An Al-Monitor correspondent

Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East

At times, Al-Monitor withholds the bylines of correspondents for their protection. Different authors may have written the individual stories identified on this page.

Syria | Oct 26, 2020

Syrian journalists in Idlib face crackdown from jihadist-affiliated government

The government affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria has decreed that journalists can’t work in their areas of control without a permit.

Syrian pro-regime fighters and journalists enter the courtyard of the museum of Maaret al-Numan in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on January 30, 2020. - Maaret al-Numan is nestled in a UNESCO-listed region of ancient villages and its mosaics museum had achieved international renown.
The museum, housed in an Ottoman-era caravanserai, was seriously damaged in a government barrel bomb attack in 2015. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran | Jun 16, 2020

Iran’s wildfires leave trail of destruction, lingering questions

Wildfires that raged for two weeks turned significant swaths of Iran’s western forests into ash as state bureaucracy dramatically slowed down an efficient response.

Palestine | Mar 16, 2020

Coronavirus imposes calm on Gaza front

Calm has returned between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, mainly because of the outbreak of the coronavirus and fears of it spreading in the besieged enclave.

Iraq | Mar 13, 2019

Rouhani leverages Sistani visit to maneuver on Iran's regional policy

Hassan Rouhani’s first state visit to Iraq as president has ushered in a series of important economic and political accords between the two countries — but his crowning achievement was his audience with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Turkey | Dec 17, 2018

Why was Turkey's intel chief in Washington?

Turkish intel chief Hakan Fidan's visit to the United States generated an uproar from the Turkish opposition. Why did Erdogan encourage this public bashing of Fidan?

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan are seen before a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia August 24, 2018. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS - RC1992C13F10

Iran | Jun 4, 2018

Truckers display new face of popular protest in Iran

The recent trucker strike in Iran was characterized by its geographical spread and focus on economic demands.

U.S. | Mar 21, 2018

Pompeo appointment cements notion in Tehran that US will exit Iran deal

In Tehran, the reaction to the appointment of Pompeo as secretary of state is an increasing sense that Trump is bent on withdrawing from the nuclear deal.