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April 29, 2026

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C), alongside US State Department Counselor Michael Needham (2L) and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (2R), speaks during a meeting.

US seeks to train Lebanon army units to disarm Hezbollah: What to know

Funding for such a program remains unclear, though the Pentagon has requested $36 million for fiscal year 2027 to support Lebanon’s army.

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Despite Trump pressure to limit Israel's Lebanon attacks, Aoun-Netanyahu meeting still unlikely

As President Donald Trump pressures Israel to limit its strikes in Lebanon, Hezbollah is taking advantage of the situation.

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

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to journalists as he arrives for an informal meeting of the European Council in Nicosia, Cyprus, April 24, 2026.

Why US, Israel are freezing France out of Lebanon talks

With talks between Israel and Lebanon being held in Washington, Paris still insists that it must be involved to balance possible American bias and to protect Beirut’s interests.

A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years.

Latest News

Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (R) holds a signed "Make America Great Again" hat while (L-R) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad listen to US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys at a new round of peace talks Thursday, with Beirut seeking a one-month extension of a

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

How are Iran-linked tankers still moving through Hormuz blockade?

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel sees chance of US-Iran deal as almost 'non-existent,' readies for war

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

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

US boards Iran-linked tanker in Indian Ocean, vows pursuit of 'ghost fleet'

TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 14: A US Navy Seahawk helicopter takes off from the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan on July 14, 2017 in Townsville, Australia. USS Ronald Reagan is a 1,092- foot aircraft carrier which carries a crew of 4,539 around 60 aircraft. Exercise Talisman Sabre is the largest combined military exercise undertaken in Australia. The biennial exercise is the principal Australian and U.S. military training activity. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/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

Local fishermen move their boat to a safe place during Cyclone Gonu in Jusk seaport, 2000 km (1240 miles) southeast of Tehran, June 6, 2007. Iran does not expect any disruption to oil exports from a cyclone that swept nearby Oman for a second day on Wednesday, a senior Iranian oil official said. REUTERS/Rezvani/Fars News (IRAN) - GM1DVKSEXTAA

Iranian fishermen feel waves of tension from the US

Friction between the West and Iran threatens to rile the waters for fishermen near the Strait of Hormuz.

Demonstrators rally to support a leadership change in Iran outside the U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton - RC18D9A6D590

Iran hawks cement ties to former US-designated terrorist group

United Against Nuclear Iran's CEO embraces the MEK as his group prepared to host Pompeo.

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during their meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 23, 2019. REUTERS/John Irish - RC1C497E08B0

Rouhani dismisses European statement on Iran role in Saudi attacks

The Iranian president is in New York with a "peace initiative" meant to resolve regional tensions at a time when pressure is building on Tehran over its alleged involvement in attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

Former diplomat: Iran attacks create opportunity for talks

The Donald Trump administration should use the investigation into suspected Iranian attacks on Saudi oil facilities to de-escalate regional tensions, a former top US diplomat said at an Al-Monitor event Sept. 24.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds up a map as he addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - HP1EF9O183U9F

Turkey’s Euphrates plans rely on Trump

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping to convince President Donald Trump to accept Turkey's demands about the planned safe zone in northern Syria.

Egyptian protesters shout slogans as they take part in a protest calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo's downtown on September 20, 2019. - Protestors also gathered in other Egyptian cities calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi but police quickly dispersed them. In Cairo dozens of people joined night-time demonstrations around Tahrir Square -- the epicenter of the 2011 revolution that toppled the country's long-time autocratic leader. (Photo by STR / AFP)

Congress loosens pressure on Egypt just as new anti-Sisi protests emerge

Key senators have abandoned efforts to cut Egyptian military aid just as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government clamps down on new protests.

A metal part of a damaged tank is seen at the damaged site of Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, September 20, 2019. REUTERS/Hamad l Mohammed - RC1941E02750

Does Russia benefit from attack on Saudi oil facility?

The attacks on Saudi oil production facilities may bring Russia some short-term benefits, but the picture becomes more complicated in the long run.

Will Egypt ever have female pastors?

The ordination of an Egyptian woman in Texas rekindles the debate on whether women can be pastors in Egypt.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Ankara, Turkey September 16, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC125829D6C0

Rouhani to have 'bitter words' for US at UN summit

Exuding confidence, President Hassan Rouhani has departed Tehran to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

F/A-18F aircrafts are seen on the deck of USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz July 15, 2019. Picture taken July 15, 2019. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1D37D6D440

Trump faces skepticism from allies amid troop deployment

The Donald Trump administration will deploy a fresh detachment of US troops to Saudi Arabia after blaming Iran for an attack against a major oil production facility just days ago.

Iraq's President Barham Salih gestures during a news conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (not pictured) at Salam Palace in Baghdad, Iraq March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC168FC63C00

Two to watch at the UN General Assembly: Turkey’s Erdogan and Iraq’s Salih

Turkish leader meets Trump ahead of safe-zone deadline; Iraqi president offers new direction for Iraq and region.

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint news conference with Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., September 20, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC1C58A37C70

Trump’s new Iran sanctions tie Democrats' hands on nuclear deal reentry

President Donald Trump’s new Iran sanctions are largely redundant, but they could tie a future president’s hand on reentering the nuclear deal and cut off humanitarian trade.