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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey bars MP’s wife from travel after his fund scandal criticism: What to know

Opposition politicians and rights advocates described Yonca Verdioglu Sik’s brief detention as an attempt to intimidate her husband, opposition lawmaker Ahmet Sik, over his criticism of the government.

ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images

GCC to build military command center in Kuwait as region simmers: What to know

GCC countries have stepped up their joint defense efforts with the announcement of a new forward command center to be headquartered in Kuwait, as tensions between Iran and the US continue to escalate.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Hegseth strikes defiant tone, calls House impeachment process 'farce'

Pentagon's top official called Rep. Thomas Massie's charges a 'farce,' arguing other defense secretaries trespassed on the War Powers Act without being impeached.

Jared Szuba

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

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) casts his ballot, next to his wife Sara

Explainer

From Oct. 7 inquiry to blocking Netanyahu: Eisenkot's bloc maps out Knesset agenda

Israel's opposition to advance anti-Netanyahu government measures as soon as Knesset convenes Tuesday, without waiting for a new cabinet to take shape.

Latest News

Slotkin, Van Hollen emerge as potential challengers to Schumer’s Senate leadership

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 23: U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) speaks at a press conference on China AI export controls at the U.S. Capitol on September 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Slotkin, joined by fellow Senate Democrats, urged Senate Republican's and the Trump administration to enact stronger export controls on AI technology and computer chips to China. The Democrats also call for a vote on bipartisan export control legislation, including the AI OVERWATCH Act, the MATCH Act, and the Chip Security Act. (

Massie introduces impeachment articles against Hegseth over Iran war

SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

France blames Iran for supermarket fridge hack, seeks EU sanctions

This photograph shows empty fresh-food refrigerators at an Intermarche supermarket in Nevez, France, on Oct. 12, 2026, following a cyberattack that caused its refrigerators to defrost.

Explainer

Iraqi PM cancels Mosul airport contracts, citing Iran militia links: What to know

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a joint press conference with Germans chachellor at the Chancellery on September 15, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. High on the meeting's agenda is the expansion of economic cooperation between Germany and Iraq. (Photo by Michele Tantussi/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

Iran attack

Attacks target US forces on both sides of Iraqi-Syrian border

IRGC-linked armed groups are presumed to be behind attacks on bases hosting US-led coalition forces this week in both Iraq and Syria that resulted in minor injuries but no deaths.

Syria Russia

Analysis

Ukraine shockwaves reverberate in war-weary Syria

Russia is the common thread in Syria and Ukraine; Syrians feel ‘abandoned by the world;' Turkey seizes an opening; UN process stymied; and US stresses ‘accountability.'

Week in Review

By Week in Review

MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP via Getty Images

Egyptian lawmaker calls for closer Syria ties

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to the UAE prompted some Egyptian parliamentarians to press Cairo to follow suit.

A gas flare burns in a field close to the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, 225 kms from Baghdad on Nov. 2, 2009.

Will renewed interest in Iraqi Kurdish gas fuel Turkey-Iran rivalry?

Western capitals are seeking alternative natural gas resources to reduce their dependence on Russia, which creates a possible opportunity for Iraqi Kurdish gas exports.

A view of The Crossing apartment building in the Navy Yard neighborhood on April 8, 2022 in Washington, DC. The building, which was raided by the FBI on April 6, is the home of two men accused of posing as federal law enforcement employees and ingratiating themselves with U.S. Secret Service agents.

Men accused of posing as US federal agents investigated for Iran ties: report

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the press after meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for discussions on Syria and migration, Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 7, 2019.

Can Erdogan coax Assad into dialogue?

Hopeful that the Ukraine war will tip the scales to its favor in Syria, Turkey is taking escalatory steps on the ground on one hand and testing the diplomatic waters with Damascus on the other.

view from Petra Hotel

Jerusalem's Christian population dwindles further

Christians made up about 25% of Jerusalem's population back in 1922, but today they number only 2% of the population.

Israelis light candles at the site of a shooting attack the previous night at Dizengoff Street in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel, April 8, 2022.

Israel on maximum security alert after Tel Aviv attack

Israeli security forces are on high alert following the deadly Tel Aviv attack last night, the fourth in just three weeks.

Israeli security forces patrol Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market, a day after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli men and wounded several others in Tel Aviv, April 8, 2022.

Israel’s Bennett challenged over attack in Tel Aviv, continuing terror wave

With a fourth deadly attack in less than three weeks, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has much more to cope with than just the current coalition crisis.

Syrians gather at a market as they prepare for the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in the war-ravaged town of Ariha in the rebel-held northwestern Idlib province, Syria, March 31, 2022.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader seeks more popular support in Syria's Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has recently visited the Jabal al-Zawiya area in Idlib upon an invitation by locals, to stress his organization’s ongoing support for the town.

US troops Syria

Four US soldiers injured by rocket attack in Syria

The barrage suggests Iran's proxies will continue to harass US forces in the region, whether or not the sides return to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Linda Sarsour

Explainer: Why Geico dropped pro-Palestine activist Linda Sarsour as 'diversity speaker'

Linda Sarsour’s harsh criticisms of Israel have been deemed anti-Semitic by numerous Jewish organizations in the United States, though she denies holding hateful views and has significant support among some progressives.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change