AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Fuel prices are displayed at a petrol station in Rabat

Explainer

Russian diesel heads to Morocco as supply crunch grips global markets

Gulf countries and Russia together accounted for almost 45% of global seaborne diesel and gasoil trade before the Iran war.

Morocco

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

Qatar PM in Beirut as Lebanon seeks economic relief: What to know

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani’s visit to Beirut coincides with the Lebanese authorities’ ongoing efforts to curb Hezbollah’s influence in the country.

Lebanon

American freelance photojournalist Heidi Levine lies on a gurney in the emergency room of the government hospital in the Israeli-occupied city of Ramallah, as she is treated after being attacked by Israeli settlers while photographing Palestinian farmers harvesting their olives, in the Palestinian village of Abu Falah on Oct. 16, 2026.

Washington Post journalist hospitalized after Israeli settler attack in West Bank

The assault was one of several attacks on Friday as Palestinians gathered to harvest olives across the West Bank.

Israel

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 7, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Trump rules out US troops in Iran, leaves Pickaxe Mountain strike on the table

He did not dispute reports that the US military is weighing use of the "mother of all bombs."

United States

Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova returns the ball to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during their WTA Finals tennis tournament in Riyadh on November 5, 2025. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

From Six Kings Slam to FIFAe finals, Saudi Arabia's events derailed by war

Some of Saudi Arabia’s flagship events — across sectors including culture, entertainment and sports — have been canceled or postponed following deadly Houthi attacks over the weekend.

Saudi Arabia

Latest News

In first, Israel’s Netanyahu says he held call with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa

Syria

Houthis strike Yemeni government’s presidential palace in Aden: What to know

Yemen

Explainer

Syria arrests Mihrac Ural, ex-Assad militia head also wanted by Turkey

Mihrac Ural, who was also known as Ali Kayali, was arrested

Turkey

Female commander in Iran's Basij units assassinated: What to know

People attend the funeral ceremony of Mahan Setareh, a member of the paramilitary Basij force who was killed in the recent Israeli attacks on June 26, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. A cease-fire between Israel and Iran has brought an end to 12 days of daily aerial attacks that started with Israel's strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites on June 13. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Iran

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Israeli settlers attack Palestinians harvesting olives near Turmus Ayya

Israeli settlers burn olive trees, injure journalist in West Bank attack

Reuters

Signage on a mountain overlooking the southwestern city of Taiz,

Explainer-Why is the battle for Yemen's Taiz so important?

Reuters

FILE PHOTO: A Lebanese Middle East Airlines (MEA) aircraft on the tarmac at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport

Exclusive-Trump move to restart direct US flights with Lebanon hits roadblock

Reuters

Buildings stand in the southwestern city of Taiz

In Yemen's besieged Taiz, families take shelter as Houthis close in

Reuters

Featured Newsletters

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Three stories hand-picked by our editorial team.

Expert insight on the Middle East—delivered regularly

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On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

Kurdish integration with Syria’s central government remains far from complete

Alexander McKeever joins Amberin Zaman

15 October, 3:26 PM ET

26:25

Middle East Minute

Saudi Arabia nixes key events as Houthi war escalates

Adam Lucente

15 October, 9:25 AM ET

4:01

Middle East Minute

Southern Yemeni group re-emerges as war escalates

Adam Lucente

14 October, 8:38 AM ET

3:36

Interviews

Exclusive conversations with AL-MONITOR.

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Interview

Trump's Africa adviser denies Libya plan would entrench rival families

US Department of State's senior advisor to the President for Arab and African Affairs Massad Fares Boulos attends a conference for the support of peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes region, in Paris, on October 30, 2025. The international community gathered in Paris on October 30, 2025 to raise awareness about the dire humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes region, aiming to raise hundreds of millions of euros despite a drastic decrease in international aid, particularly from the United States. (Phot

Interview

Waltz: ‘Door open’ to Iran talks, more countries eye Abraham Accords

Interview

Yemen separatists urge US not to let Saudi Arabia ‘call the shots’

Yemenis gather during a rally to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the coastal port city of Aden, on December 14, 2025. (Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

Ex-PM says Sudan risks partition amid US ceasefire push

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok chairs an emergency cabinet session in the capital, Khartoum, on Oct. 18, 2021.

Analysis

Stay a step ahead of your colleagues.

Analysis

How Manchester City fallout tests Gulf’s global investment model

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Manchester City's Emirati owner and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Why Saudi-Pakistan defense pact remains key as Mecca alliance takes shape

Pakistani soldiers (R) patrol on a street next to welcoming posters of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Islamabad on Feb. 17, 2019.

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Analysis

Pragmatic politics: Why Turkey avoids blaming Russia for Black Sea attacks

A cargo ship at the Port of Trabzon, Turkey

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

What's behind Iran’s intensifying attacks on shipping in Hormuz?

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Ships are docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

Dispatch from the New Syria: Opportunities and Challenges

October 1, 2026

1:00:54

The Iran War Widens: Yemen, Hormuz and What Comes Next

September 17, 2026