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Politics & Security

German soldiers stand to attention in front of a German Patriot missile launcher at the Gazi barracks in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey on March 25, 2014.

Breaking | Last Updated: March 30, 2026, 10:41 am

Turkey says NATO defenses intercepted fourth missile from Iran

Turkey said NATO air defenses neutralized a ballistic munition launched from Iran that entered its airspace, marking the fourth such interception since March.

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One prior to departure from Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, March 29, 2026. US President Donald Trump is returning to the White House after spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

Trump renews threat to Iran's energy, oil sites despite 'great progress' in talks

US President Trump's latest threat came as Iran's Foreign Ministry slammed the US administration's "excessive, unrealistic and unreasonable" demands.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) is joined by Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and other officials for a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon, July 9, 2025.

Dermer’s return puts Netanyahu’s 'brain' at center of US-Israel calculus

Dermer, former Israeli strategic affairs minister, is considered one of Netanyahu’s closest associates, having worked together for over two decades.

A Hezbollah flag is seen in a destroyed car after an Israeli airstrike in Nabi Chit (Al-Nabi Shayth), Lebanon, on March 26, 2026. In the first week of March, the Israeli army carried out an unsuccessful nighttime commando operation there to recover the remains of Ron Arad, a pilot missing since 1986, triggering airstrikes and destruction in the area that forced residents to flee their homes. (Photo by Fabio Bucciarelli / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Displacement and dissent: Hezbollah’s war with Israel splits Lebanon’s Shiites

The renewed Israel war against Hezbollah in Lebanon has divided the Shiite community, with some still backing the group as resistance against Israel’s expansionist vision and others refusing to pay the price of foreign conflicts.

Karim Safieddine

By Karim Safieddine

In Beirut, reporting on politics

Latest News

Analysis

Iran regime turns sights on UAE as war widens beyond conventional front

Pieces of missiles and drones recovered after Iran's strikes are displayed during a press briefing by the UAE government held in Abu Dhabi on March 3, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

How Azerbaijan benefits — and risks losing — from Iran war

Bibi Heybat mosque is seen in front of Bibi Heybat Oil Field, situated at the coast of the Caspian Sea outside Baku on March 19, 2019.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Iran warns Trump against ground invasion as US troop presence surges

A large banner with the image of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei adorns a main taxi rank close to Tajrish Square, one week on from the start of the US-Israel attack on Iran, in Tehran on March 7, 2026.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy capitalizes on Iran war to ink security deal with Saudi Arabia

Flags of Saudi Arabia and Ukraine line the King Abdulaziz Road in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah ahead of a visit by the Ukrainian President on March 10, 2025. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to arrive in Saudi Arabia on March 10, a day ahead of crucial talks between Ukrainian and US officials on ending the war with Russia. (Photo by Amer HILABI / AFP) (Photo by AMER HILABI/AFP via Getty Images)

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

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives for a news conference on January 9, 2020 in Ottawa, Canada. - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that Canada had intelligence from multiple sources indicating that a Ukrainian airliner which crashed outside Tehran was mistakenly shot down by Iran. (Photo by Dave Chan / AFP) (Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How significant is Canada's designation of Iran's IRGC as terrorist organization?

Iranian Canadians have been advocating for designation of the IRGC for years, including after the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

A Palestinian girl sits next to rubble from the Al-Rai family home which was hit at dawn in Israeli bombardment of Nuseirat city in the central Gaza Strip on June 18, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant Hamas movement.

Fatigued by Israel-Hamas war, Gazans pin hopes on stalled cease-fire talks

Gazans have differing opinions about the cease-fire outline currently on the table, with many backing amendments to the US-backed proposal put forward by Hamas.

A picture taken on February 12, 2019, shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) discussing with soldiers as he stands near a naval Iron Dome defence system, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, installed on a Sa'ar 5 Lahav Class corvette of the Israeli Navy fleet, in the northern port of Haifa. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Netanyahu’s arms complaints strain US ties, leave Israel exposed to Hezbollah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attack against the Biden administration for allegedly withholding arms deliveries exposes Israel’s vulnerability right now when tensions with Hezbollah run high.

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

Turkey fire

Wildfires in Turkey: 11 dead, 78 injured as heat soars to 50 degrees Celsius

Turkey has been grappling with wildfires across the country since last week due to hot temperatures soaring up to 50 C (122 F) above the seasonal average.

A protester holds an Armenian national flag next to a placard with a Palestinian flag as students participate in a "Walkout to fight Genocide and Free Palestine" at Bruin Plaza at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) in Los Angeles on October 25, 2023. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip, entered southern Israel in a surprise attack leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in Gaza the following da

Armenia recognizes Palestinian state as furious Israel summons ambassador

Momentum has been building toward recognizing Palestinian statehood since the war in the Gaza Strip began last October.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan answers questions during the daily press briefing at the White House on May 13, 2024, in Washington, DC.

Top Israeli officials meet with Biden’s national security adviser

After months of delay, two of Netanyahu's top advisers have finally made their way to the White House.

Al-Monitor Staff

By Al-Monitor Staff

Cindy McCain executive director of the UN World Food Program, is pictured at the UN Security Council in this undated image, in New York.

Interview

WFP’s McCain: 'No difference' in Gaza aid flow despite Israel’s tactical pause

Al-Monitor interviews World Food Program chief Cindy McCain about the hunger crisis gripping the Gaza Strip after more than eight months of war.

Cindy McCain

Cindy McCain

World Food Programme Executive Director

AFP via Getty Images

Heat, old age, heart conditions blamed for over 1,000 deaths at Hajj

Many of those who died were unregistered users who suffered from the intense heat in Saudi Arabia, according to regional authorities.

CORRECTION / Smoke plumes rise from a fire in a field after rockets launched from southern Lebanon landed near Kela in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on June 13, 2024 amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) / "The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Jalaa MAREY has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Kela] instead of [Katzrin]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all you

Salvo of rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel as Cyprus responds to Hezbollah

Hezbollah fired a new round of rockets on Israel hours after its leader warned Cyprus against military coordination with Israel if war breaks out with Lebanon.

ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP via Getty Images

Sudan: Darfur graveyards swell threefold as 25.6M suffer food shortage

Sudan is witnessing one of the worst humanitarian crises in decades as rights groups are sounding the alarm over the deteriorating conditions and looming famine.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan (2nd L), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (3rd L) and US President Joe Biden (4th L) listen to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

US nixes Israel meeting after Netanyahu says US withholding weapons

The White House rejects Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that it has withheld weapons and ammunitions over the "past few months."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron (L).

Analysis

France, Israel squabble over Gaza, Lebanon, but no divorce on horizon

The Eurosatory affair and disagreements on Gaza and Lebanon have tampered with the bilateral relations between Israel and France, but not all is lost.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs