final accord to fill and operate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, but failed to resolve significant, long-standing sticking points between Egypt and Ethiopia.

Khamenei delivers Friday sermon after 8-year absence

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered the Friday sermon for the first time in eight years to address the important events in Iran over the last two weeks.

From Russia with love: Turkish and Syrian spymasters meet in Moscow

The Moscow meeting between the Turkish and Syrian intelligence chiefs could suggest that a normalization process has finally kicked off between Ankara and Damascus.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announces a bipartisan agreement on Turkey sanctions during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott - RC1985FF89D0

Congress pushes Trump to sanction Egypt over jailed US citizen’s death

Congress is pushing President Donald Trump to sanction Egyptian officials after Mustafa Kassem, a US citizen, died after six years in prison.

President of the Kurdistan region in Iraq Nechirvan Barzani sits in a shaft of window light as he greets U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in the VIP terminal at Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq November 23, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC23HD91WQR6

Interview

Iraqi Kurdistan president: 'We are not scared of Iran, but we respect Iran'

Assessing the aftermath of Qasem Soleimani's death, KRG President Nechirvan Barzani, in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, calls for a reasoned, negotiated approach to Iraq's problems and for the Kurdish issue in the region.

Nechirvan Barzani

Nechirvan Barzani

President of the Kurdistan Regional Government

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo departs following a briefing on developments with Iran after attacks by Iran on U.S. forces in Iraq, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Al Drago - RC2YBE938KJI

Intel: Why the Trump administration keeps dodging Iran briefings on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 25 : President Donald J. Trump welcomes Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Monday, March 25, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Why Trump's peace plan won't rescue Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might prefer that President Donald Trump’s peace plan be published ahead of the elections, but Blue and White seniors say this won’t become a game changer.

Will Iraq's Sunnis form semi-autonomous region if US troops leave?

Sunni politicians are said to be discussing the formation of a semi-autonomous Sunni region in Iraq following a parliamentary move supporting the expulsion of US troops from the country.

An aerial view taken after the recent crowning of Al Wasl dome shows the progress of construction at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in this undated picture obtained September 19, 2019. Expo 2020/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC176324ED10

Why the UAE is paying for America’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai

The UAE contribution comes after Expo 2020 Dubai organizers signed a $1 million lobbying contract to promote the world’s fair in the United States.

United Arab Emirates