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

Golan Heights

Israel puts Syria on notice over Iran

According to foreign reports, Israel is increasing its offensive activities in Syria against Iran-related targets.

Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighters are pictured in the border town of Azaz in the rebel-held northern part of the Aleppo province, as they head toward an area facing the Kurdish-controlled town of Tal Rifaat, Syria, June 9, 2022.

Turkish-backed factions form military councils in north Syria ahead of possible Turkish operation

The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army factions are getting ready to manage Tal Rifaat and Manbij in the countryside of Aleppo after expelling the Kurdish forces following an expected Turkish military operation.

Signature ceremony of the memorandum of understanding between Israel, Egypt and the European Union for the export on natural gas to Europe, EMGF 7th ministerial meeting, Cairo, Egypt, June 15, 2022.

Israeli energy minister inks deal to export gas to Europe via Egypt

Energy Minister Karine Elharrar hailed the signature this morning of a trilateral memorandum of understanding between Israel, Egypt and the European Union on the export of natural gas as a historic event.

Yair Lapid hosts hosting EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, on June 13, 2022.

European Commission head in Israel for talks on energy, natural gas

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Energy Minister Karin Elharar discussed with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen possibilities for cooperation on exporting Israeli natural gas via Egypt to Europe.

Iran’s Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Hojatollah Abdolmaleki.

Iran's labor minister resigns as economic protests grow

The first high-profile resignation in President Ebrahim Raisi's government comes as he scrambles to soothe public fury over unprecedented rising living costs.

Diyarbakir Kurds

Kurdish journalists in southeast Turkey still uncharged after week in jail

Colleagues of 20 detained journalists say they believe their arrests are tied to Turkey’s planned military operation against Syrian Kurdish militants.

ARIEL SCHALIT/AFP via Getty Images

As Israeli coalition falters, former IDF chief mulls politics

Rumors are flying about former IDF chief Gadi Eizenkot entering politics.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli security whisks nationals out of Turkey over Iranian plot

Several Israeli tourists have been taken out of Turkey amid warnings of planned Iranian attacks.

Mohammad bin Salman

Biden to meet with Saudi crown prince in July visit

The president is expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah following a visit to Israel and the West Bank, a senior administration official said.

A picture taken on May 7, 2019, shows billboards advertising "Watch iT," Egypt's first video-streaming app, in Cairo.

New Egyptian regional news channel hampered by lack of funds

Funding reasons have halted the Egyptian project to launch an international and regional news channel to promote Egypt's role in the Arab world.

AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP via Getty Images

Sisi lauds Egyptian water conservation programs as Nile dam progresses

Ethiopia plans to proceed with the third-stage filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the coming weeks.

Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr delivers a speech in the central Iraqi city of Najaf on June 3, 2022.

Sadr withdrawal from Iraqi parliament challenges Shiite rivals

Populist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr withdrew his party members from Iraq's Council of Representatives, introducing a new level of uncertainty into Iraqi politics.