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Politics & Security

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at Sea.

Breaking | Last Updated: June 26, 2026, 5:44 pm

US carries out strikes in Iran after vessel attack

US forces struck Iranian coastal targets after Tehran was accused of attacking a commercial cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, back) looks on as (L/R, front row) Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. Lebanon, Israel and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP

US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon

The deal establishes a US-facilitated military coordination group to oversee the creation of two initial pilot zones in southern Lebanon.

Latest News

Trump calls Iran’s drone attack on cargo ship 'foolish violation' of ceasefire

President Donald Trump speaks during a Rose Garden Club dinner at the White House on June 25, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Jared Szuba

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

Analysis

Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha

Vance

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

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

brahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

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

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.

Jared Szuba

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

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

Sandstorm

Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria embark on sand diplomacy

Regional countries have decided to cooperate in an attempt to reduce the severity of sandstorms.

Sudanese demonstrators barricade Al-Sahafa street during ongoing protests against a military coup, Khartoum, Sudan, Jan. 18, 2022.

Can Egyptian civil society contribute to solving Sudanese crisis?

An Egyptian civil society delegation visited Khartoum where it met with various political parties, as part of efforts to boost relations and dialogue at the popular level.

Iran nuclear

Analysis

The Takeaway: Are protests an incentive for Iran to close nuclear deal?

Israel’s shadow war with Iran; Gulf shifts to mass transportation; Turkey and Egypt reset ties; Israel targets Jenin camp; Hamas takes student council elections in West Bank.

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn

A picture taken on Feb. 14, 2019, shows Kurdistan's regional parliament in Erbil.

Iraq’s Kurdish parties struggle to unite amid deep divisions

The main parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have met at a high level amidst divisions and difficulties to form the government many months after the elections.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

Shooting

Middle East states share condolences after Texas mass shooting

Turkey, Israel and others refrained from commenting on the American gun debate in their statements.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

captagon

Jordanian official says Captagon seizures on track to double this year

The drug is being smuggled from Syria.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (R) in joint statements with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (L).

Visiting Israel, Turkish foreign minister rehabilitates bilateral ties

After two years of Turkish courtship, and with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu now on a historic visit to Israel, Jerusalem is willing to rehabilitate bilateral relations.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Turkey’s opposition claims millions funneled to US through foundations close to president

CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu claims President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to leave Turkey in event of election defeat.

Robert Malley, Biden administration special envoy for Iran, testifies about the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations on Capitol Hill May 25, 2022, in Washington, DC.

Iran nuclear deal’s future a ‘huge question mark,’ US negotiator says

US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley told lawmakers that prospects for a renewed agreement with Tehran were "at best, tenuous."

Masked Palestinian men hold automatic weapons.

Israeli forces find tough resistance in Jenin camp

Tension continues to prevail in the Jenin refugee camp where rounds of violence take place daily amid an Israeli threat of a large-scale military operation using helicopters.

Israel Gur

Dispute tearing apart Israel’s Gur Hasidic sect turns violent

The split within the Gur Hasidic court, which has already divided families, turned last weekend into physical clashes and assaults.

Palestinian students supporting the Islamic Hamas movement.

Landslide victory for Hamas student bloc in West Bank reflects shift in popular support

Hamas won a large majority in the student elections at Birzeit University in the West Bank, pointing to the movement’s growing popularity at the expense of the divided Fatah movement.