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Politics & Security

Members of Houthi security forces stand guard while supporters of Yemen's Houthi movement attend an event commemorating the ninth anniversary of the Saudi-led intervention in their country, in the capital, Sanaa, on March 26, 2026.

Exclusive

Senior Houthi official says Bab el Mandab closure an option if any Gulf states join war

Houthi Deputy Information Minister Mohammed Mansour also said the strait could be closed “should the aggression against Iran and Lebanon escalate.”

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

US journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a picture in Baghdad on March 31, 2026.

Shelly Kittleson's kidnapping by suspected Iran-backed militia exposes Iraq government weakness

The abduction of US journalist Shelly Kittleson highlights the outsized influence of Iran-aligned armed groups operating beyond Baghdad’s control.

Sharaa, King Charles

In UK visit, Syria’s Sharaa doubles down on Western ties amid Iran war, refugee pressures

After talks with UK leaders on Tuesday, Syria's president said the country would remain neutral in the Iran conflict unless it was targeted.

A view of the platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea is pictured from the Israeli northern coastal beach of Nasholim, on Aug. 29, 2022.

Israel energy minister says gas flowing to Egypt, Jordan despite shutdown reports

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen told Al-Monitor that despite security concerns and partial shut down of marine gas platforms, Israel continues to supply gas to Egypt, Jordan and Israeli consumers.

Latest News

Turkey in talks with Iran to clear 11 ships stuck in Hormuz: What to know

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

UAE accuses Iran of 'extortion' in Strait of Hormuz: What to know

AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Iran executes alleged MEK members in bid to signal wartime control

A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard next to a banner honoring Iran's slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on March 31, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

Why Germany may struggle to meet Merz’s 80% Syria repatriation goal

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa depart after speaking to the media following talks at the Chancellery on March 30, 2026, in Berlin, Germany.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

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

Amir Levy/Getty Images

Israel’s Shin Bet warns violent Jerusalem protests could lead to 'dangerous' escalation

Rallies for the release of the hostages and calls for the resignation of the government are ramping up in Israel, where some desperate protesters have resorted to violence.

Supporters of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party slams annulment of election victory in southeast

The move, which sparked violent protest in the southeastern province of Van, is widely seen as a fresh crackdown on the country's pro-Kurdish party by Turkish authorities.

Emergency and security personnel gather at the site of strikes which hit a building next to the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus, on April 1, 2024.

Iran says killing of commanders in suspected Israeli strike ‘won’t go unanswered’

Fears grow over a wider regional conflict as Iran's leadership pledges retaliation against Israel, which is accused of having killed over a dozen senior Iranian commanders during the course of the Gaza war.

Iranians participate in the 12th term parliamentary elections and the 6th term Assembly of Leadership Experts' voting at a Tehran polling station on March 01, 2024. The elections encompass both parliamentary and Assembly of Experts' ballots, crucial for Iran's leadership selection and oversight. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

What will post-election hardline domination mean for Iran's future?

Bijan Khajehpour

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

People gather around the carcass of a car used by US-based aid group World Central Kitchen.

Humanitarian groups suspend Gaza operations after Israeli strike kills 7 aid workers

World Central Kitchen, a US-based charitable organization, said seven of its workers were killed in an Israeli strike in central Gaza. Israel said the incident is under investigation.

An Israeli soldier wearing a patch on the back of his flack jacket showing Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a target stands in front of a self-propelled artillery howitzer, as an artillery unit shells southern Lebanon, in Upper Galilee, northern Israel, Jan. 4, 2024.

Analysis

Killing of IRGC commander in Syria ‘clear escalation’ in tacit Israel-Iran war

Iran vows to avenge an alleged Israeli strike in Damascus that killed Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Quds Force commander in Lebanon and Syria.

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

This picture taken from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip shows an Israeli tank moving along the border with the Palestinian territory on March 20, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

After Cairo talks, Israel says 'updated' Gaza truce deal on the table

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a new deal is now on the table for the release of hostages, awaiting response by Hamas.

Syrian emergency and security personnel continue to search and remove the rubble at the site of strikes that hit a building annexed to the Iranian Embassy on April 1, Damascus, Syria, April 2, 2024.

US troops in Syria down drone as threat of Iran-backed attacks returns

Israeli airstrikes killed at least three IRGC Quds Force generals at Iran's embassy compound in Damascus on Monday, threatening to reignite retaliatory militia attacks against US troops across Iraq and Syria after a two-month pause.

An employee of the Qatar-based news network and TV channel Al Jazeera is seen at the channel's Jerusalem office on July 31, 2017.

Israel’s Netanyahu vows to shut Al Jazeera after Knesset law

The prime minister's pledge drew statements of concern and condemnation from the White House and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Palestinian children sit on a hill next to tents housing the displaced in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 30, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

US, Israel hold virtual talks over threatened Rafah invasion

The virtual meeting between US and Israeli officials took place a week after the American abstention from a United Nations cease-fire resolution ratcheted up tensions between the two countries.

Ultra Orthodox Jewish youths block a road in Bnei Brak as they protest against their conscription into the Israeli armed forces, on April 1, 2024.

Analysis

Row in Israel over ultra-Orthodox draft threatens Netanyahu’s government

Ultra-Orthodox leaders are threatening to topple the government should the IDF start recruiting yeshiva students to serve in the army.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

The site of the strike in Damascus.

Breaking | Last Updated: April 1, 2024, 4:02 pm

Commander in Iran’s IRGC killed in suspected Israeli strike in Damascus

Israel is widely suspected of striking Iranian military targets throughout Syria.