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

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Politics & Security

US President Donald Trump gestures as he steps off Air Force One to board the new Qatari-gifted Boeing plane, en route to the United States following his participation in the NATO Summit at Royal Air Force Mildenhall on July 8, 2026, in Mildenhall, England.

Trump says US to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site

Satellite imagery has detected recent construction at the underground facility.

Israelis turn out to cast their ballots on election day for the 20th Knesset on March 17, 2015 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Explainer

Israel's next election: Who's leading in polls and what's at stake?

After months of negotiations and speculations, the coalition announced that general elections will take place on Oct. 27.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his Egyptian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher, met at the Turkey’s Defense Ministry in Ankara, July 13, 2026.

Turkey, Egypt expand military ties with cooperation frameworks: What to know

Increasing defense cooperation between Ankara and Cairo comes as Turkey seeks to offset the expanding Greek-Cypriot-Israeli alignment in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images

Yemen’s Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa airport: What to know

The Yemeni government claimed that its armed forces struck the Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing, while the Houthis accused the government's ally, Saudi Arabia, of carrying out the strikes.

Latest News

Analysis

On first foreign trip, Iraqi PM Zaidi woos Trump but Iran casts long shadow

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at a Council of Ministers meeting in Baghdad on July 11, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Trump says US to resume naval blockade of Iran's ports

U.S. President Donald Trump returns to Joint Base Andrews on July 09, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump, switched from the old Air Force One to the new Air Force One while stopping in the U.K. at RAF Mildenhall Air Force Base was returning from his visit to Ankara, Turkey where he attended the NATO summit. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Analysis

From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose after signing a defense partnership agreement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Jared Elizabeth US-Iran proxy webinar

US confrontation with Iran’s proxies: Live Q&A with Jared Szuba and Elizabeth Hagedorn

The children of Palestinian Mahmoud Al-Durra, 32 years old, from Gaza City, who was displaced to the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip after Israeli raids destroyed his house and his wife was killed, play in the ruins on Jan. 31, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza.

Hamas claims stir debate over UN’s aid lifeline to Gaza

The Biden administration is under mounting pressure to urgently resume funding for UNRWA, without which aid agencies say humanitarian conditions will further deteriorate in the Gaza Strip.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Syrian President Bashar Assad during the Arab summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. Saudi Press Agency / Saudi Press Agency via AP

Gulf thaw with Syria gains steam: UAE sends envoy, Saudi diplomats plan visit

The reports about the Saudi visit come after the UAE’s first ambassador to Syria in more than a decade took up his post.

Fighters lift flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups, including al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah.

Analysis

Why did Kataib Hezbollah suspend attacks on US forces in Iraq?

The Iraqi militia’s announcement was the result of Iranian influence and Iraqi political developments, analysts say, ahead of a looming US military response to the killing of American soldiers in Jordan.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

A Lebanese woman looks at graffiti on a smashed glass facade in the heart of the capital Beirut on October 25, 2019 as anti-corruption demonstrators cut off major roads across the country for a ninth day, pledging to carry on with their protests despite the president offering to meet their representatives. - The entire political class has been targeted in days of unprecedented street demos that have dominated city centres and closed banks, schools and universities across Lebanon. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)

Mideast corruption rankings: UAE least corrupt, Lebanon & Iran close to bottom

Arab states’ average corruption score dropped to an all-time low in 2023, as did Turkey’s, the corruption index shows.

amlies of hostages and supporters hold signs and photos of hostages during a protest calling for an hostages deal with Hamas near the Israeli Prime Minister's residence on January 22, 2024in Jerusalem Israel. According to Israel, 132 hostages are still held by Hamas in Gaza since the October 7 attack. As the conflict between Israel-Hamas conflict rages on, the IDF focused the military offensive on Khan Younes, now the epicenter of the clashes in southern Gaza. For their part, families of hostages in Israel

Analysis

What's holding up Israel-Hamas hostage release, cease-fire deal?

Reports indicate that Israel would have to release thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including those convicted of murder, in exchange for the release of the roughly 136 hostages held in Gaza.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas delegation heads to Cairo for talks on hostage release, truce

A Hamas delegation has been dispatched to Cairo to discuss the latest proposal on a truce and release of hostages in Gaza, though several sticking points remain between the two sides.

Israeli ambassador to Sweden, Ziv Nevo Kulman (C) meets with people as they show their solidarity and support outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 9, 2023, after the surprise attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas against Israel. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)

What we know about attempted attack in Sweden outside Israeli Embassy

Israeli Ambassador to Sweden Zin Nevo Kulman thanked Stockholm police for thwarting an attempted attack by neutralizing a suspected explosive device.

A group of US soldiers looks for an enemy that fired on their position.

Worried about retaliation, Iran distances itself from US base attack

To avoid confrontation, Iranian authorities rejected claims of involvement in the deadly drone attack on US troops in Jordan as worries about escalation were already sending shock waves through Iran's troubled economy.

Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder holds a press conference at the Pentagon on Aug. 31, 2023, in Arlington, Virginia.

Pentagon: US retaliation coming despite Kataib Hezbollah vow to suspend attacks

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he had already decided how to respond to Sunday's drone attack at the Tower 22 base in Jordan, the deadliest attack on US forces since the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul.

Nuland says Turkey can return to F-35 consortium if S-400 issue resolved

The visit to Turkey by the US State Department's No. 2 comes as another signal of the burgeoning positive momentum in Washington-Ankara ties after Turkey approved Sweden’s membership in NATO.

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah gestures as he delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the 17th parliamentary term at the National Assembly in Kuwait City on Oct. 18, 2022.

Kuwait emir travels to Saudi Arabia for first foreign visit

Relations with Saudi Arabia are a priority for Kuwait's new emir.