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Politics & Security

Ozgu Ozel

Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel could launch new party by August

Ozgur Ozel’s remarks on a potential new party came as the legal crackdown on the main opposition widened further this week with the arrest and suspension of the mayor of Cankaya,one of the party’s most secure and symbolically important strongholds in the heart of Ankara.

Visitors stand inside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul on April 14, 2025.

Russian couple faces deportation from Turkey after Bible reading at Hagia Sophia

The couple were detained after reading from the Bible inside the Istanbul landmark, which remains one of Christianity’s most important historic sites despite its conversion into a mosque.

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.

Latest News

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

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.

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

FATHI AL-MASRI/AFP via Getty Images

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

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

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.

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.

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.