Gestures toward Palestinians leave Bennett in bind With his rightwing base on the one side, the Biden administration and his coalition partners on the other, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place on bettering the lives of Palestinians. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Israel’s military promotes handler of jailed US spy to brigadier general Aviem Sella's promotion was approved by Defense Minister Benny Gantz. By Al-Monitor Staff
Northern Cyprus president blasts US senator's call for Turkish soldiers to leave island Sen. Bob Menendez called on Turkish soldiers to leave Cyprus, according to Greek media. By Al-Monitor Staff
Iran opens 'drug-trafficking' trial of two Swedish nationals The drug-smuggling trial comes as Sweden prosecutes a former Iranian official linked to the mass killing of dissidents in 1988. By Al-Monitor Staff
Extreme heat takes toll on Egypt's archaeological heritage Extreme heat, in addition to rising sea levels, is having an impact on antiquities and cities overlooking the Mediterranean in Egypt. By Salwa Samir In Giza, reporting on politics
Iranian man 'lashed to death' over alcohol possession While the family released videos of the victim's body with lash marks, authorities claim his death was caused by deteriorating health. By Al-Monitor Staff
Egypt boots public servants from railways over Brotherhood links Egyptian authorities blame Muslim Brotherhood-linked staff for a series of deadly rail accidents and have moved scores of them from operational roles. By A correspondent in Egypt
Is Moscow using the S-400 against Turkey? Ankara denies the suggestion from Moscow that a second batch of S-400s is headed for Turkey and says it is an effort to stall Turkey’s talks with the United States and Europe. By Semih Idiz
Member of IS 'Beatles' expected to plead guilty in US courtroom Alexanda Kotey, a member of the brutal Islamic State cell linked to the kidnapping and killing of Westerners, is expected to plead guilty to one or more of the charges against him. By Al-Monitor Staff
Israel opens Chinese-run terminal at Haifa port Biden's CIA director raised concerns about Beijing's growing investment in Israel, according to a report. By Al-Monitor Staff
Turkey’s ruling alliance to ease election threshold, but opponents smell trap An agreement between the AKP and the MHP to cut the vote baseline to enter parliament from 10% is seen as a bid to undermine the opposition. By Andrew Wilks
Iranian tanker carrying fuel for Lebanon to dock in Syria Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised Iranian vessels would bring fuel to Lebanon amid its harrowing energy crisis. By Al-Monitor Staff
Qatar in talks with Taliban, Turkey to reopen Kabul airport Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said there is “no clear indication” of when flights will resume at Hamid Karzai International Airport. By Al-Monitor Staff
Palestinian president in Cairo for talks with Egyptian, Jordanian leaders Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed the need for Palestinian political unity to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. By Al-Monitor Staff
Abu Dhabi lifts quarantine requirement for vaccinated travelers Under the new guidelines, vaccinated travelers must still test negative for COVID-19 prior to departure and upon landing. By Al-Monitor Staff
Iraqi government says it thwarted cyber plot to rig elections Iraqi authorities succeeded in uncovering plans by cyber hackers to rig the elections, which may end up persuading Iraqi voters to cast their ballots in October. By Omar Sattar