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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

A partial view shows a drainage vacuum hole on the lake of Qaraoun in Lebanon's southern Beqaa Valley on April 5, 2019.

Israel strikes near Lebanon’s Qaraoun dam as war intensifies: What to know

The strikes near the large water reservoir follow pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to up attacks on Hezbollah in response to rocket fire and a rising death toll in Lebanon.

Motorists drive their vehicles and pedestrians cross the street past a political billboard featuring President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz along Valiasr Square in Tehran on May 26, 2026.

US-Iran deal could take ‘a few days’ as roadblocks emerge, nuclear talks deferred

Mediators are scrambling to secure a deal that would end the war, while leaving unresolved the thorniest issues that predated it.

A view shows a Lebanese flag positioned among shattered concrete and twisted rebar, remnants of a destroyed building, in Sidon, Lebanon, on May 3, 2026.

US gave Israel 'tacit agreement' to target senior Hezbollah figures

While there is no explicit agreement, sources say Washington has offered quiet approval despite a ceasefire reached April 16.

A man checks old banknotes in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on March 3, 2025.

Analysis

Cash as leverage: How Iran's push for frozen billions is reshaping diplomacy

The frozen assets debate is a test of whether the postwar diplomatic track can move toward a durable framework — or whether financial mistrust will evolve into yet another breaking point.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Iran’s Pezeshkian calls Iraqi leaders as Khamenei praises militias: What to know

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian listens during a joint press conference alongside Armenia's prime minister in Yerevan on Aug. 19, 2025.

US-Iran tit-for-tat strikes over Hormuz expose risks of prolonged standoff

A woman walks past an anti-US and anti-Israel mural depicting missiles hitting an aircraft carrier in Tehran on May 26, 2026.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

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

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

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

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.

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

MAZEN MAHDI/AFP via Getty Images

OPEC+ alliance agrees to production increase

Pressure on Saudi Arabia, Russia and other major oil producers has boosted production amid high prices.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

MBS

Saudi crown prince balances Turkey visit with stops in Greece and Cyprus

Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to visit Turkey as part of a regional tour shows that the kingdom has no intention to upset Greece and Cyprus while mending fences with Turkey.

Bijan Khajehpour

Analysis

The Takeaway: Iran hoped to close nuclear deal before economic reforms, says expert

Israeli exodus from Turkey over Iranian threat; Turkey takes aim at Syrian towns; Manbij residents brace for Turkish attack; desperation in Yemen’s displacement camps; Egyptian dance music livens up "Moon Knight."

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti

Iranians gather at the site where a 10-story building collapsed.

After protests over building collapse, Iran vows to take measures against developers

Iranian officials have vowed to take measures after the death toll of a tower collapse reached 34.

A view of the platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea.

Could Turkey-Israel rapprochement lead to gas agreement?

The Cyprus conflict stands as a major stumbling block before potential plans to carry Israeli gas to Europe via Turkey.

Israel Africa

Abraham Accords accelerate Israel-Africa rapprochement

Israeli and African diplomats are engaged in expanding bilateral relations and taking them much further then ever before in many fields.

Erdogan

Erdogan announces military operations in Syria's Manbij, Tal Rifaat

The Turkish president said operations in northern Syria will expand "step by step" and that Ankara will keep an eye on “who supports these legitimate steps" and "who hinders them.”

A picture taken from the E1 corridor, a super-sensitive area of the occupied West Bank, shows the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the background on June 30, 2020.

Tensions rise between Israel, Palestinians ahead of Biden visit

While tensions are escalating on the diplomatic level, IDF troops continue Operation Break the Wave to curb spiraling violence in the West Bank and Israel.

BIROL BEBEK/AFP via Getty Images

Blinken says US fighter jet sales to Turkey 'separate' from NATO demands

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said he will meet with Turkish, Swedish and Finnish officials to discuss Ankara's demands.

A Turkish Special Forces Police officer is seen standing watch during a press tour at a border outpost in front of a section of the new Iran - Turkey border wall on Sept. 27, 2021 in Caldiran, Turkey.

Traffickers use refugees to smuggle drugs from Iran to Turkey

There are growing claims and indications that refugees illegally crossing the Iranian-Turkish border, the route of an exodus from Afghanistan to the West, are forced to smuggle drugs by their traffickers.

Members of the "Martyr Abu Ammar Brigades" (alias of Yasser Arafat), part of Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades faction affiliated with the Fateh movement, stand with small arms during the funeral of Islamic Jihad militant Chas Kamamji in his home village of Kafr Dan, west of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, on April 14, 2022.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad ramps up capabilities in West Bank

Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, announced the formation of a new Nablus Brigade following the Flag Day marches.

This picture taken on March 26, 2022, shows a view of the exterior of Iraq's Council of Representatives.

Iraq's parliament passes anti-normalization law

Iraq's lawmakers further criminalize relations with Israel.