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Politics & Security

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Turkish jets strike al-Shabab targets in Somalia: What to know

A Somali Defense Ministry statement initially said Turkish F-16s carried out strikes on Al-Shabab targets before a later version referred only to “international partners.”

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Who is Melat Kiros, the pro-Palestinian who unseated a longtime Democrat?

Kiros has taken a hard stance against Israel and opposes all aid to the country as pro-Palestinian candidates make further inroads in the party.

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey eases job rules for 1M+ Syrians under temporary protection: What to know

Syrian textile employees work in a textile workshop in Gaziantep, Turkey, on Jan. 30, 2025.

Syria announces Sharaa's parliamentary appointees, SDF Kurds sidelined

Al Sharaa

Analysis

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

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

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

CEO of Colony Capital Tom Barrack speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 21, 2016.

Exclusive

US Syria envoy Barrack to meet Iraqi Kurdish PM Barzani in Erbil

Tom Barrack is likely to also meet with SDF chief Mazloum Kobane, sources told Al-Monitor.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, Feb. 4, 2025.

Analysis

How Trump’s call to end Netanyahu’s trial is linked to broader Gaza deal

The coordinated effort, involving an agreement with Hamas and expansion of the Abraham Accords, also envisions a Nobel Peace Prize for Trump and a pardon for Netanyahu.

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

Palestinian Fawzya Ishreiteh clears burnt belongings in the living and kitchen area of her family house after a reported attack overnight by Israelis from a nearby settlement, in Susya south of Hebron city in the occupied West Bank on June 25, 2025. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence there has soared since the start of the Gaza war in 2023. The West Bank is home to about three million Palestinians, but also some 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are illegal under internatio

At least 4 Palestinians killed in West Bank as Israeli settler violence rises: What to know

Israeli settlers stormed a number of Palestinian villages and towns in the West Bank following a string of deadly attacks by settlers and military forces.

A billboard by the Coalition for Regional Security, with the Hebrew slogan which reads "A time for war, a time for settlement; now is the time for the 'Abrahamic Covenant,'" is displayed in Tel Aviv on June 26, 2025.

US envoy in Saudi Arabia to coordinate Syria support amid Abraham Accords push

Tom Barrack, who has been vocal about the need to engage the new Syrian government, said the Trump administration’s goal is to protect the country from Iran-backed groups.

Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, Permanent Representative of Iran to the UN, speaks during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters on June 16, 2025 in New York City.

Interview

Iran open to regional consortium, enriched uranium transfer in US nuclear talks

Iran’s UN ambassador says his country would consider transfer of enriched uranium stockpiles and outside investment in energy sector if there is an agreement with the US, but that the country is unwilling to accept restrictions on its missile program or domestic enrichment.

Amir Saeid Iravani

Amir Saeid Iravani

Permanent Representative of Iran to the UN

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday held a phone call with billionaire businessman and former senior figure in the Trump administration Elon Musk, during which the two discussed the potential of Musk entering Lebanon’s telecom and internet sectors. What happened: A statement from the Lebanese presidency said that in their phone call, Musk “expressed his deep interest in Lebanon and its telecommunications and internet sectors.” Musk also expressed his desire for his companies to “have a presence

Elon Musk calls Lebanon’s Aoun, signals plans to bring Starlink to Beirut

A senior Starlink official met with Joseph Aoun last month for ongoing talks on bringing the technology to Lebanon.

A military parade held by Iraq's army, Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces), and the Police force drives on a highway during a ceremony marking the anniversary of the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) group, in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on December 10, 2024. Iraq declared victory over fighters from the IS group at the end of 2017 after a three-year battle in which the jihadists had seized large swathes of the country. But jihadist cells still launch sporadic attacks against the army and poli

Pentagon slashes budget request for Iraq counter-ISIS funds: What to know

A more than 40% reduction in funding for Iraqi security forces comes as the Defense Department continues to pivot to bilateral ties with Baghdad's institutions.