Counterterrorism

Egypt’s military said on Monday that it intended to double the size of a secured buffer zone in a town bordering the Gaza Strip after discovering smuggling tunnels across the frontier that were longer than expected, according to state news media.

But events in Yemen—the real Yemen, a place with a rich and complex political culture whose fluctuations are far more important to the day-to-day life of the average person than al-Qaeda—told a rather different story. A long-gestating political crisis deepened before turning violent until, finally, on Sept. 21, after 4 days of intense fighting, Zaidi Shi’a Houthi rebels signed a peace agreement with the country’s main political factions after taking control of Sana’a, Yemen’s capital.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh discussed the Isreali-Palestinian Peace Process, the crisis in Syria and Iraq, and combatting extremism in the region in general.

France’s interior minister says his country will work with Tunisia to stop their nationals from traveling to fight in Syria and Iraq. Bernard Cazeneuve announced new measures late Monday during a 24-hour visit to Tunisia that included meetings with Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa and Cazeneuve’s counterpart Lotfi Ben Jeddou. More than 2,400 Tunisians have traveled to fight with the self-proclaimed Islamic State group, the most of any country, while hundreds of French have made the journey, the most of any European country. The measures will include strengthening border controls and increasing police and intelligence cooperation between the two countries, Cazeneuve said. He added that he also discussed fighting cybercrime and illegal immigration.