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Politics & Security

People swim next to the Russian-flagged cargo ship OMSKIY-107, which was attacked off the Black Sea coast and eventually ran aground off the shore of the Sile district, Istanbul, Sept. 3, 2026.

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

The Russia-Ukraine drone war is hitting Turkish commercial interests, exposing the limits of Ankara’s ability to protect shipping while remaining outside the conflict.

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

Latest News

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

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.

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

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

In this picture taken on September 30, 2020 shows logos of social networking websites displayed on a mobile phone's screen in Istanbul. - Turkey on Wednesday restricted Twitter in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake. (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Twitter restricted in Turkey in aftermath of earthquake

Governmental restrictions on the social media app have been imposed even while rescuers race against time to reach survivors trapped under the rubble.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan tours earthquake zone as casualty count rises

The Turkish president visited the epicenter of the quake in Kahramanmaras to pledge state aid to victims, but many remain angry at the government's response.

Destruction in Antakya, Turkey, is seen in this screen grab from a video take Feb. 6, 2023.

Earthquake shatters tiny Jewish community in Turkey's Antakya

Antakya was once home to a thriving Jewish community, but after this week's earthquakes, the few Jews who still lived there are unlikely to return.

A photograph taken on February 8, 2023 shows tents at a camp set up by the government in the southeastern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, two days after a strong earthquake struck the region.

Earthquake deaths pass 11,000 in Turkey, Syria as anger, desperation mount: Live Updates

Desperation is growing in the aftermath of the massive earthquakes that rocked Turkey, Syria and beyond as international rescue efforts pour into the region.

Residents and rescuers search for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Rescuers pour into Turkey, but aid slow to arrive in earthquake-hit Syria

The disaster response in northern Syria is stymied by supply chain issues, logistical hurdles and diplomatic disputes over accessing the country's rebel-held territory.

eople try to rescue their loved ones, believed to be trapped under collapsed building on February 07, 2023 in Iskenderun, Turkey. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit near Gaziantep, Turkey, in the early hours of Monday, followed by another 7.5-magnitude tremor just after midday.

Israel's rescue teams arrive in Turkey, will establish field hospital for earthquake victims

Three Israeli rescue delegations are already on the ground, with more humanitarian aid expected in the coming days.

A woman sits on the rubble of a destroyed building in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey, a day after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast, on Feb. 7, 2023.

Hopes dim amid frantic earthquake rescues, as Turkey declares state of emergency

President Erdogan says there are more than 53,000 rescuers in the 10 provinces, but locals complain that some neighborhoods are abandoned as hopes run out for people trapped in the debris.

Israeli protesters attend a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new hard-right government, Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 4, 2023.

Israeli society facing flare-up over Netanyahu’s judicial shakeup

The two camps supporting the Netanyahu government’s judicial shake-up and those opposing it have resorted to aggressive words and threats.

PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images

Pentagon sends USAID search and rescue teams to Turkey

Two American emergency response teams departed for Turkey Tuesday following deadly earthquakes believed to killed more than 5,000 people.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Part of an underground airbase is seen in a news report by the state broadcaster aired Feb. 7, 2023.

Iran shows off underground air base with Russia's Sukhoi jets

In the first public display of an underground air base, Iran presented missile-mounted warplanes and bombers at a moment of growing concerns over its controversial drone deliveries to Russia.

Palestinian protesters burn tyres to block a road leading into Jericho in the occupied West Bank, on February 6, 2023, following a raid in town by Israeli forces. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Palestinian teen killed in Israeli raid as CIA fears another intifada

US CIA director Bill Burns said Tuesday that the current situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories has a "very unhappy resemblance" to the second intifada.

The village of Bibsna, located on the Syrian-Turkish border, was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake, and rescue teams are trying to recover the victims and treat the wounded, Feb. 6, 2023.

Already displaced by war, Syrians search earthquake rubble for loved ones

Residents of northwest Syria, most of whom found refuge in the area after fleeing the bombing in their hometowns during the war, found themselves facing a new catastrophe following Monday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake.