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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, speaks during a press conference

Explainer

Who will lead Congress? Democrats weigh Schumer alternatives, Jeffries bid

A number of contenders have emerged as challengers to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, including strong critics of the Iran war and US support to Israel.

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

Manon Roca / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon files charges against 2 Hezbollah members as UNIFIL prepares to withdraw

The move comes amid growing security concerns in the south less than two months before the UNIFIL mandate expires.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

Latest News

Explainer

Arab parties' backing gives Eisenkot edge over Netanyahu for PM: What to know

Tomer Neuberg / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Massie renews Hegseth impeachment push as GOP blames Iran war for midterm losses

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, on July 21, 2026, in Washington.

Jared Szuba

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

Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift?

TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images

Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopters fly over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy, northeastern Hasakeh province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2021.

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

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa (L) meets Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 9, 2024.

Saudi Arabia hosts Palestinian PM as Gaza cease-fire talks advance

Mohammed Mustafa’s visit to Saudi Arabia comes after he stopped in Jordan and Egypt in the past days as mediators are pushing for a Gaza cease-fire.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to supporters at his party’s Istanbul mayoral candidate Murat Kurum's campaign rally, Istanbul, Turkey, March 29, 2024.

Turkey restricts exports of 54 products to Israel until Gaza cease-fire

As Israel pledged to retaliate, analysts believe the move is aiming to allay growing dismay among Turkey's Islamists for the government’s refusal to sever trade ties with the Middle Eastern country over the Gaza conflict.

Citizens inspect the effects of the destruction of Al-Farouq Mosque and the buildings destroyed by the Israeli raids on Feb. 22, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza.

Netanuyahu says date set for Rafah operation as Cairo talks enter new round

The Israeli prime minister's announcement came as the US dialed up pressure on Hamas to accept a cease-fire proposal tabled by CIA Director Bill Burns in Cairo over the weekend.

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela in Caracas on Feb. 24, 2024.

Turkey to take ‘series of measures’ against Israel after Gaza aid drop denied

The Turkish foreign minister said the measures would be "implemented step by step, without delay," but did not specify the actions to be taken.

(L-R) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi wave hands during the group photo session, a head of the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries, on the sideline of the 2017 BRICS Summit in Xiamen, southeastern China's Fujian Province on Sept. 5, 2017.

Al-Monitor/Premise poll finds Biden's unpopularity in Mideast makes room for China, Russia to outshine US

Washington’s influence remains potent despite its perceived disengagement from the Middle East, but Russia and China are eagerly finding gaps to fill.

Elizabeth Tsurkov

Lawmakers urge Biden to help free Princeton researcher kidnapped in Iraq

The State Department says it has urged senior Iraqi officials to locate and secure the release of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian researcher believed to be held by Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah.

Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (R) and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, talk to reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Damascus on Feb. 11, 2024.

In Syria, Iran FM says Israel ‘will be punished’ for consulate strike

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is on a regional tour, visiting Oman and Syria after the suspected Israeli strike that killed several IRGC officers near the Iranian Embassy in Damascus.

Pascal Sleiman, a Lebanese Forces official, kidnapped in Lebanon on April 7, 2024.

After kidnapping, senior Lebanese Forces official found dead in Syria

The abduction of a local official of the Christian Lebanese Forces party risked causing sectarian strife in Lebanon, which is already reeling under the consequences of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in the south.

An undated image of the Kaan.

The long road ahead for Kaan, Turkey’s nascent fifth-generation fighter jet

Turkey’s aspiring ruler of the skies will need to overcome various challenges before it can truly become a fifth-generation fighter, analysts say.

Iranians attend the funeral of seven Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike on the country's consular annex in Damascus.

Iran buries officers killed in suspected Israeli strike but seems in no rush to retaliate

Despite the harsh slogans in the state-organized funerals for the slain officers, Iran appeared to be exercising "patience" and calibrating any potential reprisal against Israel.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir attend the 8th Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 10, 2018.

Will China-Arab States Cooperation Forum summit help boost Beijing’s ties with Mideast?

The 10th session of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum is due to be held on May 30 in Beijing — will it result in even stronger China-Arab relations?

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem on Sept. 27, 2023.

Analysis

Despite rift over Gaza, Biden and Netanyahu find common ground on Iran

US president has his "come to Jesus" moment with Bibi, but the threat from Iran may temper United States' conditioning arms assistance.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti