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

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Politics & Security

A giant billboard depicts late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (2nd L), and his son Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, with Arabic writing that reads: "Thank you Iran," in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, on June 15, 2026.

Khamenei says Hezbollah's agenda 'strategic mandate' for Iran

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s comments come as Lebanon and Israel move forward with a US-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah in the south, though the Iran-backed group is resisting calls to turn over its weapons.

Trump Netanyahu

On eighth visit, Israel’s Netanyahu seeks to repair ties with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to focus on Iran in his Tuesday meeting with President Donald Trump, while the US leader is more likely to want to discuss Lebanon and Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon on July 14, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.

Zaidi to meet Erdogan as Turkey-Iraq ties take off, Kurds feel sidelined

The Iraqi prime minister's visits to Ankara and Riyadh underscore Baghdad's push to deepen regional ties as Turkey seeks closer cooperation on energy and security.

Latest News

Trump says Iran seeks talks after strikes halted

US President Donald Trump takes questions from the media during a bilateral meeting with President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office of the White House on July 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Iran summons French ambassador after detaining 2 diplomats: What to know

Iranian security forces stand guard in front of the French Embassy in Tehran in this undated image.

Analysis

Zaidi’s test in Tehran

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is welcomed to the Saadabad Palace in Tehran by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, July 23, 2026.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

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

Israel's President Isaac Herzog waves as he departs for an official visit to Turkey on March 9, 2022.

Turkey, Israel to dispatch ambassadors in diplomatic renewal

Israeli Prime Minister Lapid and Turkish President Erdogan agree on phone that the decision to return ambassadors and consuls general to Israel and Turkey will lead to new steps, including the upcoming convening of the Joint Economic Commission in Israel in September.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, f

Ultra-nationalist lawmaker ramps up ahead of Israeli elections

Head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit faction Itamar Ben Gvir says he no longer needs the Religious Zionism party as an ally to get into the Knesset.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Saudi authorities find amphetamine pills in cleaning supplies

Smugglers continue to use creative methods to bring drugs into the kingdom, which struggles with amphetamine addiction.

Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images

Golf commentator who criticized Saudi-backed LIV Golf sued for defamation

The Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee has been one of the most virulent critics of LIV Golf and is now being sued by Patrick Reed, who plays for the breakaway tour.

The Nile River flows from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba, Ethiopia, Feb. 19, 2022.

Third filling of Nile dam heightens Ethiopia-Egypt crisis

Ethiopia announced it has completed the third filling of the reservoir for its controversial dam on the Blue Nile, amid harsh reactions from its neighbors.

Palestinians gather around a burnt-out car after explosions destroyed five cars belonging to members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, witnesses and a security source said, Gaza City, Gaza Strip, July 19, 2015.

Islamic Jihad says Israel reneges on ceasefire terms, threatens escalation

The Gaza-based group expects the release of prisoners, and calls on Egypt to clarify agreement.

Iraq's Minister of Finance Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi listens during an interview at his residence in Baghdad, on June 22, 2020.

Iraqi finance minister resigns over continuing political crisis

Finance Minister Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi has resigned from his post in the Iraqi government.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) listens on as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint press conference at al-Shaab palace in Damascus on Oct. 11, 2010.

'Normalization' with Assad is the new normal in Turkey

Comments by Turkey's foreign minister hinting at normalization with Damascus drove hundreds of Syrians across Turkish-occupied areas of northern Syria to stage demonstrations.

Centcom

US base in Syria targeted with rocket fire, coalition says

Rockets landed near the Green Village base, marking the second projectile attack on US forces in Syria on Monday.

Israeli settlers gather as they try to establish a wildcat settlement outpost.

In rare move, Israeli ultra-Orthodox establish West Bank outpost

For the first time, ultra-Orthodox families established yesterday an illegal West Bank outpost.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu undeterred by ex-army chief joining rival camp

Ex-IDF Chief Gadi Eizenkot joined this week the party of Defense Minister Benny Gantz, but opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu believes this move is not going to block his own way back to power.

ALEX HALADA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s response to EU conveys 'initiatives' on restoring nuclear deal

After submitting its response to the European Union’s proposal on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran says it's waiting answers on its own “practical ideas and initiatives.”