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

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Politics & Security

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Who was Mohammed Odeh, Hamas military commander killed by Israel in Gaza?

Odeh was killed in a Tuesday strike in the Palestinian enclave just days after he assumed his leadership position.

Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026.

White House calls Iranian report on Hormuz, MOU 'complete fabrication'

Iranian state TV says the US would agree to pull military forces away from Iran's borders in exchange for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, but the White House called it a "complete fabrication."

Jared Szuba

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

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Analysis

'Very bad news’: Israel alarmed as Trump pushes ahead toward Iran deal

Israel fears that Iran could emerge from the war strengthened by access to its frozen financial assets and regional acceptance of its dominance over the Strait of Hormuz and potentially resume its nuclear program.

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

Latest News

Israel strikes near Lebanon’s Qaraoun dam as war intensifies: What to know

A partial view shows a drainage vacuum hole on the lake of Qaraoun in Lebanon's southern Beqaa Valley on April 5, 2019.

US-Iran deal could take ‘a few days’ as roadblocks emerge, nuclear talks deferred

Motorists drive their vehicles and pedestrians cross the street past a political billboard featuring President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz along Valiasr Square in Tehran on May 26, 2026.

US gave Israel 'tacit agreement' to target senior Hezbollah figures

A view shows a Lebanese flag positioned among shattered concrete and twisted rebar, remnants of a destroyed building, in Sidon, Lebanon, on May 3, 2026.

Analysis

Cash as leverage: How Iran's push for frozen billions is reshaping diplomacy

A man checks old banknotes in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on March 3, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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 (R) shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, March 20, 2018.

In first Trump call, Saudi crown prince says trade with US could hit $600B

US President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his first phone call to a foreign leader after his inauguration on Jan. 20.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani speaks to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a session during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 22, 2025.

Syria FM Shibani touts 'big opportunity for investment' in country at World Economic Forum

Asaad al-Shibani said Syria is not a threat to its neighbors and defended the transitional government’s actions during the first visit by a Syrian foreign minister to the World Economic Forum.

Newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a swearing-in ceremony at the vice president’s ceremonial office at Eisenhower Executive Office Building Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Rubio and Fidan hold first call as Turkey's role expands in Syria

The congratulatory call comes as Ankara ramps up threats against the Syrian Democratic Forces.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses a speech during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2025.

UN chief optimistic for Lebanon's recovery, questions Syria's future

Antonio Guterres cautioned that there is no guarantee the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire will hold or lead to a final peace agreement, but he expressed encouragement over Lebanon's election of a president on Jan. 9, following two years of political impasse.

Thousands of supporters of the Kurdish community demonstrate with flags and banners on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the arrest of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan on the banks of the Rhine river in Cologne, western Germany, on Feb. 17, 2024.

Turkey, Kurds move toward peace deal as lawmakers meet with PKK leader Ocalan

Talks with the jailed PKK leader spark hope for ending Turkey's 40-year conflict amid shifting alliances and regional pressures.

Mourners react during a funeral service for Sozcu newspaper columnist and journalist Nedim Turkmen, his wife and his two children killed during a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Marmara University Faculty of Theology Mosque in Istanbul on Jan. 22, 2025.

Turkey: Death toll from ski resort blaze rises to 79

As officials continue to play the blame game, the number of people detained as part of the investigation into the disaster has increased to 11.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets employees upon arrival at the State Department in Washington, DC, on January 21, 2025. The US Senate unanimously approved Rubio as Secretary of State on January 20, putting the fellow senator on the front line of President Donald Trump's often confrontational diplomacy. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

With Rubio confirmed, where do Trump's foreign policy picks stand?

After a number of hearings last week for key Trump nominees, his national security team is taking shape.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Syria’s new government ends Russian lease of Tartous port: What we know

The new authorities in Syria ended an agreement with the Russian company managing the key port of Tartous in the latest sign of Russia's waning influence in the country after the fall of the regime.

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) speaks during to the IAEA's Board of Governors meeting at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria on September 11, 2023. The UN nuclear watchdog said on September 11, it regretted that "no progress" had been made by Iran on outstanding issues, including reinstalling cameras to monitor Tehran's nuclear programme and explaining uranium traces. (Photo by Alex HALADA / AFP) (Photo by ALEX HALADA/AFP via Getty Images)

Exclusive

Grossi: Trump open to new Iran nuclear deal, IAEA discussions underway

In an interview, International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said his organization was continuing discussions with Iranian officials and hopes to engage with the Trump administration about working out a transparency agreement with Iran.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

A picture shows copies of Iranian daily newspapers, including 'Sazandegi' (C) showing on its front page a picture of US President Donald Trump and a headline in Farsi reading 'Again Trump' at a newsstand in Tehran on Jan. 21, 2025.

How prepared is Iran to engage with the Trump administration?

Iran's upper echelons appear to be slowly bridging their gaps over potential dialogue with the new US administration, as the threat of the crippling "maximum pressure" policy looms large.

Members of Israeli security forces stand guard at the site of a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv on January 21, 2025. Three people were wounded in a stabbing attack on January 21 in Tel Aviv, including one seriously, and the attacker was killed, Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Four wounded in Tel Aviv stabbing attack by tourist: What we know

Police says that the person who attacked four people with a knife in Tel Aviv is a Moroccan national who entered Israel with a US residency permit.

A view of the Pentagon on Dec. 13, 2024, in Washington, DC. Home to the US Defense Department, the Pentagon is one of the world's largest office buildings.

Trump's pick for Pentagon Mideast policy chief signals Iran strategy shift

Trump fired his longtime Iran envoy, Brian Hook, and revoked the security clearance of former national security adviser John Bolton. His pick to be the Pentagon’s next Middle East policy chief, Michael DiMino, has a history of opposing the idea of joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.