Middle East

Six Day War: When Israel moved from survival to revival - opinion

The Six Day War demonstrated that when the Jewish people are united, determined, and prepared to defend their sovereignty, they are capable of changing the course of history.

|BySHIMON REFAELI
Israeli soldiers driving a tank pass a line of waving civilians on the side of a road while advancing into Syria during the Six Day War, June 1967.
Mossad chief David Barnea attends a farewell ceremony in his honor, at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh, on July 14, 2024.

Ex-top Mossad official: Barnea led agency to unprecedented operational reach - interview

Former senior Mossad official Ilan Rom says Barnea’s leadership expanded the agency’s capabilities, allowing dozens of operations at once and boosting Israel’s regional influence.

|ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
FOR IRAN’S Christian community, the postwar crackdown has been particularly severe, with at least 50 members detained by authorities. Here, Iranian Christians take part in the New Year prayer ceremony at a church in Tehran last January.

Iran’s ethnic groups could alter the balance of power - opinion

Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities could play a decisive role in challenging the regime and reshaping the country’s political future.

|ByAHMAD OBALI
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman

The moment for a Saudi peace initiative has arrived, but on new terms - opinion

As the region’s most influential Arab and Muslim state, Saudi Arabia's choices will shape the trajectory of normalization far beyond its own borders.

|ByELIE PODEH, ELAD GILADI

Hamas names former intelligence head Mohammed Ouda as new leader of military wing - report

Ouda was reportedly offered the role of military head after the assassination of Mohammed Sinwar in May of 2025, but turned it down.

MAY 18, 2026BySHIR PERETS
Members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas and mourners attend the funeral of Al-Qassam fighters who were killed during the war between Israel and Hamas in the Al-Shati camp, in Gaza City, February 28, 2025.

Kurdish-US partnership under strain amid regional rivalries, accusations - opinion

Kurdish leaders warn of rising mistrust with Washington amid accusations, regional rivalries, and fears of shifting US alliances in the Middle East.

MAY 18, 2026ByVEYSI DAG
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

Could Pakistan's reported sending forces to Saudi Arabia change regional power balance? - analysis

The deployment includes “8,000 troops, JF-17 jets, drones, HQ-9 air defense system,” and Pakistan will operate the military platforms.

MAY 18, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
PAKISTAN'S PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of Pakistan Asim Munir, reviews the parade at the passing out ceremony of 151st Long Course at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Kakul, Abbottabad, Pakistan April 26, 2025.

Syria joins G7 finance sessions in Paris in sign of legitimization

The two-day G7 finance chiefs' meeting is dominated by global economic imbalances, trade tensions, and the fallout from conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

MAY 18, 2026ByREUTERS
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Secretary-General Mathias Cormann and International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol talk on the day of a G7 finance ministers' and central bank governors' meeting in Paris, France, May 18, 2026.

France’s latest bid to broker Israel-Palestinian peace not likely to work - opinion

France is hosting another two-state summit, reviving decades of diplomacy that have rarely produced tangible results.

MAY 18, 2026ByNEVILLE TELLER
Image of French President Emmanuel Macron in front of images of the French and Israeli flag.

After Assad’s fall, Syrians weigh homecoming against hard reality - analysis

Destroyed homes, weak services, uncertain jobs, and children settled abroad are complicating the return for millions of Syrians displaced by war

MAY 18, 2026ByRIZIK ALABI / THE MEDIA LINE
A Syrian family returns on May 11, 2026 from Turkey.

Abu Dhabi sees leaving OPEC as a matter of national interest - opinion

The future of Emirati relations appears less tied to traditional binaries of friend and foe and more to the logic of the useful partner, the workable path.

MAY 18, 2026BySALEM ALKETBI
The OPEC logo pictured ahead of an informal meeting between members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Algiers, Algeria, September 28, 2016.

CENTCOM regional cooperation stopped 6,000 drones, 1,500 ballistic missiles in Iran war - analysis

Iran targeted numerous countries in the region, including the UAE, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Iraq.

MAY 18, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A screengrab from a video released by CENTCOM shows a flight deck crew member signaling an F‑35 jet on an aircraft carrier, in this image obtained from social media released on February 28, 2026

Israeli Navy boards Turkish flotilla for Gaza, Trump says Iran 'dying to sign' ceasefire deal

Israelis cross border into Syria • IDF faces looming manpower gap • Source: Drone attack on nuclear plant was message for UAE • Trump admin. reoprtedly urging UAE to seize Iran's Lavan Island

MAY 18, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, gather at a port before their departure in the southern Turkish resort of Marmaris, Turkey, May 14, 2026.

Voices from the Arab press: Reading the Jeddah statement

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

MAY 17, 2026ByTHE MEDIA LINE
SAUDI CROWN PRINCE Mohammed bin Salman (R) receives Bahrain’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa ahead of an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council – the first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became a front in the Iran war two months ago – in Jeddah, April 28.