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Politics & Security

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Israel strikes Lebanon's capital Beirut for first time in 3 weeks: What to know

According to Israeli media, Ali al-Husseini, the commander of the missile unit in the Imam Hussein Division, a brigade affiliated with Iran’s Quds Force that operates alongside Hezbollah, was the target of the attack.

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi (L) and US President Donald Trump pose during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025.

Trump threatens to 'blow up' Oman as US-Iran talks stall

“Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up,” Trump said in surprising comments on Wednesday.

Latest News

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

Iraq’s Sadr moves to place his militia under state control: What to know

Iraqis walk past portraits of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, including one on a banner calling for a boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Sadr City, east of Baghdad on October 29, 2025. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Iraq on 11 November 2025, which will determine the 329 members of Iraq's Council of Representatives, who are responsible for electing the country's president and approving the appointment of the prime minister. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by

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

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

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

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.

Jared Szuba

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

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 picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, during an official ceremony to kick-start works on a second reactor at the facility.

Iran, Europe gamble on fresh talks in Geneva to resolve nuclear deal deadlock

The upcoming negotiations in Geneva follow a two-year hiatus in Iran's nuclear diplomacy, reviving cautious optimism regarding potential economic relief while also highlighting the pressure Tehran is facing in the wake of Donald Trump's new tenure.

One of the two top political leaders of the Syrian Kurdish alliance and co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council Ilham Ahmed attends a press conference, in Paris, on Dec. 21, 2018.

Interview

Syrian Kurd FM Ilham Ahmed says PKK leader Ocalan's words of 'vital importance'

Ilham Ahmed, the de facto foreign minister of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, spoke to Al-Monitor about the latest developments in the region, including Turkey's new initiative to end its conflict with the outlawed PKK.

Ilham Ahmed

Ilham Ahmed

Co-President of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

KEMAL ASLAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey detains more than 230 as pressure on opposition ramps up

The detentions include pro-Kurdish politicians, rights activists and journalists.

SIMON WOHLFAHRT/AFP via Getty Images

Sudan clears path for 17,500 tons of food aid as war rages

Some of the aid has reached the Zamzam camp in Darfur, where famine has been confirmed, while the opening of a key border crossing was extended earlier this month.

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Marjayoun, near the Lebanon-Israel border, on Sept. 23, 2024.

Israel security cabinet approves ceasefire deal with Hezbollah to end Lebanon war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his security cabinet approved the US-mediated deal with Hezbollah for stopping the conflict in Lebanon.

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Iran promises response 'beyond imagination' to Israeli strikes even as deal looms

A month after Israel's Oct. 26 strikes on Iran, Iranian officials are ramping up discussions of a response to the attack.

Smoke billows above Beirut's southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on Nov. 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Cautious optimism in Lebanon as Israel inches toward cease-fire deal

Lebanon is awaiting Israel’s decision on a US-brokered cease-fire deal even as Israeli strikes continue across the country.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the District Court to follow Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan by video conference from Brighton, testifying at a trial involving Netanyahu, Jerusalem, June 25, 2023.

Netanyahu gets partial delay for testimony; cease-fire decision expected in hours

As the Jerusalem District Court decided to delay Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial by one week only, reports say a deal with Lebanon is imminent.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps special forces fire a short-range missile during a military drill in the Gulf of Oman near Iranian southern port town of Bandar-e-Jask on Tuesday, April 4, 2006.

Iran and Azerbaijan hold joint military drills in sign of easing tensions

Iran and Azerbaijan are at odds over the planned Zangezur Corridor through Armenia, as well as Baku’s relations with Israel.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte speaks at the press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not seen) at the Chancellery, Berlin, Germany, Nov. 4, 2024.

NATO chief in Turkey as Russia-Ukraine war escalates

The NATO chief pays his inaugural visit to Turkey following the Turkish president's criticism of the Biden administration over its authorization of the use of longer-range missiles.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C)

Iran’s Khamenei says Netanyahu must face death penalty, ICC warrant 'not enough'

In his first comment on the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense chief, Yoav Gallant, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said a death sentence must be issued for the Israeli leaders, not arrest warrants.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a memorial ceremony for Israelis killed on the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on Oct. 27, 2024.

Analysis

Will Netanyahu finally agree to Lebanon cease-fire after months of delays?

Barring any major surprises, Israel is expected to approve a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah Tuesday — something that will make delaying his graft trial even harder for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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