Middle east news

The Turkey trap: Israel has air superiority over Ankara, but no reason to fight - opinion

Israel’s strike in Syria risks turning tensions with Turkey into a confrontation that serves neither country

|ByANDREW FOX
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan holds a press conference during NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8. Relations between Israel and Turkey have repeatedly deteriorated and recovered, but their competing interests in post-Assad Syria have introduced a new source of strategic friction.Premium
TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, next to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, on August 7, 2026.

Mecca pact unites Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan - but what does it mean? - opinion

The significance of the Mecca pact will depend less on the language of the agreement than on its implementation.

|ByVAS SHENOY
Atef Najib, a brigadier general and former head of the Political Security Department in Daraa during Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad's rule, who is accused of committing war crimes, attends a trial session at the Palace of Justice, in Damascus, Syria, April 26, 2026.

Assad brothers summoned in absentia as Syria opens landmark trial of former security chief

The court’s summonses for Bashar and Maher Assad added symbolic weight to a proceeding targeting figures once considered untouchable

|ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
US first lady Melania Trump presides over a United Nations Security Council meeting, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 2, 2026.

Trump, Netanyahu and the irony of Responsibility to Protect in Iran - opinion

Trump and Netanyahu may unintentionally act in line with the UN’s Responsibility to Protect principle.

|ByDAN PERRY

Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and Ethiopia join BRICS, doubling membership

Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt are the latest countries to join BRICS, implying some very drastic dynamic shifts in the region.

JANUARY 3, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar attend a BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, June 1.

Turkey says it rounds up 33 suspected spies for Israel's Mossad

Turkey has harshly criticized Israel for its bombardment of Gaza in its war with Hamas, with Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly exchanging barbs last week.

JANUARY 2, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators, part of a convoy coming from several Turkish cities, take part in a protest against the U.S. and Israel near the Incirlik Air Base in the southern city of Adana, Turkey November 5, 2023

Khamenei promises ‘de-Americanization’ of Mideast - analysis

All eyes are on Iran in terms of the next moves it may make. 

NOVEMBER 29, 2023BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A member of the Iranian police holds a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the 44th anniversary of the US expulsion from Iran, earlier this month, in Tehran.

Israel’s regional strategy amid Hamas war

Israel’s challenge today goes far beyond defeating Hamas, with the IDF also needing to keep it from expanding to the North and the West Bank, and keeping Iran from exploiting it.

OCTOBER 12, 2023BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
IDF sniper at the Gaza border.

Jordanian PM reshuffles cabinet for 7th time, to mixed response

In a controversial move, Prime Minister Khasawneh has made far-reaching changes to the makeup and leadership of his government ministries

OCTOBER 3, 2023ByDAOUD KUTTAB/THE MEDIA LINE
Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh speaks during a joint news conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon September 30, 2021.

Yemen's national airline to suspend flights from Sanaa to Jordan

Yemenia said in a statement that it had been unable to withdraw its funds in Sanaa banks for several months and called on the Houthi authorities to lift restrictions "illegally" imposed on its assets

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023ByREUTERS
A Yemenia Airbus A320 plane is pictured through the window of an Etihad Airways plane after it landed on the runway at Cairo International Airport, Egypt

US caver rescued after days-long climb from 1,000 meters deep in Turkish cave

The American caver reportedly began suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding at a depth of 1,040 meters.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023ByREUTERS
U.S. caver Mark Dickey is seen in Morca Cave, days before he fell ill and became trapped some 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) underground, near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Turkey

Iranian intifada: How Iran orchestrates waves of terror in Israel - analysis

Iranian funding and the proliferation of weapons under the Iranian directive are believed to be the reasons for the uptick in terror in Israel.

AUGUST 31, 2023BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
The scene of a car ramming terrorist attack next to the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem, Israel, on April 24, 2023.

Terror in Israel is out of control - what can be done? - analysis

In eight months of this year, it has become the bloodiest one since the Second Intifada nearly 20 years ago.

AUGUST 31, 2023ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
The scene of a terrorist shooting in Tel Aviv on Saturday, August 5, 2023.

Jordan downs drone from Syria in third incident this month

Jordan, which has intensified military drills along its border with Syria, announced 10 days ago it had foiled a large smuggling operation.

AUGUST 28, 2023ByREUTERS
A picture released by the Jordanian Armed Forces website shows what it said is a drone carrying crystal meth that was flying into Jordanian territory from neighbouring Syria that the Jordanian army downed on Jordan's side of the border, Jordan August 13, 2023