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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

Regional, international actors risk making matters worse in Iraq's Sinjar

The conflict over controlling the strategic area of Sinjar along Iraq's borders with Turkey and Syria has made the Yazidis' situation worse.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks during the United Against Nuclear Iran Summit on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 25, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Ornitz - RC1B810D5E20

Iran celebrates Bolton ouster

The departure of John Bolton, the US administration's most relentless Iran hawk, at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington was good news across the political spectrum in Iran.

Palestinians: Trump's plan, not Greenblatt, is the problem

Palestinians do not think the resignation of US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt will make a difference to the fate of the so-called deal of the century.

A view shows Russian S-300 missile systems during military exercises at the Ashuluk shooting range near Astrakhan, Russia June 19, 2019. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov - RC1E9B979F40

Will Russia reinforce Iraq's air defenses?

Iraqi authorities are considering moves to reinforce the country's air defense systems with Russian help following alleged Israeli strikes.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin brief reporters at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 10, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1B6F26E070

Pompeo, Mnuchin say no preconditions for Iran meeting as Trump ousts Bolton

After President Donald Trump announced that he had fired his national security adviser John Bolton over very strong policy disagreements, Trump’s top diplomat and treasury chief reiterated that Trump has no preconditions to meet with Iran.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks during an interview at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC15F217A710

Intel: Bolton ouster leaves uncertain future for Iran policy

Kurdish Peshmerga Forces take part in their graduation ceremony at a military camp in Erbil, Iraq, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1EEC7735A0

Pentagon fears Islamic State surge in Iraqi Kurdistan

The Donald Trump administration is concerned that the Islamic State could take advantage of ongoing disputes between Iraq’s government and Kurdish authorities to gain refuge in the war-torn country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel September 10, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1ABFF59380

Jordan Valley annexation — Netanyahu’s desperate last card

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he would annex the Jordan Valley after the elections. He hopes this announcement will sideline unpleasant issues for him, such as the police investigation or a possible Trump-Rouhani meeting.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a news conference in Jerusalem September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC1387B39F60

Iran denies secret nuclear weapons site, says Netanyahu 'cries wolf'

Tehran has denied the Israeli prime minister's claims about a purported nuclear site in central Iran, saying the allegation is part of a campaign to ignite a war against the Islamic Republic.

A Turkish military vehicle returns after a joint U.S.-Turkey patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Turkey, September 8, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1967E7F3C0

Pentagon says it’s 'on time' with Syria safe zone despite questions

The Pentagon said Monday it is "on time" or ahead of schedule in most areas of setting up a safe zone in Syria after initial patrols with Turkish troops over the weekend, despite lingering questions about the size and depth of the area.

American and Turkish soldiers walk together during a joint U.S.-Turkey patrol, near Tel Abyad, Syria September 8, 2019. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC15B521C410

Joint US-Turkish patrols begin in north Syria amid Kurdish concerns

Turkish and US troops have begun joint ground patrols in the area of Tell Abyad, the first time Turkish troops crossed into the US-protected and Kurdish-administered zone.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters during a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, June 19, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1905AECB00

Why does Erdogan want nuclear weapons?

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for the first time made his nuclear ambitions public, arguing that it is unacceptable for Turkey to not have nuclear weapons while other countries do.