Al-Monitor Daily Briefing: Iran’s top diplomat offers resignation after being iced out of Syria talks

[logo]( [fb_icon]( [twitter_icon]( EDITOR'S PICKS Tuesday, February 26 | Daily Briefing [editor_pic]( 1 [Iran’s top diplomat offers resignation after being iced out of Syria talks]( Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suddenly resigned Monday in a post on Instagram where he expressed gratitude “to the dear and honorable Iranian people for the last 67 months” while apologizing for “all the shortcomings during my service.” Israel 2 [Netanyahu’s diplomacy: success or failure?]( Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presents himself as a diplomatic magician, though he is accumulating failures on Syria, Iran and ties with Gulf states. Palestine 3 [Abbas trying to build countermovement to the US]( Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recently called on the African Union to supervise the upcoming legislative elections, while also calling for an international peace conference, which is seen as a move away from the US administration in sponsoring peace talks with Israel. 4 [Intel: How Iran is trying to strengthen its role in Syria by hosting Assad]( Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made an unannounced visit to Iran Monday for the first time since the start of the civil war eight years ago. The trip allows Tehran to reaffirm its alliance with Damascus at a time when Assad is under increasing pressure to distance Syria from Iran in order to reduce tensions with neighboring countries. Why it matters: Assad received a warm embrace... 5 [UAE steps up anti-Turkey efforts in Syria]( The United Arab Emirates engages Turkey in a war of words and deeds over Ankara's fight with Kurds in Syria. Egypt 6 [Cairo to set design standards for mosques]( Egypt's Ministry of Endowments plans to impose a single design style for new and even existing mosques being restored as part of the government's efforts to modernize Egyptian cities. Israel 7 [Outrage as Bibi's private jet budget soars]( The Israeli prime minister's cabinet has approved huge sums to supply him with a private jet, while security experts protest that the expense is grossly inflated and unjustified. Egypt 8 [Egypt’s desire to eradicate slums leaves residents displaced]( The Egyptian government has relocated dozens of families from the Manshiyet Nasr area after a rockslide, on the pretext that their houses are too damaged, while in reality the government is on a quest to develop Cairo’s slum areas. Turkey 9 [Syrian refugees in Turkey, burden or cheap labor?]( The influx of Syrian refugees into the labor market has become a big advantage for business owners in Turkey’s ongoing economic crisis, but their employment may fan social tensions as the country’s army of jobless grows. Palestine 10 [Hamas takes control of second Gaza Strip border crossing]( Palestinian Authority employees claim Hamas forced them to turn over supervision of the Kerem Shalom crossing in Gaza, but Hamas says the workers left because they didn't want to comply with security inspections Hamas imposed. Turkey 11 [Turkish woman’s murder trial makes waves in public opinion]( When a female university student fell to her death from an office tower in May 2018, police were initially inclined to believe her male hosts' version of the story, but a trial has brought to light new evidence against the men. Iran 12 [Iran claims US sabotage of missile program used to its ‘benefit’]( Iran has for the first time successfully launched a cruise missile from a submarine. STAY CONNECTED [fb_icon_footer]( [twitter_icon_footer]( [instagram_icon_footer]( [rss_icon_footer]( CONTACT US [Support & Contact]( [Advertise](mailto:advertise@al-monitor.com) NEWSLETTERS [Subscribe]( TERMS OF USE [Visitor Agreement]( [Privacy Policy]( © 2019 Al-Monitor. All Rights Reserved. If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may [unsubscribe or manage your preferences]( at any time. Al-Monitor · 1850 K St NW · Suite 1225 · Washington, DC 20006 · USA