Archives for February, 2025

Marco Rubio

Ahead of Mideast tour, Rubio says 'now’s the time' for Arab alternatives to Trump's Gaza plan

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip remains on shaky ground and the US plan for the territory's reconstruction alarms Arab leaders.

Workers unload aid from an aircraft upon it's arrival from the United Arab Emirates at the Port Sudan airport, on May 5, 2023. - Air strikes and gunfire rocked the Sudanese capital on May 5 as fighting showed no signs of abating, despite the threat of renewed US sanctions and warnings of a "protracted" conflict. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE pledges $200M in aid to Sudan as it calls for Ramadan ceasefire

At a conference in Ethiopia, the UAE's minister of state for international cooperation called on the warring parties in Sudan to agree to a Ramadan "humanitarian pause" that will be followed by a political process.

In SPACE - MAY 19: This image captured by a satellite on May 19, 2001 shows the Bushehr Reactor in Iran. The nuclear facility is located approximately 17 kilometers south of the city of Bushehr. The reactor complex occupies a 2.5 Square Kilometer site area, which includes assembly halls, a concrete channel for cooling water that runs from the reactors to the Gulf, and a the harbor, which supports loading and unloading of foreign materials needed for construction and reactor operation. There are two reactor

Exclusive

Trump, Netanyahu have 'full understanding' on Iran as Israel mulls strikes on nuclear sites

A senior Israeli diplomatic source confirmed to Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity, that Israel and the United States have reached a “full understanding” on the Iranian issue. This includes agreed steps if Iran rejects a stricter nuclear deal than the 2015 accord abandoned by Trump in 2018.

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

A member of the Syrian security forces searches a defunct drug factory inside an abandoned building in the countryside of Qusayr, at the porous Lebanese border

Drugs, weapons in Syria borderland where Hezbollah held sway

Agence France-Presse

Palestinian militants are due to release three Israeli hostages on Saturday -- (L to R) Sagui Dekel-Chen, who also has US citizenship, Sasha Trupanov who also has Russian nationality and Yair Horn, an Argentinian dual national.

Three Gaza hostages set for release after ceasefire crisis abates

Agence France-Presse

People gather in Beirut to mark the 20th anniversary of the assassination of ex-premier Rafic Hariri, and to hear his son Saad speak

Thousands mark 20 years since Lebanon ex-PM Rafic Hariri killed

Agence France-Presse

Visitors try out an installation at the SoundScapes exhibition that brings together early sound recordings from Iranian history

Iran's early recordings revive forgotten sound heritage

Agence France-Presse

Lebanese children hold their national flag as they walk above the rubble of a destroyed building as families return with the Lebanese army to the southern village of Marwahin, near a border fence with Israel, on Jan. 28, 2025.

Trump admin appears to relax Israel's deadline to withdraw from Lebanon

A Trump administration official put the onus of Israel's withdrawal on the Lebanese Army, questioning whether its forces were up to the task of backfilling positions vacated by the Israeli military.

An installation view of “Evil Is Banal,” an exhibition of works by Nour Malas, at Carbon 12.

Culture

AL-Monitor Dubai: Syrian Canadian artist Nour Malas at Carbon 12

This week we showcase exhibitions in Dubai featuring paintings by the Syrian Canadian artist Nour Malas, at Carbon 12, and works by the Nigerian British artist Sola Olulode, at Lawrie Shabibi.

United Arab Emirates

A commercial aircraft takes off from the runway of Beirut's international airport near the city's southern suburbs on Aug. 9, 2024.

Lebanon bars Iranian flight from landing in Beirut, sparking protests

The incident marks the latest in a series at the Beirut airport, which has been a key point of tension between Iran and people within Lebanon’s government who are cautiously distancing themselves from Iran’s influence.

Sharaa Kobane

Analysis

Squeezed between Turkey and Sharaa, Syria's Kurds face stark choices

Syria’s Kurds risk losing autonomy amid Turkish opposition and uncertain US backing.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Vendors' umbrellas shade their stalls while erected before destroyed buildings along a market street in Gaza City, June 15, 2024.

Analysis

Despite rejection of Trump's Gaza plan, Hamas and PA at odds over postwar control

The prospects of the authority taking control of Gaza appear dim as Hamas moves to reassert its control over the population.

Khalil Sayegh

By Khalil Sayegh

In Washington, DC, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Turkish Air Force fighter jets perform a military parade over the Bosphorus on Oct. 29, 2023.

Analysis

Turkey-Saudi defense ties see momentum with potential $6B deal: What to know

The Turkish-Saudi defense collaboration faces challenges despite promising advancements.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

John Frederick Lewis, “The Kebap Shop,” currently on display at Mesher

Culture

AL-Monitor Istanbul: Mesher Gallery's love letter to the city

This week, we have a bit of everything — high culture, low expectations for romance, and plenty in between.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (R) walk after a welcome ceremony in Putrajaya on February 11, 2025. (Photo by FAZRY ISMAIL / POOL / AFP) (Photo by FAZRY ISMAIL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Erdogan's Asia tour seen as boost for Turkey’s drone industry, trade

The Turkish president’s visit to Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan focused on bolstering trade ties as Turkey looks to expand its presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

United Nations peacekeepers drive past the rubble of buildings in the southern Lebanese village of Yarine during the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah

Lebanon says refuses Israeli demand to stay in five southern locations

Agence France-Presse