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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, Lebanon, on June 9, 2026.

Analysis

As US reshapes Lebanon strategy, Israel finds itself sidelined

The deal advanced between Washington and Tehran sees a linkage between the Iranian and Lebanese theaters and creates a deconfliction mechanism — without consulting Israel beforehand.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Handout Photo by the US Navy via Getty Images

Explainer

What’s the status of Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran talks?

Oil tankers continued to transit the strait in both directions, but many turned off their transponders over the weekend after Iran's military declared Hormuz closed once again.

Cars drive past billboards showing Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (L) and his late father Ali Khamenei (R), with the slogan "Thank you, loyal Iran," erected along the highway leading to Rafik Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon, June 22, 2026.

US, Iran to form 'deconflicting cell' on Lebanon, sidelining Lebanese state

The agreement came during talks between Iran and the United States following a preliminary deal reached last week to end the war across the Middle East, including in Lebanon.

Latest News

US grants Iran oil sanctions waiver as part of deal

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Iranian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Kharg Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

Vance says Iran to restore nuclear inspector access

US Vice President JD Vance spoke to reporters following the talks with Iranian negotiators at the Burgenstock complex

Syria’s Sharaa says he had ‘multiple discussions’ with Trump on Lebanon, favors dialogue

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Oval Office, Washington, DC, Nov. 10, 2025.

Analysis

Why Gulf defense firms are betting on Europe in wake of Iran war

Illustration picture taken during the Eurosatory Defense and Security fair in Paris, France ,on June 15, 2026.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

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

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

Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Wehbe (R) and Israeli Justice Minister Gideon Saar (L) shake hands after signing an agreement, Rabat, Morocco, July 26 , 2022.

Israeli ministers fast-track deepening of ties with Morocco

Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Regional Cooperation Minister Issawi Freij and Justice Minister Gideon Saar are only a few of the Israeli ministers and senior officials who have visited Morocco recently.

In this handout photo, a munitions storage area at Baghdad International Airport is seen on May 7, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq.

Weapons warehouse blasts frighten Iraqis

Concerns over whether weapons held in and near urban areas are being properly stored — and who is holding them — are being raised after several blasts of unclear origins near major Iraqi cities.

A picture taken on Jan. 21, 2019, shows a partial view of the new international Ramon Airport.

Israel allows West Bank Palestinians to fly out of Ramon Airport

Israel will allow Palestinians to travel to Turkey through Ramon Airport on a pilot flight that may expand routes and numbers.

The National Oil Company is seen in the northern town of Ras Lanuf, Libya, June 3, 2020.

Security unrest sparks protests in southern Libya, threatens oil output

The Libyan oil sector is once again threatened amid security and political turmoil, most recently with protests breaking out in the oil-rich southern region, which has been marginalized for years.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani.

Iran sends EU response on text to revive nuclear deal

An advisor to Iran's negotiating team said the two sides are "closer than we've been before."

Author Salman Rushdie at the Blue Sofa during the 2017 Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse), Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Oct. 12, 2017.

Hard-line Iranian media praises Rushdie attack

Hard-liners in Iranian media have praised the attack on author Salman Rushdie.

KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images

Republicans push Biden to deny Raisi’s visa request

President Ebrahim Raisi’s planned address to the UN General Assembly comes weeks after the Department of Justice charged an Iranian national with plotting to kill former US official John Bolton.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi.

Iranian government intensifies crackdown

Iran has arrested three of its most prominent filmmakers.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Drones strike US base in Syria

Coalition forces "successfully engaged" one of the drones targeting al-Tanf and no one was hurt in the incident.

Israel's former army Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Defense Minister and Blue and White party chief Benny Gantz, and Justice Minister and New Hope party chief Gideon Saar pose for pictures during a joint press conference, Ramat Gan, Israel, Aug. 14, 2022.

Former army chief shakes up Israeli political balance

Prime Minister Yair Lapid and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu are both worried over the decision of former Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot to join the new party of Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

Infighting in southern Yemen exposes fragility of leadership council

Despite the existence of Yemen’s new leadership in Aden, fierce combat has wreaked havoc in Shabwa province in southern Yemen.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Understanding Iraq's Coordination Framework

The Coordination Framework is an umbrella bloc of Iraqi Shiite parties united mostly by their opposition to the Sadrist movement.