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Politics & Security

Retired Israeli General and Executive Director of Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) Amos Yadlin attends a session at the Manama Dialogue security conference in the Bahraini capital, on Dec. 5, 2020.

Interview

Yadlin: Israel’s regime-change goal in Iran remote without US 'boots on the ground'

The former head of Israel's military intelligence directorate told Al-Monitor that Israel must prepare itself for a possible Iranian response if the US follows through on its threat to hit the Islamic Republic.

Men pass by the destroyed Haifa Bakery in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, on Nov. 6, 2025.

US to launch Gaza governance plan amid Hamas disarmament doubts

US envoy Steve Witkoff warned that Hamas' failure to comply with the plan's next phase would "bring serious consequences."

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a joint press conference in Tehran, on Nov. 30, 2025.

In call with Araghchi, Turkey's Fidan urges Iran to negotiate with US

The top Turkish diplomat held back-to-back calls with Iranian and US officials as Ankara watches developments in Iran with mounting concern.

Members of the Petroleum Oils and Lubricants squadron at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing take a break from replacing a 50,000-gallon fuel bladder in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, on Dec. 30, 2002, in Al Udeid, Qatar.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 14, 2026, 12:10 pm

US evacuates some personnel from Qatar air base amid Trump threat to strike Iran

Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned Tuesday that Tehran will retaliate for any attacks on the country.

Latest News

Analysis

Bruised, not broken: Iran’s regime shows no deep structural cracks — yet

Fires are lit as protesters rally on Jan. 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Turkey's Fidan to visit UAE as Iran unrest, Gulf tensions intensify

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan listens to Iran's foreign minister during a joint press conference, in Tehran on Nov. 30, 2025.

UN envoy in Cairo for talks as Sudan war tops 1,000 days: What to know

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra speaks to the press with US Secretary of State John Kerry (unseen) during a press conference as part of the US/ Algeria Strategic Dialogue at the State Department in Washington, on April 8, 2015.

Syria declares 'closed military zone' east of Aleppo as Kurds protest

Members of the Kurdish forces hold a portrait of Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler which reads "Shame on the killers of innocents in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood" during a protest by Syrian Kurds against violence they say was committed by Syrian government forces during recent clashes in Aleppo's Kurdish neighbourhoods, in the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Qamishli on Jan. 13, 2026.

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

The fire at a hotel in Turkey’s northwestern province of Bolu at a 12-story wooden-clad hotel

Turkey declares national day of mourning after ski resort fire kills at least 76

The blaze struck a popular ski resort hotel, leaving dozens dead.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Donald Trump is sworn into office as Melania Trump holds the Bible in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

With Trump inaugurated, how will the Republican trifecta reshape Middle East?

Trump’s White House will have the support of the House and Senate on post-war Israel and Gaza, Iran deterrence, Saudi normalization and more.

Megan Mineiro

By Megan Mineiro

In Washington, DC, reporting on US Congress

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Turkey’s Erdogan to discuss Russian gas supplies to Slovakia with Putin

The move comes after Ukraine shut down a pipeline that had long transited Russian gas to Central Europe.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon army, Syrian traffickers clash as anti-smuggling efforts ramp up

Authorities in Lebanon and Syria have stepped up their fight against the Captagon trade following the fall of the Assad regime, which heavily relied on the industry as one of its major sources of income.

Supporters and relatives of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants react while watching a live TV broadcast on the release of Israeli hostages, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 19, 2025.

Relief over hostage release briefly overshadows Israel's political divide

As Israel celebrated the homecoming of Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher Sunday, the far right continues to oppose the mediated deal with Hamas.

MBS

Analysis

New Saudi-Greek strategic council: Boost for defense, energy, EU ties

Riyadh and Athens are steadily expanding their ties to include military, political and economic dimensions, driven by a shared commitment to regional stability and economic diversification.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A fighter of the the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction watches a plume of smoke erupt from bombardment at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The latest reported fighting comes despite the US on December 8 saying that it was working to address Turkey's concerns in Syria to dissuade the NATO ally from escalating an offensive against

Analysis

Disarmament and political shift: What Turkey would accept from Syria's SDF

The fall of the Assad dynasty has changed Turkey's calculus on how to deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

TOPSHOT - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the district court in Tel Aviv for his hearing on corruption charges on December 10, 2024. Netanyahu, the first sitting prime minister of Israel to face a criminal trial, testified for the first time when his corruption case resumed on December 10 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust in three separate cases. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why did Netanyahu agree to Gaza deal, and what are next steps?

The last hurdle before Israel makes the hostage deal official is the Supreme Court.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

People check the rubble of buildings hit in Israeli strikes the previous night in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, on Jan. 16, 2025, following a truce announcement amid the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

Gaza's 15-month war in numbers: Over 46,000 killed, nearly 1.9M displaced

Though the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will mean an end to the fighting, the devastating consequences of the war will drag on for years in both Gaza and Israel.

France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) is welcomed by Lebanon's new president, Joseph Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Beirut, Jan. 17, 2025.

France’s Macron in Lebanon as Beirut port blast probe resumes

New developments following the election of Western-backed Joseph Aoun as president perhaps offer hope for generating political momentum and restoring the international community's confidence in Lebanon.

Armed Yemeni tribesmen join Houthi fighters riding military vehicles during an anti-US and Israel rally on the outskirts of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on Jan. 16, 2025.

Senate Republicans sponsor bill to redesignate Yemen's Houthis as terror outfit

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair says a stronger stance on Yemen's Houthi rebels will be part of Trump's renewed maximum pressure campaign against Iran.

Displaced Palestinians gather outside their tents in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on January 16, 2025, one day after the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas to end the 15-month Gaza war. Qatar and the United States announced on January 15 a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas that will take effect on the weekend, adding that they hoped it would pave the way for a permanent end to the war in Gaza. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP) (Photo b

Gaza celebrates end of longest Israel-Hamas war with overwhelming joy

Though their losses are incalculable, the people of Gaza were overjoyed by the announcement of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.