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

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Politics & Security

BEIRUT, LEBANON - OCTOBER 13: Lebanese people wave flags and hold portraits of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (not pictured) as he arrives in southern suberb of Beirut on October 13, 2010 in Lebanon. The controversial visit is seen as a boost for key ally Hezbollah. According to reports Mr Ahmadinejad may visit the border with Israel - the site of recent deadly clashes between Israeli and Lebanese forces. (Photo by Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)

Ahmadinejad denies alleged Mossad plot to install him as Iran leader: What to know

The former president, who was a virulent critic of Israel while in office, was reportedly part of a Mossad plan to replace the current Iranian leadership.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cornerstone laying ceremony for the Atarot Heritage Center at an abandon airport in East Jerusalem near the separation wall with the Israeli occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on July 5, 2026.

Israel's Netanyahu plans US visit for Trump meeting, Graham memorial

President Donald Trump is also meeting with Lebanon's president next week.

FATHI AL-MASRI/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon army enters Palestinian camp ahead of Aoun’s US visit

Lebanese military forces took over offices belonging to Palestinian factions inside a refugee camp in the north as a sixth round of talks between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors concluded.

Latest News

Analysis

How UK's IRGC designation raises stakes for Iran and Europe

A general view of the Iranian Embassy on July 13, 2026, in London, England.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

In Trump meeting, Iraq PM says US troops to withdraw by Sept. 30

SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

Jared Szuba

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

Bahrain sentences 3 to life in prison over ties to Iran's IRGC: What to know

A photograph shows a damaged building in the aftermath of a drone strike in the Seef district of Manama on March 10, 2026.

Analysis

As Trump prioritizes Hormuz, Israel fears Iran rebuilding nuclear program while preserving ballistic missile threat

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

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

Lebanon

Day 62 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Dec. 7

Raisi and Putin

After Su-35 deal, Putin hosts Iran’s Raisi as Russia looks East

Iran and Russia, both facing growing sanctions by the West, have deepened their relations in the past year.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) sails in formation with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black.

Houthi attacks continue in Red Sea as US Navy dispatches new destroyers

The Pentagon is gearing up for the long haul to deter Iran’s proxies as the Israel-Hamas war drags on.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps speedboats cruise past an oil tanker off the port of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, on July 2, 2012.

Iran says it seized ships in Gulf for alleged fuel smuggling

The seizure and arrest of the foreign crew members occurred south of the disputed Abu Musa island, according to Iranian state media.

This image grab taken from AFPTV video footage on April 20, 2023, shows an aerial view of black smoke rising above the Khartoum International Airport amid ongoing battles between the forces of two rival generals.

US says Sudanese armed forces, RSF rebels committed war crimes

The State Department's announcement represents an escalation in US rhetoric over the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attend a welcoming ceremony ahead of their talks in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 6, 2023.

UAE rolls out red carpet for Russia’s Putin as West ups sanctions

President Putin's trip to the UAE and Saudi Arabia coincided with a new series of sanctions announced by the UK against individuals and entities accused of funding the war machine in Ukraine.

The Soloturk aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force flies an F-16 aircraft over Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Turkish Republic's Founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey in Ankara, on October 29, 2023. Turkey marked its centenary as a post-Ottoman republic on October 29, 2023, with somewhat muted celebrations held in the shadow of Israel's escalating war with Hamas militants in Gaza. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALT

In shift, Erdogan links Sweden’s NATO accession to Turkey's F-16 acquisition

On eve of his Greece visit, and after insisting for months that Sweden's pending NATO membership and Turkey's purchase of F-16s should be separate, Erdogan is now linking the two outcomes.

TOPSHOT - Protesters hold pictures of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, during a demonstration outside the US consulate in Istanbul, on January 5, 2020, two days after top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was killed by a US drone strike. - A US drone strike killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani at Baghdad's international airport on January 3, dramatically heightening regional tensions and prompting arch enemy Tehran to vow "revenge". (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty

Iran court orders US to pay $49 billion over Soleimani assassination

Qasem Soleimani led Iran’s elite Quds Force until he was assassinated by the United States in Baghdad in 2020 in response to attacks on US forces in Iraq.

A Bahraini protester holds his national flag during clashes with riot police following the funeral of 20-year-old prisoner Fadel Abbas Musalem in the village of Diraz, west of the capital Manama, on January 26, 2014. The Gulf kingdom's main Shiite political opposition group said Musalem died the previous day as a result of torture during his detention. AFP PHOTO/MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH (Photo by MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP via Getty Images)

Rights groups denounce Bahrain's trial of 13 political prisoners

Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy said a Bahraini court that convicted 13 people in September failed to look into allegations of torture against the defendants.

Guterres Netanyahu

Analysis

Shin Bet chief calls on UN to side with Israel in 'war between good and evil'

In a letter to the UN secretary-general, the head of Israel's domestic security agency called on the international community to support efforts to end Hamas' rule of the Gaza Strip and recognize the crimes committed against Israelis, especially women.

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

helicopter

Day 61 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Wednesday, Dec. 6

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.