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

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Politics & Security

Erik Marmor

Analysis

Once Netanyahu’s top challenger, Bennett loses ground to Eisenkot: What to know

Facing the popular Gadi Eisenkot, the Together party of former premiers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid is sinking in Israeli opinion polls.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

Yemeni separatists

Analysis

What does Houthi advance mean for Yemen’s southern separatists?

The Southern Transitional Council remains somewhat active in southern Yemen after its territorial defeat by the Saudi-backed government, and the Houthis are not interested in fighting the group at present.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

boats and a container ship near the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb

Analysis

Houthi gains in Yemen are testing Saudi Arabia’s security strategy

The advance toward Bab al-Mandeb threatens a vital Saudi oil route and risks drawing Riyadh back into a Yemen war it has spent years trying to leave.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement, arrive with their weapons to rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon, in Sanaa on April 8, 2026, following the announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East war.

Iran, misreading Trump’s resolve, escalates conflict in Yemen ahead of US midterms

On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Trump links Iran to the war on terror, vowing it will “never, ever have a nuclear weapon.”

Latest News

Analysis

As Houthis seize Bab el-Mandeb, Iran appraises value of new Red Sea card

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Claude AI used for missile, influence projects in UAE, Iran, Yemen: Anthropic

member of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces firing a heavy machine gun

Houthi seizure of Perim Island raises stakes in Bab al-Mandeb

Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement brandish weapons, Sanaa, July 10, 2026.

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

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives his oath as he is sworns as Turkey's first Executive President at the Turkish parliament on July 9, 2018 in Ankara, Turkey. President Erdogan was sworn in during a parliamentary meeting and later an inauguration ceremony attended by a number of foreign leaders and dignitaries. President Erdogan secured another five year term and increased powers after winning 52.5 percent of the vote in the June 24 snap presidential and parliamentary elections. Under the new

Erdogan's inauguration: What to expect for Turkey's big bash

Several foreign leaders from Venezuela to Armenia are expected to travel to Turkey for the inauguration day.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to the media before a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base on April 21, 2023 in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. The group, which coordinates international military support for Ukraine, is meeting as allied countries are struggling to deliver sufficient amounts of artillery rounds and other ammunition to the Ukrainian military. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)

NATO turns on charm offensive with Turkey to settle Sweden's membership bid

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Sweden’s former premier Carl Bildt are scheduled to travel to Ankara to attend Erdogan's inauguration and convince the Turkish government to greenlight the Swedish membership.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

US sanctions Iranian firm over internet censorship

The Treasury Department says that the technology company Arvan Cloud has a close and collaborative relationship with Iran's intelligence services.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Israel’s Shin Bet chief meets CIA director for talks on Palestinians, Iran

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar met in Washington with CIA chief William Burns over mutual concerns for the stability of the Palestinian Authority.

A vehicle of the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) Italian contingent patrols in the village of Seddiqine in the southern Lebanese district of Tyre, from near where four rockets were fired towards Israel, on May 19, 2021. - The Israeli army confirmed the attack, saying it retaliated with artillery fire. It is the third time rockets have been launched from Lebanese territory towards Israel since hostilities flared between the Jewish state and armed Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip last wee

Lebanon's Hezbollah denies links to suspects in killing of UN Irish peacekeeper

Hezbollah officials have denied court findings that five people formally accused of killing an Irish soldier of the UNIFIL last year were members of Hezbollah.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Iran releases 1 Danish, 2 Austrian citizens after Oman mediation

The newest release of European dual nationals follows a prisoner swap between Iran and Belgium also mediated by Oman.

Foreign ministers of BRICS nations pose for a family photo with representatives from Africa and the global South during a summit in Cape Town, South Africa, June 2, 2023.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE attend BRICS meeting in South Africa as bloc mulls expansion

Iran, which has applied for observer status in BRICS, is finessing non-Western states to remedy its battered economy.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi arrives for the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, Vienna, Austria, March 6, 2023.

Israel slams IAEA for closing two Iran nuclear sites probes

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Foreign Ministry slammed the IAEA for caving into Iranian pressure and ending two probes on traces of enriched uranium found at the Fordo and Marivan sites.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Israeli military vehicles patrol the border with Lebanon near the Israeli Kibbutz of Shtula, July 3, 2022.

Israel, Hezbollah rattle swords, with military drills near border

The military drills of Hezbollah and of the Israel Defense Forces — only a few days apart — reflect growing tensions on Israel’s northern border.

Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party.

Turkey’s beleaguered Kurds weigh new strategies after Erdogan’s win

The key question following the vote is whether the alliance between the HDP and the main opposition Republican People’s Party and its Table of Six partners can endure.

BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

Attack on Iran-Pakistan border leaves 2 dead

Security issues are complicating Iran’s relations with Pakistan, and there has also been violence on the Iran-Afghanistan border recently.

PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

Iran executions spike by 76% with 142 people hanged in May: Report

A new report reveals that Iran carried out 307 executions in 2023 as rights groups' pleas fall on deaf ears.