Farnaz Fassihi

The collapse of a partnership built over four decades would reshape the balance of power in the Middle East.

A reckoning emerged in Iran on Sunday as officials and commentators swiftly moved to distance the government from a tyrant it had supported.

The rebels’ gains prompted Lebanon and Jordan to close border crossings and Iran to begin withdrawing personnel from Syria.

The withdrawals by one of President Bashar al-Assad’s key backers come amid a resurgent rebel offensive.

As Iran faces domestic and foreign challenges, its bellicose rhetoric on the United States and Israel has given way to signs that it wants less confrontation.

The attack struck in the heart of the Lebanese capital after a series of evacuation warnings — the first for the city center during the war.

The U.S. veto at the U.N. came as the Biden administration’s envoy in Lebanon reported “additional progress” on cease-fire talks in the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The United States, which has blocked four other resolutions, said it vetoed the most recent version because it did not make the release of hostages a precondition for a truce.

Repeatedly imprisoned in his country, Kianoosh Sanjari refused to be silenced by the government. But in the end, despairing of change, he silenced himself.

The tech billionaire, a top adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump, was reported to have discussed ways to defuse tensions between Iran and the United States.