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Politics & Security

Michigan Democratic Senate primary winner Abdul El-Sayed

AIPAC to oppose El-Sayed after major Michigan primary victory

The America Israel Public Affairs Committee said it will work to oppose Abdul El-Sayed’s “radical anti-Israel agenda” as his opponent seeks to paint him as extreme.

Turkish National Intelligence Organization chief Ibrahim Kalin

Turkey's intel chief hosts Libya delegation amid unification push: What to know

The visit by Libya’s high-level delegation came as US-led efforts gathered pace to broker a power-sharing arrangement between the country’s rival camps.

Israeli battle tanks deploy in the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah (Eastern Zawtar) in southern Lebanon as pictured from the nearby village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah (Western Zawtar) on August 2, 2026. Under a US-sponsored agreement signed in June, Lebanon's army is to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military is to withdraw from "pilot zones" where Lebanese forces will subsequently deploy. The deal came more than three months after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East with rocket fire at Israel in suppo

Israel-Lebanon talks suspended amid escalation, set to resume Thursday

The Israeli delegation asked the American representatives to suspend the direct talks with Lebanon for a few hours over alleged leaks by Beirut.

Latest News

Analysis

How Turkey's PKK amnesty law entwines Kurds' hopes with Erdogan's ambitions

Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) line up to put their weapons into a pit during a ceremony in Sulaimaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on July 11, 2025.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US lifts sanctions on Iraqi airline linked to Iran's IRGC: What to know

A memorial depicting Qassem Soleimani, the slain commander of the "Quds Force" of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who was killed by a US airstrike in Iraq in 2020, is pictured at Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026. Israeli strikes killed the intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as the Islamic republic on April 6 defied threats from the US President to devastate civilian infrastructure if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Ima

Trump’s strategy on Iran may pay off as deal appears imminent

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport on Aug. 2, 2026 in Morristown, New Jersey.

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

Daniel Carde/Getty Images

After UNIFIL attacks, Pentagon urges Israel to wind down Lebanon war 'as soon as feasible'

There's no sign the Biden administration has put any time limit on the Israeli campaign in Lebanon, nor of whether the White House intends to exert leverage to limit the ground invasion.

This picture taken on Sept. 27, 2019 shows the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero as it leaves Bandar Abbas port in southern Iran.

US targets Iran oil exports with sanctions after Israel attack

The sanctions on Iran’s shadow fleet of tankers follow pressure from Republicans calling for harsher penalties on Iran’s oil exports, especially to China.

Pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik of Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024.

Russia's Putin holds first meeting with Iran's Pezeshkian: What we know

The face-to-face in Turkmenistan between the Russian president and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, took place as Iran braces for a potential retaliatory strike from Israel.

People visit the site of the remains of an Iranian missile in the Negev desert near Arad, Oct. 3, 2024.

Israel's cabinet remains uncertain about response to Iran attack

The Israeli cabinet adjourned hours before Yom Kippur without a decision on when and how to retaliate for Iran's recent missile barrage.

Suzanne M. Jenkins/US Air Force via Getty Images

US F-15s arrive in Middle East as Israel preps Iran retaliation

A new squadron of US F-15s arrived at an undisclosed base in the region this week as Washington works to stop Israel from escalating the fighting in a counterattack on Iran.

Jared Szuba

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

A man looks at high meat prices at a butcher in the historic Ulus district in Ankara on Jan. 27, 2023.

Popular steakhouse accused of pork fraud divides Turkey

While official tests revealed traces of pork, the company’s owner suggests a “dark plot.”

Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples DEM Party attend a rally for the Turkish Municipal elections to be held on March 31, in Esenyurt Square, in Istanbul on Feb. 25, 2024.

Exclusive

Turkey mulls peace talks with Kurds amid fears of Israeli strike on Iran

Three well-placed sources told Al-Monitor that exploratory talks for a possible resumption of negotiations between the Turkish government and imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan were already underway.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

UN inquiry accuses Israel of crimes against humanity in destroying Gaza’s hospitals

Israel’s government did not cooperate with the investigation, which accused Israel of the international crime of “extermination” for widespread and systematic attacks on Gaza’s health care infrastructure and medical personnel.

A UNIFIL personnel carrier drives by a picture of late Hezbollah leader Sheikh Abbas al-Mussawi May 2, 2000, in the village of Ghandourieyh in south Lebanon.

Live Updates

France summons Israel envoy after new attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

Four peacekeepers have been injured in the past 48 hours after UNIFIL positions were hit by Israeli fire in southern Lebanon, sparking deep concern from the UN regarding the safety of its mission in Lebanon.

Members of Israel's Home Front Command and police forces inspect a crater left by an exploded projectile at a heavily damaged school building in Israel's southern city of Gedera.

Analysis

Why the US, Israel disagree over striking Iran’s nuclear sites

Israel seems to be weighing strikes that go beyond just restoring deterrence while the United States prefers to avert a region-wide war.

Jared Szuba

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

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Iranian foreign minister in Riyadh, Oct. 9, 2024. (SPA)

Saudi crown prince hosts Iran's FM as Riyadh shields itself from Israel tension

Iran’s foreign minister was in Saudi Arabia today amid mounting fears over an Israeli retaliatory strike on Iran.

A sign about the heightened level of the counterterrorism response is seen outside HMS Duncan while docked at the Port of Limassol on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, on Oct. 2, 2024.

Cyprus arrests eight Syrians accused of funding terror group: What we know

The arrests come as more Syrians arrive in Cyprus, fleeing the conflicts in Lebanon and Syria.