The forthcoming Palestinian elections have generated a good deal of speculation. Among the many players, one rather enigmatic figure is Mohammed Dahlan. Long believed to harbor the ambition of succeeding Mahmoud Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority, he is currently facing a political dilemma. “Dahlan is a convicted criminal,” …

The Israeli military said its warplanes struck a Hamas weapons manufacturing site, a tunnel and a military post. Israeli warplanes struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip early on Friday in what the Israel Defense Forces said came in retaliation for a rocket fired at southern Israel several hours before. …

Egypt’s participation in the task force comes as Russia seeks closer defense ties with Cairo and Sudan. Egypt became the 34th member of the US-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) on Wednesday, marking the latest regional contribution to the multinational security and counterterrorism coalition. The US Navy’s 5th Fleet commander, Vice …