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

politics and security cover image

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

Smoke rises from an explosion in Khan Yunis, Gaza, Dec. 2, 2023.

Day 57 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Saturday, Dec. 2

A mobile phone showing Sedat Peker speaking on his YouTube channel about international drug smuggling, May 26, 2021 in Istanbul.

As mobsters gravitate to Turkey, what is the appeal of the Turkish passport?

International criminals have increasingly moved toward Turkey, attracted by easy citizenship prospects and lax measures against money laundering.

People pass a pro-Palestinian mural on the Republican Falls Road in Belfast on October 23, 2023. Northern Ireland may be thousands of miles from the Middle East but signs of the current heightened conflict can be seen on the streets of the British province. Palestinian and Israeli flags flutter in pro-Irish and pro-UK neighbourhoods in Northern Ireland, tapping into its own history of conflict and division that still affects everyday life despite a 1998 peace deal that largely ended violence. (Photo by Paul

Analysis

Israel-Ireland relations take another dive over Gaza war, PM statements

Israel's Foreign Ministry has summoned Ireland's ambassador over Prime Minister Leo Varadkar saying that nine-year-old hostage Emily Hand was "lost and found" when she was freed from Hamas captivity.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the Defense Department's budget request on Capitol Hill on June 17, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Interview

US senator calls for holding Israel accountable if it doesn’t limit civilian casualties

In an interview with Al-Monitor, US Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Democrat from Maryland, says Biden should go over Netanyahu’s head, speak directly to Israeli people about post-conflict vision.

Chris Van Hollen

Chris Van Hollen

US Senator from Maryland

Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12, 2023 as raging battles between Israel and the Hamas movement continue for the sixth consecutive day. Washington urged Israel to show restraint in its response to Hamas's surprise attack -- the worst in the country's 75-year history -- which Israeli forces said killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians. In Gaza, officials have reported more than 1,200 people killed in Israel's uninterrupted campaign of air and artillery strikes,

As Gaza war resumes, can Israel's plan to limit civilian harm succeed?

Under pressure from Washington, Israeli military officials say they are implementing options to limit further harm to civilians as they expand the military campaign to southern Gaza.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard boats attack a naval vessel during a three-day military drill in the Gulf on April 22, 2010.

What is scope of Iran-Oman joint military drill near Hormuz?

The drill was held only days after the Pentagon dispatched one of its largest aircraft carriers to the strategic waters, causing unease in Tehran amid risks of potential confrontations stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Türkiye and His Highness Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi during the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 at Expo City Dubai on Dec. 1, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Gaza overshadows COP28 as Turkey’s Erdogan blasts ’Israeli aggression'

The leaders of Iraq, Jordan and Turkey acknowledged the plight of the Palestinians, which took the attention off the country's climate targets.

United Arab Emirates

TOPSHOT - A man walks past a section of Israel's separation barrier painted with a portrait of Palestinian Ahed Tamimi, on November 6, 2023 in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army said on November 6 it had arrested the prominent 22-year-old Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi during a raid in the occupied West Bank. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) (Photo by HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)

Who are the main Palestinian prisoners released by Israel during Gaza truce?

A total of 71 women and 169 children were released from Israeli jails under a Hamas-Israel swap agreement that collapsed on Friday.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog meets with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the COP28 UN climate conference in Dubai, Dec. 1, 2023.

In first, Israeli-Qatari handshake at COP28 as Herzog cancels speech

A climate summit photo of Herzog and the Qatari leader marks the first time the emir has publicly shaken hands with an Israeli official, as their countries don’t have official diplomatic relations.

This picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip shows an Israeli tank crossing into the Palestinian enclave on December 1, 2023. A temporary truce between Israel and Hamas expired on December 1, with the Israeli army saying combat operations had resumed, accusing Hamas of violating the operational pause. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

As Gaza truce collapses, what red lines did US draw to Israel on next steps?

The Israeli government and the Biden administration at odds over tactics for renewed fighting and Gaza's future

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

JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images

Day 56 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Dec. 1

Blinken Israel

Israel needs 'clear plan' to protect Gaza civilians, Blinken says

The top US diplomat said Israel must take steps to protect civilians in southern Gaza once the fighting resumes, including creating safe zones.