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

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Politics & Security

Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos Hessebon meets with Marco Rubio in Washington on May 11, 2026.

Rubio hosts Ethiopia’s FM amid push to boost security ties: What to know

In response to heightening regional volatility, Ethiopia is prioritizing a strategic partnership with the Washington to secure its geopolitical standing.

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Panamanian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

Breaking | Last Updated: May 11, 2026, 4:31 pm

US hits China-linked Iran oil trade with sanctions ahead of Trump trip

The sanctions come after the United States rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war.

French Deputy Armed Forces Minister Alice Rufo

After year away, France returns ambassador to Algeria: What to know

France and Algeria have made efforts to improve ties recently, with the strain resulting from disagreements over Western Sahara and their shared colonial past.

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

Latest News

Trump calls Iran response 'piece of garbage,' set to meet military advisers

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 2: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on May 2, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago resort. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

Two men stand next to the burned remains of a Palestinian vehicle in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Susya village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 1, 2026.

Upcoming Lebanon-Israel talks will see higher-level participation, discuss security ‘framework’

Anwar AMRO / 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

Supporters hang a campaign banner of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at a bus on a street in Cairo on December 7, 2023, ahead of the country's presidential election.

As Egyptians head to polls, Gaza war helps Sisi secure third term

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi continues to reject any attempt to forcibly displace and resettle Palestinians in Sinai, which has garnered him wide popularity that he had lost in the past years.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan (R) escorts US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as they arrive for a meeting with GCC Ministers at the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh on June 7, 2023.

Ending Gaza war ‘doesn’t seem priority’ says top Saudi diplomat on US visit

Top diplomats of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar implied Washington’s credibility is on the line, saying repercussions from destruction wrought by Israeli military in Gaza will impact region for ‘generations’ if not stopped.

A general view shows a United Nations Security Council meeting on Gaza, at UN headquarters in New York City on December 8, 2023.

Breaking | Last Updated: December 9, 2023, 8:19 am

US vetoes UNSC resolution demanding immediate cease-fire in Gaza

The renewed push for a cease-fire comes as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 17,000 and the humanitarian situation reaches catastrophic levels.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi gives a joint press conference with his German counterpart following talks at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin on March 10, 2021.

Interview

Israel already suffering 'strategic defeat' with global outcry over Gaza, Jordan’s FM says

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urged the United States to wield its influence with Israel to stem the bloodshed in Gaza after two months of devastating war.

Ayman Safadi

Ayman Safadi

Foreign Minister of Jordan

Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

New York synagogue becomes scene of latest attack amid Israel-Hamas war

Jewish religious institutions in the United States, Canada and Germany have been attacked since the war began as antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents continue to rise across the West.

Washington Pulse

Palestinian mourners carry the bodies of men killed in the village of al-Fara during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank, Dec. 8, 2023.

Six Palestinians killed in Israeli raid as West Bank violence continues

The Israeli army continues its near-daily incursions into West Bank towns and cities amid the war in Gaza.

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas claims to foil Israeli hostage-rescue effort

An Israeli official declined to comment on the matter as the war between the two rages on in Gaza following the collapse of the cease-fire.

UNSC vote

Day 63 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Dec. 8

Mourners carry the coffins of two Kurdish women killed a day earlier in a reported Turkish drone strike, during their funeral in Amuda, a town in the Hasakah governorate in northeastern Syria, on June 21, 2023.

With world's eyes on Gaza, Turkey attacks Syria's Kurds again

As of the beginning of 2023, at least 32 civilians have died in Turkish attacks in northeast Syria, including seven women and five children, according to local monitoring organizations.

Turkey's Erdogan declares 'new era' with Greece on landmark visit

The Turkish and Greek leaders vowed to maintain good neighborly relations in the interest of peace in the Agean Sea region.

Dubai, United Arab Emerates, Dec. 2: António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General speaks at the G77 and China Leaders' Summit.

Analysis

Explainer: Why did UN chief Guterres invoke Article 99 over Gaza?

The invocation of the article, which formally brings the war to the attention of the Security Council, drew a rebuke from Israel and praise from Arab states, and may harm the UN secretary-general's relations with the US.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Merav Michaeli, Israel’s Labor party chief, on Oct. 20, 2022.

Analysis

Why did Israel Labor party chief Merav Michaeli quit politics?

Israeli Labor Chair Merav Michaeli says she will not run on the party ticket at the next elections and will not run at the primaries for the leadership position, as the party needs to heal after its low score in the last 2022 elections.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs