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

Syria-Kurd deal hinges on SDF integration as Barrack meets Kobane

Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are navigating tense negotiations following clashes and a temporary ceasefire in northeastern Syria.

Syria

Trump launches Board of Peace: We can do 'whatever we want'

President Donald Trump pledged Gaza will be "beautifully rebuilt” as his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, laid out a multi-year redevelopment and demilitarization plan.

Palestine

Israel's President Isaac Herzog gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum annual meeting, Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026.

Herzog: Saudi normalization talks could resume as Gaza ceasefire enters next phase

The Israeli president said the rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia “should be the future vision of the Middle East.”

Israel

Putin offers $1B in frozen assets for Gaza Board of Peace — will US unfreeze them?

It remains unclear how such an arrangement could be implemented, since any contribution from frozen assets would require formal unblocking by the US government.

Palestine

Latest News

What Israel stands to lose in Syria-SDF agreement

Israel

Iraq to prosecute ISIS detainees transferred from Syria: What to know

Children and women, relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists, walk inside al-Hol camp in the desert region of Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, on Jan. 21, 2026.

Iraq

Trump warns Hamas will be 'blown away' if it fails to disarm

US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026.

Palestine

Middle East leaders join Trump’s Board of Peace despite mandate concerns

Palestine

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FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on on the day of a briefing for the House of Representatives on the situation in Venezuela, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 7, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

US urges nations to repatriate their citizens from Iraqi facilities with ISIS members

Reuters

FILE PHOTO: A man shows a sign mentioning U.S. President Donald Trump during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in Rome, Italy, January 13, 2026. REUTERS/Francesco Fotia/File Photo

US military assets heading to Middle East even as Trump backs off toughest Iran rhetoric

Reuters

Hundreds crowded into the grounds of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in Gaza to pay tribute to three fallen colleagues

Gazans pay homage to Palestinian journalists killed by Israel

Agence France-Presse

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev holds a signed founding charter of the "Board of Peace" as US President Donald Trump applauds during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland

With 'Board of Peace,' Trump tries hand at institution-making, to wide doubt

Agence France-Presse

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The Al-Monitor Brief

What’s next for Syria’s Kurds, US policy after latest ceasefire?

Adam Lucente interviews Amberin Zaman

26:29

The Al-Monitor Brief

Iran protests: What’s at stake for US, Middle East as Trump deliberates?

Adam Lucente interviews Jared Szuba, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Rina Bassist, Ezgi Akin, Rosaleen Carroll

22:47

On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

As violent protests continue to rock Iran, country's long-reigning clerical regime has never looked as vulnerable

Amberin Zaman interviews Christopher de Bellaige

27:20

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Interview

Yadlin: Israel’s regime-change goal in Iran remote without US 'boots on the ground'

Amos Yadlin

Former head of Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate

Interview

Gaza calm could revive East Med Forum, Israel-Jordan projects: Cohen

Eli Cohen

Israeli Energy Minister

Interview

Top Syrian Kurdish official Foza Yusuf says war with Damascus lose-lose for all

Foza Yusuf

Top Syrian Kurdish official

Interview

Saudi Arabia keeps doors open to US, China in critical minerals race

Bandar Alkhorayef

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources

Analysis

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Analysis

Turkey braces for Iran fallout: Trade disruptions, refugees and shifting geopolitics

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) speaks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) during the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, on June 21, 2025.

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Iran’s economic failure leaves regime exposed as new shocks promise turmoil

A shop owner counts Iranian banknotes at a store in the capital Tehran on Jan. 7, 2026.

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

How Iran’s protests are reshaping unrest in Sistan-Baluchistan

A Baluch Iranian man walks in Zahedan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, on Dec. 18, 2025.

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Analysis

Israel assesses Iran protest wave over, regrets not targeting Khamenei

By Ben Caspit

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A protester holds up a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a demonstration near the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, on Jan. 16, 2026.

Amberin Zaman, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Danny Makki, Joyce Karam in a virtual discussion on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to Washington

Syria's Sharaa in Washington

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1:00:44

Iraqis prepare to head to the polls

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1:34

Amberin Zaman Reports from Damascus

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Elizabeth Hagedorn Reporting from UNGA in New York

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Past Live Journalism

AL-Monitor Global Institute hosts food security forum with Dr. Conrad Rein

On October 16, 2025, the AL-Monitor Global Institute hosted Dr. Conrad Rein, Secretary of the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, alongside representatives from multilateral development banks and the private sector for a discussion on food security in the Middle East and Africa.

Washington, DC

October 16, 2025 11:00 EDT

Past Live Journalism

AL-Monitor Global Institute hosts Digital Cooperation Organization Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya

On Sept. 21, 2025, the AL-Monitor Global Institute hosted Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, for a discussion on digital inclusion and economic empowerment in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

New York, NY

September 21, 2025 17:00 EDT

Past Live Journalism

Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani at AL-Monitor Global Institute

AL-Monitor Global Institute hosts Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright

On May 22, 2025, the AL-Monitor Global Institute hosted Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in Washington DC to discuss the future of power and energy in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Washington, DC

May 22, 2025 10:30 EDT

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