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Politics & Security

A shop owner counts Iranian banknotes at a store in the capital Tehran on Jan. 7, 2026.

How Iran stands to win major financial relief in Trump-backed deal

Iran will receive some upfront sanctions relief despite the Trump administration's pledge of “no dust, no dollars.”

Lebanese army forces set up a checkpoint at the entrance of the village of Ghandourieh in southern Lebanon on June 15, 2026.

Senate bill adds restrictions on US effort to train Lebanon army: What to know

Lawmakers want to know the number of Lebanese special forces recruits, their equipment and religious background as part of a planned $36 million DOD train-and-equip project aimed at dismantling Hezbollah.

Jared Szuba

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

A Turkish police officers patrols at the scene of a motor-bike bomb explosion, next to a police station on Oct. 6, 2016, in Istanbul.

Turkey captures alleged ISIS-K media chief near Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The capture comes as Turkish authorities intensify raids against Islamic State networks following recent attacks and alleged plots.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks with Tehran's Chamber of Commerce, June 17, 2026.

After US-Iran deal, Ghalibaf says Tehran seeks deeper ties with China

“China must believe and will believe that we are not just a customer or a trading partner, but a partner in every sense,” Ghalibaf said.

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Read the full 14-point US-Iran deal

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Syrian Kurd commander Kobane kicks off European tour amid scrutiny from Damascus

Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks with AFP during an interview in the countryside outside the northwestern Syrian city of Hasakah, in the province of the same name, on January 24, 2019. - Any deal between Syria's Kurds and the Damascus regime should respect the "special status" of Kurdish-led forces who fought the Islamic State (IS) group, Kobani said. The SDF control around a third of Syria after expelling jihadists from a large northeastern swathe of t

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun to visit White House this month, Trump says

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a government meeting at the Presidential Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 5, 2025.

Who is Fahd Al-Dosari, Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Lebanon?

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji meets with Fahd bin Abdulrahman bin Hathloul Al-Dosari, the new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut on June 17, 2026.

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

Residents and rescuers search for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Rescuers pour into Turkey, but aid slow to arrive in earthquake-hit Syria

The disaster response in northern Syria is stymied by supply chain issues, logistical hurdles and diplomatic disputes over accessing the country's rebel-held territory.

eople try to rescue their loved ones, believed to be trapped under collapsed building on February 07, 2023 in Iskenderun, Turkey. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit near Gaziantep, Turkey, in the early hours of Monday, followed by another 7.5-magnitude tremor just after midday.

Israel's rescue teams arrive in Turkey, will establish field hospital for earthquake victims

Three Israeli rescue delegations are already on the ground, with more humanitarian aid expected in the coming days.

A woman sits on the rubble of a destroyed building in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey, a day after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast, on Feb. 7, 2023.

Hopes dim amid frantic earthquake rescues, as Turkey declares state of emergency

President Erdogan says there are more than 53,000 rescuers in the 10 provinces, but locals complain that some neighborhoods are abandoned as hopes run out for people trapped in the debris.

Israeli protesters attend a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new hard-right government, Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 4, 2023.

Israeli society facing flare-up over Netanyahu’s judicial shakeup

The two camps supporting the Netanyahu government’s judicial shake-up and those opposing it have resorted to aggressive words and threats.

PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images

Pentagon sends USAID search and rescue teams to Turkey

Two American emergency response teams departed for Turkey Tuesday following deadly earthquakes believed to killed more than 5,000 people.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Part of an underground airbase is seen in a news report by the state broadcaster aired Feb. 7, 2023.

Iran shows off underground air base with Russia's Sukhoi jets

In the first public display of an underground air base, Iran presented missile-mounted warplanes and bombers at a moment of growing concerns over its controversial drone deliveries to Russia.

Palestinian protesters burn tyres to block a road leading into Jericho in the occupied West Bank, on February 6, 2023, following a raid in town by Israeli forces. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Palestinian teen killed in Israeli raid as CIA fears another intifada

US CIA director Bill Burns said Tuesday that the current situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories has a "very unhappy resemblance" to the second intifada.

The village of Bibsna, located on the Syrian-Turkish border, was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake, and rescue teams are trying to recover the victims and treat the wounded, Feb. 6, 2023.

Already displaced by war, Syrians search earthquake rubble for loved ones

Residents of northwest Syria, most of whom found refuge in the area after fleeing the bombing in their hometowns during the war, found themselves facing a new catastrophe following Monday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

Rescuers search for survivors through the rubble in Sanliurfa, on Feb. 6, 2023, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's south-east. -

How will Turkey’s killer earthquakes impact the country’s politics?

The mood of the public could very well shift against Erdogan and the AKP if their response to the earthquake is not swift.

This aerial view shows residents helped by bulldozers, searching for victims and survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings, following an earthquake in the town of Sarmada in the countryside of the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, early on February 6, 2023. Over 1,500 people have been killed in the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. (Photo by MUHAMMAD HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Gulf countries rush earthquake aid to Turkey, Syria

Countries in the Gulf have announced aid for Turkey and Syria after Monday's devastating earthquakes.

Passengers arrive at Israel's Ben Gurion airport in Lod on March 1, 2022. A US visa waiver will energize travel between the two countries. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

US, Israel closer to signing visa waiver as Netanyahu rushes to finish line

To enter the coveted program, the prime minister's coalition will have to facilitate the traveling of American Palestinians and American Israeli-Arabs between the West Bank and the US.

Russian physics researcher Yuriy waits in line for tickets to see Russian rapper Oxxxymiron on Kadikoy Street, Istanbul, Turkey, March 15, 2022.

Russians in Turkey increasingly rejected on residency permits

According to official figures, Russians top the list of short-term residency holders in Turkey as of January 2022, with 133,495 Russian nationals on short-term permits. But since mid-December, they have been facing denials for paperwork to stay in Turkey.