Defense/Security cooperation

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Breaking | Last Updated: October 23, 2026, 11:07 am

At least 6 killed in Jordan church shooting: What to know

Jordan has experienced sporadic violence targeting the Christian community, though attacks of this kind are relatively rare in the kingdom.

Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images

How Israel’s election could shape next phase of Iran war

Most of the Israeli prime minister's main rivals in the Oct. 27 election agree that Israel's war to overthrow the Iranian regime should continue, but only he claims to have President Donald Trump's blessing to do so.

Benoit Tessier / AFP via Getty Images

France’s Macron first Western leader to visit Saudi Arabia since Houthi escalation

French President Emmanuel Macron met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a surprise stop in Saudi Arabia.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 25: U.S. ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on September 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump has signaled that the U.S. might lift a ban on F-35 sales to Turkey during Erdogan's first visit to the White House since 2019. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

US moving away from Middle East security guarantor role, Barrack says

The US envoy said that direct US military intervention on the ground against the Houthis would be "fruitless."

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Latest News

Turkey's defense industry set to hit $20B in new contracts in 2026

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Analysis

'The problem and the solution': Netanyahu-Sharaa call exposes Israel's Syria dilemma

Israeli troops stand guard on the dividing line between the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syrian, near Majdal Shams, July 16, 2025.

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

Iraq’s Zaidi, Saudi crown prince discuss security as Houthi attacks escalate

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Oct. 14, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Hormuz attacks spike after US airstrike on Iran-linked tanker

A cargo ship is pictured off coast of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, along the Gulf of Oman, on June 28, 2026, after Iran's top diplomat warned that any attempt by shipping to bypass its preferred route through the Strait of Hormuz would "increase tensions" in the Middle East.

Jared Szuba

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

Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren arrives to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual policy conference in Washington on March 3, 2013. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

'Multiple clocks' are ticking on Gaza, warns former Israeli ambassador to US

Michael Oren told Al-Monitor that Israel must appreciate the efforts by the Biden administration to support the country and its Gaza military campaign, and urged the Israeli government to curb West Bank settler violence.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during statements to the media inside The Kirya, which houses the Israeli Defence Ministry, after their meeting in Tel Aviv on October 12, 2023. Blinken arrived in a show of solidarity after Hamas's surprise weekend onslaught in Israel, an AFP correspondent travelling with him reported. He is expected to visit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Washington closes ranks with its ally that has launche

Analysis

Growing US-Israel rift over Gaza war timeline: Will Netanyahu budge?

Sources told Al-Monitor that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed a different timeline than what Israel had in mind to end the war.

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

A picture taken during an organized tour by Yemen's Houthi rebels (onboard) on Nov. 22, 2023.

Spread thin, US Navy seeks allies' help following Houthi attacks on shipping

With Israel's war in Gaza poised to drag on, Washington is turning to allies to help relieve the burden on the US Navy in pushing back on Iran-backed attacks against commercial shipping in Gulf waterways.

INTERNATIONAL WATERS RED SEA, YEMEN - NOVEMBER 20: This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Yemen's Houthi fighters' takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo in the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, on November 20, 2023 in the Red Sea, Yemen. On Monday, the Houthi movement in Yemen released footage and photos of the Houthi-run coastguard taking over the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader Vessel in the Red Sea, which had 52 people onboard. Galaxy Leader is owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd in the Isle of Man and is li

US threatens response after Houthi missiles hit cargo ships in Red Sea

Iran-backed factions across the Middle East opened a new volley of attacks targeting Israeli-linked cargo vessels in the Red Sea and US troops in Iraq and Syria since Israel's truce with Hamas collapsed on Friday.

This picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip shows an Israeli tank crossing into the Palestinian enclave on December 1, 2023. A temporary truce between Israel and Hamas expired on December 1, with the Israeli army saying combat operations had resumed, accusing Hamas of violating the operational pause. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

As Gaza truce collapses, what red lines did US draw to Israel on next steps?

The Israeli government and the Biden administration at odds over tactics for renewed fighting and Gaza's future

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

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (C) speaks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom (L).

Why Turkey is still dragging its feet on Sweden's NATO accession

Turkey’s top diplomat discussed the pending Swedish membership on the sidelines of the NATO summit with his US and Swedish counterparts as well as the NATO chief.

A Mil Mi-28 Night Hunter military helicopter takes part in a military aviation competition in Russia's Krasnodar region on March 28, 2019.

Why Iran's military aircraft deal with Russia is significant leap for both

Tehran receives the equipment as it continues to boost a military alliance with Moscow that has come under the international spotlight and scrutiny since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Yahia al-Sinwar (C), the Gaza Strip chief of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, addresses supporters during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, a commemoration in support of the Palestinian people celebrated annually on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in Gaza City, on April 14, 2023. (Photo by Mohammed ABED / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel-Hamas truce extension buys Netanyahu and Sinwar time

The Israeli government has pledged to resume fighting once Hamas stops liberating hostages, but the battle against the group could employ other war methods.

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

This picture taken on July 8, 2021, shows a view of the Ain al-Assad air base hosting US forces in Iraq.

Gaza truce brings halt in Iran-linked attacks on US troops in Iraq, Syria

Pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas coincides with tentative reprieve for US troops hunting down the remnants of the Islamic State group as Iran-backed militias hold their fire.

Fallen Druze

After battling Hamas, Druze leaders ask Israel for more than special status law

In mourning for community victims killed by the militant group in Gaza, Druze patience is wearing thin toward a law discriminating against them.

This photo taken on Sept. 21, 2016, shows Britain's Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet.

Turkey, UK sign defense deal as Ankara presses for Eurofighter jets

The move comes as Ankara ramps up its push to purchase 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets amid the absence of any progress on the Turkish bid to buy 40 new F-16 jets from the United States.

Permanent Representative of Iran Amir Saeid Iravani is seen during the 5th plenary meeting of the Economic and Social Council regarding the removal of the Islamic Republic of Iran from membership in the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations headquarters, New York, Dec. 14, 2022.

Iran’s UN envoy: US military boost leaves it 'exposed' to attacks, Saudi-Israel normalization derailed by war

Saeid Iravani told Al-Monitor that Saudi Arabia’s normalizing relations with Israel in the foreseeable future has reached an impasse following war in Gaza.