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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Khaled Hablas

Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know

Hablas was imprisoned for his role in the deadly 2014 clashes with the military and Hezbollah and his release follows Syria lobbying for the return of militants detained in Lebanon.

The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

Turkey’s draft maritime bill seeks to formalize Ankara’s claims in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black seas, raising tensions with Greece and Cyprus over contested maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights.

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

While Israeli and Lebanese delegations are set to meet in Washington for the third time, the Israeli military faces a growing threat from Hezbollah’s cheap yet highly lethal drones.

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

TTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages

Kuwait unveils Iran IRGC infiltration plot, arrests 4: What to know

According to Kuwaiti authorities, four suspects arrested earlier this month after attempting to enter the country illegally via the sea confessed to belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and planning attacks against Kuwait.

Latest News

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

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

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

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.

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

French Deputy Armed Forces Minister Alice Rufo

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

Turkey's Erdogan compares Netanyahu to Hitler, drawing Israel's rebuke

The Turkish president’s inflammatory comments drawing a parallel between Hitler to Netanyahu once again have ramped up tensions between Turkey and Israel.

Sigrid Kaag

Who is Sigrid Kaag, veteran diplomat and UN's new aid coordinator for Gaza?

Sigrid Kaag has worked extensively with the UN in the Middle East. She is fluent in Arabic and speaks Dutch, German, French, English and Spanish.

Smoke billows over the northern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment from southern Israel on December 27, 2023 amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Day 82 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Wednesday, Dec. 27

AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

How killing of Iran’s IRGC commander in Syria could ignite Israel-Lebanon war

With Hezbollah increasing its missile and drone attacks against Israel’s northern communities, war on the Lebanon border could erupt at any minute.

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

Turkey's parliamentary committee approves Sweden’s NATO bid, paving way for full vote

After passing an initial hurdle, the Nordic nation’s accession to NATO will now be debated and voted on by the full Turkish Parliament.

Day 81 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Tuesday, Dec. 26

Smoke plumes billow from a fire at a lumber warehouse in southern Khartoum amidst ongoing fighting on June 7, 2023. Eight weeks of fighting have pitted Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo -- commonly known as Hemeti -- who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A number of broken ceasefires have offered brief lulls but no respite for residents of Khartoum, where witnesses again reported "the sound of heavy artillery fire" in the ca

2023 in review: From Sudan to Syria, here are Mideast's forgotten conflicts

More than 12,000 people were killed in the war in Sudan this year, while violence persisted in parts of Syria, Iraq and other countries across the Middle East and North Africa.

Jared Kushner (R), adviser to former US president Donald Trump, and Italy's former prime minister Matteo Renzi (L) participate in a panel at the annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh on Oct. 25, 2023.

2023 in review: Gaza war tests Gulf economic overhauls at pivotal moment

Amid a year of headlines and hype in Gulf dealmaking, the eruption of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7 complicates the GCC's economic overhauls.

Day 80 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Monday, Dec. 25

Visitors inspect sniper rifles during the opening day of Egypt Defence Expo (EDEX-2023) at the Cairo International Exhibition Center, Dec. 4, 2023.

Is Turkey-Egypt rapprochement turning into a long-term defense partnership?

Rapidly improving defense cooperation between Cario and Ankara falls in line with Turkey's multidimensional strategic outlook, observes believe.

A woman walks by a wall with photos of hostages taken to the Gaza Strip during the deadly Oct 7 Hamas attack on Dec. 20, 2023, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Analysis

2023 in review: The year that shook Israel to the core, exposed vulnerabilities

With the judicial overhaul pushed by the government and then the Oct. 7 attack that shook the country to its core, Israelis no longer trust their leaders.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A protester plants a flag bearing a Lebanese cedar across the fence from an Israeli tank at the Blue Line near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Shuba, in the Israel-Lebanon border region, June 9, 2023.

2023 in review: Lebanon reels from void, threat of Hezbollah-Israel front

As the country struggled with political and economic crises, border skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah raised the specter of war.