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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

The move will mark the first time Morocco and Israel have exchanged ambassadors.

AFP via Getty Images

China presses Iran, US to reopen Hormuz as disruptions threaten oil supply

Conflicts in the region are disrupting two key routes for oil bound for China, with Iranian crude affected by the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi shipments facing growing risks in the Red Sea.

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 2026.

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

Showing its support for Lebanon, Paris is backing Beirut’s request at the UN for a short-term extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, although French sources acknowledge that the chances of the request being approved are slim.

Sky News

Algeria pulls Sky News Arabia accreditation amid UAE rift: What to know

Algeria severed diplomatic ties with the UAE, which owns Sky News Arabia through Abu Dhabi-based International Media Investments, last Thursday.

Latest News

Saudi Arabia says attempted Mecca drone attack ‘red line’ as Houthis deny claim

People and pilgrims walk at the Grand Mosque Complex in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on Sept. 16, 2026.

Exclusive

Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

How far will Iran push Houthis against Saudi Arabia amid raging conflict?

Houthi fighters marching

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Military vehicles of a joint Russian-Turkish patrol pass through the M4 highway, which links the northern Syrian provinces of Aleppo and Latakia, near Ariha in the rebel-held northwestern Idlib province, Syria, June 10, 2020.

Russia oversees Syrian forces’ military exercises in northwest Syria

Russia is testing the readiness of the Syrian government forces in their area of deployment on the outskirts of Idlib, in what some fear is a prelude to a wide-scale military operation to uproot the opposition in northwest Syria.

Turkish troops are pictured in the area of Kafr Jannah on the outskirts of the Syrian town of Afrin on Oct. 18, 2022.

Syrian jihadist group HTS, armed groups agree to uneasy truce

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has seized several cities and towns in areas under the control of the Turkish-backed factions after days of clashes between rival factions.

This picture taken on March 7, 2021, shows a view of Egypt's new parliament headquarters, some 45 kilometers east of Cairo.

More prisoners released in Egypt ahead of national dialogue

A number of political detainees have been released in preparation for the start of a comprehensive dialogue between the government and the opposition.

Abdul Hakim al-Shishani, commander of the Ajnad al-Kavkaz group (circled in red) with a Chechen fighting unit, Oct. 15, 2022.

Chechen fighters leave Syria to battle Russians in Ukraine

Abdul Hakim al-Shishani, a veteran of the Chechen-Russian war in the 1990s and commander of the Ajnad al-Kavkaz group fighting Syrian government forces in Latakia, arrived in Ukraine with a group of Chechen fighters to battle Russian forces.

ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images

Israel accuses Hamas of sponsoring 'Lion's Den' group

The loosely organized Lions' Den group says Israel is trying to discredit it through association with Hamas.

West Bank

Analysis

‘Lion's Den’ sharpens West Bank conflict as Israeli elections loom

Israel’s ultra-right could boost Netanyahu; Iran returns as election issue, via Ukraine.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Netanyahu

New Netanyahu memoir slams Obama, Clinton, Ehud Barak

In his autobiography published this week, shortly before the Nov. 1 elections, opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu settles scores with both American and Israeli leaders.

RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images

Israel agrees to PA helicopter purchase

With West Bank tensions calming somewhat, Israel has agreed for the Palestinian Authority to acquire helicopters for Palestinian officials to travel to Jordan and within the West Bank.

Israeli campaign poster

Netanyahu plays dangerous game as extremist bloc grows stronger

Ultranationalist Itamar Ben Gvir, once shunned as a supporter of the outlawed Kahane movement, is increasingly popular among the Israeli right at the expense of opposition chief Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli security forces deploy in the Deir Sharaf area.

Support for Lion’s Den grows as Israel maintains siege on Nablus

Israel continues its siege on the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, leading to economic losses while threatening to launch a military operation there.

Ukraine drone

Iran 'directly engaged' in Russia’s war in Ukraine, White House says

The Pentagon is actively consulting with allies to provide air defense systems to Ukraine to defend against Russia’s bombardments using Iranian drones.

Russia / Mideast

There are reports from different cities of Iran that the government of the Islamic Republic uses children under the age of 18 as repression forces. This child in Shahrood is wearing a military uniform and holding a baton

Lawmaker suggests Iran recruited children for protest crackdown

Pictures have emerged of juveniles in riot gear helping to crush Iran's anti-government protests.