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

A bank employee leaves the Federal Bank of Lebanon after being held hostage.

Family of man who held up Beirut bank stages protest

Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein took hostages at gunpoint to get his own money out of the bank. Many Lebanese, who are unable to access their savings amid the economic crisis, called him a hero.

An engineer from the Israeli company Commun.it uses his expertise in social media commercial analysis to identify networks of fake users, Bnei Brak, Israel, Jan. 23, 2019.

Israel asks Russia to prevent interference in elections

The Shin Bet requested recently Russia to help block any hacking attempts of the upcoming general elections in Israel.

Members of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, stand next to a model of an Iranian Ababil drone during a rally in the Palestinian town of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, July 26, 2022.

Why Hamas stayed out of Gaza battle

This is not the first time that the Hamas movement leaves Islamic Jihad alone in a military confrontation with Israel.

Palestinian children try to cool off a baby in a crib during a heat wave and lengthy power cuts in Nahr al-Bared camp in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, Aug. 3, 2022.

Power outage adds to 'unbearable' hardships for Palestinians in Gaza

For a week, Gazans have been braving the scorching heat with only a few hours of electricity a day, following the closure of all border crossings with Israel and the suspension of the only power plant.

Supporters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party celebrate with the KDP party flags during Iraq's parliamentary election in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Oct. 10, 2021.

Kurdish leaders meet as Iraqi political deadlock continues

Iraq’s two major Kurdish parties have been trying to reach a compromise between the two, but to no avail.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

Israeli Likud party leader and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu loyalists victorious in Israel party primaries

All those Likud seniors who might have fiddled with the idea of challenging the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu were pushed to unelectable spots on the party’s new Knesset list.

Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

Iran rejects ‘ridiculous’ US accusation of plot to kill John Bolton

The Islamic Republic said the claim was politically motivated and part of an "Iranophobia" campaign advanced by the United States.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets with his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan.

Turkish official says slow pace of Armenia normalization designed to avert disappointment

Ankara has said both sides are focused on confidence-building steps to be taken “one at a time.”

Uriel Sinai/Getty Images

Israel demolishes one West Bank outpost, stalls on another

The Ramat Migron outpost was demolished this morning and now Israeli settlers and right-wing politicians are focusing on preserving the iconic Homesh settlement.

Army soldiers gather near a Federal Bank branch, Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 11, 2022.

Reports: armed man who held bank hostage in Lebanon now in custody

Lebanese cannot access most of their savings amid the worsening economic meltdown.

ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey makes peace bid with Chechen leader

As Ankara finesses relations with Moscow, top Turkish officials have quietly met with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov after years of chill marked by a string of murders of Chechen exiles in Turkey.

A picture taken from the Israeli side of the Tarkumiya checkpoint near Kiryat Gat shows Palestinian workers.

Despite killings, violations, Gazans eager to work inside Israel

Gaza Strip workers embark on a perilous journey inside Israel as they are killed or assaulted by Israeli soldiers and settlers while traveling through Israeli checkpoints.