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Politics & Security

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs neighborhood of Haret Hreik on May 6, 2026.

Israel strikes Beirut in breach of Lebanon ceasefire

Israel has continued to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon but had not targeted Beirut since the ceasefire took effect.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Ankara comes amid rapidly expanding Turkish-Saudi coordination as the fallout from the Iran war reshapes Gulf security dynamics.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second right, talks to his Iranian Counterpart Abbas Araghchi, left, during the bilateral meeting in Beijing, Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Iran, China discuss Hormuz reopening amid potential US-Iran talks

China’s foreign minister told his Iranian counterpart that “persisting in negotiations is particularly important.”

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Lebanon, Israel eye third round of talks, but no Netanyahu-Aoun meeting in sight

The US appears to be pushing for a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the Lebanese government says it won't happen while Israel continues to launch attacks on Lebanon.

Latest News

Analysis

Iran's Gulf gambit: Attacking the UAE to shift US calculations

A billboard with the image of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wraps the front of a building in Tehran on May 5, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iran’s Araghchi heads to China as US presses Beijing over Hormuz: What to know

Parker Song / 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

Hezbollah fighters carry the flag-draped coffin of slain top commander Fuad Shukr during his funeral in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1, 2024. Hezbollah on August 1 mourned Shukr, whose body was recovered from the rubble of a July 30 Israeli strike in south Beirut that also killed five civilians, three women and two children, and injured dozens, according to Lebanon's health ministry, as fears mounted of a wider conflict in the region. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via G

Hezbollah chief says war with Israel in 'new phase,' vows 'real response' to Shukr's killing

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said the group and its allies will respond to the killing of commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, warning that the battle has now entered a new phase.

A view of the destruction by the Israeli military of Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip on July 29, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

Exclusive

Inside the Palestinian Authority’s day-after plan for Gaza

A proposal obtained by Al-Monitor outlines the Palestinian Authority’s plan for unified governance across the West Bank and Gaza, but its implementation hinges on whether Israel and Hamas can agree to a cease-fire.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants' cage after a hearing to consider an appeal on his extended pretrial detention, at the first court of appeal in Moscow, April 23, 2024.

US-Russian prisoner swap including Evan Gershkovich completed in Turkey

The US and Russia exchanged dozens of prisoners, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, on Thursday in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

A Palestinian praysfollowing an Israeli military strike on the al-Mawasi camp for internally displaced people (IDP), near the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 13, 2024.

Israeli military confirms Hamas’ Mohammed Deif killed in strike

The leader of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades had eluded capture or assassination by Israel for more than two decades.

Saied Iravani, Iranian ambassador to the UN, attends a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at UN Headquarters on July 31, 2024, in New York City.

US troops may be in crosshairs as Iran blames US for Haniyeh killing

Iraqi militia Harakat al-Nujaba warned that the United States and Israel had "opened the gates of hell" following a US airstrike south of Baghdad that US officials said was unrelated to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran just hours later.

Palestinians carry a placard bearing the image of the leader of the militant Hamas group during a protest in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on July 31, 2024, denouncing his killing.

Iran vows revenge for Haniyeh killing amid questions over security failures

The attack exposed vulnerabilities in Iran's long-fought intelligence war with Israel and stirred up debates on possible Israeli infiltration within the Islamic Republic's security apparatus.

The Palestinian Hamas movement's leader Ismail Haniyeh flashes the victory sign following a speech at a public rally during his visit to the southern Lebanese city of Saida, on June 26, 2022. (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP) (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Who was Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas political leader assassinated in Iran?

The Qatar-based Haniyeh became Hamas’ political chief in 2017 after ascending the group’s ranks and helped repair relations with Iran.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas listens as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured) speaks during a meeting in Ankara, on March 5, 2024.

Abbas to visit Turkey mid August as both condemn Haniyeh’s killing

The visit is scheduled amid rising tensions after the Hamas leader's assassination in Tehran, with experts urging Turkey to exercise caution vis-a-vis Hamas amid regional instability.

Burhand leaves a helicopter in Gibet

Sudan’s army chief Burhan survives drone strike: military

The attack was the first of its kind against the Sudanese army in the Red Sea state, which had been relatively spared the fighting between the military and the rival Rapid Support Forces.

Ismail Haniyeh, the Doha-based political bureau chief of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, speaks to the press after a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister in Tehran on March 26, 2024. Haniyeh's visit to Tehran comes a day after a resolution adopted by the UN Security Council called for an "immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, leading to a "lasting" truce. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh killed while visiting Iran

While no party has claimed responsibility, the Gaza-based militant group immediately accused Israel of being behind the killing.

A paramilitary of the Hashed al-shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) forces stands guard during the funeral of a comrade, who died in American air strikes targeting Iran-backed groups the day before, at the Hashed al-shaabi forces' headquarters in Baghdad on January 25, 2024.

US strikes Iran-backed militia in Iraq amid Hezbollah-Israel tensions

Pentagon officials are anticipating blowback from Iran-backed militias in the Middle East after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah commander in south Beirut.

Jared Szuba

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

Fuad Shukr in an undated photo

Analysis

Who is Fuad Shukr, senior Hezbollah military official targeted by Israel in Beirut?

The US government accuses Shukr of playing a key role in the 1983 bombing of US Marines in Lebanon, and he was a significant figure in Hezbollah's military apparatus, according to an expert.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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