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Politics & Security

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs neighborhood of Haret Hreik on May 6, 2026.

Israel strikes Beirut in breach of Lebanon ceasefire

Israel has continued to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon but had not targeted Beirut since the ceasefire took effect.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Ankara comes amid rapidly expanding Turkish-Saudi coordination as the fallout from the Iran war reshapes Gulf security dynamics.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second right, talks to his Iranian Counterpart Abbas Araghchi, left, during the bilateral meeting in Beijing, Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Iran, China discuss Hormuz reopening amid potential US-Iran talks

China’s foreign minister told his Iranian counterpart that “persisting in negotiations is particularly important.”

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Lebanon, Israel eye third round of talks, but no Netanyahu-Aoun meeting in sight

The US appears to be pushing for a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the Lebanese government says it won't happen while Israel continues to launch attacks on Lebanon.

Latest News

Analysis

Iran's Gulf gambit: Attacking the UAE to shift US calculations

A billboard with the image of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wraps the front of a building in Tehran on May 5, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iran’s Araghchi heads to China as US presses Beijing over Hormuz: What to know

Parker Song / 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

Refugees, mostly women and children, wait for a WFP food distribution point.

As war rages on, new Sudanese group hopes ‘localized’ aid can save lives

Activists and humanitarians who spoke to Al-Monitor said the grassroots initiative is crucial to aid efforts in Sudan due to the localized nature of their response and difficulties international organizations face in the country.

A woman sits with her belongings in Martyrs' Square as she seeks shelter after being displaced by Israeli airstrikes, on Sept. 29, 2024, in Beirut, Lebanon.

As Israel's invasion begins, Lebanon's displaced shelter in streets with 'nowhere to go'

The myth of an invincible Hezbollah has largely collapsed, according to analysts, as its followers mourn the death of their leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, in Cairo on Aug. 5, 2024.

Analysis

Turkey's FM met with Nasrallah days after Oct. 7 — does that mean he's 'pro-Iran'?

The recent revelation by Hakan Fidan has refocused attention on the top Turkish diplomat's supposed fondness for Iran.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

An apartment block stands in partial ruins after being hit by an Israeli airstrike on, Sept. 30, 2024 in Beirut, Lebanon.

Who were Palestinian commanders in Lebanon targeted in latest Israeli strikes?

Israel has frequently targeted Hezbollah commanders and leaders in Lebanon since the start of the cross-border hostilities, as well as members of Palestinian armed groups that joined Hezbollah on the southern front.

LEBANON-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Khiam on September 30, 2024. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP) (Photo by RABIH DAHER/AFP via Getty Images)

US boosts defense posture as Blinken urges diplomacy between Israel, Lebanon

The White House is calling for a prioritization of diplomacy despite reports that Israel could be readying for a ground operation in Lebanon.

Israeli army tanks are deployed in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon, Sept. 29, 2024.

Analysis

Israel buoyant after killing Nasrallah, mulls risky Lebanon ground invasion

After the killing of the Hezbollah chief, Israeli security chiefs disagree on a potential ground incursion into southern Lebanon.

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

Yoav Gallant

Gallant hints Israel preparing to launch ground offensive in Lebanon

Speaking with soldiers deployed near the border with Lebanon, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted that a ground invasion could take place soon.

The first delivered batch of F-35 fighter jets flies over the Skrydstrup Air Base, Denmark, Sep. 14, 2023.

Analysis

US revival of Turkey’s F-35 deal complicated by Russia, political climate

A potential F-35-for-S-400 deal doesn't seem feasible from a technical as well as political standpoint, Turkish experts believe.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Head of Hezbollah's Executive Council Hashem Safieddine arrives as trucks loaded with humanitarian aid provided by the Lebanese Shiite group set out for Syria in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 12, 2023.

Meet Hezbollah’s Hashem Safieddine, Iran’s confidant and likely successor for Nasrallah

Hashem Safieddine is considered close to Hezbollah’s slain leader Hassan Nasrallah but is seen as more ruthless and less pragmatic than the late leader of the group.

A Shiite Muslim cleric holds a poster reading "crossing a red line" in Persian next to an image of Hassan Nasrallah, the late leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, during an anti-Israel protest in Tehran's Palestine Square on Sept. 28, 2024, after Hezbollah confirmed reports of Nasrallah's killing in an Israeli air strike in Beirut the previous day.

From Yemen to Turkey, Mideast reacts to death of Hezbollah's Nasrallah

Leaders and groups in the Middle East have reacted to the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed Friday in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut.

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah give a televised speech in a hanger in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh in Lebanon on May 24, 2024, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran in a helicopter crash.

Who was Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s formative leader killed by Israel?

After decades of leading Hezbollah and overseeing its rise both in Lebanon and in the region, Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut.

Smoke rises from the smouldering rubble at the scene of Israeli air strikes in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, 2024. A source close to Hezbollah said the massive Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs flattened six buildings. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP) (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel kept Pentagon in the dark about Beirut strikes, Austin says

The White House ordered the US military to adjust force posture in the Middle East ‘as necessary’ after Israel defied Washington in a bid to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, risking war with Iran.