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
US shrugs off Zarif resignation reversal Before Iran’s foreign minister had returned to the job, the Donald Trump administration dismissed Mohammad Javad Zarif’s resignation as essentially irrelevant, as the prospect of getting to the negotiating table looks increasingly remote. United States
Iraqi envoy calls on US to reopen Basra consulate At an exclusive Al-Monitor event, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States urged the Donald Trump administration to reopen its consulate in Basra, which the State Department closed last year amid rocket attacks from Iran-backed militias. Iraq
Israeli elections pit Republicans against AIPAC Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s electoral alliance with the far-right Jewish Power party has created yet another partisan cleavage over Israel. Israel
Syria panel rushes to offer Trump options before clock runs out A bipartisan panel of experts convened by Congress to help sort out the Donald Trump administration’s Syria policy faces a tight time crunch. Syria
Will sanctions suffocate trickle of Iran-US trade? With the reimposition of US sanctions, the trickle of trade between Iran and the United States could vanish altogether. United States
US presence in northern Syria serves the Kurds, not Turkey The US decision to keep 200 troops in northern Syria is a blow to Ankara. Syria
Turkey rows against strong currents in northern Syria The latest statements out of Washington and Moscow have again highlighted the difficulties Ankara faces in trying to achieve its aims in Syria. Syria
Is Netanyahu coordinating with Trump over 'deal of the century’? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes that publication of the US Mideast peace deal just after the elections would attract public attention away from an imminent indictment against him. Palestine
Iraqis divided over continued presence of American forces As Islamic State militias have become active again in different areas of Iraq, the debate over ejecting US forces is on the rise among Iraqi politicians. Iraq
Israel to withhold PA taxes, quietly ask donors to make up difference Israel intends to cut tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority but will need foreign intervention to save the Palestinian Authority from collapse. Qatar
Netanyahu’s radical-right alliance rattles AIPAC's allegiance Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underestimated the objection of the pro-Israeli lobbying group AIPAC to his alliance with the radical-right ahead of elections in Israel. Israel