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Politics & Security

Nawaf Salam and Asaad al-Shibani shake hands in Beirut on July 2, 2026.

Syria, Lebanon stress noninterference as Damascus mulls Hezbollah talks

When asked whether Damascus would be willing to meet with Hezbollah in the future, Syria’s foreign minister indicated that it would not rule out such a meeting.

Nathan Howard / AFP via Getty Images

As Trump touts nuclear progress, US-Iran talks show little momentum

With a final nuclear agreement far from reach, the US-Iran conflict risks settling into a new status quo.

Syrian security forces and people gather at the site of an explosion at a cafe in the capital, Damascus, on July 2, 2026.

At least 6 killed, 22 wounded in Damascus cafe explosion: What to know

Syrian authorities have yet to identify a perpetrator in relation to the incident, and armed groups opposing the transitional government did not immediately take credit.

Latest News

Turkish jets strike al-Shabab targets in Somalia: What to know

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

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

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

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

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

TO GO WITH STORY BY NATACHA YAZBECK (FILES) A picture dated June 13, 2003 shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher (L) attending their father's funeral in Damascus on June 13, 2000. As Bashar al-Assad's regime fights to stay in power, one man has emerged as the symbol of the dynasty's brutal military might -- the president's feared younger brother Maher. AFP PHOTO/RAMZI HAIDAR / AFP PHOTO / RAMZI HAIDAR (Photo credit should read RAMZI HAIDAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Was Maher al-Assad, brother of ousted Syrian president, spotted in Moscow?

Maher al-Assad is wanted for war crimes and reportedly fled to Russia by way of Iraq as rebel forces took over Syria.

Ground staff prepare a Middle East Airlines flight for departure on the tarmac at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on May 2, 2025.

From Lebanon to Qatar, Israel-Iran war disrupts flights, airport traffic: What to know

Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines canceled all flights to Iraq through Thursday as the ongoing Israel-Iran war forces widespread disruptions across Middle East aviation.

Turkish soldiers patrol near the border wall between Turkey and Iran in the Van Province, eastern Turkey, on Nov. 1, 2024.

Turkey ramps up Iran border security as Ankara, UNHCR monitor refugee risks

UNHCR stands ready to support Turkey, though no major refugee movement has been observed along the Iranian border, the international body’s Turkey spokesperson told Al-Monitor.

The President will attend the annual meeting of the Group of 7 nations, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States are taking place in the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta, and will run until late Tuesday. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel tests Trump’s promise to keep US out of new wars

The president who said he would bring peace to the Middle East now has another war unfolding on his watch.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrives at the 6th European Political Community summit on May 16, 2025 at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania.

Armenia's Pashinyan, Turkey's Erdogan to hold 'historic' talks amid Iran-Israel war

The meeting comes as both countries weigh the fallout of a widening regional conflict and rising tensions along their shared border with Iran.

GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images

US Embassy to help Americans evacuate from Israel

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the embassy will help arrange evacuation flights and cruise ship departures.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as workers install a large flag pole on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on June 18, 2025.

‘I’ve had it’: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Iran nuclear sites

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, remains defiant in the face of Trump's rhetoric.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan.

UAE's MBZ and Putin hold call as Gulf, Russia push diplomacy on Iran-Israel

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be courting Gulf support for a diplomatic role in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prepares to cast his ballot during the runoff of the presidential elections in Tehran on July 5, 2024. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran's Khamenei threatens US with 'irreparable damage' if Trump joins war

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei responded to US President Donald Trump’s call for Iran to surrender without conditions, saying Iran will not yield.

Smoke rises from the rubble of an Iranian state media building in Tehran after an Israeli airstrike on June 16, 2025.

Analysis

As prospects of US strikes loom, can Iran's regime avert collapse?

The Iranian government engaged in a frenzy of diplomatic efforts to try to halt relentless Israeli strikes and thwart possible collapse amid reports suggesting possible US involvement in support of the Israeli campaign.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iranian short-range missile (Tondar) is test-launched during war games in Qom, 120 kms south of Tehran, on September 27, 2009. Iran test-fired three short-range missiles as the Islamic republic began war games at a time of heightened tension with the West over its controversial nuclear programme. AFP PHOTO/SHAIEGAN/FARS NEWS (Photo by SHAIGAN / FARS NEWS / AFP) (Photo by SHAIGAN/FARS NEWS/AFP via Getty Images)

What we know about Fordow, Iran's secretive nuclear site Israel struggles to hit

A recent report indicated that Israel might need US help to hit Fordow, a heavily fortified facility located up to 300 feet underground.