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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Milak border crossing near the town of Zabol, Iran

Third Sunni cleric killed in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province: What to know

Iran says it is stepping up its crackdown on armed groups in the impoverished province as Sunni clerics have been reported killed there and in the predominantly Kurdish northwest.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

CENTCOM chief meets Saudi Arabia's MBS amid Houthi gains in Yemen

The low-profile meeting between the Pentagon's commander in the Middle East and Saudi crown prince comes as Yemen's Houthis seized the high ground overlooking a vital economic waterway.

People swim next to the Russian-flagged cargo ship OMSKIY-107, which was attacked off the Black Sea coast and eventually ran aground off the shore of the Sile district, Istanbul, Sept. 3, 2026.

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

The Russia-Ukraine drone war is hitting Turkish commercial interests, exposing the limits of Ankara’s ability to protect shipping while remaining outside the conflict.

Erik Marmor

Analysis

Once Netanyahu’s top challenger, Bennett loses ground to Eisenkot: What to know

Facing the popular Gadi Eisenkot, the Together party of former premiers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid is sinking in Israeli opinion polls.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

Latest News

Analysis

What does Houthi advance mean for Yemen’s southern separatists?

Yemeni separatists

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Analysis

Houthi gains in Yemen are testing Saudi Arabia’s security strategy

boats and a container ship near the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Iran, misreading Trump’s resolve, escalates conflict in Yemen ahead of US midterms

Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement, arrive with their weapons to rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon, in Sanaa on April 8, 2026, following the announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East war.

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

Turkish tanks are positioned in the Turkish military base in Bashiqa, several kilometers outside of Mosul, Iraq.

Pro-Iran group claims attack on Turkey's base in northern Iraq

The so-called Bashiqa base, which has long been a source of tension between Ankara and Baghdad, is a frequent target of rocket attacks by pro-Iranian groups in Iraq.

Kobi Gideon/GPO

Chad President to inaugurate new embassy in Israel, as Netanyahu opens to Africa

"Israel’s coming back to Africa and Africa [is] coming back to Israel," Netanyahu told Chadian President Mahamat Deby ahead of opening embassy on Thursday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry.

Egypt's Shoukry holds talks with Lavrov in Russia, a day after meeting Blinken

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry delivered a message from the United States to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Russia's war in Ukraine, according to an Egyptian media report.

ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey rises, Russia fades as Iran and Azerbaijan clash over Armenia

Conflict is looming once again between Armenia and Azerbaijan as regional powers maneuver in the Caucasus.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) made it clear that Congress will block the F-16s sale to Turkey, if Ankara doesn’t allow Finland and Sweden into NATO. Van Hollen speaking at the Baltimore and Potomac (B&P) Tunnel North Portal on January 30, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Senator Van Hollen says no F-16s for Turkey if Sweden, Finland not admitted to NATO

The Democratic senator also discussed concerns about Israel’s new government, China’s inroads in the Gulf and more at the Al-Monitor PRO event.

An Iranian cleric walks past an anti-US mural on a wall of the former United States embassy in the capital Tehran, on March 12, 2022. - Iran said that US attempts to seize its tankers and oil cargo had failed to stop exports that are subject to sanctions imposed by its arch foe. (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran arrests 4 Sunni clerics, bans filmmaker from travel

Sunni clerics criticizing the Islamic Republic's heavy-handed response to protests were the latest to be placed in the crosshairs of the Iranian authorities, who are scrambling to crush the months-long unrest.

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (R) meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Jerusalem, Jan. 31, 2023.

Despite US-Israel proximity on Iran, Netanyahu not off hook on Palestinians

In his meeting with the US secretary of state, Prime Minister Netanyahu wanted to focus on Iran, but was faced with American criticism on judicial overhaul and the Palestinians.

Middle East corruption rankings: Syria most corrupt, UAE least, Turkey slipped

Corruption remains rampant across the Middle East and North Africa, Transparency International reports, with the region’s average score in combating corruption hitting a new low of 38.

RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

Blinken announces $50M to UNRWA, no timeframe on consulate for Palestinians

During a trip to the West Bank on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he saw a "shrinking horizon of hope” for Palestinians.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on Jan. 30, 2023, in Jerusalem.

Blinken appeals for calm in Jerusalem as tensions soar

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also addressed the Israeli government's widely criticized judicial overhaul plan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Can Erdogan run for third term in Turkey's upcoming election?

The opposition declares Erdogan’s candidacy “unconstitutional” while the Turkish president says his path to run for a third term is "clear."

People demonstrate outside the Iranian embassy in Ukraine on October 17, 2022 in Kyiv, after the city was hit by swarms of kamikaze drones sold by Iran to Russia, leaving at least three dead. (Photo by SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran summons Ukraine's top diplomat after Isfahan drone strike

Iran's summoning relates to a Ukrainian presidential adviser's tweet that implicitly welcomes the suspected Israeli attack over the weekend.