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
Democrats clash over resolution calling for two-state solution Democratic leaders and members are bickering over a resolution meant to reaffirm Washington’s longstanding commitment to a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestine
A Bedouin band upcycles remnants of war for making music An ammunition box and a jerry can from the 1967 Arab-Israeli War has helped a Bedouin band make a name for itself. Egypt
Berber language heard but not seen in Siwa Oasis The Siwi language, used by Berbers in the Siwa Oasis, is considered endangered by UNESCO, but political obstacles prevent efforts to document and promote it. Egypt
Congress struggles to sanction Saudis for Khashoggi murder Faced with opposition from the White House and Senate Republican leadership, Congress is struggling to pass Saudi sanctions legislation. Saudi Arabia
Tunisian president's death leaves conflicted legacy, unclear future The ultimate measure of late President Beji Caid Essebsi's rule may be the seamless transfer of power to a new Tunisian president. Tunisia
UAE faces growing resentment in southern Yemen The United Arab Emirates is cutting back its forces in Yemen for a variety of reasons, though not exiting entirely, leaving Saudi Arabia to fill in at some strategic sites such as Aden and Perim Island to secure the Bab el-Mandeb Strait’s lucrative shipping lanes. Saudi Arabia
Republicans push tepid Trump to sanction Turkey After huddling with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, Republican senators tell Al-Monitor that the president isn’t keen on sanctioning Turkey. Turkey
Intel: Pentagon chief says European-led Gulf initiative complements US On his first day on the job at the Pentagon, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that a fresh European-led initiative to defend ships transiting the Gulf was complementary to the Donald Trump administration’s separate efforts to gather allies to protect shipping in the region. United States
Intel: Why Russia is calling for rethinking Gulf security On Tuesday, Russia’s presidential envoy for the Middle East and African countries and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov laid out Russia’s proposal for collective security in the Persian Gulf. Russia
Intel: Why 5 Democratic presidential hopefuls just rebelled against Trump’s new defense secretary An overwhelming bipartisan majority of the Senate voted 90-8 Tuesday to confirm former Army Secretary Mark Esper as President Donald Trump’s new defense secretary. Saudi Arabia
Special operations forces reflect on lessons of terror fight The Pentagon’s command for elite special operations forces is assessing how repeated deployments to the Middle East during the war on terror have impacted the forces' core values. Iraq
Kuwait extradites accused Muslim Brotherhood cell to Egypt Kuwait has handed over to Egypt members of an alleged Muslim Brotherhood group in the country. Kuwait