Qatar PM to visit Washington as Gaza cease-fire talks advance Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister, is expected to meet with senior members of the US administration and lawmakers next week. Gulf
Analysis Iran says it won’t interfere in Lebanon-Israel border talks Tehran will still need to sign off on deal if it happens; Iran and Sudan; Netanyahu is a prisoner of hostage talks; US rethinks its force posture in Syria and Iraq; and a US envoy says Israel must be ‘absolutely sure’ in Gaza military operations. By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti , Samuel Wendel
Analysis Egypt's tourism boom offers respite from foreign currency woes, Gaza war Egyptian tourism revenues and the number of holidaymakers visiting reached record highs in 2023 but will unlikely be enough to cure Cairo’s financial problems. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
State Department to notify Congress of Turkey’s F-16 sale: sources Sources told Al-Monitor that the State Department will formally notify Congress of the pending F-16 sale as soon as today. Turkey
Arab world, Iran, Turkey welcome ICJ ruling in Israel's genocide case The region welcomed the ICJ’s ruling demanding Israel act to prevent acts of genocide against Gazans. Palestine
US pauses UNRWA funding after employees accused of Oct. 7 involvement The US paused new funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees while it reviews allegations that some of the organization's employees were involved in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Palestine
Yemen’s Houthis fire missile at US warship as Biden seeks China's aid The Houthis targeted a US Navy destroyer with an anti-ship ballistic missile as Biden's top adviser was due to meet China's top diplomat in Thailand on Friday to discuss reining in the Yemeni faction's attacks. Yemen
As Turkey, Azerbaijan advance Zangezur Corridor, will Armenia play ball? The Zangezur transport corridor is set to help link Europe and China later this year, but Armenian resistance remains an issue. Turkey
