All Middle East
First LookGaza ceasefire sets in motion release of 3 Israeli hostagesA ceasefire in the War in Gaza took effect on Sunday as Hamas released the first three hostages it has held for 15 months during its fighting with Israel.聽
In Gaza and Israel, ceasefire elicits happiness and delayed griefOver more than 15 months of war and loss, Israeli and Palestinian emotions have been rubbed raw, or suppressed. Now they are being released by an imminent ceasefire, even as questions over its durability persist.
In Israel and Gaza, ceasefire deal鈥檚 many uncertainties temper joyWord of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal was greeted with relief and some celebrations. But Israelis and Palestinians have been disappointed before; joy over the fragile deal was muted.
First LookPhased Gaza ceasefire deal is announced between Israel and HamasAfter months of聽on-off negotiations conducted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, there is hope that the remaining details of the ceasefire deal will be resolved within hours and could go into effect on Jan. 19.
With eye on Gaza, Palestinian Authority tackles West Bank militantsPopular support for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has been in steady decline. Now, to burnish its credentials, the authority is taking on a militant stronghold in Jenin. The high-risk move is further dividing Palestinian society.
In Israel鈥檚 democracy battle, an added front: Politicized policeHow central is an independent police force to democracy? In Israel, the politicization of the national police is seen as part of the hard-line government鈥檚 revived judicial overhaul.
First LookLebanon army commander Joseph Aoun is sworn in as president, filling two-year voidFollowing 13 attempts to elect a president, Lebanon鈥檚 parliament has sworn in army commander Joseph Aoun as the head of state. Mr. Aoun is聽the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia.
鈥楥old is death.鈥� For Gazans in flimsy tents, a winter of sorrow and loss.For Palestinian families forced from their homes by 15 months of war, the temporary shelters they have constructed are no match for Gaza鈥檚 winter. Infants are especially vulnerable.
Israel has a Houthi missile problem. It鈥檚 stuck finding a solution.For more than a year, Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels have launched long-distance missile and drone attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping. After Israel largely subdued its Iran-allied enemies closer at hand, it is struggling to deter the Houthis on its own.
First LookIn Syria, small Jewish community can again visit synagogue built 720 years before ChristIn a Damascus suburb, remaining Jews can again visit one of the world鈥檚 oldest synagogues where people throughout the region once came to pray.
Can Syria heal? For many, Step 1 is learning the difficult truth.As Syrians seek to recover from decades of a brutal dictatorship, they want to learn what happened to missing loved ones. For many, the first stop is a notorious prison.
In Syria, what remains of Iran鈥檚 regional 鈥楢xis鈥� is rubble and resentmentFirst Hamas, then Hezbollah, now Syria. As key components of Iran鈥檚 anti-Israel/anti-U.S. 鈥淎xis of Resistance鈥� are sidelined or incapacitated, what is left of Tehran鈥檚 regional strategy?
Is Syrian upheaval the first step to a stabler Middle East?The end of the Assad dictatorship opens the way, perhaps, to a more peaceful and stable Middle East. Will regional leaders take that opportunity?
With Iran on the decline, a new axis rises in Mideast. Syria is still key.For years Turkey and Qatar backed what had been written off as the losing side in Syria鈥檚 civil war. With the Assad regime鈥檚 fall, they are geopolitical winners. The Mideast axis of power is shifting, but it still runs through Syria.
As a post-Assad Syria reopens, Syrians ask: Can we go home?As the barriers to movement into and inside Syria have come down, Syrians are racing to reunite with loved ones and visit their former homes, or what is left of them. It is an emotional time, and the destruction they are finding is often vast.
Waves of joy flood Damascus. But an undercurrent of distrust lingers.The magnitude of the emotions sweeping Damascus cannot be overstated, as our correspondents are witnessing. Unbridled joy is replacing years of terror and unspeakable loss. But the task of restoring order, and faith in a peaceful future, is enormous.
First LookIran is having rolling blackouts. Some electric companies blame bitcoin mining.Bitcoin mining could be behind rolling blackouts in Iran鈥檚 capital and nearby areas. Iranian media reports daily police raids of these illegal operations, which are often set up in apartments and use virtual private networks to evade authorities.
Assad鈥檚 fall has rewards for Israel. It鈥檚 focused on the risks.Invoking its security, Israel moved quickly to seize border positions and smash Syrian military equipment after the fall of the Assad regime. But can it translate its strategic advantage into diplomatic achievements?
With Assad鈥檚 ouster, Russia鈥檚 Mideast influence collapses. What will Moscow do now?Russia kept Syria鈥檚 Bashar al-Assad in power over the last decade. Now he鈥檚 gone. But setbacks in the Mideast are familiar to the Kremlin.
Cover Story鈥榃e are looking for a good future鈥�: Lebanese life amid the rubbleAmid Israeli airstrikes, tens of thousands of Lebanon鈥檚 Shiites fled their homes. After ceasefire, residents express support and anger for Hezbollah.