Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
US set for risky IS mission with leader’s death in Syria Saturday’s raid that took the life of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi offered a preview of what’s to come for the slimmed-down, US-led fight against IS, officials and experts say, which is now set to focus extensively on targeting the group’s leaders from larger US bases in Iraq and American units in Syria. Iraq
What takes Lebanese women to front line in protests? Since the start of Lebanon’s protests Oct. 17, women have been on the front lines acting as a buffer between protesters and security forces. Lebanon
Basra Museum struggles to keep Iraq's heritage at home The Basra Museum displays around 2,200 objects from the Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian and Hellenistic eras — 100 of which were reportedly looted and returned to Iraq from Jordan and the United States. Iraq
Can Egypt's newest search engine root out extremism? Egypt's Islamic authority Dar al-Ifta has launched a search engine to track extremist content in the fight against terrorism and Islamophobia, but critics believe much more is needed. Egypt
Islamic State leader dead in US raid Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during a raid in northwestern Syria, says President Donald Trump. Iraq
New Iraqi board games revisit cultural heritage, create common ground Iraqis have played board games for millennia, and a new generation of them are creating new ones steeped in Iraqi history with the hope of getting more of them to put down their screens and meet other players face to face. Iraq
Art, urban planning rejuvenates Central Anatolian city Eskisehir combines restored Ottoman-era homes with new and hip museums, bars and galleries, attracting people from all over Turkey. Turkey
Sanctions experts say new US Treasury measure could inhibit humanitarian trade with Iran The US Treasury's new Iran "humanitarian" mechanism is seen by experts as a tool to inform new sanctions on the country. United States
Syrian Kurdish commander sparks fresh US-Turkish row Mazlum Kobane, the chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, may visit Washington — a move that would likely prompt Turkish calls for his extradition. Syria
US military aid to Lebanon continues amid protests The Pentagon is not cutting off military aid to Lebanon amid countrywide protests. Lebanon
Why Picasso continues to inspire the Levant Picasso-Mediterranee, a two-year project highlighting the rich ties of the 20th century’s prodigal painter to the Mediterranean, concludes with exhibitions in the Levantine port cities of Izmir and Beirut. Lebanon
Pentagon weighs options to deter Russians in Syria After Russian forces in Syria appeared to be heading toward oil fields, the Pentagon proposed deploying tanks as a measure to guard the installations, a US official told Al-Monitor. Iraq