The administrative detention threatening Israel-Jordan ties As Israel and Jordan mark the 25th anniversary of their peace treaty, the highly complex and sensitive relationship is being strained further by the ongoing administrative detention of Heba al-Labadi. Palestine
US set for risky IS mission with leader’s death in Syria Saturday’s raid that took the life of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi offered a preview of what’s to come for the slimmed-down, US-led fight against IS, officials and experts say, which is now set to focus extensively on targeting the group’s leaders from larger US bases in Iraq and American units in Syria. Iraq
What takes Lebanese women to front line in protests? Since the start of Lebanon’s protests Oct. 17, women have been on the front lines acting as a buffer between protesters and security forces. Lebanon
Iran downplays significance of Baghdadi's death Iranian officials have shrugged off the news that the United States killed the Islamic State leader. Iraq
Basra Museum struggles to keep Iraq's heritage at home The Basra Museum displays around 2,200 objects from the Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian and Hellenistic eras — 100 of which were reportedly looted and returned to Iraq from Jordan and the United States. Iraq
New IS leader takes over following Baghdadi’s death A closer look at the Islamic State's first leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's chosen successor, Abdullah Qardash, offers some insight into what's next for the terror group. Iraq
Libyan parliamentarians meet in Cairo As the Berlin conference to resolve the Libyan crisis approaches, members of Libyan House of Representatives met in Cairo in an attempt to rally support for Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter. Egypt
US troops leaving Syria can't stay in Iraq, Baghdad says Despite Washington's willingness to keep its troops in Iraq after withdrawing them from Syria, Baghdad has told the United States to get them out in short order. Iraq
Kurdish leader's rising profile with US, Russia angers Turkey The Turkish government has kicked off a campaign to demonize Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazlum Kobane after the latter's recent conversations with the US president and top Russian officials. Syria
Will Adana accord take Erdogan to Damascus? Drawing on a controversial 1998 accord between Ankara and Damascus, Russia wants to get Turkey on board with its game plans for Syria and beyond, including energy in the eastern Mediterranean. Syria
Tunisia's new low-profile president defies definition Tunisians are waiting to learn more about the political and intellectual identity of their new president, Kais Saied. Tunisia
Can Egypt's newest search engine root out extremism? Egypt's Islamic authority Dar al-Ifta has launched a search engine to track extremist content in the fight against terrorism and Islamophobia, but critics believe much more is needed. Egypt
Lebanon protests stir clash of priorities between Hezbollah and its base Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has told his followers not to join the protests, causing consternation among many of his Shiite followers who have been demonstrating against the Lebanese government. Lebanon
Islamic State leader dead in US raid Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during a raid in northwestern Syria, says President Donald Trump. Iraq
New Iraqi board games revisit cultural heritage, create common ground Iraqis have played board games for millennia, and a new generation of them are creating new ones steeped in Iraqi history with the hope of getting more of them to put down their screens and meet other players face to face. Iraq
Art, urban planning rejuvenates Central Anatolian city Eskisehir combines restored Ottoman-era homes with new and hip museums, bars and galleries, attracting people from all over Turkey. Turkey
