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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

RODRIGO OROPEZA/AFP via Getty Images

Mexico, Chile call on ICC to investigate Israel over Gaza war

As the International Court of Justice investigates South Africa's complaint, Mexico and Chile are also calling on the International Criminal Court to investigate crimes against Palestinians.

Rafael Grossi

Davos 2024: IAEA chief says monitoring of Iran nuclear sites 'not at a good place'

Asked by Al-Monitor if Iran was close to enriching weapons-grade uranium, Grossi responded, “They are already there.”

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

IRGC holds drills as Iran dispatches naval mission to international seas

The move coincides with large-scale drills held by Iran’s military and IRGC days after Pakistan struck areas in Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu attends the funeral for First Sergeant Major Gal Meir Eisenkot in Herzliya, Dec. 8, 2023.

Analysis

'Hallucination' or realpolitik? Netanyahu's long shot at Israel-Saudi normalization

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still hopes to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia after rejecting US proposals for Palestinian control of Gaza and the West Bank.

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

Photo of the European Parliament

EU Parliament calls for conditional Gaza cease-fire if hostages released, Hamas dismantled

For the first time since Oct. 7, the European Parliament called on Israel to stop fighting in Gaza, but also said that a cease-fire should be accompanied by the release of all abductees and the dismantling of Hamas.

A Baloch militant (L) hands over his gun and surrenders to Baluchistan province Chief Minister Sardar Sanaullah Khan Zehri (R) in Quetta on April 21, 2017. Around 500 Baloch rebel militants on April 21 surrendered to Pakistan's government as Islamabad pursues its development agenda linked to the ambitious China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the southwest province. / AFP PHOTO / BANARAS KHAN (Photo credit should read BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Across Baluchistan, who are the groups targeted by Iran, Pakistan?

The cross-border strikes have raised questions about the separatist groups operating in the border area between Iran and Pakistan.

Turkey’s first astronaut heads to space

Turks tune in to live national TV to watch Turkey’s first astronaut travel to space.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Pakistani soldiers wearing facemasks patrol near the closed Pakistan-Iran border in Taftan, as fears over the spread of the coronavirus escalate following an outbreak in neighboring Iran, Feb. 25, 2020.

What is behind Iran-Pakistan border escalation, the worst in decades?

Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province, located on the border with Pakistan, has long been plagued by poverty, protests and militant activity.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks next to a photograph showing 10-month-old baby Kfir Bibas held by Hamas during a session of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos on January 18, 2024. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

Davos 2024: Israel’s Herzog says 'coalition of nations' should take charge in post-war Gaza

The Israeli president admitted that a plan hadn’t been finalized, but insisted that plenty of talks were going on.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) greets US President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on Oct. 18, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Israel's Netanyahu tells US he opposes Palestinian state after Gaza war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that he will not succumb to American pressure to end the war, and that he intends to continue until all of Israel's goals are fulfilled.

GHULAM RASOOL/AFP via Getty Images

Pakistan conducts strikes inside Iran as China, Turkey call for restraint

The region is already at a boiling point as the Israel-Hamas war continues to reverberate across the Middle East, with attacks in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.

The container ship, A Daisen, with the destination 'DJJIB ARMED GUARD' seen at sea on Jan. 17, 2024, in Djibouti.

Yemen's Houthis hit another US-owned cargo ship as strikes fail to deter

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed they hit a US-owned bulk carrier with at least one naval missile in the Gulf of Aden, defying Washington and setting the stage for a prolonged tit-for-tat with the US military.

Jared Szuba

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