Tillerson's departure could disrupt US-Turkey progress With US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson leaving office, critical Turkey-US plans to meet about Syria could be delayed as Ankara recalibrates to face incoming Mike Pompeo. By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
No end to Yemen war in sight as Saudi Arabia, Iran lock horns The war in Yemen drags on even as it continues to bleed Saudi Arabia while increasing international pressure on Iran. By An Al-Monitor correspondent
Iranian media compares Trump to Ahmadinejad amid Tillerson dismissal Iranian media draw parallels between President Donald Trump and Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad amid the dismissal of Rex Tillerson. By Al-Monitor Staff
Mystery lingers over Turkey’s missing weapons The Turkish government is reluctant or unable to explain the extraordinary increase in lost or stolen guns in the country, including weapons distributed and now missing since the 2016 coup attempt. By Zulfikar Dogan
Latest Israeli political crisis exposes fragile coalition Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s maneuvering through the coalition crisis and early elections has broken whatever trust his coalition partners had in him and left him weaker. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Why Erdogan called for updating Islam Misogyny in the name of Islam proved shocking to Turkey’s secularists, but it also was disturbing to most moderate religious conservatives, many of whom vote for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. By Mustafa Akyol
Egyptian campaign speaks up for architectural heritage Inspired by the plight of an Alexandria villa that has played an important literary role, a group of Egyptians are working to educate the public and protect the remaining palaces and other architectural wealth of Egypt. By David Awad
Holding Libyan elections this year could be disastrous There's a lot of pressure to hold elections in Libya this year, but many observers fear the country is still too unstable to pull it off without making the situation even worse. By Mat Nashed
Palestinians pin hopes on Pompeo The Palestinian leadership hopes that the friendship between intelligence chief Majid Faraj and Mike Pompeo, who will soon be appointed US secretary of state, will help thaw relations between Washington and Ramallah. By Shlomi Eldar
Netanyahu’s lesson on power limits The leaders of HaBayit HaYehudi and Shas parties joined forces to stop Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for early elections in June. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Animators with passion bring humor to digital content in Gaza Three young Palestinians are determined to create socially relevant and sometimes-humorous digital content in Gaza despite some obstacles. By Ahmed Sammak
Sisi pitches Sinai development to business world Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has called on the country’s business leaders to help develop Sinai, but interest has been underwhelming so far. By Ahmed Gomaa
Gazan family discovers Roman site in backyard A Gaza family’s discovery of the remains of a Roman cemetery in their backyard spurred a major conflict between the family and the authorities. By Tareq Subhi Hajjaj (Palestine Pulse)
Iran deal advocates prepare to battle Pompeo nomination President Trump’s pick to replace Rex Tillerson at the State Department has called the Iran agreement “disastrous” and threatened military action against Iran. By Bryant Harris In Washington, reporting on Congress
With Tillerson firing, Trump throws transatlantic Iran talks into disarray In a tweet, US President Donald Trump threw transatlantic consultations on Iran into disarray March 13 with his surprise decision to fire Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. By Laura Rozen
Pentagon braces for emboldened Iran after Syria gains The Pentagon’s top commander in the Middle East told lawmakers today that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s gains in the yearslong civil war will bolster Iran’s ability to frustrate US aims in the region. By Jack Detsch