The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
Macron advocates Saudi, Israeli inclusion in Iran nuclear talks The United States says it will present a "unified front" with Europe on Iran strategy once consultations with allies conclude. Saudi Arabia
Israel's Netanyahu postpones trip to UAE and Bahrain amid virus surge The prime minister cited Israel's suspension of flights for pushing back the historic trip to the Gulf. United Arab Emirates
Iranian diplomat sentenced to prison for bomb plot on Iranian opposition group The Iranian government strongly condemned the trial. The bomb plot targeted the controversial National Council of Resistance of Iran. Iran
Biden's UN pick passes through Senate Foreign Relations Committee The top Democrat on the committee said he trusts Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Iran and Israel, but his Republican counterparts were more critical. Originals
Turkey’s talk of peace with Armenia rings hollow A Turkey analyst reported that Turkey claims to be ready to reconcile with Armenia if Yerevan is willing to "take a step," but is that likely? Turkey
Islamic State officials behind Baghdad bombing killed, prime minister says The strike follows the killing of IS' top official for Iraq near Kirkuk last week. Iraq
Russian Sputnik V first vaccine to arrive in Iran Iran has officially received its first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine from Russia. Iran
Biden to end US support for offensive operations in Yemen President Joe Biden also appointed a special envoy for the war-wrecked country. Yemen
Lebanese activist and Hezbollah critic Lukman Slim shot dead Slim was shot while visiting southern Lebanon. The government has vowed an investigation amid speculation on Hezbollah's alleged involvement. Lebanon
Iraq mourns the first set of remains of Yazidi genocide victims More than six years after the massacre, before their burial in Sinjar on Feb. 4, Iraqis held a funeral for Yazidis who were murdered en masse by the Islamic State in 2014. Iraq
Four Tunisian soldiers killed during patrol near Algeria border Tunisia's mountainous area is a hotbed of Islamist insurgent activity. Originals
How Turkey fits in regime-Kurdish showdown in Syria Some claim that a secret deal between Ankara and Damascus is behind the latest escalation between the Syrian government and the Kurds, but the situation could be more complex than it seems. Syria
