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

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Politics & Security

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Israel targets Turkey charity amid Gaza flotilla tensions

The request, published in Israeli media, marks a further escalation in tensions with Turkey amid disputes over Gaza aid operations.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s Hormuz authority declares control over ports in UAE, Oman: What to know

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority released a map showing its “areas of oversight” extending to the United Arab Emirates’ ports, eliciting a rebuke from a senior Emirati official.

TO GO WITH STORY by Peter Martell: "Eritrea-economy-port": A couple of boats and two tug boats can be seen in Eritrea's Red Sea port of Massawa on November 18, 2007. Once one of East Africa's busiest ports, the town is still recovering after being badly bombed in 1990 during Eritrea's war of liberation from Ethiopia. The government is trying to revitalize the port, but efforts are hampered by a sluggish economy and threat of a renewed conflict with Ethiopia. AFP PHOTO/Peter MARTELL (Photo credit should read

Ethiopia accuses Egypt of obstructing Red Sea access bid: What to know

The remark came days after a new maritime cooperation agreement between Cairo and Asmara.

Leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ozgur Ozel addresses the audience during a rally in Istanbul on April 9, 2025.

Breaking | Last Updated: May 21, 2026, 2:45 pm

Turkish court ousts CHP leadership amid opposition crackdown

The ruling marks a major escalation in the legal crackdown on the CHP, which has already been hit by the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, its presidential candidate.

Latest News

Interview

Ahmad Tibi says Arab parties in Israel can block Netanyahu without joining next government

Arab-Israeli Knesset member Ahmed Tibi takes part in a demonstration against rising crime rates against Arab-Israelis in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 31, 2026.

Ahmad Tibi

Ahmad Tibi

Israeli Arab lawmaker

Analysis

Azerbaijan envoy hits raw nerve with reminder of Baku’s sway on Turkey-Armenia ties

A roadside sign marks the entrance to Khnatsakh on May 16, 2025, a border village in Armenia's Syunik Province that has become a frontline community amid rising tensions with Azerbaijan.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Turkey’s NATO pipeline bid fuels rivalry with Greece: What to know

OLE BERG-RUSTEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images

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

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iranian dissident who disappeared in Turkey resurfaces in Evin prison

Mohammad Bagher Moradi who took refuge in Turkey has ended up in Iran's notorious Evin prison, five months after he went missing in Ankara, his lawyer told Al-Monitor.

A woman holds a placard as protesters march in solidarity with protesters in Iran in front of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 22, 2022. - Iran has been rocked by protests since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini's death on September 16, three days after she was arrested by morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

US issues new Iran sanctions over protest crackdown

The latest sanctions target two law enforcement commanders and the warden of an Iranian prison housing political prisoners.

Amir Levy/Getty Images

Meet Aryeh Deri: Israel's Ultra-Orthodox strongman in Netanyahu’s cabinet

Counting on ultra-Orthodox Shas leader Aryeh Deri to become the more moderate face of his government, Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has offered him a slew of ministerial portfolios and responsibilities.

Israeli right-wing Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir (R) chats with incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) during the swearing in ceremony of the new Israeli government at the Knesset, Jerusalem, Nov. 15, 2022.

Crisis imminent as Netanyahu’s far-right partners set to govern West Bank

By handing over responsibilities for administrating lives in the West Bank to his far-right partners, Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu is playing with fire on the international arena.

Barzanis

Family feuds among Iraq’s Kurdish leaders embolden Iran

Iraqi Kurdish leaders are at each other’s throats instead of closing ranks as Iran rains cross-border missile and drone attacks on the region and threatens a ground invasion.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian efforts to stir Circassians against Russia divide diaspora in Turkey

A heated debate has erupted in the Circassian diaspora over calls to establish a Circassian battalion against Russia in Ukraine.

A photograph of a murdered Iranian woman hangs from a tree in front of the Palacio de la Moneda placed by Iranians living in Chile, as they protest against violence against women in their country, during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Santiago, Chili, Nov. 25, 2022.

Police chief says 'no more restraint' as more die in Iran unrest

The commander suggested that his forces had so far tolerated the unrest, while rights activists counted the killings of over 470 protesters at the hands of security forces.

Mourners accompany the casket of one of the two protesters killed earlier in clashes.

Protests erupt in southern Iraq as man sentenced for tweeting against PMU

Security concerns for southern Iraq have risen following an attempted suicide attack near Karbala and deadly protests in Nasiriyah sparked by a prison sentence for a man accused of insulting security forces.

An Iranian woman walks past a mural showing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the capital Tehran on March 9, 2022.

Iran's Khamenei shows no sign of retreat in latest speech

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has shown no signs of relaxing the country’s cultural policies.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) holds a joint press conference with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (L) and Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom (R) following meetings at the State Department in Washington, DC, Dec. 8, 2022.

Breaking | Last Updated: December 8, 2022, 3:49 pm

US confident Sweden, Finland will soon join NATO despite Turkey's holdup

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the two Nordic states had taken "tangible steps" to address Turkey's security concerns.

Stephanie Saliba

Lebanese actress tied to corruption scheme allowed to enter country

Surrounded by controversy, Lebanese actress Stephanie Saliba enters Lebanon freely despite a search warrant in her name.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Child abuse case drags Turkey’s religious sects into public eye

A woman’s claims that she was married at 6 has raised questions about the role of Islamic orders and their influence in the state.