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Politics & Security

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pose during a meeting with business leaders in Paris on June 29, 2026.

Oman's sultan meets Macron in first France visit since 1989: What to know

French President Emmanuel Macron has been pushing against any form of toll for the Strait of Hormuz.

aqi security personnel patrol in a vehicle along a street in Baghdad on June 28, 2026.

Analysis

Iraqi PM’s anti-corruption drive comes as US pressure mounts on Iran-backed militias

Iraq’s new prime minister has launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign ahead of key talks in Washington, but analysts say the real test will be whether it reaches Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed actors.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

CENTCOM

CENTCOM chief in Lebanon as Israel prepares partial withdrawal steps

The Lebanese military is expected to move into Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh after Israeli forces withdraw.

PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia's FM heads to China amid differences with US on Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Beijing comes as commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains unstable.

Latest News

Syria slams Israeli 'violations' in south as ground clashes intensify: What to know

A car drives past an United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) outpost in the village of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, southern Syria, April 29, 2026.

Analysis

Why the UAE wants Indian missiles and a deeper strategic partnership

Brahmos replicas are displayed during India's 60th Republic Day parade, Jan. 26, 2009, New Delhi.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Analysis

Why Turkey and Egypt are deepening military ties amid regional turmoil

From (L-R) Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attend a meeting in Cairo on June 21, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

An elderly man wearing a protective face mask, walks past the Turkish flag on May 10, 2020, at Besiktas in Istanbul.

Israel considers improved ties with Turkey, Central Asia

Taking relations with Ankara one step at a time, Jerusalem could opt for a soft-diplomatic multi-national alliance with Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey probes concert at Black Sea monastery after Greek protest

Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism is investigating a concert at Sumela Monastery after Athens and the Orthodox Patriarchate complained of disrespect to the venue.

Israel Pegasus

Netanyahu refers to Pegasus revelations as 'black day'

Allegations that the police used the Pegasus software to illegally spy on politicians, activists and journalists raise more concerns about privacy, civil liberties and democracy.

CARLOS BARRIA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran says US must make 'political' decision to rejoin deal

Both Iran and the United States are portraying each other as being opposed to making political concessions.

A drone image shows Syrian demonstrators gathering during a protest in the village of Maaret al-Naasan to protest against a reported attack by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Idlib province, Syria, May 1, 2020.

Jihadi group steps up arrests of rivals, former jihadi allies in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has arrested a number of figures belonging to jihadi groups, such as Hurras al-Din and Sham al-Islam, in an ongoing arrest campaign against rivals and former allies.

Syrian children circumambulate a model of the Kaaba during an event to teach children the rites of pilgrimage, in the rebel-held town of Douma, eastern outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Aug. 29, 2017.

Jihadist group seeks influence in Syria’s Idlib via religious schools

The influence of religious schools is growing in Idlib, with their fundamentalist curricula under the supervision of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Incoming Syrian refugees who were suddenly deported from Turkey await to register with officials as they reenter Syria, at the Bab al-Hawa crossing between Turkey and Syria's northwestern Idlib province, July 24, 2019.

Turkey forcibly deports dozens of Syrians

Turkish authorities have deported about 150 Syrians, even though most had official papers to reside in Turkey, including university students studying at Turkish universities.

An aerial view shows a small island in the Lake Nasser reservoir formed by the Nile River, about 12 kilometers (7 miles) south of the High Dam near the city of Aswan, southern Egypt, Jan. 2, 2021.

Sisi hands over Nile islands to Egyptian military, raising controversy

Some Egyptians were outraged over the president’s decision to hand over the ownership of 37 islands to the army, especially since most of these islands are located on the Nile River and considered nature reserves.

Opposition fighters belonging to Ansar al-Islam and Ahrar ash-Sham walk on a street next to the frontline that divides rebel and regime-controlled areas in the Tadamon neighborhood, south of Damascus, and near the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp, Syria, June 15, 2015.

Does Kurdish jihadist group threaten Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in north Syria?

Ansar al-Islam is a Kurdish Salafist and jihadist group operating in the Kurdistan mountains in northern Iraq all the way to Latakia in Syria, fighting against the Syrian government.

Netanyahu courts Arab voters as 'Abu Yair'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has adopted a new strategy for the Arab public: cynically rebranding himself as "Abu Yair."

(L-R)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani pose before they participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords where the countries of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, September 15, 2020. - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates arrived September 15, 2020 at the

Emirati, Israeli officials upbeat about Biden Administration

The director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Alon Ushpiz, and the UAE’s assistant minister for culture and public diplomacy, Omar Ghobash, discussed the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace, Iran, and combating bigotry in the region and more at an Al-Monitor event.

United Arab Emirates

Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks with AFP during an interview in the countryside outside the northwestern Syrian city of Hasakah, in the province of the same name, on January 24, 2019. - Any deal between Syria's Kurds and the Damascus regime should respect the "special status" of Kurdish-led forces who fought the Islamic State (IS) group, Kobani said. The SDF control around a third of Syria after expelling jihadists from a large northeastern swathe of t

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander sees chance to ease tensions with Turkey under Biden

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Mazlum Kobane said the former vice president's victory may well spell change in Ankara’s behavior.

Mazlum Kobane

Mazlum Kobane

SDF commander in chief