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GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA - OCTOBER 05: U.S. President Donald Trump wraps up an appearance at a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds on October 05, 2026 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Trump is campaigning for incumbent U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Gov. Jim Pillen ahead of the November midterm elections. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Analysis

Deal or war? Israel fears fallout from Trump’s next move on Iran

Israel is struggling to decipher the White House’s intentions toward Iran, given Washington's contradictions around launching a fresh military campaign.

By Ben Caspit

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

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces ride in the back of a military truck at the Jabal Han front west of the city of Taiz following fierce battles earlier in the day as Yemen's Houthis reportedly attempted to seize control of the main route between the inland city of Taiz and the coastal city of Aden, on Oct. 3, 2026.

Saudi envoy says allied Yemeni forces capture Bab el Mandeb strait from Houthis: What to know

A Houthi spokesperson rejected claims that Saudi-backed forces had retaken territory along the Bab el Mandeb Strait, as fighting escalated with new attacks on the Riyadh airport.

Yemen

Cars drive past the gates of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sept. 19, 2026.

Riyadh’s skies remain unsettled after deadly Houthi strikes

Saudi authorities confirmed Friday that Thursday’s first attack struck airport facilities and the second hit a Saudia aircraft.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Oct. 6, 2026.

Analysis

Why Syria sending troops to Yemen would be a risky bet for Sharaa

Syria insists it will not send troops to fight the Houthis alongside Saudi Arabia, but its economic dependence on Riyadh could complicate Damascus’ resistance to the idea.

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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 says no Iran strikes before midterms amid ‘productive’ talks

Washington and Tehran continue indirect talks mediated by Qatar to end the seven-month war.

Iran

Latest News

Analysis

US balances Houthi diplomacy with support for Saudi offensive

Supporters of the Houthi authorities hold their weapons during a protest against the Saudi intervention in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia's recent accusation that the Houthis fired at the holy city of Mecca, in Sanaa, on Sept. 18, 2026.

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Riyadh airport issues travel alert as Yemen's Houthis claim fresh attack on Saudi Arabia

Travelers queue to check in their luggage at the terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, on March 10, 2026.

Saudi Arabia

Analysis

Why renewed Egypt-Ethiopia tensions are a problem for China

China's President Xi Jinping (center L) walks along with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi followed by their wives Peng Liyuan and Entissar Amer (R) upon their arrival at the Cairo International Airport on September 1, 2026. President Xi Jinping arrived in Egypt on September 1, making a rare trip to the Middle East as both countries face the threat of US sanctions over financial links to Iran. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

By Joyce Karam

Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province witnesses uptick in attacks

Iran

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FILE PHOTO: Handout photo of Nidal Hasan, charged with killing 13 people and wounding 31 in a November 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood.

Explainer-How the US plan to livestream an execution compares with global practice

Reuters

Israeli President Herzog presents heroism award to Israelis who intervened after FlyDubai aircraft pilot was attacked with an axe, in Jerusalem

UAE says Omani flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Tel Aviv flight

Reuters

FILE PHOTO: U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay addresses a news conference on the situation in Tunisia at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva

UN human rights office welcomes Nobel Prize winner Pillay as staunch defender of human rights

Reuters

Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 is announced in Oslo

Former ICC judge Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Reuters

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Middle East Minute

Pezeshkian meets Putin as Trump pitches diplomacy

Adam Lucente

9 October, 8:50 AM ET

3:17

On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

Saudi Arabia's escalation against the Houthis is unlikely to deliver victory, says Danny Citrinowicz

Danny Citrinowicz joins Amberin Zaman

8 October, 4:06 PM ET

20:39

Middle East Minute

Syria denies it’s joining war in Yemen

Adam Lucente

8 October, 9:00 AM ET

4:31

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

US balances Houthi diplomacy with support for Saudi offensive

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Analysis

Why Syria sending troops to Yemen would be a risky bet for Sharaa

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

Why renewed Egypt-Ethiopia tensions are a problem for China

By Joyce Karam

Analysis

Deal or war? Israel fears fallout from Trump’s next move on Iran

By Ben Caspit

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

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