Politics & Security - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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Politics & Security

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Analysis

Oman talks leave Israel unsure of Trump's endgame as missile threat persists

Israel and the United States are tightly coordinated on intelligence, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is apparently in the dark on President Donald Trump's intentions in Iran.

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

Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin gives a press conference following talks with Sweden and Finland over their bids to join NATO at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022. - Turkey on May 25 said the NATO accession process for Sweden and Finland would not move forward unless they addressed Ankara's security concerns, in talks with delegations from both Nordic states. NATO member Turkey has opposed the applications of Sweden and neighbouring Finland over what it considers leniency t

Turkey arrests two over alleged Mossad espionage ties: What to know

Turkish authorities accuse the suspects of providing intelligence for more than a decade, including technical data on communications equipment and attempting to infiltrate technological supply chains.

A person with a motorbike stands on the side of a road as US-led coalition plane operates at a base on Jan. 26, 2026 in Al-Shaddadi, Syria.

US troops pull out of Shaddadi base in Syria: What to know

The base has been a hub for American troops between the central city of Hasakah and the strategic Khabur River Valley, once the gateway to the Islamic State's oil-producing heartland.

Jared Szuba

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

A picture shows a view of a street with access to a detention center under the Adliyeh (Palace of Justice) bridge (L) of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on Aug. 7, 2022.

Lebanon, Syria sign deal to transfer 300 Syrian prisoners: What we know

Lebanon and Syria signed a deal to transfer more than 300 convicted Syrians held in Lebanese prisons to their home country to complete their sentences.

Latest News

Iranian FM says US-Iran nuclear talks in Oman 'a good start'

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Analysis

From 'help is on the way' to nuclear talks, Iranians wary of Trump's shift

An Iranian man walks past an anti-US and anti-Israel banner hanging on a building in Palestine Square in Tehran on Jan. 27, 2026.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Iran names Ali Shamkhani head of Defense Council: What to know

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, attends a meeting with the diplomatic adviser to the French president, in the Iranian capital Tehran, on July 10, 2019.

Analysis

As US-Iran talks set to begin, Israel struggles to shape Trump's options

The commander of CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper, visited Israel as the official guest of Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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 February 21, 2022 shows fishing boats off a beach on Yemen's Red Sea coast in the Khokha district of the war-ravaged country's western province of Hodeida. (Photo by Khaled Ziad / AFP) (Photo by KHALED ZIAD/AFP via Getty Images)

Yacht carrying Russians, Egyptians goes missing off Yemen coast

The yacht’s owner says the crew sent a distress call about a pirate attack.

DONT USE - Gulf Pulse

This picture taken on August 5, 2022 shows Israeli Iron Dome defence missile system battries, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, in the city of Ashdod in southern Israel. - Israel's army said its air strikes in Gaza today killed an estimated 15 enemy combatants, warning that the operation against the Islamic Jihad militant group was not over. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Multi-front war with Iran proxies irks Israel despite deterrence

Unlike the surprise multi-front attack against Israel in 1973, the threats Israel faces today are much more splintered, but no less deadly.

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

ABBAS MOMANI/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli runner shot in West Bank one day after Jerusalem car attack

A group of runners was shot at in the West Bank as Israelis mark Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.

SANA/AFP via Getty Images

EU slaps Captagon sanctions on relatives of Syria's Assad

The European Union adopted new restrictive measures today against Syrian individuals and entities accused of trafficking narcotics and supporting the oppressive Syrian government.

Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum, Sudan.

As Sudan fighting rages, foreign governments scramble to get citizens out

Several countries have successfully evacuated some of their nationals from Sudan, while the United States says it has no plans currently underway for a mass evacuation of its citizens.

US Naval Ship USS Truxtun takes part in the multinational naval exercise 'AMAN-23' in the Arabian Sea near Pakistan's port city of Karachi on February 13, 2023, as more than 50 countries participating with ships and observers. (Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP) (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)

US Navy deploys two ships off Sudan's coast to evacuate citizens

After evacuating US Embassy staff from Khartoum, the United States has deployed two Navy ships to Sudan’s coast to be ready in case asked to facilitate civilian evacuations.

The Horn of Africa

Portraits of Armenian intellectuals, detained and deported in 1915, are displayed during a rally on the Istiklal avenue in Istanbul, on April 24, 2017 to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the 1915 mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey bans Armenian Genocide commemoration ahead of May elections

The Istanbul governor has blocked the commemoration of the 1915 atrocities amid reactions to the opposition leader’s proclamation of his Alevi roots.

A picture taken on October 7, 2017 shows a view of the exterior of the US embassy in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. / AFP PHOTO / ASHRAF SHAZLY (Photo credit should read ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP via Getty Images)

US says Sudan diplomacy ‘degraded’ but continues after pullout

With the US Embassy in Khartoum indefinitely closed, the Biden administration is exploring whether to base US diplomats out of Port Sudan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) arrive for a joint press conference with their Iranian counterpart following their summit in Tehran on July 19, 2022. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey, Syria send defense, intel chiefs to meet in Russia

The meeting will mark the second round of talks that began late last year.

Saudi fighter jets are displayed during Saudi Arabias first World Defense Show, north of the capital Riyadh, on March 6, 2022. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia rises to world's 5th largest military spender: SIPRI

The kingdom has risen from eighth to fifth place since 2021, surpassing the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images

Israel to supply Azerbaijan with satellites in $120 million deal

Commenting on his recent visit to Uzbekistan, Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Baku will purchase two satellites from the Israel Aerospace Industries.

KHALIL MAZRAAWI/afp/AFP via Getty Images

Israel arrests Jordanian MP accused of smuggling weapons to West Bank

Jordanian parliamentarian Imad al-Adwan was arrested by Israeli police at the Alenby Bridge crossing point on Saturday on suspicion of smuggling weapons and gold into the West Bank, Jordanian news outlets reported.