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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

Erdogan warns Israel will 'pay the price' if it targets Hamas in Turkey

The Turkish President warned Israel would pay a heavy price if it dared to hunt down Hamas members in Turkish territory.

TOPSHOT - A man stands by as a fire rages in a livestock market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, on September 1, 2023, in the aftermath of bombardment by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict between Sudan's army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo spread in late August 2023 to North Darfur state, with at least 27 localities burned down by the RSF and allied Arab militias, according to the Humanitarian Research L

Senior US official welcomes pressure on UAE over alleged Sudan arms transfers

US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee addressed questions from Congress on the issue and the Biden administration’s response to the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba, left, and President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran reviewing the honor guard during a welcoming ceremony in Havana on June 15, 2023.

Cuba, Iran ink economic agreements as Khamenei hosts Diaz-Canel

In its revolutionary foreign policy, Iran has for decades gone out of its way to unite like-minded nations — with a special focus on leftist nations — for an idealistic global campaign to weaken the American hegemony.

Yahya Sinwar

After Yahya Sinwar sanctions, France looks to deepen EU's anti-Hamas push

France announced Tuesday it was freezing the assets of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar for six months, a move it says is a prerequisite for enforcement of European Union sanctions on Hamas leaders.

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - NOVEMBER 30: (L-R) Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman al-Saud and Russian President Vladimir Putin look on during the opening day of Argentina G20 Leaders' Summit 2018 at Costa Salguero on November 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Amilcar Orfali/Getty Images)

What’s on Putin’s agenda on rare trip to Saudi Arabia, UAE?

The Russian president's trip comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, where the Hamas-Israel war has threatened to spill into a wider regional conflict.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Iran-backed militias test new front with Washington’s Syrian Kurdish allies

A US base in northeast Syria has been attacked twice so far by rockets launched in the last month from within the country, and officials with the Syrian Defense Forces point to Iran-backed Shiite militias.

Israeli settlers gather on a hill next to the Palestinian town of Halhul, north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on June 30, 2020, as they attend a rally against US President Donald Trump's peace plan which might create a Palestinian state and also the Israeli annexation of some parts West Bank.

Breaking | Last Updated: December 5, 2023, 4:29 pm

US announces visa ban policy for Israel's extremist West Bank settlers

The US visa restrictions come as the United Nations and rights groups have documented an uptick in settler violence against West Bank Palestinians since Oct. 7.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during statements to the media inside The Kirya, which houses the Israeli Defence Ministry, after their meeting in Tel Aviv on October 12, 2023. Blinken arrived in a show of solidarity after Hamas's surprise weekend onslaught in Israel, an AFP correspondent travelling with him reported. He is expected to visit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Washington closes ranks with its ally that has launche

Analysis

Growing US-Israel rift over Gaza war timeline: Will Netanyahu budge?

Sources told Al-Monitor that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed a different timeline than what Israel had in mind to end the war.

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

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

Day 60 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Tuesday, Dec. 5

Israeli military tanks roll near the border with the Gaza Strip, amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas, Dec. 5, 2023.

‘Nowhere is safe’ in Gaza as Israel presses ground offensive

Concerns are emerging about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in south Gaza, where Israel is widening its campaign.

U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on October 19, 2023.

Admin presses Congress on Israel aid as Democrats weigh conditions

As the Senate gears up to vote on Israel's aid package, the Biden administration is publicly calling for the Israeli military to act with restraint in southern Gaza.

Hawk T1A trainer aircraft of the Saudi Falcons aerobatic team perform during an air show marking Saudi Arabia's 93rd National Day celebrations in Riyadh on September 23, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

What weapons is US selling to Saudi Arabia in latest $582 million deal?

The sale coincides with increased Houthi attacks in Gulf waters and growing Saudi concerns over its defense posture following the Israel-Hamas war.