Erdogan meets virtually with EU leaders under coronavirus cloud Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a mini Syria summit with France, the United Kingdom and Germany's leaders today. By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Intel: Senate plans imminent vote on Lebanon sanctions bill The Senate is getting ready to vote on legislation that would sanction Lebanese officials responsible for wrongfully detaining American citizens, Al-Monitor has learned. By Bryant Harris In Washington, reporting on Congress
From cannabis to cologne, Turks flaunt their ‘cures’ to coronavirus As the number of coronavirus cases quadruples in Turkey, columnists and health gurus return to tradition: soup and cologne. By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir, reporting on culture
Netanyahu’s coronavirus strategy erodes Israel’s democracy Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exploits the coronavirus panic to erode Israel’s democracy, limit the Knesset, introduce emergency-mode regulations, and prevent Blue and White from implementing the majority garnered by the opposition bloc. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Iraq's latest prime minister-designate faces opposition from Iran-backed militias Iraqi President Barham Salih designates a former Najaf governor, Adnan Zurfi, as prime minister amid strong objection from Iran-backed militias. By Ali Mamouri
UAE sends medical aid to Iran as coronavirus outbreak intensifies The coronavirus outbreak is hitting Iran, which is already suffering under economic sanctions, hard, but the United Arab Emirates is offering substantial assistance. By Al-Monitor Staff
Iran hard-liners storm shrines closed due to coronavirus Groups of Iranian Shiite hard-liners briefly unsealed holy shrines in Qom and Mashhad in protest of the government's closure against the coronavirus epidemic. By Al-Monitor Staff
Intel: White Helmets chief urges humanitarian aid for Syria’s Idlib The head of Syria’s White Helmets rescue force has been making the rounds in Washington over the last week to spotlight the dire humanitarian crisis in Idlib. By Bryant Harris In Washington, reporting on Congress
On near-national lockdown, Israelis ordered indoors unless ‘absolutely necessary’ Israel's new steps, which are aimed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, include further restrictions on Palestinian day laborers entering Israel. By Al-Monitor Staff
Jerusalem alliance fills gap in coronavirus awareness A group of Jerusalem-based activists launched an alliance to raise awareness and provide emergency needs to the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem amid the coronavirus outbreak. By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics
Coronavirus cripples Egypt’s tourism industry Some analysts fear long-term effects on Egypt’s tourism sector from the coronavirus outbreak. By Menna A. Farouk
North Africa braces for coronavirus It remains unclear how the coronavirus outbreak will affect the economies and social fabric of North African countries. By Simon Speakman Cordall
Mission impossible 2.0: Idlib plan stumbles at outset The latest Russian-Turkish deal in Syria’s rebel bastion of Idlib is off to a shaky start amid threats by armed groups to respond violently to attempts to open the critical M4 highway. By Fehim Tastekin In Paris, reporting on Turkish politics
Banksy's hotel offers dark humor as Bethlehem becomes ghost town Bethlehem's Walled Off Hotel painted its facade black in protest of US President Donald Trump's peace plan, but the situation is even darker with the coronavirus alert in the city. By Ahmad Melhem In Ramallah, reporting on politics
Israel tightens grip on Palestinian workers to limit COVID-19 The Israeli authorities have decided to prevent Palestinian construction workers who are crucial for the Israeli construction sector from commuting from and to the West Bank for fear that this could help spread the coronavirus in Israel. By Ahmad Melhem In Ramallah, reporting on politics
Coronavirus spreads in Egypt, can authorities control it? Egypt announced a set of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus as the number of infected cases rise across the country. By Mohammed Magdy In Berlin, reporting on Egyptian politics