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
As China-Iran talks continue, Beijing keeps up outreach to Gulf While Iran and China are still working to finalize a 25-year strategic partnership plan, Chinese officials continue to expand bilateral ties with the Gulf, something that could have unexpected implications for Iran-GCC ties. United Arab Emirates
France’s Sarkozy charged in Libya campaign funding probe Prosecutors are investigating whether the former French president received illegal campaign financing from Moammar Gadhafi's regime. Libya
Biden slams Trump's Iran policy at town hall The Democratic presidential candidate also praised Trump's work on the UAE-Israel deal. Israel
Intel: EU sanctions suspected head of Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group Kremlin insider Yevgeny Prigozhin is suspected of involvement in Wagner's paramilitary activities in Libya Libya
Libya detains alleged human trafficker sanctioned by UN The United Nations imposed sanctions on Abd al-Rahman al-Milad, a former Libyan coast guard commander, in 2018. Libya
Qatar Airways reaches 100 destinations with Sofia, Bucharest fights Qatar's flagship airline flew to around 160 airports before the COVID-19 pandemic, and this figure dropped to 30 at one point amid the crisis. Originals
Yemen’s rival sides begin largest-yet prisoner swap The Houthi rebels and the Aden-based government agreed last month to exchange 1,081 prisoners. Yemen
Yemen's Houthi rebels release two US citizens in prisoner swap Officials from Saudi Arabia and Oman helped negotiate the release Saudi Arabia
Religion and policy collide in Saudi-hosted interfaith forum The G-20 interfaith forum will be virtually hosted by Riyadh this year, while the kingdom faces mounting criticism for human rights violations and religious persecution. Saudi Arabia
Will Russia recruit Syrian Kurds to fight in Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict? While Russia will likely avoid direct involvement in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, there are signs it could draw lessons from Libya and recruit fighters from Syria to do its bidding. Syria
Pompeo calls on Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also raised human rights concerns during a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan. Saudi Arabia
Qatar extends mandatory travel quarantine through Dec. 31 Travelers from "low-risk countries" must quarantine for at least seven days upon arrival. Qatar