Intel: US announces Iran, Syria sanctions ahead of democracy summit The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Iranian and Syrian targets in the run-up to the administration’s virtual gathering of the world's democracies. United States
Turkey and Qatar sign cooperation agreements Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cemented his country’s alliance with Qatar during a visit to Doha, signing agreements on disaster management, banking and more. News Brief
UAE switches to Saturday-Sunday weekend, shorter workweek The move means the United Arab Emirates will share a weekend with the Americas, Europe, and much of Africa and Asia. Many Middle Eastern states retain the Islamic workweek. News Brief
German video reignites Turkish Circassian controversy Turkey’s Circassian groups have found themselves in the crosshairs of nationalist parties after complaining of assimilation. Turkey
Muqtada Sadr uses personal diplomacy in search of Iraqi deal Populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is seeking to close the deal among Iraq's Shiite parties. Iraq
Turkey’s health care workers go on strike Left out of a bill that gave doctors a raise, Turkey’s nurses and other health care workers are going on strike as Turkey reports 20,000 daily cases of COVID-19. Turkey
Saudi Arabia seeks support as Yemen war heats up again The kingdom is asking allies to resupply its Patriot missile munitions as Riyadh and Yemen's Houthis trade bombardments. Yemen
Turkey strikes Yazidi militia in Iraq The Sinjar Resistance Units is a member of the Popular Mobilization Units, making it officially part of the Iraqi security forces. Iraq
Israel strikes Syrian port used by Iran Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett appeared to make a rare admission that Israel was behind the strike. News Brief
Jihadis from Syria blamed for multiple attacks on Iraqi Kurds An onslaught of attacks on Kurdish peshmerga forces and villages in northern Iraq has sparked concerns over the presence of Islamic State cells and whether they have been bulked up by jihadis arriving from Syria. Iraq
Bennett begins to echo Netanyahu on Iran Despite his declared intentions, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett seems to be using tension with the Biden administration on Iran to his advantage. Israel
Cairo initiates Hebrew translation of Quran Egyptian Minister of Endowments (Awqaf) Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa announced on Dec. 1 that the Quran will be translated into Hebrew because existing translations include many errors. Egypt
Sudan's prime minister halts government appointments Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok decides to cancel all appointments across governmental positions in the wake of the Oct. 25 incidents. Egypt
Israel’s Bennett talks up trilateral security alliance with Greece, Cyprus In a joint press conference with counterparts from Greece and Cyprus, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett pledged to continue and reinforce the trilateral cooperation between the three allies. Israel
Lebanon's elderly population devastated by crash As one of the 16 countries in the world that don’t offer social security, older people in Lebanon are spending their last years struggling and depending on aid groups to survive. Lebanon
Ex-ally drops bomb at Netanyahu trial Nir Hefetz, who was a close associate of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed at his trial that the premier had endangered Israel’s security. Israel
