Palestinians attend prayers at Al-Aqsa mosque amid Israeli virus restrictions Israeli officials controlling access to the mosque had limited the number of Palestinians able to worship on Friday, citing coronavirus concerns. Palestine
Can Turkey rely on Libyan PM to guarantee its strategic interests? Ankara’s two critical deals with Tripoli remain in limbo even though Libya’s new prime minister raised Turkish spirits during a much-hyped visit this week. Turkey
Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Emirates hold strategic meeting Top foreign affairs officials of Israel, Greece, Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates meet in Cyprus. Israel
Turkey bans cryptocurrency payments The Turkish Central Bank said cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are too risky and forbade their use in the country. News Brief
Surprising economic upside seen for Egypt, Morocco and Iran Reports this month by the IMF and the US intelligence community also underscore troubling trendlines. Egypt
Taliban, Assad continue to unite Russia, Iran While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed ways to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal in his visit to Tehran this week, the topics of Syria and Afghanistan also featured prominently on the agenda. Russia
Iran reaches 60% uranium enrichment The announcement further violates the Iran nuclear deal that is currently being discussed with the United States in Vienna. News Brief
US slams Yemen’s Houthis for ignoring cease-fire Condemnation comes as Washington rallies European and Gulf support for implementing the cease-fire and 2019 Riyadh agreement. Yemen
Israel targets Hamas sites after rocket attack The Israeli military said its warplanes struck a Hamas weapons manufacturing site, a tunnel and a military post. News Brief
Production stalls on Egypt's 'The King' over Pharaonic accuracy While some Egyptians see the suspension of work on the series "El-Malek" as controlling creative expression, others feel that the move is necessary to protect Egypt's identity from historical inaccuracies. Egypt
Kataib Hezbollah controls access points to key Iraqi border city Iran-linked armed groups have over the past year tightened and consolidated their grip on a key border area between Iraq and Syria, preventing journalists from entering and local residents from farming their land. Iraq
Israel stands alone on Iran It is now clear that Israel has been left on its own as the Americans strive for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict with Iran. Israel
Congresswoman introduces bill to condition US aid to Israel The legislation from a progressive representative reflects a trend in the Democratic party toward pro-Palestinian positions and criticism of Israel. Congress
Virus surge threatens northeast Syria camps, Save the Children warns Authorities this month have confirmed 46 coronavirus cases across three camps hosting displaced people in northeast Syria. Syria
Egypt joins Gulf region’s Combined Maritime Forces led by US Egypt's participation in the task force comes as Russia seeks closer defense ties with Cairo and Sudan. Gulf
House panel considers US policy options in Syria Members of the subcommittee also pressed witnesses on whether regime change in Syria is an option. United States
