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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, speaks during a press conference

Explainer

Who will lead Congress? Democrats weigh Schumer alternatives, Jeffries bid

A number of contenders have emerged as challengers to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, including strong critics of the Iran war and US support to Israel.

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

Manon Roca / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon files charges against 2 Hezbollah members as UNIFIL prepares to withdraw

The move comes amid growing security concerns in the south less than two months before the UNIFIL mandate expires.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

Latest News

Explainer

Arab parties' backing gives Eisenkot edge over Netanyahu for PM: What to know

Tomer Neuberg / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Massie renews Hegseth impeachment push as GOP blames Iran war for midterm losses

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, on July 21, 2026, in Washington.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift?

TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images

Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopters fly over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy, northeastern Hasakeh province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2021.

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

ILKER ERAY/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Protests against Israel spread in Turkey following Rafah strike

As Israel's Rafah strike sparked protests across the country, Turkey’s National Security Council implicitly criticized Washington for police interventions in pro-Palestinian protests in US colleges.

Palestinians watch US military ships in the Gaza floating pier on the Mediterranean Sea offshore installed by the US military to deliver aid to Gazans, Gaza Strip, May 17, 2024.

Gaza aid pier breaks down, halting US humanitarian deliveries by sea

The Biden administration's plan to alleviate famine in the Palestinian enclave — and in turn, enable Israel to pursue what remains of Hamas — is falling apart.

EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images

Israel looks to revive cease-fire talks even as its tanks enter central Rafah

Israel has reportedly sent Egypt and Qatar a new outline for relaunching talks for a hostage and cease-fire deal in Gaza.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi-Syrian normalization takes off with Hajj flights, return of ambassador

Diplomatic relations have resumed between the two countries as Riyadh appointed Faisal al-Mujfel ambassador to Syria — the first since relations were severed in 2012.

Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024.

Analysis

As Netanyahu clings to power, Rafah strike spells strategic disaster for Israel

Beyond the horrendous humanitarian toll of the airstrike on Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, the bombing plunges Israel deeper into international pariahdom.

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

Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas, Rafah, Gaza Strip, May 27, 2024.

Wave of condemnation follows Israeli strikes on Rafah displacement camp

The attack, which killed dozens and burned many alive as tents quickly caught fire, follows a ruling by the UN top court ordering Israel to immediately stop its offensive in Gaza’s Rafah.

Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah (R) welcomes Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as she arrives for a meeting in Tripoli on May 7, 2024.

What's behind Italy's growing Libya engagement as Russia influence expands?

Italy is seeking stronger ties with Libya’s rival groups, though this mission may be hindered by several challenges.

Ron Mendel and Peace, volunteers at the Palestine Museum and Cultural Centre in Bristol, southwest England, stand outside the museum in April 2024.

Europe's only Palestine museum sees visitors surge in light of Gaza war

Bristol in southwest England is home to Europe’s only Palestine museum, run by unpaid volunteers.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi attend a joint press conference in Ankara, on Jan. 24, 2024.

How Raisi’s death will impact Turkey-Iran geopolitical rivalry

While leaders and some commentators in Turkey posthumously praised the late Iranian president and foreign minister, many geopolitical challenges await Ankara and Tehran once Iran elects a new president.

Iraqis carry portraits of Iran's late president Ebrahim Raisi outside the Iranian embassy in Baghdad during a condolences service on May 20, 2024 for the president and his entourage, who were killed in a helicopter crash in Iran the previous day.

Iran pledges continued support for regional proxies despite Raisi's death

In a show of defiance to Western adversaries, Iran hosted senior leaders of several regional militant organizations to renew promises that they will continue to have Tehran's blessing despite President Ebrahim Raisi's death.

Kurdish women hold portraits of their missing sons on May 18, 2011, during a demonstration in Istanbul against the recent killing of 12 Kurdish rebels by security forces.

Many faces of motherhood in Turkey: From new Mothers Museum to 1,000th vigil of Saturday mothers

As a new museum in Ankara pays homage to motherhood, the mothers of the country remain a fractured group, divided by political lines and economic woes

Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, writes a condolence note in a book for Iran's late president, Ebrahim Raisi, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who died in a helicopter crash at the Iran embassy in Islamabad on May 20, 2024.

Where does Raisi’s death leave Pakistan-Iran relations?

The late Iranian president had paid a three-day official visit to neighboring Pakistan just weeks before his death in an effort to boost ties.