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Politics & Security

Muzna Al-Atrash

Explainer

Meet Muzna al-Atrash, Syria's new Druze adviser for peace affairs

Atrash, from the Suwayda province and a member of the Druze community, will advise Damascus on peace affairs as it looks to assert authority in the south.

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said (L) meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a historic visit to Beijing, China, Nov. 2, 2026.

Oman’s sultan concludes historic China visit amid US tensions: What to know

The visit, the first by an Omani head of state since 1978, comes as Oman is reportedly considering purchasing Chinese- and Pakistani-made JF-17 fighter jets as part of efforts to diversify its international partnerships amid growing regional tensions.

OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu is pictured during a joint press conference with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Switzerland's Foreign Minister at Vienna International Airport on Feb. 6, 2026 in Schwechat, Lower Austria.

Explainer

Who is Feridun Sinirlioglu, Turkey’s candidate for UN chief?

The Turkish president's confidant enters the race for UN chief with decades of diplomatic experience marked by both praise and scrutiny.

A motorcyclist rides past a Pakistani JF-17 fighter jet model displayed along a road in Karachi on August 13, 2025, on the eve of the country's independence day celebrations. (Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP) (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

What Oman's potential JF-17 fighter jet deal means for China and Pakistan

Muscat’s reported interest in the JF-17 tests whether diversifying defense suppliers can deliver additional capability without disproportionate costs or ally opposition.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

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

Latest News

Analysis

How Syria is balancing public anger, regional stability after Jordan's strikes

People inspect the damage at a site targeted by airstrikes

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Middle East, reporting on regional politics

Analysis

Gaza progress, Syria pullback: What Turkey wants from Israel’s next government

Demonstrators hold a banner reading "Free Gaza, free world"

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Will Iran take up Vance lifeline to avoid another US attack?

US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Oct. 27, 2026.

Explainer

After EU rebuff, how Turkey is courting Egypt for maritime deal

Turkish Navy sailors wave their caps from the flight deck

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

US President Donald Trump steps of Marine One as he returns to the White House on March 18, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Analysis

In Hormuz standoff, Trump struggles to rally allies

President Donald Trump again urged US allies to “step up," while insisting their help isn't needed unblocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Rabbi Daniel Walker and King Charles III view floral tributes during a visit to Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Oct. 20, 2025, in Manchester, England.

UK, Netherlands probe Iran links to plots targeting Jewish sites: What to know

British authorities said two men had spied on the Jewish community in London for Iran, and synagogues were recently targeted in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Uae

US fast-tracks $16.5B arms sales to UAE, Jordan, Kuwait amid Iran attacks

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued emergency waivers to bypass the normal congressional review period for the sales, the administration said, as Iran signaled its ability to open a new front with strikes on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (2L) arrive to address a joint press conference in Doha on March 19, 2026. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey, Qatar pledge to deepen defense ties, blame Israel for Iran war

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s trip to Doha is part of a Gulf tour that began Wednesday in Riyadh, as Iran continues to strike energy assets across the region.

Lorries roll along the highway between Riyadh and al-Ahsa, some 200 kilometers east of the Saudi capital, on March 15, 2026. The war sparked by US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28 has sparked chaos on global markets, and sent the price of oil soaring after the Islamic republic imposed control by force over the crucial artery. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP via Getty Images) /

US tells citizens to leave Saudi Arabia as Iran strikes energy sites: What to know

The US Embassy in Riyadh urged its citizens to leave Saudi Arabia after a spike in Iranian attacks targeting energy facilities in the kingdom.

A view of the oil refinery on March 17, 2026 in Erbil, Iraq.

Exclusive

Iraqi oil flows to Turkey after US pledges role in Baghdad-Kurds customs dispute

A US-brokered breakthrough between Baghdad and Erbil has restarted Iraqi oil exports through Turkey after a weeklong standoff.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US soldiers participate in the annual military exercises known as "Eager Lion" near Maan, some 200 kilometers south of the capital Amman on May 17, 2017.

Iran takes aim at Jordan over role in US strikes: What to know

Iran's threats against Jordan come as King Abdullah visits the Gulf, and Jordan continues to host thousands of US troops.

An Iranian security force officer stands guard next to a huge billboard of Iran's newly nominated supreme leader Ayatollah Mojataba Khamenei (pointing) during Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day rally, a commemoration in support of the Palestinian people on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in Tehran on March 13, 2026. On February 28, Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, killing its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (photo bottom L) and triggering a war that spread across the M

Analysis

Israel sees long road to Iran regime change as IRGC tightens grip

While the large number of Iranian leaders killed is clearly destabilizing the regime, its toppling could still take a long time, Israeli officials told Al-Monitor.

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

A picture shows smoke billowing from the Central Production Facility 1 gas refinery in Iraq's southern Maysan province on May 29, 2022.

Exclusive

Dana Gas evacuates Khor Mor staff in Iraq's Kurdistan Region after Iran threats

Tehran has warned it will target Gulf oil and gas facilities following Israel's strike on South Pars.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

(L/R) Director of Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) James Adams III and US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testify during a Senate Committee on Intelligence hearing to examine worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

Gabbard: No sign Iran was rebuilding nuclear program after June strikes

Top US intelligence official offered Senate lawmakers conflicting assessments on whether Iran sought to rebuild its uranium enrichment capabilities after US B2 bomber strikes last year.

A Patriot anti-missile battery launcher, deployed by Dutch NATO soldiers, is seen March 11, 2003 at the Diyarbakir military airport in southeastern Turkey.

NATO deploys new Patriot battery to Turkey as Fidan in Riyadh for regional talks

The deployment to a key Turkish airbase likely signals NATO planners’ heightened concern over Turkey’s military assets.

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, arrives in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 27, 2025.

Analysis

How Larijani's killing could narrow diplomatic off-ramps for Iran war

The IRGC, already strengthened by its central role in the war and its ties to newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, may consolidate further influence over security and foreign policy.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics