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

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Politics & Security

Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Upcoming Lebanon-Israel talks will see higher-level participation, discuss security ‘framework’

The third round of talks between Lebanon and Israel will stretch over two days and include diplomatic and military officials.

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was not surprised by President Donald Trump’s suspension of Project Freedom and move toward talks with Iran, but analysts say Washington may not be fully weighing Israel's concerns in negotiations with Tehran.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A man poses for a photograph in front of the newly unveiled, Turkish made intercontinental ballistic missile Yildirimhan at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, showcased Turkish and foreign companies new products and technology. The expo was dominated by UAV products as modern warfare increasingly shifts to drone and unmanned technologies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

Turkey’s planned test of a 6,000-kilometer missile could boost Ankara’s defense industry prestige, strengthen its deterrence messaging and feed a powerful domestic narrative of technological self-reliance, but it also raises questions about cost, timing and NATO protection.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A woman walks past a banner featuring Iran's late supreme leaders, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C), next to newly elected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

Analysis

Why Iran's wartime behavior risks lasting rupture with Gulf states

Iran's rhetoric and policies toward Gulf states have sharply escalated, raising questions about whether years of painstaking regional rapprochement can survive mounting distrust and maritime confrontations.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Iraq’s Sadr says 'exclude' armed groups from next government as pressure builds

Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr gives a speech in Iraq's central holy shrine city of Najaf on August 30, 2022.

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

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

US strikes Iran tankers as UAE reports fresh missile, drone attacks

Getty

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

The site of the strike in Damascus.

Breaking | Last Updated: April 1, 2024, 4:02 pm

Commander in Iran’s IRGC killed in suspected Israeli strike in Damascus

Israel is widely suspected of striking Iranian military targets throughout Syria.

Opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) supporters celebrate outside the main municipality building following municipal elections across Turkey, in Istanbul on March 31, 2024. Turkey's main opposition party on March 31 claimed victory in Istanbul and Ankara, with its rising political star emerging from local elections as a serious challenger to veteran President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, addressing supporters at his party's headquarters in Ankara, acknowledged a "turning point" for his party and pro

Analysis

Turkey's Erdogan handed historic setback in local elections

For the first time since its inception in 2001, the ruling party’s nationwide vote share fell below that of the main opposition, dealing a blow to the Turkish president’s post-election plans, analysts believe.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

The last French soldiers board a French military plane to leave Niger for good, at the French base which was handed over to the Nigerien army, in Niamey on December 22, 2023. The last French troops withdrew from Niger on December 22, 2023, marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in west Africa's Sahel region, AFP saw and Niger's military announced. The French exit from Niger leaves hundreds of US military personnel, and a number of Italian and German troops, remaining in the

What Niger-US rupture says about Russia and West's shaky future in Sahel

Niger’s decision to suspend military cooperation with the United States follows rising anti-Western sentiment in the region.

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour speaks.

Interview

Palestine to bid for full UN membership this month, says ambassador

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour spoke to Al-Monitor about Arab solidarity on Gaza, Palestine’s efforts to become a full member of the UN, reconciliation with Hamas and alleged sexual crimes on both sides of the conflict.

Riyad Mansour

Riyad Mansour

Palestine Ambassador to the UN

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

From PKK to corridor project: Ambitious agenda awaits Turkey’s Erdogan in Iraq

Security cooperation and transport corridor plans are expected to top the agenda of the Turkish president’s visit to Iraq in April, the first of its kind since 2011.

A miner from Gold Fields South Africa company walks near the exit of the South Deep gold mine in Westonaria, Gauteng, on Oct. 12, 2022.

Saudi Arabia, UAE amp up Africa investments amid growing competition

Africa is seeing a major uptick in investments from the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which presents the possibility of 'greater returns' for the Gulf states.

A view shows the burnt-out Crocus City Hall concert venue in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on March 26, 2024.

From Russia to Iran and Turkey: Understanding rise, narrative of ISIS-K

The jihadi group has been raising its profile since the beginning of 2024 through suicide attacks in southern Iran in January and the armed attack on an Istanbul Roman Catholic church last month.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to supporters through inside a modified truck with a side bulletproof glass during a campaign event on Oct. 29, 2022 in Bnei Brak, Israel.

Analysis

Inside Israel, Netanyahu’s poll numbers improving despite US rupture

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps using his well-used method of convincing his right-wing base that he is the only one able to stand up against American pressure.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

Ahead of March 31 municipal elections, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) addresses supporters during a campaign rally in Istanbul, March 22, 2024.

Will Erdogan’s fate be decided at Turkey's local polls?

An opposition victory in March 31 municipal elections, including in Istanbul, could shake up Turkey's political scene in unpredictable ways, perhaps even descent into full-blown authoritarianism.

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran.

Regional water tensions in focus as Iran FM visits Turkmenistan

Severely hit by a worsening water crisis in recent years, Iran has been seeking to claim its share of water from reservoirs originating in its neighbors' territory.

Smoke billows from the area of an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese village of Khiam, near the border with Israel on March 23, 2024.

Analysis

As strikes deepen, Israel warns Hezbollah it can 'transition' from Gaza to Lebanon

With Hamas no longer "an immediate significant threat," the Israeli military has been preparing to focus on the border with Lebanon.

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

Syrian air defense batteries responding to what the Syrian state media said were Israeli missiles targeting Damascus, Jan. 21, 2019.

Syria: Over 40 killed in alleged Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah warehouse

The attack reportedly hit at least one weapons warehouse belonging to Hezbollah near Aleppo International Airport.