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Politics & Security

Syrian government troops stand guard next to a burning tyre along a street of Tabqa, in Raqa province, on the southwestern banks of the Euphrates on Jan. 18, 2026.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 18, 2026, 5:14 pm

Bowing to US pressure, Syrian military advances, Kurdish-led SDF agrees to Sharaa's terms

Syrian government forces rapidly retook Raqqa and key eastern territories from the US-backed SDF, prompting a ceasefire agreement that effectively restores Damascus’s control over much of Syria’s oil-rich northeast.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) speaks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) during the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, on June 21, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey braces for Iran fallout: Trade disruptions, refugees and shifting geopolitics

Turkey is urging restraint between Tehran and Washington as unrest in Iran and the US president's threats heighten fears in Ankara of disrupted trade routes, refugee flows and a regional shift that could strengthen Israel.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

TEHRAN, IRAN - JANUARY 12: Security forces are seen during a pro-government rally on January 12, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tehran's Enqelab Square on Monday, as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, made a speech denouncing western intervention in Iran, following ongoing anti-government protests. In recent days, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military action if Iranian security forces kill protesters. (Photo by Stringer/G

Feature

Bodies for ransom: Iranians fleeing to Turkey recount regime crackdown, retribution

Transiting Istanbul Airport, they also spoke of the internet blackout, hurried departures and skepticism of foreign intervention providing relief.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

US President Donald Trump departs Air Force One after arriving at Palm Beach International Airport on Jan. 16, 2026.

Trump tempers threats, 'thanks' Iran for halting protester executions

President Trump said the canceled Iranian executions “had a big impact” on his decision-making regarding a military response.

Latest News

Trump's Venezuela buildup delays US aircraft carrier, raising stakes of Iran strike

A US Navy officer walks past fighter jets parked on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham, Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 26, 2024

Jared Szuba

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

Iran plans to create closed internet network offering tiered access: Report

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Witkoff lays out conditions for deal with Iran, warns alternative 'bad one'

Witkoff

Analysis

Israel 'frustrated' by Trump’s Iran backtrack, unsure if strategy or cold feet

US President Donald Trump (R) greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 29, 2025.

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

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

A Shiite Muslim cleric holds a poster reading "crossing a red line" in Persian next to an image of Hassan Nasrallah, the late leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, during an anti-Israel protest in Tehran's Palestine Square on Sept. 28, 2024, after Hezbollah confirmed reports of Nasrallah's killing in an Israeli air strike in Beirut the previous day.

From Yemen to Turkey, Mideast reacts to death of Hezbollah's Nasrallah

Leaders and groups in the Middle East have reacted to the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed Friday in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut.

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah give a televised speech in a hanger in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh in Lebanon on May 24, 2024, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran in a helicopter crash.

Who was Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s formative leader killed by Israel?

After decades of leading Hezbollah and overseeing its rise both in Lebanon and in the region, Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut.

Smoke rises from the smouldering rubble at the scene of Israeli air strikes in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, 2024. A source close to Hezbollah said the massive Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs flattened six buildings. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP) (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel kept Pentagon in the dark about Beirut strikes, Austin says

The White House ordered the US military to adjust force posture in the Middle East ‘as necessary’ after Israel defied Washington in a bid to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, risking war with Iran.

Commanding officers of the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State.

US, Iraq announce end of defeat-ISIS coalition, but troops may stay

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s need for a domestic political win has sent Pentagon officials back to the drawing board to find ways to keep the lid on ISIS in neighboring Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2024.

Interview

Iraq's Sudani: US troop withdrawal does not mean end of security relationship

At an event hosted by Al-Monitor and the US Chamber of Commerce, the prime minister discussed Iraq’s plan to achieve energy independence by 2030 and his desire to drawdown the US military presence in the country.

Mohammed Shia al-Sudani

Mohammed Shia al-Sudani

Prime Minister of Iraq

Smoke rises above Beirut's southern suburbs during an Israeli strike on September 27, 2024. Israeli bombing of Iran-backed Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon has killed hundreds of people this week, while the militant group has retaliated with rocket barrages. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel says it struck Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut

The strike followed days of intensifying Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

An injured child and others at a school in Beirut housing displaced people who fled Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, Sep. 26, 2024.

At least 700 killed, 120,000 displaced as UN calls Lebanon situation ‘catastrophic'

The ongoing Israeli escalation in Lebanon has displaced nearly 120,000 in less than a week, prompting 16,100 Lebanese to enter Syria.

A man checks the destruction following an overnight Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Shebaa near along the border between the two countries, on Sept. 27, 2024.

Netanyahu softens position, says Israel discussing US-France cease-fire plan in Lebanon

On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will continue battling Hezbollah, but on Friday he indicated Israel will continue talks with the United States over a possible cease-fire in Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem on September 2, 2024. (Photo by Ohad Zwigenberg / POOL / AFP) (Photo by OHAD ZWIGENBERG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

From yes to no to maybe: Behind Netanyahu's shifting stance on Lebanon cease-fire

Multifront conflicts are damaging Israel's economy, making a declaration of victory in Gaza by the Israeli prime minister a possibility at the UN.

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

A US Patriot missile defense system is exposed during a joint Israeli-US military exercise, "Juniper Cobra," at the Hatzor Airbase in Israel on March 8, 2018.

Israel: Pentagon finalizes $8.7B arms package as strikes on Lebanon continue

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed aside the Biden administration's call for a cease-fire just days after Washington quietly released $3.5 billion in additional funds for the Israeli military.

Mayor Eric Adams arrives for a press conference at 1 Police Plaza on April 18, 2023, in New York City.

What we know about Turkey-related charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams

The indictment against Adams is largely based on his dealings with Turkish nationals and includes illegal travel benefits worth over $100,000.

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters from the Turkish-backed 1st Corps of the Samarkand Brigade take part in a military parade in the opposition-held Afrin region of northern Syria, on Nov. 23, 2022.

Interview

Syrian-Kurdish KNC leader decries abuse by Turkey-backed Sunni factions in Afrin

Kurdish National Council President Sleiman Oso told Al-Monitor that dialogue with his group's rivals, the PYD, is still possible.

Sleiman Oso

Sleiman Oso

Kurdish National Council President