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

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Politics & Security

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Former Assad official sentenced to 60 years in US for torture

Samir Ousman Alsheikh was convicted by a jury in March of three counts of torture, one count of conspiracy to commit torture, visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud.

Yemenis gather during a rally to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the coastal port city of Aden, on December 14, 2025. (Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

Yemen separatists urge US not to let Saudi Arabia ‘call the shots’

As Houthi fighters steamroll Yemen’s Red Sea coast, the country's southern separatists say an independent South Yemen is the best check on the group’s expansion.

A US Air Force F-35 fifth-generation jet fighter takes off during the NATO's Ramsteign Flag 2025 exercise at Leeuwarden Air Base on April 8, 2025.

Trump administration approves $24B sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia

Trump first announced the planned sale in November 2025, ahead of hosting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.

A pedestrian passes by the Treasury Building in Washington, DC on Jan. 18, 2023.

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments

The US government says the exchange was used to channel payments from an Iranian maritime-insurance scheme to the regime.

Latest News

Turkey's Erdogan to run for 'final' third term in 2028, adviser says

Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV / AFP via Getty Images

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

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

AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

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

Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin.

Swedish, Finnish NATO bids face test as officials meet Turkey’s representatives

Lack of movement on extradition of “terrorist” suspects still poses threat to Nordic states joining alliance.

Iranian Army office/AFP via Getty Images

Iran shows off homemade drones in large-scale exercise

The drill was staged amid US intelligence reports that the Islamic Republic was planning to send Russia weapons-capable combat drones to be used in its war on Ukraine.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

Iran’s nuclear program casts shadow on Israeli election

Prime Minister Yair Lapid finds himself in a difficult spot as reports insist the United States is closer to signing a nuclear deal with Iran.

U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter gunners scan the desert while transporting troops on May 26, 2021, over northeastern Syria.

US strikes Iran-backed militias in Syria for third day

The White House sought to halt attacks on American troops in Syria by authorizing airstrikes on a depot used by the IRGC. Local militias have responded by firing more rockets.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh speaks at the Al-Haq Foundation after Israel raided and closed an entrance to their offices, Ramallah, West Bank, Aug. 18, 2022.

Palestinian NGOs launch international campaign to revoke Israeli decision to shut them down

Israel shut down the offices of seven Palestinian NGOs in the West Bank per a military decision, which these NGOs seek to confront with a wide international campaign.

Iran Raisi

Analysis

The Takeaway: US responds to Iran proposal but gaps remain

Israel resigned to nuclear deal; Turkey hints at normalizing ties with Syria; Islamic Jihad denies Hamas rift; Syria’s HTS purges hardliners; Egypt-China consortium for logistics project.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti

Nasrallah

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah meets with Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The sit-down comes as Iran is calling for unity among Palestinian factions.

A stray dog lies on a street at Besiktas in Istanbul on April 11, 2020, as Turkish government announced a two-day curfew to prevent the spread of the epidemic COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Defending dogs pays dividends in Erdogan’s Turkey

Following a public outcry, a Turkish court has suspended an app used to report the location of stray dogs after the information was allegedly used to kill canines.

This picture shows a general view of the Israeli Knesset during a meeting, in Jerusalem on June 30, 2022.

Israeli Arabs make it into the top 10 Meretz Party Knesset list

Regional Cooperation Minister Essawi Frej is not running in the upcoming November elections, but Israeli Arab Ali Salalha managed to secure a realistic spot at the Meretz Party primary.

JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images

Iran pushes back against IAEA claims as US responds to nuclear deal proposal

As it reviews the latest US response about returning to the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran is refuting the International Atomic Energy Agency's claims about its previous nuclear activities.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Exam fiasco exposes rot in Turkish bureaucracy

The scandal surrounding a civil service exam has painted a grim picture of Turkey's bureaucratic corruption.

EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images

Far-right platforms take shape in Israeli primaries

The Religious Zionism primaries show how far the national-religious stream has veered to the right.