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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

Employees of Aramco oil company work in Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil processing plant on Sept. 20, 2019.

Gulf's mid-year surpluses put allocation in question

Flushed with cash from a post-pandemic oil boom, Gulf states once again face a choice: lifting up their citizenries’ short-term contentment or fiscal restructuring and investing in long-term productive assets.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Iran protests put Turkish government in tight spot

As their Western partners strongly react to the Iranian protests, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his administration remain curiously quiet.

A supporter of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Headscarf debate returns to Turkish politics at initiative of secularist opposition

The CHP becomes proactive against Erdogan's "religious populist games."

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

IDF forces on alert as maritime agreement with Lebanon crumbles

Israel has rejected the changes Beirut has demanded to the draft maritime border agreement and now fears tensions could escalate on its northern border.

A picture obtained by AFP outside Iran on Sept. 21, 2022, shows Iranian demonstrators taking to the streets of the capital Tehran during a protest for Mahsa Amini, days after she died in police custody.

US targets senior Iranian officials with new sanctions

Those sanctioned include Iran's interior and communications ministers.

Palestinians participate in a rally at the Gaza City sea port, in which they demand their right to receive gas from maritime fields in the eastern Mediterranean and the lifting of the Israeli blockade, Gaza Strip, Sept. 13 2022.

Egypt persuades Israel to extract Gaza’s natural gas

Al-Monitor obtained information from Palestinian and Egyptian officials about the success of Egyptian mediation in pushing Israel to allow the start of extracting natural gas off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

A woman suffering from cholera receives treatment at the Al-Kasrah hospital in Syria.

Cholera spreads in Syria as displacement camps on high alert

Fears of a cholera outbreak in Syria are growing after authorities revealed that part of the Euphrates River has been contaminated.

The flag of Iran is seen in front of the building of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Headquarters ahead of a press conference by Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, about the agency's monitoring of Iran's nuclear energy program on May 24, 2021 in Vienna, Austria.

Analysis

The Takeaway: As protests rage, is Iran moving toward nuclear deal?

Netanyahu weighs in on Israel-Lebanon gas deal; Russia relies on Iranian drones in Ukraine; Israel escalates raids in West Bank; Lebanon pegs lira to dollar; democracy under siege in Tunisia.

Andrew Parasiliti

By Andrew Parasiliti

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the parliament.

NATO talks clouded by latest Turkey-Sweden friction

A satire show broadcast on Sweden’s state TV has cast clouds over a new round of Turkey-Sweden talks on NATO’s Nordic enlargement.

Turkey Armenia

Turkey's Erdogan to meet Armenian PM at Europe conference

Armenia's Nikol Pashinyan announced plans for the meeting, which may be a step towards peace with Azerbaijan.

A boy looks on during a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to those who have died protesting the death of Mahsa Amini.

Iran says average age of arrested protesters is 15

According to Iranian authorities, those protesting Mahsa Amini's death are some of the youngest ever seen in the country.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz

Israeli defense minister fosters security ties in Azerbaijan

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz traveled this week to Azerbaijan on the backdrop of growing tensions with Iran and Jerusalem’s desire to deepen strategic, security and economic ties with Baku.