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

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Politics & Security

brahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

As US talks stall, Hezbollah chief defiant, says Israel to leave Lebanon ’humiliated'

The speech comes as the Lebanese-Israeli talks appeared to reach a deadlock this week amid Israel’s refusal to withdraw from Lebanese territory as long as Hezbollah remains armed.

The Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC Tasman VI and the Singapore-flagged container vessel Wan Hai 353 are docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 19, 2026.

Iran attacks cargo ship off Oman, testing Trump’s Hormuz Strait deal

The first Iranian attack on a cargo vessel since the ceasefire comes as top US diplomat Marco Rubio huddled with Gulf Cooperation Council ministers in Manama to reject Iran's claims to control the Strait of Hormuz.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

One of the first three US-made F-35 aircraft in Polish Air Force colors taxis along the runway at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, central Poland, while fire-fighting vehicles perform a water salute on May 22, 2026.

Trump hints at F-35 breakthrough with Turkey ahead of NATO summit

The administration is moving ahead with planned jet engine sales to Ankara ahead of next month’s NATO summit despite congressionally mandated sanctions on Turkey's defense industry.

Latest News

Israel, Turkey, Iran offer aid as Venezuela’s 2 quakes kill at least 188

Responders arrive to a demolished building at San Bernardino after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Explainer

Bombed sites, missing uranium: How Trump’s Iran deal hinges on inspector access

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Iran rejects Trump's claim frozen funds will buy US soybeans: What to know

Speaker of the Parliament of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) arrives at the Burgenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne on June 21, 2026.

Lebanon cancels national high school exams due to war: What to know

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

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

India protest

Iran moves on from India's Prophet Muhammad controversy

Iranian diplomats have praised India’s response to members of its ruling Bharatiya Janata Party who insulted Islam.

Saudi oil

Analysis

The Takeaway: Mideast economies face ‘predominantly downside’ prospects due to Ukraine war

Former Kurdish fighter helps Swedish PM survive confidence vote; Israel pushes Iran shadow war further into shadows; Gulf remittances are lifeline for Sudan; Israel expands trade, business dealings in Gulf; questions over missing lower half of ‘half mummy.’

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn

The U.S. Department of State is seen on Jan. 6, 2020, in Washington, DC.

No sanctions assurances offered on Lebanon energy plan: State official

Syrians wave flag of Russia and a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia remains committed to Syria’s Assad despite Ukraine war, Pentagon says

Reports that Moscow has been readying tens of thousands of Syrians to fight in Europe are "disinformation," senior US defense official tells Congress.

Iraq market

Iraqi parliament passes urgent food security bill

The Iraqi judiciary had blocked a previous version of the legislation, which empowers the government to address rising food prices and shortages resulting from the Ukraine war.

Iran's political attache at the permanent mission to the Vienna-based international organizations Khodayar Rouzbahani.

Iran turns off nuclear site cameras in response to IAEA

Iran and the IAEA continue escalatory measures.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R).

Russia expresses 'understanding' for Turkey’s security concerns in north Syria

Receiving Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu maintains that the creation of a safe maritime corridor for Ukrainian grain exports should be accompanied by the easing of sanctions against Russia.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Eroding judicial independence threatens Turkish elections

Opposition groups are increasingly concerned about Turkey's political climate after recent court rulings showed consistent lenience for the president's supporters.

Golan Heights

Israel cuts red tape to expand construction in Golan Heights

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked signed a legal framework to speed development of new villages in the Golan Heights, with a goal of doubling the area's population.

A truck carrying aid packages from the World Food Program drives through the town of Hazano in the rebel-held northern countryside of Idlib province, Syria, May 16, 2022.

Jihadi group in Syria’s Idlib seeks control of NGOs

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham continues to restrict humanitarian organizations operating in its areas of control in northwestern Syria.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Palestinian Authority awaits Biden’s visit to region

The Palestinian Authority has refrained from implementing the decision of the PLO to freeze its recognition of Israel ahead of US President Joe Biden’s visit to the region.

Kenyan fisherman Enos Awele Ajuoga takes his nets out of Lake Victoria’s water every morning but catches have reduced as unsustainable fishing practices and water pollution by wastewater, agro-pesticides and fertilizers have decimated fish stocks.

Gulf states’ oil wealth ripples throughout rural Sudan

Across Africa, remittances-fueled economic development stands as an unrivaled alternative to the throes of unemployment and political instability.