US quietly aids Saudi Arabia’s Yemen campaign with intel, refueling Pentagon aims to keep Yemen and Iran wars separate while shielding the flow of Gulf oil exports from attack as Riyadh bears the brunt of the Houthis' missile and drone barrages. Yemen
Turkey to send Mecca pact to parliament, opening path to Saudi deployment Parliamentary ratification will remove a legal hurdle for Turkish military deployment to Saudi Arabia under a trilateral defense pact. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel's Oct. 7 accountability debate Houthis strike Yemen airport, claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia; How language barriers are bringing Syria’s Kurds and Arabs closer; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Explainer From Amaliqa to Houthis, here are main armed groups fighting in Yemen The Saudi-backed government is supported by several armed groups with varied histories, while the Iran-backed Houthis are largely unified under one command. Yemen
Is Islamic State 'secondary priority' for Saudi Arabia? Riyadh is preoccupied with the military campaign in Yemen; Velayati tells Lebanese officials there will be no deal on Assad; the Turkish opposition party is under attack ahead of June 7 elections. Saudi Arabia
Why Saudi Arabia's Yemen war is not producing victory Saudi Arabia is seen as having jumped into the war in Yemen without having thought out the consequences for itself, the United States and the struggle against the Islamic State. Saudi Arabia
Senior Hezbollah official speaks out In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc in Lebanon discusses the war in Syria and the party’s role there, the Saudi war against Yemen and the presidential stalemate in Lebanon. Yemen
Russia weighs in on Yemen After Russia's shift to soft power in the Middle East, President Vladimir Putin discusses Russia's "need to abandon ‘the law of the strongest’ and ‘rule of the fist.’” Yemen
US works to assure Gulf allies US Secretary of State John Kerry has been in Paris to try and ease tensions with Gulf allies over the prospective Iran nuclear deal ahead of the GCC meeting in Washington. Legacy: Gulf
Hamas courts Saudis Hamas is seeking a rapprochement with Saudi Arabia to improve its leverage in Palestinian reconciliation talks, which might not please Egypt, which has long brokered the discussions, or Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas. Legacy: Gulf
Al-Qaeda emir's silence prompts suspicion Al-Qaeda's usually outspoken emir, Ayman al-Zawahri, has remained uncharacteristically silent through the course of recent al-Qaeda successes, leading many to question what may come next. Legacy: Gulf
Carter: Syria 'safe zones' would be 'major combat mission' US secretary of defense tells Congress no-fly zone would be "difficult thing to contemplate"; state institutions collapse as result of war in Yemen; Obama administration rejects direct arms to Iraqi Kurdistan. Saudi Arabia
King Salman needs total victory in Yemen The new Saudi king must reassure his domestic audience that his aggressive foreign policy will safeguard the kingdom. Saudi Arabia
Oman breaks from GCC on Yemen conflict Oman sees Saudi Arabia's strategy in Yemen as misguided and dangerous for the Gulf region. Legacy: Gulf
Is Iran really to blame for Yemen conflict? Yemen's conflict is homegrown and the only way to stabilize the country's descent into civil war is through a political deal. Saudi Arabia
Saudi re-reshuffle turning point for relations with Tehran King Salman's recent reshuffling of key positions and statements by the grand mufti and Iran's supreme leader point to strife between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Legacy: Gulf
