All Middle East
鈥楾his regime cannot get away with its crimes.鈥� An Iranian student speaks.After anti-regime protests were suppressed with unprecedented lethality, students at more than half a dozen Iranian universities have courageously protested for days, despite the hard-line leadership鈥檚 portrayal of all protesters as 鈥渢errorists鈥� and 鈥渃riminals.鈥�
Ultimatum vs. resistance: Why US and Iran are talking past each otherThe United States has amassed the largest force since the war in Iraq. Iran threatens an all-out response to any attack, even if limited. As they prepare for nuclear diplomacy in Geneva to avoid conflict, each side appears to be misreading the other.
In an election year, Netanyahu tries rewriting Israel鈥檚 Oct. 7 narrativeThe hostages, living and dead, are home, yet the war in Gaza is unfinished business for Israelis. As the country pivots toward election-year politics, how is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 refusal to authorize an independent state inquiry into Oct. 7 playing?
In Gaza, Israel鈥檚 creeping Yellow Line takes Palestinians鈥� land, and livesThe yellow cement blocks demarcating Israeli-held territory in Gaza were supposed to mark a temporary armistice line. But with the ceasefire process stalled, the blocks keep moving deeper into Gaza, making Palestinians feel more closed in, and trapped.
Progress but not compromise as latest US-Iran nuclear talks endAs tensions between Iran and the U.S. mount, renewed talks over Tehran鈥檚 nuclear program ended without a clear path forward.聽
First LookIsrael will begin West Bank land registration in new step to deepen controlIsrael's Cabinet approved a plan for a land registration process in the occupied West Bank that critics say amounts to a land grab from Palestinians.聽
On anniversary of revolution, has brutality broken Iran鈥檚 social contract?As Iran urges attendance at rallies Wednesday marking the anniversary of the revolution, many citizens could not be further estranged.
鈥楧ay of disruption鈥�: Soaring violent crime pushes Israeli Arabs to mobilizeIsraeli President Isaac Herzog calls deadly crime in Arab-Israeli society a 鈥渘ational emergency.鈥� But the police, under far-right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, appear indifferent. Now Arab citizens are overcoming their fears to protest publicly. Jews are joining in.
Gaza鈥檚 border with Egypt reopens, but returnees face a long ordealGaza鈥檚 Rafah border crossing with Egypt had been closed to Palestinian returnees since Israel鈥檚 seizure of the site in May 2024. Its reopening is a cornerstone of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, but its test operation during an Israeli 鈥減ilot鈥� is so far imposing hardships.
A weakened Iran and a flexing America maneuver in run-up to pivotal talksU.S.-Iran talks set for Friday were briefly canceled, then revived at the urging of Arab governments. But the two adversaries鈥� preferred agendas are very different. Does each side have a realistic grasp of what is at stake?
As US forces build in Middle East, Trump and Iran are locked in a staredownAmassing military forces and bolstered by Iran鈥檚 perceived vulnerability, President Donald Trump says 鈥渢ime is running out.鈥� Replying with threats of its own, the Islamic Republic is trying to restore its deterrence.
A US-backed Israel-Syria deal seems close. Why Israel has lingering concerns.President Donald Trump is pushing hard for a security deal between longtime U.S. ally Israel and emerging partner Syria. But Israeli suspicions, and concerns for Syria鈥檚 Druze and Kurds, are complications.
After thousands died in crackdown, Iran is trying to change the narrativeAmid an internet blackout, Iran is blaming outside 鈥渁gents鈥� and 鈥渢errorists鈥� for the death toll. Says one rights lawyer, such 鈥渄enial and distortion鈥� has been heard before.
Syria鈥檚 army is dimming Kurds鈥� dreams of autonomy, as the US looks onAfter a lightning military advance in northeastern Syria, Damascus is demanding that the Kurdish-led SDF, a key U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS, agree to integrate into the national army. The United States has thrown its support behind a unified Syria.
Soggy tents, freezing children: Harsh winter taking a toll on GazaIn Gaza, winter has been an added hardship for displaced Palestinians, particularly the tens of thousands living in tents and pushed alongside the windy and frigid coast. Tents are too few, and too flimsy.
In Iran, witness accounts of atrocities counter regime claims of calmA brutal Iranian crackdown has appeared to quash most protests, and officials are seeking to portray a sense of 鈥渘ational solidarity.鈥� But images and witness accounts of shocking 鈥渁trocities鈥� are accumulating and painting a different picture.
New Gaza governing committee meets, a step forward for fragile ceasefireFormation of the apolitical Palestinian committee, which met for the first time in Cairo, follows months of low-level conflict and unfulfilled pledges that have threatened the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. In Gaza, it was greeted with skepticism and hope.
In Iran, shah鈥檚 1979 fall echoes in today鈥檚 protestsThe historic protests in Iran have become increasingly deadly. They鈥檙e also showing more parallels with another uprising nearly 50 years ago.
Gulf powers fall out over Yemen. At stake is cooperation over Gaza and Syria.A spat over Yemen has quickly spiraled into what is being called a diplomatic 鈥渄ivorce鈥� between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both of which are vying to lead the Middle East into a new era of stability and cooperation.
Seeing an 鈥榚xistential鈥� struggle, Iran cracks down hard on protestsA harsh crackdown is under way in Iran as leaders see a current wave of antigovernment protests as a threat to the regime. The protests began as economic in nature but have been fueled by anger over years of failed state policies.
