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Politics & Security

Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, shake hands before a bilateral meeting ahead of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 5, 2025.

UAE purchases 10 military aircraft from Brazil as BRICS ties grow

The purchase of C-390 Millennium aircraft for the Emirati air force comes as the UAE seeks to build up its military capabilities amid the war with Iran and boost ties with BRICS member states.

United Arab Emirates

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 18: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R), French President Emmanuel Macron (L), and European leaders at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted President Zelensky at the White House for a bilateral meeting and an expanded meeting with European leaders to discuss a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Macron casts doubt on Trump’s Hormuz operation as France-US gap grows

French President Emmanuel Macron slammed President Donald Trump for launching a unilateral operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz instead of pursuing a coordinated effort with Iran.

Sabah Fidan

Turkey hosts Kuwaiti FM as UAE's OAPEC exit fuels Gulf rift

Kuwait's top diplomat visited Turkey as the Gulf rift deepens following the UAE’s exit from OPEC and its affiliated alliances, forcing Ankara to balance ties between Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

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Analysis

What UAE’s $3.45B pullback from Pakistan signals about Abu Dhabi's priorities

A security personnel sits in a market after markets reopened in Islamabad on April 23, 2026, following heightened security measures amid the ongoing US-Iran peace talks.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Under US pressure, will Lebanon repeal Israel Boycott Law?

Members of Lebanese security forces stand guard in the perimeter of the Parliament, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president in Beirut on January 8, 2025. Lebanese political heavyweights held talks on January 8, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president of the tiny Mediterranean country, already deep in economic and political crisis, and which has been without a president for more than two years. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom

Zaidi

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Can Bennett, Lapid unite Israel’s opposition to unseat Netanyahu?

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid (L) speaks to outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, during a meeting at the Knesset (parliament), in Jerusalem on June 30, 2022. - Final approval of the parliament dissolution bill was initially expected by midnight but was postponed to June 30 as coalition and opposition lawmakers sparred over last-minute legislative details, several sources familiar with the parliamentary said. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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

IBRAHIM AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Could Israel-Lebanon deal momentum lead to Gaza ceasefire?

Having concluded the deal for a ceasefire in Lebanon, the Biden administration is now pushing the Israeli government to advance on a deal with Hamas.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei holds a weekly press conference in Tehran on Oct. 28, 2024.

Iran praises Lebanon ceasefire, vows response to Israel 'in due time'

Iran has repeatedly vowed to respond to the late October Israeli strikes on the country, and a senior official repeated the assertion following the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images

Erdogan: Turkey ready to contribute to 'permanent ceasefire' in Gaza

The Turkish president’s remarks came after the US president announced new ceasefire efforts in Gaza.

A Hezbollah supporter holds up the yellow flag of the Lebanese militant group in front destruction in Beirut's southern suburbs as people rushed back to check their homes on November 27, 2024, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.

Displaced Lebanese return to southern villages as ceasefire holds

The year-long war has left thousands of dead, displaced more than 1 million people and caused severe damage to Lebanon's infrastructure.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey scales back $23 billion F-16 deal with US

Turkey scrapped plans to acquire F-16 modernization kits for domestic industry to take over, the Turkish defense minister said.

Israel Lebanon

US military to monitor Israel-Lebanon ceasefire alongside UN, France

The Lebanese Army emerges as the lynchpin of a fragile ceasefire as Biden vows no US troops on the ground in south Lebanon.

A picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, during an official ceremony to kick-start works on a second reactor at the facility.

Iran, Europe gamble on fresh talks in Geneva to resolve nuclear deal deadlock

The upcoming negotiations in Geneva follow a two-year hiatus in Iran's nuclear diplomacy, reviving cautious optimism regarding potential economic relief while also highlighting the pressure Tehran is facing in the wake of Donald Trump's new tenure.

One of the two top political leaders of the Syrian Kurdish alliance and co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council Ilham Ahmed attends a press conference, in Paris, on Dec. 21, 2018.

Interview

Syrian Kurd FM Ilham Ahmed says PKK leader Ocalan's words of 'vital importance'

Ilham Ahmed, the de facto foreign minister of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, spoke to Al-Monitor about the latest developments in the region, including Turkey's new initiative to end its conflict with the outlawed PKK.

Ilham Ahmed

Ilham Ahmed

Co-President of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

KEMAL ASLAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey detains more than 230 as pressure on opposition ramps up

The detentions include pro-Kurdish politicians, rights activists and journalists.

SIMON WOHLFAHRT/AFP via Getty Images

Sudan clears path for 17,500 tons of food aid as war rages

Some of the aid has reached the Zamzam camp in Darfur, where famine has been confirmed, while the opening of a key border crossing was extended earlier this month.

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Marjayoun, near the Lebanon-Israel border, on Sept. 23, 2024.

Israel security cabinet approves ceasefire deal with Hezbollah to end Lebanon war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his security cabinet approved the US-mediated deal with Hezbollah for stopping the conflict in Lebanon.

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Iran promises response 'beyond imagination' to Israeli strikes even as deal looms

A month after Israel's Oct. 26 strikes on Iran, Iranian officials are ramping up discussions of a response to the attack.