Politics & Security - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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Politics & Security

A police officer monitors traffic as he stands under portraits of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran, on Oct. 21, 2026.

Iran executes two men in case tied to January protests: What to know

Iran has stepped up executions during the war with the US, and attacks on police are on the rise in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan.

Journalists film drones and weapons reportedly seized by the Sudanese army, which it says were supplied to the Rapid Support Forces by foreign countries, during a media display in Khartoum on July 16, 2026.

Sudan says it downed drone from Ethiopia, files complaint with UN

Sudan filed a complaint against Ethiopia with the United Nations and the African Union over the alleged use of its territory by the RSF to launch drone attacks inside Sudan.

Evan Vucci/Getty Images

Analysis

'All we can do is wait': Netanyahu's push for Iran strikes hangs on Trump’s post-midterm call

Amid the political deadlock following Israel's elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leverage on Washington to resume Iran strikes will depend on the US' own vote.

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

Turkey probes Google’s AI search tools, orders protections for news websites

Turkey’s competition watchdog said it is assessing whether AI-generated answers appearing on Google Search divert traffic from news sites and impose unfair content-use terms.

Latest News

Syria foils Hezbollah-linked plot to attack Homs refinery: What to know

Bakr ALkasem / AFP via Getty Images

Iran gives 2-day window for Hormuz deal as US mulls strikes: What to know

Iranian motorists drive past a poster of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in central Tehran on Nov. 1, 2026. I

Turkey moves PKK leader Ocalan to prison villa as peace process faces new test

A protestor holds a flag bearing a portrait of jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan during a demonstration of Kurdish people from all around Europe to mark the 27th anniversary of his arrest and to demand his liberation, in Strasbourg, Eastern France, on Feb. 14, 2026.

Explainer

Israel's Eisenkot gains key endorsements, but Arab parties' role unclear

OPSHOT - Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot (R) arrives to address his supporters at the election night rally after the first exit polls were announced, in Tel Aviv on early October 28, 2026, during Israel's legislative elections. Opposition candidate Eisenkot said early on October 28 said Israel had chosen change after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that he would seek to form a new government. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

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

People walk along a destroyed road past heavily-damaged buildings in the centre of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 10, 2025, as the displaced return to their homes after Israeli forces' withdrawal.

Pentagon bolsters Gaza ceasefire oversight with 200-troop mission to Israel

US military officials will help coordinate everything from logistics of humanitarian aid deliveries to building security force teams, but doubts remain as to whether any side can force Hamas to disarm.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

US Senate approves repeal of Caesar Act sanctions on Syria: What to know

The 2019 Caesar Act imposed sweeping sanctions on Syria to hold the government accountable for human rights abuses committed during the country’s civil war.

Abbas at UN

PA’s Abbas jostles for seat at the table as Gaza ceasefire progresses

The Palestinian government in Ramallah is hoping to cement its influence in Gaza’s postwar governance as ceasefire talks advance.

The chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Gen. Rodolphe Haykal, meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha, Oct. 8, 2025.

Lebanon army chief visits Qatar amid push to disarm Hezbollah

Haykal has held meetings with the Qatari army chief, the country’s prime minister and its minister of state for defense affairs.

People celebrate at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Oct. 9, 2025, following the announcement of the new Gaza ceasefire deal.

Israel's cabinet convenes to ratify Trump Gaza deal, military readies for retreat

Israeli officials are preparing for the release of 20 living hostages held in Gaza either on Saturday or Sunday and for a possible visit by the US president on Sunday.

Palestinian children celebrate at a camp for displaced people in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Oct. 9, 2025, following news of a new Gaza ceasefire deal.

How the Israel-Hamas deal could unfold in the coming days

Israel and Hamas are set for a long-awaited hostage-prisoner swap, but significant obstacles remain to a permanent ceasefire.

Demonstrators march toward the Israeli parliament (Knesset) headquarters in protest of Israeli hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Trump says Israel, Hamas 'sign off' on phase 1 of Gaza truce deal

The announcement comes after key mediators, including from the Trump administration, joined the talks in Egypt.

An Israeli soldier displays military equipment and ammunition that Hamas and Palestinan militants used at the time of the attack on the Israeli south border with the Gaza Strip on Oct. 20, 2023, in Kiryat Malakhi, Israel.

Israel says Iran weapons plot foiled in West Bank: What to know

The third alleged Iranian smuggling plan in the past two years comes amid escalating violence in the Palestinian territory.

MOHAMAD DABOUL/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria: Siege persists in Aleppo’s Kurdish enclaves despite SDF-Damascus truce

Tensions are rising over plans to integrate the Kurdish-led SDF into the new Syrian military amid clashes between government-affiliated and Kurdish forces in Syria’s largest city.

This picture taken on Aug. 20, 2021 shows a view of smoke rising from bombardment on the outskirts of Syria's rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib.

US strike in Syria kills al-Qaeda-linked planner, hints at changing militant networks

Members of Syria’s al-Qaeda branch, Huras ad-Din, have been joining Ansar al-Islam as US drone strikes have continued to pick off Huras ad-Din's leaders, a report to the UN Security Council noted in July.