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

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Politics & Security

An Iranian woman walks past a mobile phone shop at the Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

Iran partially restores internet after 88-day blackout: What to know

The move comes after a nearly three-month internet blackout, marking it as one of the longest outages ever.

Turkish riot police use water cannon to disperse protesters during a rally called by ousted opposition leader Ozgur Ozel, days after a court dismissed him from office, in Izmir on May 26, 2026.

Turkey: Thousands defy police to rally for ousted CHP leader Ozel

Tens of thousands of CHP supporters rallied for Ozgur Ozel in Izmir on Tuesday in a major show of defiance after a court ousted him from the party leadership.

JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

Israel’s Shin Bet chief meets Mohammed Dahlan in UAE: What to know

Shin Bet Chief David Zini met in the United Arab Emirates with former senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, who is seen by Israel and the United States as a leading candidate to administer the Gaza Strip after the war.

Latest News

Interview

Top Syrian Kurdish official slams parliamentary vote in northeast as 'undemocratic'

An undated image of Foza Yusif.

Foza Yusuf

Foza Yusuf

Top Syrian Kurdish official

US, Iran signal progress toward war deal, but no breakthrough imminent

Vehicles drive past a billboard on the facade of a building depicting the Strait of Hormuz with a caption in Persian reading, "Forever in Iran's Hand," at Vanak Square, Tehran, Iran, May 25, 2026.

Interview

As Sudan war drags on, US-Iran conflict compounds humanitarian crisis in Darfur

Janti Soeripto helps at a community kitchen serving hot meals to displaced families arriving from El-Fasher.

Janti Soeripto

President and CEO of Save the Children US

Analysis

Cheap drones, costly threats: Why Gulf states are looking to Turkey for defense deals

SAHA EXPO 2024

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine complains of Israeli holdup on defensive gear

Addressing the press today, Ukraine's ambassador to Israel complained that Israel refuses to greenlight the transfer of sophisticated anti-tank systems from Germany despite US approval.

Soldiers carry the coffin of an Israeli who was killed in an Istanbul suicide bombing the previous day, upon its arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, March 20, 2016.

Israel warns nationals against possible Iranian attacks in Turkey, Thailand

Jerusalem tries distancing itself publicly from a series of strange deaths in Iran, while warning Israeli tourists in Turkey and in Thailand that Tehran could be targeting them.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu shake hands during a joint press conference following their talks in Moscow on March 16, 2022.

Ukraine, Syria top Lavrov's agenda in Turkey

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives in Ankara on June 8.

People and journalists hold banners reading "Freedom for jailed journalists - we will not be silenced" on April 9, 2017 during a demonstration for the freedom of the press in Istanbul.

Turkey’s independent journalists stand against so-called disinformation bill

The new bill in parliament aims to bring further restrictions on freedom of expression online and on social media as elections approach, experts say. 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists shout slogans from a police vehicle after being detained during a protest against West Bengal's state government over alleged irregularities in the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment process, in Kolkata on May 20, 2022.

Analysis

Explainer: India BJP Party spokesperson's comments on prophet spark backlash

The comments have drawn attention to anti-Muslim statements among some BJP officials, while sparking social media reactions on all sides.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

An image of Nesrin Abdullah, Anne Lindh and Aminah Kakabaveh that prompted a reaction from Turkish officials.

Kurds in Sweden on edge as Turkey presses government to ditch them in exchange for NATO membership

As Sweden’s government survived a non-confidence vote today, its fate was tied to Kurdish lawmaker and former guerrilla Amineh Kakabaveh.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh holds a press conference in Tehran on May 9, 2022.

Iran warns IAEA against resolution

Iran has threatened to reduce its cooperation with the IAEA if a resolution is written against it.

PRAKASH SINGH/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli defense minister pushes security cooperation, trade in India

Defense Minister Benny Gantz's twice-postponed trip to India that finally took place last week.

AMIR COHEN/AFP via Getty Images

Israel’s Gur Hassidic leader picks next Knesset representative

With Knesset member Yaakov Litzman stepping down as parliamentary head of the Gur Hassidic sect, its rabbi has picked his successor.

Left-wing Israeli and Palestinian students take part in a Nakba Day ceremony.

Palestinian flag raises controversy in Israeli universities

Right-wing Knesset members are advancing a bill that would prevent universities and other state-funded institutions from flying the Palestinian flag.

Idlib trench

Trench divides Syrian armed groups in Idib

The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is digging a trench to isolate its stronghold in Idlib from the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army-held areas in Aleppo countryside, which will escalate the humanitarian crisis and increase the suffering of millions of Syrian displaced in northwestern Syria.

People gather for a protest outside the UN mission in Sudan's capital Khartoum on June 1, 2022.

Sudan military coup leaders tighten grip ahead of dialogue with civilians

The leaders of the coup in Sudan are gearing up for direct talks with civilians for the first time since their seizure of power about eight months ago, a few days after lifting the state of emergency in the country.