Analysis Israel defies Trump on Lebanon as Netanyahu, Katz prioritize elections Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump face fateful elections this fall, but one needs progress in Lebanon while the other wants more of the same. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Newsletter: Security A new Middle East security order? The timing of the new Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey defense agreement suggests the US' traditional allies in the region are charting their own strategic path after the Iran war. By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Iran’s Hormuz authority denies Trump claims of control over strait: What to know Trump administration officials have said oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are rising, but maritime traffic remains diminished. Iran
Analysis Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan while quietly implementing it Even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he rejects US President Donald Trump’s Gaza reconstruction plan, Israel is advancing its implementation. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis As pro-Palestinian candidates gain ground, will AIPAC's influence wane? By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
Analysis As US rethinks regional presence, Israel shifts focus to destabilizing Iran By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sign defense pact By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
New Israeli elections throw wrench in US peace plan With a new Israeli government unlikely to be formed until late October, as the US 2020 presidential campaign heats up, the Trump administration is increasingly unlikely to present the political component of its peace vision before a second term, analysts and diplomats said. Israel
Saudi Arabia’s new 'freedom' gas Saudi Arabia has partnered with a US company to export LNG from Texas, and is looking for more LNG deals. Saudi Arabia
Pentagon fears China’s growth in Middle East arms market The Donald Trump administration is worried that China is capturing a larger role in a Middle East arms market that the United States has traditionally dominated. United States
Intel: Why Russia is teaming up with China against US peace plan Russia officially rejected participation in next month’s US-sponsored peace summit in Bahrain, a day after Chinese ambassador to Palestine Guo Wei announced that Beijing and Moscow had struck a deal to boycott it. Russia
Egypt boosts ties with Gulf countries amid Iranian threats Egypt has expressed concerns over the growing Iranian threats in the region, fearing it might affect navigation in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Saudi Arabia
Why Jordan is silent on Bahrain summit Jordan has yet to officially announce its position on the US-sponsored Bahrain economic conference that is to kick off the long-awaited US Middle East peace plan. Bahrain
US 'maximum pressure' changing Iranian attitudes toward nuclear program Amid rising anti-Americanism in Iran, attitudes are hardening, even among moderate elites, with some now espousing the use of the nuclear program as a deterrent. United States
Palestinian Authority gearing up for unrest amid financial crisis Israel has approved the transfer of light armored military vehicles to the West Bank amid fears of the Palestinian Authority's economic collapse. Palestine
Can Russia, France work together to settle Idlib? Moscow, Paris and Berlin have recently intensified talks over Syria's Idlib, but so far there's been more disagreement and defeated expectations than consent and progress. Jordan
PMU economic offices undermine fragile stability in Mosul The Popular Mobilization Units are spreading their economic influence in Mosul after playing a main part in the city's liberation. Iraq
Palestinians fear Israel moving to annex occupied West Bank The Israeli Likud Party says it wants to extend the powers of some Israeli ministries in West Bank settlements, which could set the stage for Israel to annex some parts of the Palestinian territories. Palestine
Trump declares Iran emergency to bypass Congress on Gulf arms sales The Donald Trump administration cited Iran as the justification to invoke emergency powers to transfer arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over congressional objections. Congress