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Politics & Security

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities shout slogans during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia's balancing act with US, Iran, Houthis risks collapse

Houthi rebels escalated their attacks on Tuesday, triggering alerts around the holy city of Mecca, Taif and the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Houthi

Exclusive

Houthi top diplomat says no intention to shut down Red Sea shipping, group open to talks

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Acting Foreign Minister of the Houthi-led administration Abdulwahid Abu Ras said concerns over a potential closure of the Red Sea are being fueled by Saudi Arabia.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

US Republican Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas gestures after speaking during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024.

Meet Wesley Hunt, Trump's pick for ambassador to Saudi Arabia

The Texas Republican previously served for two years in the kingdom as a diplomatic liaison officer.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on upon his arrival during a welcome ceremony as part of his two-day official visit to France, at the Hotel des Invalides, Paris, France, Aug. 24, 2026.

Saudi Arabia’s MBS visits Egypt as Red Sea crisis with Houthis escalates

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Egypt at a time the kingdom faces repeated Houthi attacks, while the Iranian-backed rebels close in on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, threatening maritime security.

Latest News

In first, Saudi Arabia activates Mecca warning system amid Houthi threat

Mecca

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

Milak border crossing near the town of Zabol, Iran

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

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

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.

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

MAZEN MAHDI/AFP via Getty Images

Negev Forum highlights Arab military, economic cooperation with Israel

A steering meeting of the Negev Forum wrapped up in Abu Dhabi Tuesday with wide participation but notable absences by Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

Head of Israel's conservative Islamic Raam party Mansour Abbas leads a discussion and a vote on a bill to dissolve the Knesset (parliament), during a session in Jerusalem, on June 29, 2022.

Analysis

Arab legislator may cooperate with Netanyahu’s government

Back in the opposition, Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas says that the most important thing right now is to seek solutions for the miseries of the Israeli Arab public.

Afif Abu Much

By Afif Abu Much

In Baqa al-Gharbiyye, reporting on business and tech

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Warnings sound as Israel’s Ben-Gvir toughens up on Palestinian prisoners

Newly appointed National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is following through on his electoral agenda of ending the privileges of Palestinian security prisoners, and alarm bells are already ringing.

Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh gives an interview with AFP at his office in the capital Beirut on December 20, 2021. (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon's Riad Salameh probe tops visit of European investigators

A European delegation is conducting an investigation into Lebanon’s banking system and the port explosion in the hope of providing some answers.

A picture taken during a guided tour by the US Navy shows a US Navy patrol boat that took journalists on board at an Emirati naval facility near the port of the Gulf emirate of Fujairah to show them an oil tanker that was attacked last week in the Gulf of Oman, June 19, 2019.

US Navy seizes load of rifles smuggled from Iran to Yemen

Navy officials say the sea drones deployed by the Fifth Fleet's experimental Task Force 59 are contributing to their ability to monitor Middle Eastern waterways, but won't credit the units with enabling any specific seizures just yet.

SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian, Russian commissioners to meet in Turkey

Ukrainian and Russian representatives will meet in Turkey this week for talks on humanitarian issues including a potential prisoner swap.

Policemen gather with images of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest against defamatory cartoons depicting him published by French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, outside the French embassy in Iran's capital Tehran on January 8, 2023. (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

'Death to Khamenei' slogan to be allowed on Facebook, Meta says

Meta’s decision came amid ongoing anti-government protests in Iran, and contrasts with its ruling on calls for Russian president Putin’s death.

Protesters take part in a rally against the Iranian regime, marking the third anniversary of the downing of Ukrainian passenger jet, flight PS752, by Iranian forces shortly after its takeoff from Tehran and to pay tribute to Mohammad Moradi, an Iranian student who committed suicide by drowning himself in the Rhone River in December 2022 to draw attention to the situation in Iran, Lyon, France, Jan. 8, 2023.

Khamenei says recent 'riots' failed to weaken Iran as protests continue

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says that the West has used propaganda to weaken Iran during the latest protests.

Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer speaks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference, Washington, March 4, 2018.

Israel's Dermer in Washington for White House talks

Israel’s newly appointed Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is the first member of the Netanyahu government to visit the US and hold talks with Biden administration seniors.

Iran China

Are China’s growing ties with Gulf states coming at Iran’s expense?

Recent trade and geopolitical moves by Beijing in the Gulf leave Iran wondering about the state of their alliance.

MAZEN MAHDI/AFP via Getty Images

Negev Forum convenes in UAE with Jordan absent from Arab-Israeli meeting

Senior officials from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, the United States and Israel have convened in Abu Dhabi for the third Negev Forum steering committee meeting.

Bayraktar drone

Turkey’s defense exports reach record levels in 2022, Erdogan says

Turkey’s president is touting the country's defense exports, which have reached a record high.