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

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Politics & Security

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Former Assad official sentenced to 60 years in US for torture

Samir Ousman Alsheikh was convicted by a jury in March of three counts of torture, one count of conspiracy to commit torture, visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud.

Yemenis gather during a rally to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the coastal port city of Aden, on December 14, 2025. (Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

Yemen separatists urge US not to let Saudi Arabia ‘call the shots’

As Houthi fighters steamroll Yemen’s Red Sea coast, the country's southern separatists say an independent South Yemen is the best check on the group’s expansion.

A US Air Force F-35 fifth-generation jet fighter takes off during the NATO's Ramsteign Flag 2025 exercise at Leeuwarden Air Base on April 8, 2025.

Trump administration approves $24B sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia

Trump first announced the planned sale in November 2025, ahead of hosting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.

A pedestrian passes by the Treasury Building in Washington, DC on Jan. 18, 2023.

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments

The US government says the exchange was used to channel payments from an Iranian maritime-insurance scheme to the regime.

Latest News

Turkey's Erdogan to run for 'final' third term in 2028, adviser says

Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV / AFP via Getty Images

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

China presses Iran, US to reopen Hormuz as disruptions threaten oil supply

AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 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

Turkey protest

Turkish journalists, free speech advocates protest draft bill

Turkish press unions organized nationwide rallies Tuesday to protest the likely passage of a so-called disinformation bill. They worry that jail sentences of up to three years for spreading fake news could be applied to any news the government disapproves of.

People pay their respects by the grave of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist linked to the country's nuclear program who was killed months before.

Iran claims it arrested Israeli spies plotting to kill nuclear scientists

The arrests come at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, as the latter has been linked to a recent wave of attacks targeting Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

Israel's former premier Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press at the Knesset in Jerusalem on June 20, 2022.

Process of dispersing Israel's Knesset set to start Wednesday

The government is now trying to expedite the disbanding of the Knesset and conclude the process within a week to avoid a situation in which the opposition could establish an alternative Cabinet.

In this photo made available by the US Navy, a boat of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy operates in close proximity to patrol coastal ship USS Sirocco.

Iran’s IRGC harasses US Navy in Persian Gulf as nuclear talks stall

The "unsafe and unprofessional" encounter was at least the second in just a few months, a Navy official confirmed.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian looks on during his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart at the Foreign Ministry headquarters, Tehran, Iran, June 14, 2022.

Iranian FM travels to India to upgrade ties

During a visit to New Delhi, Iran's foreign minister discussed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi upgrading bilateral relations, including on energy trade, the Chabahar port and regional connectivity.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a protest against the Israeli government, Jerusalem, April 6, 2022.

Netanyahu senses opportunity in Israel's political chaos

In his decision to dissolve parliament, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett prefers his legacy as the prime minister who took on Iran with unprecedented intensity, rather than the one who succumbed to backbenchers in his own party.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Prime Minister Nafrali Bennet and Knesset member Abir Kara attend a weekly Cabinet meeting, Jerusalem, May 29, 2022.

Israel's Arab Ra’am party rocked by decision to disperse Knesset

The Arab Ra’am party said clearly last night that they will try to be part of the next Israeli coalition, putting them at odds with the rival Arab Joint List.

Ethiopian Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity Seleshi Bekele.

Egypt skeptical of Ethiopia's call to resume Nile Dam talks

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said "no one will touch Egypt's water" as Ethiopia prepares for the third filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Algerian anti-government protesters take to the streets of Algiers as the Hirak pro-democracy movement keeps up its weekly demonstrations despite a ban on gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic, Algeria, March 26, 2021.

Algerian government shuts down leading pro-reform group

Human rights groups say the situation in Algeria has been deterioriating, including the recent arrest of three lawyers for representing Hirak protesters.

Iran foreign ministry

Iran says Biden still following Trump’s policies

Iran’s foreign ministry says that the Trump administration's policies toward Iran have only continued under Biden.

Israel Turkey

Israel still on alert over Iranian threats to tourists in Turkey

Israel and Turkey deepen securty cooperation as Israel calls out IRGC security head as part of psychological warfare campaign.

Gantz

Israel says Middle East air defense partnership already in action

Israel's defense minister said he hopes US President Joe Biden's trip to the region will further the joint defense cooperation.