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

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Politics & Security

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive to hold a joint press conference in Jerusalem, Oct. 24, 2023.

Analysis

After France's settlement ban, Israel sees no warming of ties with Macron government

Israeli diplomats say France’s decision to ban imports from West Bank settlements has brought bilateral relations to an unprecedented low point.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A picture of Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed during Israeli strikes on Tehran in June, is displayed Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government on Dec. 18, 2025.

Analysis

How a new Baluch militant coalition raises pressure on Iran-Pakistan border

Iran's military standoff with the US may be creating opportunities for Baluch groups to launch operations from the mountainous, sparsely populated frontier region with Pakistan.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march

Analysis

As Iran regime marks 200 days of war, is it also preparing for dissent?

Seven months into the war with the US, Iranian authorities staged a pro-government mobilization in Tehran, combining patriotic spectacle with a carefully calibrated demonstration aimed for domestic internal security capacity.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani visits Latakia airport on Sept. 18, 2026.

Syria’s Shibani visits Latakia airport to review Russia deal progress: What to know

Syria is seeking to ensure that the August deal to turn Russian facilities in the country into joint training centers is implemented.

Latest News

Lebanon charges 5 in alleged Hezbollah operation to train Assad loyalists

Hibatullah Barakat / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

How Netanyahu is leveraging Houthi threat in secret Saudi normalization push

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on as he attends a trade agreement signature ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on August 24, 2026. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Former Assad official sentenced to 60 years in US for torture

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Interview

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

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)

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

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Cairo releases dozens of activists, calls for dialogue with political opposition

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi has called for a national dialogue with opposition groups.

This general view shows an Ethiopian national flag.

Egypt braces for third-stage filling of Nile dam

Egypt continues to implement projects for water management, although some say the third filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will not affect Cairo’s water supply this year.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s president meets with political activists

In a rare move, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi met with a group of activists to discuss their political and economic concerns.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech.

Has Ukraine war given Erdogan free hand at home?

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might be aiming to tighten his grip on the domestic front, taking advantage of Ankara’s rising profile amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Flags of Azerbaijan (L) and Israel.

Israel's Liberman talks wheat, strategy in visit to Azerbaijan

Officially, the visit of Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman to Azerbaijan focused on exporting wheat to Israel, but reports suggest that the minister also discussed strategic and energy issues.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Prisoner swap, assassination plot bolster Turkey's image as intrigue hotspot

Newly revealed spy rings are reinforcing Istanbul’s long reputation as playground of intelligence agents.

Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (not in frame) at the Pentagon the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on December 9, 2021. (Photo by Samuel Corum / AFP) (Photo by SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images)

Gantz says Israel still coordinates with Russia on Syria

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz discussed Israel's delicate strategic balance between Ukraine, Russia and Iran in an exclusive podcast interview with Al-Monitor's Ben Caspit.

Gvir

Far-right legislator attacks Israel’s premier, Shin Bet chief

Knesset member Itamar Ben Gvir is taking his battle against the government up a notch, attacking personally both Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar.

An aerial view shows a section of the new "Regional Ring Road" highway project, passing by the northern village of al-Naaminah in the fertile Nile Delta agricultural region in Sharqiyah province, Egypt, May 28, 2021.

Fatal road accidents in Egypt remain high despite infrastructure improvements

While the government’s spending of billions of dollars to develop roads and the transportation infrastructure have reduced accidents in recent years, Egypt still ranks among the top nations in the world for traffic deaths.

A man places a copy of the Tunisian Constitution atop a Tunisian national flag.

Tunisian president grants himself power to appoint election authority

The presidential decree to revise the law of the Independent High Authority for Elections in Tunisia and change its composition is facing widespread criticism from opposition parties and organizations that accuse Tunisian President Kais Saied of granting himself wide powers that may affect the course of democracy.

AFP via Getty Images

Beirut blast families fight to keep ruined silos up until justice served

Families of the victims and activists say the Lebanese government is in an undue hurry to bring down a massive symbol of the 2020 Beirut port explosion and the negligence behind it.

Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Services (CTS).

Iraqi soldiers killed in desert operation as drug busts surge

Massive amounts of drugs are being smuggled across Iraqi borders while a large anti-terrorism operation including Iran-linked forces and US-led coalition support continues.