Middle East: News and Reviews from The New York Times

Here is the latest Middle East News from The New York Times.

Assad May Bet That Russia and the West Need Him More Than He Needs Them
Even though Russia has begun withdrawing from Syria, its aerial bombing campaign has bolstered President Bashar al-Assad’s confidence and ambitions.

Editorial: The Kurds’ Push for Self-Rule in Syria
A proposal for a semiautonomous region in Syria might be an idea worth building on.

The Mideast Came to Idaho State. It Wasn’t the Best Fit.
College students from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have brought much-needed money to the predominantly Mormon city, but it has made for a troubled mix.

19 Yemeni Jews Arrive in Israel, Ending Secret Rescue Operation
They came from an ancient and once-vibrant group that became increasingly imperiled by violence and war.

Turkish Member of ISIS Carried Out Istanbul Bombing, Official Says
Mehmet Ozturk was the perpetrator of a suicide bombing that killed four foreigners in Istanbul on Saturday, the Turkish interior minister said.

Sanctions Eased, Iran Sends Black Market a Strategic Warning
A billionaire businessman’s death sentence signals a crackdown on violators, but Iran still needs underground networks in order to recoup money and generate trade despite remaining obstacles.

U.S. Marine Killed by Islamic State Rocket Attack in Iraq
The assault on a coalition base in the north resulted in the second combat death for the United States since it first struck ISIS in 2014.

Q. And A.: The Culture of Rape Within ISIS, and the Questions That Arise
Excerpts from a live discussion concerning the systematic rape and sexual slavery of Yazidi women and young girls held captive by the Islamic State.

Plane Crashes in Russia, All 61 People on Board Killed
Russian officials said on Saturday that all 61 people on board a passenger jet flying from Dubai to southern Russia were killed when their plane crashed on its second attempt to land at Rostov-on-Don airport.

Killing of Italian Student, Giulio Regeni, Puts Focus on Egypt’s Stability
The case of Mr. Regeni, who was tortured and killed, has Western officials debating how to address the worsening human rights situation in Egypt.

U.N. Condemns Airstrikes That Killed 106 in Yemen
A Saudi-led coalition carried out the attacks, which appear to be the deadliest yet in its yearlong intervention in the civil war.

Defense Secretary Calls Iranian Seizure of American Sailors ‘Outrageous’
On Thursday, Ashton B. Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran’s actions in January may have violated international law.

Hassan Aboud, an ISIS Commander, Dies From Battlefield Wounds
The death of Mr. Aboud, who was profiled in The Times last year and wounded near Aleppo, Syria, ended a neatly predictable arc for a jihadist fighter.

Citing Atrocities, John Kerry Calls ISIS Actions Genocide
The secretary of state’s declaration, made in response to a congressional deadline, is unlikely to change American policy.

Ramallah Journal: A Legislature Where Palestinian Lawmakers Go to Hide
The all-but-abandoned Palestinian Parliament building in Ramallah, West Bank, is a haven for legislators avoiding arrest by their own government and Israeli forces.

Junpei Yasuda, Japanese Journalist Missing in Syria, Surfaces in Video
Mr. Yasuda is believed to be held by the Nusra Front, an affiliate of Al Qaeda that has taken a number of foreigners.

Meir Dagan, Former Mossad Director, Dies at 71
He was widely credited with setting back Iran’s nuclear program through covert and daring operations while at the intelligence agency.

In Search for Nefertiti, Hints Are Found in Tutankhamen’s Tomb
Radar scans showed that organic material or metal could be hidden behind the walls, faint clues that the ancient Egyptian queen might be buried there.

World Briefing: Qatar: Jailed Poet Is Freed, U.N. Says
The poet, Muhammad ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, was pardoned after serving part of a 15-year sentence over verses he wrote that apparently offended the government of the nation’s former ruler.

Syrian Kurds Hope to Establish a Federal Region in Country’s North
Such a move would fall well short of declaring independence but would most likely rile both the government and the main Arab-led opposition group.

News Analysis: What Quagmire? Even in Withdrawal, Russia Stays a Step Ahead
Vladimir V. Putin’s move to withdraw the bulk of his forces from Syria caught the White House by surprise.

Dozens Killed in Airstrikes on Market in Yemen
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebel group was blamed for the attack that killed civilians at a market and a restaurant.

Russian Air Force Takes First Steps for Withdrawal From Syria
Forces at an air base near Latakia have begun loading equipment and making other technical preparations necessary to start the pullout.

Editorial: Putin’s Syria Surprise
A military pullback announced by Russia’s leader could be a signal that he is serious about a lasting peace.

Omar the Chechen, an ISIS Official Wounded by U.S. Raid, Has Died
The militant, Omar al-Shishani, was the Islamic State’s minister of war, according to the Pentagon.

Finalists Picked for New Prize Created in Memory of Armenian Genocide
The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is meant to honor those whose exceptional work to preserve human life in disasters created by humans puts them in great peril.

Turkey ‘Almost Certain’ that Kurdish Militants Bombed Ankara, Premier Says
The government’s blaming the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or P.K.K., could raise tensions between Turkey and the United States, who are allies in Syria.

Israel Calls on U.N. to Punish Iran for Missile Tests
The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations accused Iran of violating the nuclear accord by testing missiles capable of reaching Israel last week.

Putin Said to Order Start of Withdrawal From Syria
The order from the Kremlin came as the United Nations has sought to resume peace talks to end the war, entering its sixth year.

American ISIS Fighter Is Captured in Iraq
Mohammed Jamal Amin, 27, left Virginia to fight for the Islamic State and was caught near the northern city of Sinjar, Kurdish and U.S. officials said.

Warplane Crashes in Yemen Amid Fight Against Houthis
Two pilots were killed when the United Arab Emirates plan went down. A Saudi news agency cited a “technical malfunction.”

Contributing Op-Ed Writer: Can Israel Handle a President Trump?
After eight years of Obama, Israel’s prime minister thought he wanted a Republican president. Then came the primaries.

Editorial: Mr. Netanyahu’s Lost Opportunities
It’s hard to understand how showing disrespect to the president of the United States serves Israel’s interests.

One-Third of Children in Syria Were Born During War, Unicef Report Finds
More than 300,000 in this group were born as refugees, according to a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund.

U.S. Stays Off Battlefield, Yet Is Drawn Into Saudi War in Yemen
The Obama administration has quietly supported the Saudi-led war in Yemen, even as American officials see a bloody quagmire there.

Explosion in Turkish Capital Kills at Least 27, Officials Say
The blast in Ankara was believed to have been caused by a car bomb. It came three weeks after a deadly bombing on a military convoy in the same city.

Gaza Journal: With Hamas Watching, Chanteuse Turns Modest Act Into Breakthrough
An easing of some decade-old cultural restrictions, including singing by women in front of men, has given Rawan Okasha an opportunity to start “achieving what is in my soul.”

Opinion: How Saudi Arabia Turned Its Greatest Weapon on Itself
For decades, the kingdom used oil prices to wage economic war on its enemies. Now it’s the big casualty.

State of Terror: To Maintain Supply of Sex Slaves, ISIS Pushes Birth Control
Modern methods allow the Islamic State to keep up its systematic rape of captives under medieval codes.

Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Kills 10-Year-Old Boy, Palestinian Official Says
Israel targeted Hamas bases after militants fired rockets toward Israeli border communities late Friday.

World’s Oldest Man, a Confectioner From Poland, Survived Auschwitz
Israel Kristal, 112, lost his family in the Holocaust and weighed 81 pounds when the Allies freed him from a labor camp. Now, he has been declared the world’s oldest man.

World Briefing: Israeli Airstrike on Hamas Base Kills Boy Nearby, Gaza Officials Say
The Israeli attack was a response to a barrage of rockets fired into Israel by militants in Gaza.

U.S. Rebukes Iran Over Missile Tests, Calling Them Provocative
The United States ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, scheduled a Security Council meeting on Monday to address what she called “these dangerous launches.”

Hague Appeals Panel Voids Conviction of Lebanese TV Executive
Karma al-Khayat had been fined 10,000 euros for defying a court order to remove information about confidential witnesses from her TV station’s website.

Contributing Op-Ed Writer: My Father’s Killer’s Funeral
Tens of thousands turned out in the streets of Pakistan to mourn the radical Islamist who assassinated my father.

Iran Executions at Highest Level Since ’89
At least 966 people were put to death in Iran last year, according to a special investigator’s report to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Biden, on Jordan Visit, Meets With King Abdullah II
Jordan was the last stop on the vice president’s tour, which included visits to the United Arab Emirates, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Where’s My Mercedes? Egypt’s Financial Crisis Hits the Rich
Wealthy Egyptians have been among President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s most ardent supporters. But that loyalty is being tested as the economy struggles.

Iran’s Missile Tests and the Nuclear Deal
Questions and answers on Iran’s recent missile tests and how its actions apply to the parameters of the nuclear agreement that took effect in January.

Germany Obtains List of 22,000 Foreigners Suspected of Fighting for ISIS
Officials said they believed it was authentic, but they declined to give any details about where it came from or the identities of those on it.

Obama Criticizes the ‘Free Riders’ Among America’s Allies
In a series of interviews with The Atlantic magazine, President Obama took an unusually blunt tone in expressing his consternation with Middle Eastern nations and the constant demands placed on the United States.

Biden Condemns Palestinian Violence in Implicit Rebuke to Abbas
During his visit to Israel, the vice president responded to recent attacks, including one on Tuesday that killed an American student.

ISIS Detainee Tells U.S. of Militants’ Plan to Use Mustard Gas
Defense officials said the detainee, held in Iraq, is a chemical weapons specialist who was captured by commandos in an American Special Operations force.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Stage Second Day of Missile Tests
They said that two rockets, launched from the country’s north, had successfully hit targets over 850 miles away.

Harold H. Saunders, Mideast Peace Broker, Dies at 85
Mr. Saunders helped draft the Camp David peace accords in 1978 and helped negotiate the release of American hostages from the United States embassy in Tehran in 1981.

World Briefing: Yemen: Houthi Rebels Enter Peace Talks With Saudi Arabia
A delegation from the Houthi rebel movement is conducting peace talks directly with Saudi Arabia for the first time since Yemen’s civil war began nearly a year ago.

Obama Seeks to Pave Way to Mideast Deal After He Leaves Office
President Obama is looking past his time in office and weighing a plan that would preserve at least the principle of a two-state solution for his successor to pursue.

Report Paints Dire Picture of Besieged Syria as War Enters 6th Year
The report detailed how civilians in 18 areas across the country are forced to scrounge to survive.

U.S. Tourist Killed in Stabbing Rampage Near Tel Aviv
The American was killed by a Palestinian man who attacked groups of people in Jaffa, a seaside district adjoining Tel Aviv, according to local officials and Israeli media.

E.U. Woos Turkey for Refugee Help, Ignoring Rights Crackdown
To win help with the migrant crisis, Europe seems prepared to overlook what critics say is Recep Tayyip Erdogan march toward authoritarianism.

Op-Ed Contributor: Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Despotic Zeal
A brazen takeover of my newspaper is just the latest power grab by Turkey’s president.

Pentagon Plan to Fight ISIS in Libya Includes Barrage of Airstrikes
A bid to aid Western-backed militias in a ground battle against the Islamic State in Libya has drawn warnings about an effect on diplomatic efforts.

Deep Rifts Among Israeli Jews Are Found in Religion Survey
The Pew Research Center found that religious and social divisions are reflected in “starkly contrasting positions on many public policy questions.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Test Nationwide Ballistic Missiles
Accounts on state television did not specify whether the military had fired any such intercontinental weapons, which would violate a United Nations resolution.

Editorial: Democracy’s Disintegration in Turkey
The takeover of the country’s largest newspaper is the latest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian moves.

Egyptian Aviation Student Who Made Trump Threat Is Leaving U.S.
Emadeldin Elsayed’s comments on Donald J. Trump’s idea to bar Muslims from the United States stirred debate about what is a threat or “mouthing off.”

School’s Out, Indefinitely, in West Bank as a Teachers Strike Gains Momentum
A dispute that began with demands for a pay raise has turned into a broad challenge to the Palestinian Authority.

Embargo Lifted, Iranian Oil Reaches Europe
A Spanish refinery received Iran’s first shipment of oil for Europe since the 2012 embargo was officially lifted in January.

Iran’s President Flouts News Media Blackout Against a Predecessor
Under a ban by judiciary officials, no Iranian outlet of any sort is permitted to mention Mohammad Khatami’s name or show his photograph.

Clash at Tunisian Military Barracks Near Libyan Border Kills at Least 27
The assault comes at a time of growing concern that the war in Libya, where the Islamic State has aggressively expanded, is spilling over.

New Proposal to Divide Jerusalem Unites People Against It
A plan promoted by a group of liberal Israeli Jews would fence off most of the Palestinian neighborhoods and transfer responsibility for their residents to the Palestinian Authority.

Tripoli Journal: Tripoli, a Tense and Listless City With Gunmen and a Well-Stocked Boss Outlet
As conflict rages elsewhere in Libya, a precarious order holds in the capital, as heavily armed militias and politicians, nominally allied, vie for control.

U.S. Conferred With Iran Before Iraq Invasion, Book Says
Securing a promise that the Iranian military would not fire at United States warplanes that strayed into Iranian airspace, a Bush-era official writes.

Trial of Veteran Accused of Trying to Join ISIS May Hinge on Unsent Letter
A former Air Force mechanic’s trial in Brooklyn on terrorism charges has centered on a drafted letter in which he pledged to defend the Islamic State.

Egypt Says Muslim Brotherhood, Backed by Hamas, Killed Top Prosecutor
The assassination of Hisham Barakat in June prompted Cairo to introduce a sweeping antiterrorism law that expanded government powers and restricted civil liberties.

Iraq Truck Bomb Kills 33 at Checkpoint Near Babylonian Ruins
More than 100 people were injured when a driver detonated a fuel truck in the city of Hilla.

Op-Ed Contributor: How Iran’s Reformists Found Their Center
Last week’s election was a victory for pragmatism. Is that what the country needs in order to reform?

Turkey Seizes Newspaper, Zaman, as Press Crackdown Continues
The move highlighted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s campaign against opposition journalists and the followers of Fethullah Gulen, a cleric.

Gunmen Kill 14 at Nursing Home in Yemen Started by Mother Teresa
Even amid the horrors of war in Yemen, the nursing home slaughter of nuns, guards and a gardener in Aden evoked shock.

Syrian Protesters Take to Streets as Airstrikes Ease
“The Revolution Continues” was the slogan as demonstrators, taking advantage of a partial truce, came out in the largest numbers in years

2 Syrians Sentenced in Deaths of Alan Kurdi and 4 Other Migrants
They received prison terms of over four years for the deaths of the five, including the young boy whose body washed up on a Turkish beach in September.

2 Italian Hostages of ISIS in Libya Are Freed, but 2 Others Are Feared Dead
Filippo Calcagno and Gino Pollicardo were released, but two other Italians captured with them, Fausto Piani and Salvatore Failla, were said to have most likely been killed.

Biblical Nomads Will Return to the Holy Land, Thanks to a Canadian Farm
A flock of Jacob sheep being raised by a British Columbia couple will be sent to their ancestral homeland in Israel this year.

Iran Invites Boeing for Talks, a Stride Toward Business Ties With the U.S.
The Iranians want to modernize their commercial aircraft fleet, and the invitation could be a precursor to the biggest business arrangement with an American company after decades of estrangement.

Egypt’s Parliament Expels Lawmaker Who Dined With Israel’s Ambassador
The lawmaker, Tawfik Okasha, had already been attacked with a shoe by a fellow lawmaker three days earlier over the same episode, which highlighted Egyptian sensitivity toward Israel.

Saudi Arabia Cuts Billions in Aid to Lebanon, Opening Door for Iran
Saudi Arabia’s tactic could allow Iran to increase its role in Lebanon through its ally, the militant group Hezbollah.

Blacklisted in Iran, Gay Poet Seeks Asylum in Israel
Payam Feili, a poet and novelist, fled to Tel Aviv after government loyalists accused him of immorality and collaborating with the enemy.

Doubts Rise in Iran on Conclusive Election Results
Five days after national elections, the Interior Ministry has yet to release official results, and the picture outside Tehran remains unclear.

U.S. Captures ISIS Operative, Ushering in Tricky Phase
American defense officials described the capture as a crucial development in battling the Islamic State but said it also raised questions about handling what is likely to be a growing group of detainees.

Jordan Troops Hunt Militants at Syria Border
Security officials said several Islamist extremists were killed along with a police officer near the northern city of Irbid.

Nabil Maleh, Giant of Syrian Cinema, Dies at 79
Mr. Maleh’s best-known films pushed the envelope in his country, challenging a rigid government and strict social mores.

World Briefing: Egypt: Autopsy Suggests Italian Student Was Subjected to Lengthy Interrogation
The findings are the strongest indication yet that the student, Giulio Regeni, was killed by Egyptian security services.

Violence Erupts After 2 Israeli Soldiers Using Waze App Get Lost in West Bank
A Palestinian man was killed after the soldiers, using Waze, a navigation tool, drove into the Kalandia refugee camp, prompting clashes and a gun battle.

Osama bin Laden Feared Wife’s Tooth Held a Tracking Device
Newly released documents suggest that as the United States turned up the pressure, the leader of Al Qaeda grew increasingly concerned about security breaches.

Hamas Commander, Accused of Theft and Gay Sex, Is Killed by His Own
The death of Mahmoud Ishtiwi, who was accused of homosexuality, had all the trappings of a soap opera: sex, torture and embezzlement in Gaza’s most venerated institution, the armed wing of Hamas.

After Gains Against ISIS, American Focus Is Turning to Mosul
The Pentagon is laying groundwork for a fight to retake Iraq’s second-largest city, moving to isolate it from the Islamic State’s headquarters in Syria.

World Briefing: Syria: United Nations Says Food Aid Will Be Restored
In a statement, the World Food Program, the main United Nations anti-hunger agency, said $675 million pledged would allow it to “fully reinstate” the reduced aid.

Iranian President and Moderates Appear to Make Strong Gains in Elections
President Hassan Rouhani and his allies seem to have run strongly in voting for Parliament and Iran’s clerical panel, though official results are pending.

Souq, Online Retailer in Middle East, Gets a $275 Million Boost
The company, based in the United Arab Emirates, is a rare e-commerce success story in a region that has been hit by logistical, political and economic hurdles.