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Politics & Security

Fighters supporting the Aden-based, internationally recognized Yemeni government gather during a vigil along the Red Sea shore in Khokha, in Yemen's western Hodeidah province, on July 20, 2026.

Analysis

How Saudi Arabia seeks to contain Yemen's Houthis without provoking Iran

Riyadh is balancing pressure on the Houthis with efforts to keep Iran from widening the conflict, as attacks threaten Saudi energy exports through the Red Sea.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

El Alamein International Airshow

Turkey’s defense giants court Egypt at Alamein Airshow: What to know

Three leading Turkish defense companies are participating in the El Alamein Airshow as Ankara seeks new sales and closer military-industrial cooperation with Egypt.

Chaim Goldberg / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack

The Emirati president reportedly warned that a planned attack could cause bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords.

Two women stand before graffiti on the cemetery wall for victims of the chemical massacre, on Aug. 21, 2025 in Zamalka, Syria.

UN watchdog formally ends probe into Assad-era nuclear sites

The vote follows last month's visit by international inspectors to two suspected former nuclear sites in Syria.

Latest News

Iran's IRGC set to declare new ‘sanctions zone’ beyond Hormuz: What to know

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

Majority of Palestinians lose trust in Hamas and Fatah, new poll finds

Palestinians hold up the green Hamas flag during a protest by supporters of both the Fatah and Hamas movements, as they rally in support of the Palestinian people following Friday noon prayers in Hebron, occupied West Bank, Nov. 3, 2023.

US strikes Iranian tankers after attempted attack on Navy ship

Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait off the coast of Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas on September 7, 2026. Iran's top negotiator threatened on September 6 of a more forceful response to any further US attacks after Tehran targeted American warships in their latest round of clashes. The exchanges of fire, which began with US raids last week, come amid a deadlock in the six-month war between the two foes. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

What Houthi setbacks in Yemen mean for Iran's regional influence

Forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Biden

Iran indicts Biden, Trump over support for exiled group

The current US president and three of his predecessors have been indicted in Iran for their alleged backing of a California-based Iranian pro-monarchy group that Tehran has designated as a terrorist organization.

Peace Now

In a first, Israeli minister arrives in Saudi Arabia as envoy visits West Bank

Tourism Minister Haim Katz is the first Israeli minister to lead a delegation for an official United Nations event in Saudi Arabia.

JAVIER TORRES/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan says Turkey will keep promise on Sweden's NATO bid if US approves F-16s

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country's ratification of Sweden's NATO accession depends on Washington keeping its promises to Ankara.

A US AH-64 Apache attack helicopter flies above US soldiers patrolling along the frontlines.

US captures Islamic State official in Syria as fighting renews among allies

The US military said it captured a senior IS official in Syria on Saturday, as renewed fighting Monday between Kurdish-led forces and Arab tribes in Deir Ezzor raised new questions as to the open-ended nature of the US mission.

Anastasia Yemelyanova

Who is Anastasia Yemelyanova, Russian activist reportedly killed in Turkey?

Turkey-based Russian feminist and antiwar activist Anastasia Yemelyanova, 32, was reportedly killed by her boyfriend.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a one-on-one meeting with President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Azerbaijan’s Aliyev as Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh

Ankara is backing the oil-rich Turkic nation’s current drive to seize all of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NY) leaves after speaking during a press conference at Hudson County Community College’s North Hudson Campus on September 25, 2023 in Union City, New Jersey. Menendez spoke during a press conference where he stated that he would not resign as senator and would serve out his term. The three-term senator and his wife are accused of taking bribes of gold bars, a luxury car, and cash in exchange for using his position to help the government of Egypt and other corrupt acts according to an in

Menendez ignores calls to resign as alleged Egypt bribery ties get exposed

The US Senate’s top foreign relations lawmaker struck a humbler note on Monday but remained defiant after federal prosecutors alleged he took bribes in exchange for facilitating US foreign arms sales and passed sensitive US government information to Egypt.

Evin Prison

Iranian-American dies in Tehran’s Evin Prison due to 'lack of medical care'

Faramarz Javidzad, 60, was taken to hospital after he suffered stomach bleeding, but he was later returned to the prison in the Iranian capital where he later died, according to reports.

From the official reception for President Bashar al-Assad and Mrs. Asma in Hangzhou International Airport on September 21, 2023

In China, Syria's Assad gets political fanfare, but no funding commitments

Since Syria joined China's Belt and Road Initiative in January 2022, there have been no projects to show for it in the war-torn country.

This picture taken from the Mount of Olives shows a view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's Old City on August 25, 2023. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia, Jordan condemn Israeli settler provocations at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Saudi Arabia's new ambassador to the West Bank has spoken out over the clashes that broke out over the weekend as hundreds of Jewish settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu

Analysis

New York trip gave Netanyahu no escape from Israel's reality

The Israeli prime minister’s coalition partners were careful to remind him, even when he visited the United Nations, that his political fate is in their hands, and that they won’t allow any concessions to the Palestinians.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Jordanian King Abdullah II at the Middle East Global Summit on Sept. 20, 2023. (Al-Monitor/Yvonne Tnt)

Analysis

Jordan's King Abdullah: You can’t parachute over Palestine to make peace with Israel

At the inaugural Al-Monitor/Semafor Middle East Global Summit, King Abdullah II emphasizes the centrality of the Palestinian issue; Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani describes vision for natural gas; and more excerpts and coverage of summit.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti