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

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Politics & Security

Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel on June 4, 2026.

'Pilot zones' offer litmus test for Lebanon to clear Israel border of Hezbollah

As the Trump administration focuses reaching a peace deal with Iran, US officials have been hosting backroom talks between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats aimed at finally resolving the question of Hezbollah’s entrenchment along Israel’s northern border.

A man walks past Iran's national flag and a banner bearing the images of the late founder of the Islamic Revolution supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (R), the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and his son, the current supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei (L), erected along a street at the Vanak Square in Tehran on June 10, 2026.

Iran deal ‘very close’ but not at finish line, senior US official says

The announcement comes after a week of tit-for-tat strikes between the two sides.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Punit PARANJPE / AFP via Getty Images

US strikes on Indian-crewed tankers spark tensions with New Delhi

India summoned the US deputy chief of mission in Delhi on Friday to protest American strikes on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman.

US President Donald Trump talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset, Jerusalem, Oct. 13, 2025.

Analysis

'A complete disaster': Israel scrambles for clarity as Trump touts emerging Iran deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relayed Israel’s red lines to Trump, but given the current rift between the two leaders, the demands may be little more than a wish list.

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

Latest News

Iran-US draft deal would release $24B in funds, ensure Lebanon ceasefire: Iranian media

TOPSHOT - People cross the street past a large billboard showing portraits of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) in central Tehran on June 8, 2026. Iran said on June 8 that the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East war will have consequences for ongoing talks with the United States to reach peace in the region. "It is perfectly natural that the diplomatic process initiated to put an end to this imposed war would be affected,

Exclusive

Barrack heads to Iraq as US presses Baghdad on Iran-backed militias

Tom Barrack

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

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

Israeli military vehicles patrol the border with Lebanon near the Israeli Kibbutz of Shtula, July 3, 2022.

Israel, Hezbollah rattle swords, with military drills near border

The military drills of Hezbollah and of the Israel Defense Forces — only a few days apart — reflect growing tensions on Israel’s northern border.

Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party.

Turkey’s beleaguered Kurds weigh new strategies after Erdogan’s win

The key question following the vote is whether the alliance between the HDP and the main opposition Republican People’s Party and its Table of Six partners can endure.

BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

Attack on Iran-Pakistan border leaves 2 dead

Security issues are complicating Iran’s relations with Pakistan, and there has also been violence on the Iran-Afghanistan border recently.

PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

Iran executions spike by 76% with 142 people hanged in May: Report

A new report reveals that Iran carried out 307 executions in 2023 as rights groups' pleas fall on deaf ears.

A picture shows election flags displaying imprisoned Selahattin Demirtas.

Turkey’s jailed Kurdish leader quits active politics after Erdogan’s victory

Selahattin Demirtas' announcement comes amid heated public debate over whether Kemal Kilicdaroglu would resign after he was defeated by President Erdogan in Sunday’s runoff.

A US Navy Martin UAV drone hovers mid-air beneath a US Navy SH-60S Seahawk helicopter, while Bahraini Coast Guard ship Deraa 13 (L), US Coast Guard cutter Maui (C), and Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF) Abdulrahman Al Fadhel (R) operate on Gulf waters during joint naval exercise between US 5th Fleet Command and Bahraini forces, on October 26, 2021. - The US and Bahrain navies conducted a joint exercise at sea, launching a series of drills integrating unmanned systems into regional maritime operations. (Phot

US not notified yet of UAE's withdrawal from Gulf maritime coalition

The announcement that the UAE had withdrawn its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces coalition appears to be Abu Dhabi's latest signal to Washington that it wants serious dialogue on security guarantees.

Tunisian President Kais Saied meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

US lawmakers urge aid for Tunisia's civil society as crackdown intensifies

The Biden administration’s proposal to slash economic assistance while largely sustaining military aid to Tunisia has drawn concern in Congress.

Turkish actress Merve Dizdar poses during a photocall after she won the Best Actress Prize for her part in the film "Kuru Otlar Ustune" (About Dry Grasses) during the closing ceremony of the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 27, 2023.

Turkey's conservatives lash out at actress Merve Dizdar after Cannes win

Angry reactions to actress Merve Dizdar’s acceptance speech at the Cannes film festival may foreshadow more crackdowns on the liberal arts sector as Erdogan and a new conservative parliament takes the reins.

Leaders of Arab society staged a three-day sit-in in Jerusalem, May 29, 2023.

Why is crime spiking in Arab-Israeli community, as murders nearly double in 2023?

Leaders of Arab society staged a three-day sit-in in Jerusalem against the inefficiency of the government in fighting the growing number of deadly violent incidents.

Residents stand on their balcony at the Wavel Palestinian refugee camp (also known as the Jalil camp) in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, on April 24, 2020, after cases of infection by the novel coronavirus were detected there. - The residents of the Wavel camp were tested after a member of a household, a Palestinian refugee from Syria, was admitted to the state-run Rafic Hariri hospital in the capital Beirut for demonstrating COVID-19 symptoms. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Mysterious Lebanon blast kills Palestinian fighters, Israel denies involvement

Israel denied it was behind the mysterious blast that killed five members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command in Lebanon's Bekka Valley region.

CENTCOM Chief Michael Kurilla meets with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Tel Aviv, May 30 2023 Credit: IDF spokesperson office.

CENTCOM commander visits Israel, observes multifront war exercise

Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla is on a wider tour of the Middle East as the Pentagon aims to build regional military capabilities to better deter attacks by Iran and its proxies.

Men hang the national flag next to posters of President Bashar al-Assad, a candidate for the Presidential election, in the Syrian capital Damascus on May 17, 2021.

Breaking | Last Updated: May 30, 2023, 2:42 pm

US unveils Caesar sanctions on Syrian money service businesses

The sanctions targeting a pair of money service businesses are the administration’s second use of the bipartisan Caesar Act.