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

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to his supporters on June 7, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ghosts of Gezi protests still haunt Erdogan

The timing of President Erdogan’s recent outbursts targeting the 2013 Gezi protests hints that the protests will play a central role in his campaigning ahead of the June 2023 elections.

Hossein Salami, head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), takes part in Revolutionary Guards Col. Sayyad Khodai's funeral procession.

Iranian IRGC officers 'martyred' amid simmering tensions with Israel

The deaths followed the assassination three weeks ago of an IRGC colonel, which Tehran has blamed on Israel.

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Israel's Arab Knesset members fight bill restricting Palestinian flag

Israel’s Knesset is considering a bill banning Palestinian flags from being raised at Israeli-funded institutions and universities inside the Green Line.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Israel calls on nationals to leave Turkey over Iranian terror threat

After the uncovering of an Iranian plot to target Israelis in Turkey, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called on Israeli nationals to leave the country immediately.

Tunisian citizens and lawyers leave the court of the governorate of Ariana after the announcement of a strike by judges, following the dissolution of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary by President Kais Saied, Feb. 9, 2022.

Tunisian president targets judiciary, dismisses dozens of judges

Tunisian President Kais Saied has dismissed 57 judges, accusing them of obstructing investigations into terrorism cases and committing financial and moral corruption.

Palestinian cadets of al-Rebat College for Law and Police Science take part in morning exercises in Gaza city on Feb. 21, 2022.

Can community policing in Gaza replace tribal judiciary?

The Gaza-based interior minister has formed the community police unit to solve disputes among individuals and families in a bid to ease the process in regular courts.

JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

As Lebanon’s electricity crisis deepens, water becomes scarcer

Despite its natural water resources, Lebanon has reached a crisis point, with many residents unable to afford clean water.

Erbil

Iraqi-KRG counterterrorism cooperation increases in response to attacks

Joint operations between Iraqi Counterterrorism Services and their counterparts in some areas of the Kurdistan Region continue to target Islamic State cells, while other armed groups attack Erbil.

A displaced family sits next to their tent during a dust storm over the town of Zardana in the countryside of the northwestern Idlib province, Syria, June 2, 2022.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham holds massive military maneuvers in Idlib

The Syrian jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is boosting readiness in anticipation of new government offensive.

SPA

Saudi Arabia, Egypt lead regional naval drills in Red Sea

Military analysts say the naval military exercise held off the Jeddah coast show regional dedication the Red Sea's security.

MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP via Getty Images

Rights groups say Iranian prisoners face finger amputations

The eight men are expected to have their fingers amputated using a guillotine machine soon, Amnesty International reports.

YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images

After Turkey, Venezuela’s Maduro heads to Iran

The South American leader said one goal of the visit is to boost tourism between Venezuela and Iran.