Archives for December, 2025

US President Donald Trump, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and other officials attend a ceremony marking the return of the bodies of three Americans killed in Syria

US strikes over 70 IS targets in Syria after attack on troops

Agence France-Presse

People gather during a search and rescue operation at the site of a house that was partially destroyed during the war and collapsed on Tuesday, at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

Rubio says new governance bodies for Gaza will be in place soon, followed by international force

Reuters

A destroyed Syrian army battle tank lies abandoned near the ancient ruins of Palmyra in central Syria on Feb. 7, 2025.

US bombs ISIS targets in Syria in retaliation for Palmyra insider attack

The Islamic State has not claimed direct credit for the ambush by a member of Syria's domestic security forces that killed three American personnel in Palmyra last week.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gestures as he speaks during an end-of-year press conference in the State Department Press Briefing Room in Washington, DC on December 19, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

Rubio hints US could accept Hamas keeping small arms

The top US diplomat told Al-Monitor the focus of disarmament should be on the "weaponries or capabilities" that Hamas would need to threaten Israel.

A hotel worker looks at the CCTV monitor from the lobby of GV Hotel, where the suspected gunmen from Sydney's Bondi Beach shooting attack at a Hanukkah event had allegedly stayed when they travelled to the Philippines last month, in Davao City, Philippines, December 17, 2025. REUTERS/Marconi B. Navales

Bondi attack suspects kept to themselves during Philippines stay, hotel staffer recalls

Reuters

Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, permanent representative of Iran to the UN, gives a statement after a UN Security Council meeting on June 13, 2025, in New York City.

Analysis

Iran warns of Israeli plots in Syria amid its own anxieties over lost leverage

Beneath Iran's warning at the United Nations lies a deeper strategic concern, as its long-standing influence is under unprecedented strain in the post-Assad landscape.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, showed up at a Dec. 16 meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan

Laced with intrigue: What did Tom Barrack’s shoes reveal about US-Turkey ties?

US Ambassador Tom Barrack’s choice of Nike sneakers at high-profile meetings has sparked speculation, conspiracy theories and widespread debate in Turkey over his intentions and messages.

A customer browses books at a bookshop in the Moroccan capital Rabat on August 9, 2018. On the main arteries of old Rabat, dozens of itinerant booksellers offer books in French, Arabic, and sometimes in English, up to ten times cheaper than their originals. Despite being prohibited, the pirated-books market is largely tolerated in cities across the North African kingdom. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Morocco’s next generation of writers fights for a place on the shelf

A new book fair in Casablanca spotlights the country’s rising talent and the obstacles that still define Morocco’s fragmented publishing world.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks on the day of the Second World Summit for Social Development, focusing on advancing social development and reaffirming commitments to the Copenhagen Declaration, in Doha, Qatar, November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

UN chief condemns Houthi detention of another 10 UN staff in Yemen

Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds his end-of-year press conference at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 19, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

Rubio says immediate goal on Sudan is cessation of hostilities going into new year

Reuters

Palestinian youths train at the Aida Refugee Camp's football pitch, next to the separation wall outside Bethlehem, under threat of demolition by Israeli authorities

Bethlehem camp's 'lifeline' football field faces Israeli demolition

Agence France-Presse

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in a joint news conference with US President Donald Trump (not seen) in the State Dining Room at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington.

Analysis

In 2025, Netanyahu saved his coalition but stalled on Gaza, Iran, Lebanon

With 2025 ending, Israelis are frustrated over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to fully end the Gaza war, solve the Hezbollah problem, reach a deal with Syria or find a way to constructively impact talks on the Iranian nuclear program.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

JESSICA GOW/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

Sweden summons Iranian ambassador over dual national sentence

The Iranian-Swedish national was arrested during Iran’s June war with Israel for allegedly spying on Israel’s behalf.

Saeed Jaras / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Facing Israeli pushback, Turkey recalibrates public messaging on Gaza force

Turkey’s top diplomat has suggested that being part of the Gaza stabilization force is not Ankara’s priority.

A ship sails along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia, April 16, 2025.

Maersk resumes Red Sea passage after two-year halt amid easing Houthi threat

A ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October has prompted some shipping companies to consider resuming services, but security concerns persist.

RICCARDO MILANI/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

UAE AI investor MGX moves closer to strategic stake in TikTok US

The state-linked Emirati investment firm is set to acquire a 15% stake in the social media platform's new US business as part of a plan that would avert a nationwide ban starting in 2026.

United Arab Emirates