Can you call it a cease-fire if no one actually, well, ceases fire? As the U.S. and Iran continued to exchange sporadic shots this week, it seems that a cease-fire has more to do with diplomatic talks continuing rather than an end to missiles being fired. Even more confounding, to Arab leaders anyway, is President Donald Trump calling on them to join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel. For more on the Middle East reactions to Trump’s demand as well as Pakistan and China’s influence, tune into MBN’s Iran Briefing Podcast with Andres Ilves, Joe Kawly and Mohammed Soliman. Watch here or listen here.
While Trump tries to shore up support for Israel from the outside, MBN looks at the mounting political pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu from the inside. Plus, why Israel’s recognition of Somaliland is causing increased competition in the Red Sea and why China is eyeing American oil.
Welcome again to the MBN Friday Briefing, the weekly roundup of our best reporting on stories shaping developments in the Middle East and Washington.
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This Week on MBN
Netanyahu Comes Under Fire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing mounting criticism from the right over a possible interim US – Iran agreement to end the war. Critics say it doesn’t go far enough in curbing Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile programs, something Netanyahu promised at the start of the war. MBN’s Yehia Qasim reports that opposition leader Avigdor Liberman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have both intensified pressure on Netanyahu to confront Washington about concessions in any potential agreement.
Watch the video here
China’s Iran Oil Dilemma
The Hormuz crisis has become more than just an economic burden to China, which purchases about 87 percent of Iran’s oil exports. The instability and price fluctuations in the Strait are pushing China to reconsider its economic and geopolitical relationships, writes Rasha Ibrahim. Beijing wants supply stability, turning towards U.S. oil and gas exports as a potential alternative. American oil means China can diversify away from the Strait of Hormuz, while giving it an improved negotiating position with Washington.
Read the article here and watch the video here
Hezbollah Stirs Beirut’s Ghosts
Fears of renewed internal conflict in Lebanon resurfaced after Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem warned that supporters might take to the streets and topple the government, writes MBN’s Asrar Chbaro. Kassem’s remarks revived memories of the May 7, 2008, clashes, when Hezbollah used its weapons domestically and seized parts of Beirut. Observers interviewed by Chbaro differ on whether Hezbollah’s rhetoric amounts to a genuine threat or is simply a pressure tactic aimed at protecting its arsenal of weapons amid growing international and domestic scrutiny.
Read the article here
Lebanon’s New Survival Species
In a haunting reflection on war, identity, and survival, MBN Magazine contributor Joumana Haddad asks whether decades of conflict have fundamentally reshaped the Lebanese psyche. “What does a human being look like when they haven’t lived through serial wars?” Haddad wonders. Through sharp observations about sectarianism, instability, and provisional living, Haddad questions whether Lebanese society has adapted—or mutated—under the pressure of perpetual crisis.
Read the article here
Red Sea Tensions
Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Hargeisa, January 6, 2026 — (AFP)
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, the territory that declared independence from Somalia 35 years ago but only recently received this formal recognition, is pulling the breakaway region into a much bigger power struggle in the Red Sea, reports MBN’s Ezat Wagdi. Israel’s growing ties with Somaliland have alarmed Somalia, Egypt, Turkey and others who view Israel’s expanding influence in Somaliland as a threat to their interests in the Horn of Africa.
Read the article here
Iran’s Internet for Those Who Can Pay
Picture by Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency (WANA) via Reuters.
Iran’s restored internet access has created a new digital class divide, where unrestricted connectivity is increasingly reserved for the politically connected and the wealthy, reports MBN’s Dalshad Hussein. Activists and business owners said that many Iranians now depend on expensive VPNs and anti-filtering tools allegedly linked to networks tied to the Revolutionary Guards. Internet restrictions have evolved into a profitable underground economy, while ordinary citizens struggle with soaring access costs and constant surveillance.
Read the article here
Erdogan’s Headache
Turkey’s escalating crackdown on the opposition is testing the durability of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s grip on power, writes MBN’s Asrar Shbaro, Ringo Harrison and Ezat Wagdi. The piece traces the political fallout from court rulings targeting the main opposition party (CHP) and the continued prosecution of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely viewed as President Erdogan’s strongest challenger. Analysts interviewed in the report argue that Erdogan’s reliance on the judiciary and security apparatus may be energizing the opposition, rather than weakening it.
Read the article here
Closer: Abraham Accords
“After all the work done by the U.S. to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these countries, at a minimum, simultaneously sign onto the Abraham Accords.”
–U.S. President Donald Trump – May 25, 2026
