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Politics & Security

Milak border crossing near the town of Zabol, Iran

Third Sunni cleric killed in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province: What to know

Iran says it is stepping up its crackdown on armed groups in the impoverished province as Sunni clerics have been reported killed there and in the predominantly Kurdish northwest.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

CENTCOM chief meets Saudi Arabia's MBS amid Houthi gains in Yemen

The low-profile meeting between the Pentagon's commander in the Middle East and Saudi crown prince comes as Yemen's Houthis seized the high ground overlooking a vital economic waterway.

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

Latest News

Analysis

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

Yemeni separatists

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Analysis

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

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

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

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

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.

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

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Russian delegation heads to Turkey amid potential Syria offensive

The top Turkish diplomat aired a rare complaint over the Russian stalling of constitutional talks between the warring Syrian actors, calling on Moscow to allow the process to resume.

Salah Hamouri in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Nov. 8, 2021.

France criticizes Israel for prolonging detention of French-Palestinian detainee

Instead of being expelled to France last Sunday, French-Palestinian Salah Hamouri is being kept in prison pending a Jan. 1 court hearing of his case.

People demonstrate outside the Iranian Embassy in Ukraine on Oct. 17, 2022, in Kyiv.

Iran sent more drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, US suggests

Tehran sent additional UAVs, but no ballistic missiles thus far, the White House said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for three days of meetings: in this photo from Sept. 4, 2016, he greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Hangzhou, China.

China’s Saudi visit reveals GCC goals for economic alternatives

China’s presidential visit to Saudi Arabia is expected to yield a host of deals as the GCC increasingly looks eastward on trade.

AKP party supporters attend the "Unity, Will, Victory" rally at the Galatasaray's Nef Stadium in Istanbul on Nov. 27, 2022, six months ahead of Turkey's next presidential elections.

Al-Monitor/Premise poll finds tight race for Erdogan in Turkey's elections

As the battle for Turkey’s upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections intensifies, an Al-Monitor poll predicts a tight race between the country’s leading opposition bloc and the ruling alliance.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog (R) and Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after the former tasked the latter with forming a new government, in Jerusalem, on Nov. 13, 2022.

President Herzog presents Israel’s liberal face

President Isaac Herzog, and his brother, Israel’s envoy to the US Michael Herzog, could help Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu reassure the concerned Biden administration.

Iranian women shop at the Tajrish traditional bazaar in the capital Tehran on Oct. 2, 2022. This week many Iranian business owners across the country have closed their doors as part of a widespread strike.

Iran businesses on strike despite legal threats

Business owners appeared to have defied the judiciary chief's threats of prosecution as a fresh wave of strikes gathered steam amid Iran's months-long anti-government unrest.

A handout picture provided by the Iranian Army official website on Sept. 12, 2020, shows Iranian naval ships parading during the last day of a military exercise in the Gulf, near the strategic strait of Hormuz in southern Iran.

Iran’s IRGC navy harassed US ships in Strait of Hormuz, US says

An IRGC patrol boat harassed two US Navy ships just days after one of them was involved in the seizure of 50 tons of smuggled ammunition bound for Yemen.

The Hellenic Navy Roussen or Super Vita class Fast Missile Patrol Boat P 71 HS Ritsos patrols off the tiny Greek island of Kastellorizo (Megisti), in the Dodecanese, the furthest south eastern Greek Island, two kilometers from the Turkish mainland on Aug. 28, 2020.

Row over militarization of Greek islands peaks with Turkish warning

Mevlut Cavusoglu has stepped up rhetoric over Aegean islands that Ankara says should be free of Greek arms.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu addresses a press conference with the NATO Secretary General after their meeting at The Foreign Ministry in Istanbul on Nov. 3, 2022.

Turkey asks Finland to resume defense sales amid NATO talks

Speaking ahead of the Finnish defense chief's visit to Turkey, the top Turkish diplomat has complained that his country is still under de facto defense sales restrictions from Finland.

Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gives a speech in the central holy shrine city of Najaf, Iraq, Aug. 30, 2022.

Iraq's Sadr takes aim at LGBTQ community

Leader of the Sadrist movement Muqtada al-Sadr made the headlines again in Iraq by announcing his opposition to homosexuality, several months into his withdrawal from the political process.

Amir Levy/Getty Images

Liberal Israelis say Netanyahu's coalition deals break democratic norms

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has a solid majority in the Knesset, but his opponents feel his policies will violate democratic norms.