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Politics & Security

Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos Hessebon meets with Marco Rubio in Washington on May 11, 2026.

Rubio hosts Ethiopia’s FM amid push to boost security ties: What to know

In response to heightening regional volatility, Ethiopia is prioritizing a strategic partnership with the Washington to secure its geopolitical standing.

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Panamanian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

Breaking | Last Updated: May 11, 2026, 4:31 pm

US hits China-linked Iran oil trade with sanctions ahead of Trump trip

The sanctions come after the United States rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war.

French Deputy Armed Forces Minister Alice Rufo

After year away, France returns ambassador to Algeria: What to know

France and Algeria have made efforts to improve ties recently, with the strain resulting from disagreements over Western Sahara and their shared colonial past.

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

Latest News

Trump calls Iran response 'piece of garbage,' set to meet military advisers

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 2: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on May 2, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago resort. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

Two men stand next to the burned remains of a Palestinian vehicle in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Susya village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 1, 2026.

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

Anwar AMRO / AFP via 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

Shahar Yorman/Israeli Defense Ministry

Analysis

France's defense chief pushes for 3 goals on Israel visit

In Israel, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu is showing Paris’ willingness to further engage in ending the fighting in Gaza and preventing regional escalation.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Somali president visits Qatar, Egypt amid row over Somaliland-Ethiopia deal

The tour comes after Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland signed a controversial deal that would give Addis Ababa access to the Red Sea.

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they meet on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 20, 2023.

Analysis

Can US pressure Netanyahu to accept Palestinian state for Israel-Saudi normalization?

The Biden administration is pushing for a comprehensive deal that would see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accept the two-state solution in exchange for the Saudis agreeing to normalize ties with Israel.

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

Mohammad Ghobadlou

Outcry as Iran executes young protester with mental illness: judiciary

Mohammad Ghobadlou, who had allegedly a history of mental illness, was hanged in an Iranian prison in relation to his role in the 2022 nationwide protests.

Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stand near a US Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) during a joint military exercise with forces of the US-led "Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve" coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group in the countryside of the town of al-Malikiya (Derik in Kurdish) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Sept. 7, 2022.

Pentagon floats plan for its Syrian Kurd allies to partner with Assad against ISIS

The proposal, which the head of the Syrian Democratic Forces denounced as a "rotten plan," comes as part of a renewed review of Syria policy by the US State Department.

Brett McGurk, US White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, speaks during the 17th IISS Manama Dialogue in the Bahraini capital Manama on Nov. 21, 2021.

Biden's top Mideast adviser McGurk heads to Qatar, Egypt for hostage talks

Brett McGurk's trip comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas' terms for a hostage deal.

Saudi FM

Saudi FM: No Israel normalization without ‘irreversible path’ to Palestinian state

Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the kingdom would not finance the rebuilding of the enclave unless there is a viable path to a two-state solution.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 22, 2024, 4:25 pm

Turkey's parliament to vote on Sweden’s NATO accession this week

The progress follows intense diplomatic contacts between Ankara and Washington.

David C. Mercil/US Navy/Getty Images

Two US Navy SEALs presumed dead after anti-Houthi raid: Pentagon

The two special operators are presumed dead after attempting to board a stateless boat off Somalia earlier this month.

Iranian mourners gather during the funeral ceremony of yesterday's explosion, Kerman, Iran, Jan. 5, 2024.

Soldier arrested in Iran after inside attack killing 5 troops in Kerman

The latest incident involves the killing of five soldiers by a fellow conscript in Kerman, which was the scene of a deadly bombing claimed by ISIS earlier this month.

First Lady Michal Herzog at a consolation visit by the Idan family, Oct. 25 Kibbutz Mishmar Haemek.

Israel’s first lady speaks out about 'unbearable' plight of women hostages in Gaza

Michal Herzog, Israel's first lady, spoke to Al-Monitor about her mission to make the world recognize the sexual violence perpetrated against Israeli women on and since Oct. 7.

(L-R) Bloomberg Television's journalist Francine Lacqua, Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan, President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde, Co-chairman of the private equity firm of The Carlyle Group David Rubenstein, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala attend a session on the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 19,

Analysis

From Davos, all roads lead to the Middle East

At the World Economic Forum, Al-Monitor interviewed regional decision-makers on economics, energy, environment, governance and conflict across the region.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti