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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Ousted party leader Ozgur Ozel waves to supporters from atop a police water cannon vehicle after being forcibly evicted by police from his party’s headquarters on May 24, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Top ally of Turkey’s Erdogan backs state funding for Ozel’s breakaway party

Devlet Bahceli’s suggestion exposes a more nuanced position within the country’s governing alliance over the ongoing legal crackdown against Turkey’s main opposition.

David's Sling.

Explainer

As Turkey rivalry heats up, Greece to acquire $4B Israeli air defense system

The Greek defense minister said that the air defense system will be operational within 35 months.

Iranian Presidential Office / AFP via Getty Images

Iraq deepens Iran ties days after US investment push

The Iraqi premier visited Tehran shortly after his trip to Washington for talks focusing on economic cooperation and plans to develop a cross-border railway network.

Latest News

Dozens killed in Yemen clashes as Houthis escalate threats against Saudi Arabia

Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images

Trump says Saudi nuclear deal 'totally subject' to Israel normalization

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Turkey to begin surveys for planned northern Cyprus gas pipeline

Turkey's servicemen stand at attention on a Turkish submarine as they participate in the live-fire phase of the Blue Homeland 2026 tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 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

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (R) visits the area of a crushed wagon.

Turkey and Greece maintain post-disaster diplomacy after train crash

As Ankara condoles Athens over the fatal train crash, Turks praise the Greek transport minister's resignation and lament at Turkish government officials for not taking responsibility over quake failures.

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Israel should 'wipe out' Palestinian village of Huwara, says far-right minister Smotrich

After inflammatory comments by far-right legislator Zvika Fogel last Monday, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he'd like to see the Palestinian village of Huwara "wiped out."

Iran German

Iran expels German diplomats as row continues over death sentence

Iran has sentenced another dual European citizen, a German-Iranian man, to death in relation to a 2008 attack on a mosque.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Turkey arrests senior Islamic State figure, police say

The arrest came after a series of security warnings by several foreign diplomatic missions in Turkey about potential attacks on Westerners last month.

Iran nuclear

Iran enriched uranium at 83.7%, close to weapons grade: UN watchdog

The news is alarming for Israel, but Iran denied other recent reports that asserted they enriched uranium close to the 90% threshold for a nuclear weapon.

Austin

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to visit Middle East as Iran threat builds

Lloyd Austin's visit to the region as Biden's defense secretary is intended as a signal of reassurance as Iran continues to arm and fund proxy militias throughout the region.

Jared Szuba

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

Undated photo of Afghanistan Embassy in Tehran.

Taliban releases Iran border guard, moves into Afghanistan's Embassy in Tehran

Iran has had a complicated relationship with the Taliban since the group resumed control over Afghanistan.

ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images

Israel's FM urges Germany to add Iran's IRGC to terror list, but hurdles remain

Though German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said recently that Berlin had no grounds to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the country’s list of terror groups, Israeli sources insist she is committed to pursuing this option.

Netanyahu tours east Jerusalem with Ben Gvir

Analysis

Israel's Netanyahu loses control as far-right ministers feed West Bank fires

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scrambling to rein in his far-right ministers as the violence in the region worsens by the day.

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

A policeman is stopped by security guards from entering a branch of BLOM Bank in the Lebanese port city of Saida (Sidon) on September 26, 2022 as banks reopened to depositors with scheduled appointments only, following a week of closure due to security concerns. (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)

In Lebanon, police join 'robbers', storm bank to get their own money

The Lebanese currency hit another record low on Tuesday, as judicial investigation into central bank chief Riad Salameh moves forward.

Fenerbahce supporters cheer during the UEFA Europa League group B football match between Fenerbahce SK and Stade Rennais FC at the Ulker stadium, in Istanbul on Oct. 27, 2022.

Sports stadiums shake as fans bash Turkey's earthquake response

Public dissent is getting louder online, at sporting events and on the streets as further examples of Turkey's disaster mismanagement emerge.

Officers of the Directorate of Narcotics Control of the Interior Ministry sort through tablets of Captagon seized during a special operation and presented before AFP afterward, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 1, 2022.

UAE busts 4.5 million Captagon pills in food cans after smuggler arrest

Amphetamine fenethylline, known by its brand name Captagon, has increasingly become the drug of choice among youth in Gulf Arab states.

United Arab Emirates