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Politics & Security

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

Iran's IRGC holds anti-helicopter drills in Tehran: What to know

Iran said it downed two US helicopters last month as American forces use the aircraft for strikes in the Gulf.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands before a meeting at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Turkey, Armenia to launch direct trade in normalization push: What to know

The move removes a decades-old reexport mechanism routed largely through Georgia as Ankara and Yerevan step up normalization efforts.

Latest News

In first, Lebanon files formal UN complaint against Iran: What to know

FADEL Itani / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, Iran looks to China as guarantor — but with reservations

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know

Khaled Hablas

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

A picture taken from the southern Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip on Oct. 15, 2023.

Day 9 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Oct. 15

Nine days into the fighting between Israel and Hamas, nearly 1 million are now displaced in Gaza as rocket barrages continue in the direction of Israel and the Israeli bombardment intensifies on the enclave.

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A Palestinian woman looks up as she prays in the yard of a school, in the Rafah refugee camp, in the southern of Gaza Strip on October 14, 2023, as fighting between Israel and the Hamas movement continues for the eighth consecutive day in the Gaza Strip enclave. Palestinians sought refuge on October 14, 2023, after Israel warned them to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip before an expected ground offensive against Hamas, one week after the deadliest attack in Israel's history.

Gaza residents tell stories of pain and fear as they flee Israeli bombardment

As many residents flee south, some Gazans are remaining in their homes, fearing a repeat of 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians left but never returned.

onvoy trucks loaded with supplies are seen at Cairo-Ismailia Desert Road on Oct. 14, 2023, in Cairo.

Nearly 600 Americans stuck in Gaza amid Egypt talks over Rafah, aid

Egyptian officials said they will not allow foreigners to exit Gaza via the Rafah border crossing until an agreement on aid deliveries is reached, according to reports.

Policemen from the River Brigade (Brigade Fluviale) patrol on a boat on the Seine River, in front of the Louvres' museum in Paris on May 9, 2023.

France on high alert due to Hamas-Israel war, Louvre Museum closed

The killing on Friday of teacher Dominique Bernard was apparently related to tensions in the Middle East, said French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

Ben Caspit and Daoud Kuttab Webinar

Israeli, Palestinian journalists preview Gaza war at Al-Monitor event

Ben Caspit and Daoud Kuttab delved into the details of Israel’s security failures, the future of the Palestinian quest for statehood and the ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip at Al-Monitor's webinar.

Israel has pounded northern Gaza since Hamas's deadly incursion a week ago

Day 8 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Saturday, Oct. 14

Eight days into the fighting between Israel and Hamas, nearly 1 million are now displaced in Gaza as rocket barrages continue in the direction of Israel and the Israeli bombardment intensifies on the enclave.

This picture shows a view of the reservoir of the Mujib Dam, the main water supply to Amman, in the Madaba governorate, about 100kms north of the Jordanian capital, on April 20, 2021.

Israel-Hamas war set to impact Jordan’s water and energy security amid renewables push

The Israel-Hamas war is presenting significant implications for neighboring Jordan’s water security and energy independence, adding new significance to its growing renewable energy push.

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A demonstrator holds a placard during a rally in Milan on the sixth day of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, October 12, 2023.

Turkey says 'intensive contacts' underway to free Israel's hostages with Hamas

The Turkish president said his government, which has channels to both Hamas and Israel, is seeking the release of hostages held in Gaza, but hinted at Western obstacles.

Issam Abdallah, CPJ

Reuters journalist killed, 6 wounded in Israeli shelling on Lebanon border

A Reuters video journalist has been killed and three others were wounded in the Israeli airstrike in the village of Alma al Shaab in southern Lebanon.

Demonstrators wave Palestinian and Jordanian flags during a demonstration in Amman in support of Palestinians amid Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in response to the surprise attack by Hamas against it, October 13, 2023.

Jordan faces mass rallies, marches toward Israel, West Bank border

Jordanian security forces prevented demonstrators from approaching the border with Israel to show their support for the Palestinians of Gaza.

An Israeli Merkava battle tank moves in a convoy along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, October 13, 2023.

Analysis

Israel's cruel dilemma as it embarks on ground operation in Gaza

With two former generals, leaders of the opposition, now inside the cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may soon launch a ground offensive.

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

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (L) and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speak to the press at Israel Aerospace Industries headquarters, in Tel Aviv, March 9, 2023.

'We have your back,' US defense chief pledges on visit to Israel

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reassured Israeli leaders of continued US support in the war against Hamas.