Aden standoff puts Hadi's legitimacy at stake The seizure of Aden by Yemeni separatists threatens to fracture the Saudi-led coalition. Saudi Arabia
Are Libyan Turks Ankara’s Trojan horse? The descendants of Ottoman Turks represent an important foothold for Turkey in Libya, but the community is dispersed in various political and military camps, with some even resentful toward Ankara. Turkey
Is Middle East's young labor boom blessing or curse? By 2040, the Middle East and North Africa will see a sharp increase in young people who enter the labor force, which could lead to disaster if areas like education aren’t improved. Lebanon
Why is Netanyahu reviving Palestinians' ‘willing relocation’? Past attempts to encourage Palestinians to voluntarily emigrate have always failed, so time and effort would be better invested in reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement than pursuing a new push by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Gaza residents to voluntarily move elsewhere. Near East
Why is Khan Sheikhoun important for Syrian regime? Syrian regime forces took full control over Khan Sheikhoun and besieged some opposition-held areas from which a large number of fighters withdrew. Syria
Egyptian clerics reach out to vacationing young people Egypt’s Ministry of Religious Endowments is sending clerics to the North Coast, as videos of young people dancing on the beach there have recently surfaced. Egypt
Syrians in makeshift displacement camp face ‘impossible choice’ A joint United Nations-Syrian Arab Red Crescent mission has arrived at the Rukban camp, near the Jordanian border, where more than 10,000 people are living in dire conditions, to ask them if they want to go back to the government-held area of Homs province. Jordan
Can Abbas revive peace vote for Israeli left? A meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a Democratic Union delegation was conducted with the hope of returning the two-state solution to Israeli electoral politics and encouraging Israelis who still back that approach to get out and vote in Knesset elections in September. Palestine
Egypt’s security forces face accusations of extrajudicial killings Egyptian security forces killed 17 suspects they say were involved in a car bomb that killed more than 20 people in Cairo, raising questions about the operation, which happened quickly. Egypt
Hamas seeks ties with other factions, Palestinian families Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar revealed details of a recent meeting between Hamas and Islamic Jihad to coordinate efforts to confront Israel and pursue the Palestinian cause. Palestine
Macron to press Trump on Iran diplomacy at G-7 French President Emmanuel Macron says he will present US President Donald Trump ideas for an economic incentive package to try to advance Iran diplomacy at the G-7 summit in Biarritz this weekend. United States
How Russia could facilitate China’s role in rebuilding Syria Moscow and Beijing are eyeing a number of opportunities to push forward on the reconstruction of Syria and Lebanon could play a central role. Lebanon
Likud fears small right-wing parties will fail elections Polls show that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t have enough seats to put together a right-wing, ultra-Orthodox government, yet three small parties on the far right still don’t plan to drop out of the race. Israel
Netanyahu turns his back on Democrats, US Jews Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not react to the statement by President Donald Trump about American Jews not loyal to their homeland, because for a long while now he has not counted them as a strategic asset of Israel. Israel
End game looms for Turkey in Idlib Turkey has found itself with little room to maneuver in Idlib after its last-minute moves failed to avert the fall of Khan Sheikhoun in a Syrian army offensive that seemed to be a response to the new Turkish-US partnership to the east of the Euphrates River. Syria
Turkey recalibrates refugee policy as Idlib fighting displaces more Syrians Turkey’s Interior Ministry is moving to formalize refugee policies as new wave of displaced Syrians amasses in Idlib. Syria
