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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian listens during a joint press conference alongside Armenia's Prime Minister in Yerevan on August 19, 2025.

Analysis

Why Iran's Pezeshkian is facing an uphill battle in postwar diplomacy

As President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration advances dialogue with Washington, its fiercer contest is in the corridors of power within the Islamic Republic itself.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A Druze fighter stands at a roundabout draped with the Druze flag and a portrait of a local leader in the predominantly Druze city of Suwayda in southern Syria on July 21, 2025.

Druze gunmen, Syrian government forces clash in Suwayda: What to know

The United Nations recently said that the government has thus far failed to bring calm to the area of southern Syria following sectarian clashes last year.

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

While the deal with Lebanon allows the Israeli military to maintain a presence there, security experts warn that it also gives the weakened Hezbollah the time it needs to recover.

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

Members of the crowd wave Iranian flags during a funeral procession held for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri.

3 IRGC members killed in twin attacks as Iran intensifies Kurdish crackdown

At least three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in separate armed attacks across Iran, including one in western Iran near the border with Iraqi Kurdistan, where authorities have intensified their crackdown on Kurdish groups.

Latest News

Rubio hosts Libya’s Saddam Hifter as US pushes unity plan: What to know

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Libyan National Army Deputy Commander Saddam Haftar in Washington on June 29, 2026.

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Oman's sultan meets Macron in first France visit since 1989: What to know

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pose during a meeting with business leaders in Paris on June 29, 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

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s top religious body sparks outrage over women’s inheritance rights

Women rights activists say that the body is increasingly targeting women, challenging secular law and fostering conditions for gender-based violence.

Security forces loyal to the interim Syrian government stand guard at a checkpoint previously held by supporters of deposed president Bashar al-Assad, in the town of Hmeimim, in the coastal province of Latakia, on March 11, 2025.

UN: Syria's March violence saw ‘likely’ war crimes by Damascus, Assad remnants

The United Nations noted deliberate targeting of Alawite civilians in its report on the killings along the Syrian coast and called on the government to expand its efforts in taking steps toward accountability.

The new Syrian government's army fights the remaining elements of the Assad's regime on the Syrian coast near Latakia, Syria, on March 7, 2025.

After inking military pact, Turkey to provide Syria with weapons, training

The initial phase of Turkey-Syria military cooperation will address building a regular army and basic defensive needs, analysts say.

An aerial view shows a tank, left behind by regime forces, on the road leading to the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun, in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, on Dec. 1, 2024.

Explosion kills 4 in Syria’s Idlib: What to know

Syria remains littered with the waste of a Cold War arsenal and 14 years of civil war.

Salah Malkawi/Getty Images

Jordan, UAE military chiefs vow stronger defense ties in Amman meeting

Jordan has moved to increase military cooperation with the UAE in recent years, including via joint exercises as the Hashemite Kingdom works to bolster its defenses.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

Israel's Smotrich to approve E1 settlement plan that 'buries idea of Palestinian state'

Despite years of international pressure against a move that would forestall a Palestinian state, Israel's E1 settlement project is set to be approved next week.

The Amir Kabir dam and its outflow along the Karaj River in Iran's northern Alborz mountain range are pictured on June 1, 2025.

Tehran’s dams at 19% as Iran water crisis worsens: What to know

The water levels in dams across Iran are falling amid hot temperatures, as the government pleads with the public to cut consumption.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Will Turkey follow through on threats to attack Syria's Kurds?

This week we unpack the stakes around Ankara's threats to take military action alongside Damascus against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, right, meets with US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, in Baabda, east of Beirut, July 7, 2025.

Analysis

Lebanon key to Trump plan for turnaround in Middle East

The final "This Week" column reflects on US policy toward Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Gaza.

Andrew Parasiliti

By Andrew Parasiliti

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, national security

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel meets with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir in Juba on Aug. 13, 2025.

Israeli envoy meets South Sudan president as Juba denies Gaza resettlement report

Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, visited South Sudan amid reports that the two countries are discussing resettling Gazans there.

Sudan's army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Sudan’s army chief meets Trump adviser amid US peace push: Reports

The meeting is just the latest in a series of international attempts at mediating an end to the Sudanese civil war, all of which have failed to yield a lasting agreement.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani (C) speaks to reporters after meeting with Lebanon's parliament speaker in Beirut on Aug. 13, 2025.

Iran’s Larijani in Lebanon as Beirut, Tehran spar over Hezbollah disarmament

The visit of Iran’s top security chief Ali Larijani to Beirut comes amid tensions between Lebanon and Iran following the approval of a plan to disarm the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which also rejected the move and vowed not to give up its weapons.