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Politics & Security

Siyamend Ali

Interview

YPG spokesman: Syrian forces' strategy is to isolate Kurdish towns and cities

In an interview with Al-Monitor, YPG spokesman Siyamend Ali said Kurdish forces were successfully repelling advances by the Syrian army, while Damascus accused the Kurds of launching unprovoked attacks.

Siyamend Ali

Siyamend Ali

YPG spokesman

The Washington Post building at One Franklin Square on June 5, 2024, in Washington.

‘Save the Post’: Washington Post journalists urge Bezos to protect foreign desk

The Post maintains one of the most extensive overseas reporting networks among US newspapers, including Middle East bureaus in Istanbul, Cairo and Dubai.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki leaves after casting his ballot at a polling station in Baghdad on Nov. 11, 2025 during Iraq's parliamentary elections.

‘Very bad choice’: Trump threatens to cut Iraq aid if Maliki returns as PM

Trump warned that the US would “no longer help Iraq” if former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki returns to power, saying his previous leadership had brought chaos and poverty.

Latest News

As phase 2 looms, Netanyahu insists no Turkish or Qatari troops in Gaza

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Christian party in Lebanon says alliance with Hezbollah over: What to know

Lebanese MP Gebran Bassil attends the 12th parliamentary session to elect a new president in Beirut's downtown district on June 14, 2023.

Analysis

As Trump weighs Iran diplomacy, Israel uneasy but could accept deal

trump

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

What’s next for Iraq as Nouri al-Maliki gets nominated for PM?

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki answers reporters' questions during a news conference with US President Barack Obama in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Dec. 12, 2011, in Washington.

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

Saudi FM

Saudi FM: No Israel normalization without ‘irreversible path’ to Palestinian state

Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the kingdom would not finance the rebuilding of the enclave unless there is a viable path to a two-state solution.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 22, 2024, 4:25 pm

Turkey's parliament to vote on Sweden’s NATO accession this week

The progress follows intense diplomatic contacts between Ankara and Washington.

David C. Mercil/US Navy/Getty Images

Two US Navy SEALs presumed dead after anti-Houthi raid: Pentagon

The two special operators are presumed dead after attempting to board a stateless boat off Somalia earlier this month.

Iranian mourners gather during the funeral ceremony of yesterday's explosion, Kerman, Iran, Jan. 5, 2024.

Soldier arrested in Iran after inside attack killing 5 troops in Kerman

The latest incident involves the killing of five soldiers by a fellow conscript in Kerman, which was the scene of a deadly bombing claimed by ISIS earlier this month.

First Lady Michal Herzog at a consolation visit by the Idan family, Oct. 25 Kibbutz Mishmar Haemek.

Israel’s first lady speaks out about 'unbearable' plight of women hostages in Gaza

Michal Herzog, Israel's first lady, spoke to Al-Monitor about her mission to make the world recognize the sexual violence perpetrated against Israeli women on and since Oct. 7.

(L-R) Bloomberg Television's journalist Francine Lacqua, Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan, President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde, Co-chairman of the private equity firm of The Carlyle Group David Rubenstein, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala attend a session on the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 19,

Analysis

From Davos, all roads lead to the Middle East

At the World Economic Forum, Al-Monitor interviewed regional decision-makers on economics, energy, environment, governance and conflict across the region.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

Pakistan activists protest in Lahore on Jan. 19, 2024, after Iran launched an airstrike in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province.

What's behind Turkey's muted response to Iran-Pakistan escalation?

Two considerations stand out in Turkey’s muted response to recent Iranian strikes in Iraq and Pakistan.

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

With Iran's cyberattacks on rise since Gaza war, Israel looks to private industry

Israeli experts warn that cyberattacks against Israeli companies, institutions and infrastructure have grown more frequent and sophisticated since Oct. 7.

Tal Pavel

In Modiin, Israel, reporting on Israel

Pakistani police officers stand guard outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on Jan. 18, 2024. Pakistan said on Jan. 18 it carried out strikes against militant targets in Iran, after Tehran launched attacks on Pakistani territory earlier this week.

How Iran miscalculated its gamble in the Pakistan strike

With its brief attack on Pakistani territory, Iran appears to have shot itself in the foot, inadvertently playing into the Western argument that Tehran is a destabilizing state in an already volatile region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz attend a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on October 28, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Analysis

Does split in Israel's cabinet threaten Netanyahu's grip on power?

Israel war cabinet members Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot are not hiding their frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip and a potential deal for the release of remaining hostages in Gaza.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan as he arrives at al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia on January 8, 2024, during his week-long trip aimed at calming tensions across the Middle East.

In policy shift, White House links Israel-Saudi normalization to Palestinian statehood

Jared Szuba

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

Members of the radical Islamist movement "Hizb ut-Tahrir" protest in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli, on April 28, 2023, against the deportation of Syrian refugees.

What is Hizb ut-Tahrir, anti-Israel Islamist group banned in the UK?

The international Islamist group has been banned across the Middle East and is known for espousing antisemitism.