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Politics & Security

This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on Aug. 18, 2026, shows Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan (C) during the sentencing of Wassim al-Assad.

In first, Lebanon to hand over former Syrian general to Sharaa government

The decision comes as Syria's new authorities move to prosecute former regime figures over alleged crimes committed during the country's civil war.

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz

Analysis

How failing US-Iran diplomacy is giving way to fresh confrontation

Iran's dismissal of secret talks with Washington comes as diplomacy is in impasse, the Strait of Hormuz remains contested and Iranian commanders signal a potentially more aggressive military posture.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Ships are docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

UAE halts all trade ties with Iran after missile attack

The incident follows the UAE blaming Iran for strikes on ADNOC vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

US sanctions International Criminal Court president, top lawyer

Syria announces capture of senior ISIS official near Manbij: What to know

SANA

Jared Szuba

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

What we know about Israeli strikes on Syrian air base tied to Turkey

A tank is seen at the Abu Duhur military airport area in Idlib province, on Jan. 21, 2018.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

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

LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

Israel's Netanyahu echoes 'shared estimate' with France on Iran, 'serious concerns' on Ukraine

"I must note that we share concerns and we share the estimates on the nature of the Tehran regime," Netanyahu said following his meeting with Macron

US Central Command supported maritime operations

France's seizure of Iranian weapons to Yemen is a win for Pentagon

French forces seized some 3,000 assault rifles, 23 anti-tank rockets and more than half a million rounds of ammunition bound for Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami.

Iran rejects latest IAEA report, claims it is 'not up to date'

Despite Tehran's outright rejection, the UN watchdog's report on alleged secrecy at a leading Iranian facility has once again highlighted concerns that the Islamic Republic could be inching closer to developing a nuclear bomb.

Israeli PM Netanyahu and Macron

Netanyahu meets Macron as Iran threatens retaliation against Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Thursday with French President Emmanuel Macron in a bid to bring their positions closer on Iran.

US President Joe Biden meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Jordan's King Abdullah in Washington as Israeli-Palestinian tensions soar

The visit came days after Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the region and urged both Israelis and Palestinians to de-escalate.

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) leaves her office at the Longworth House Office Building on February 02, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced he plans to hold a vote on a resolution to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Muslim congresswoman, Israel critic Ilhan Omar, removed from House committee

The Minnesota congresswoman has received criticism from Republicans and pro-Israel groups over the years for her statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but many Democrats and pro-Palestine organizations support her.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Swedish consulate in Istanbul

Turkey denounces 'psychological war' as Western consulates close

Turkey has summoned ambassadors from nine countries after a number of diplomatic missions temporarily shut their doors amid a growing terror threat level.

Photo of Sudan military leader Abdul Fattah al-Burhan from his meeting today in Khartoum with Israeli FM Eli Cohen

Israel's foreign minister flies to Sudan ahead of signing Abraham Accords

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has returned from Sudan's capital Khartoum, ahead of signing the Abraham Accords with the country's military leaders.

Blinken Abbas

The Takeaway: Blinken's call for two-state solution met with Israeli-Palestinian pessimism

Plus, the US denies involvement in the Isfahan drone attack and Jordan's king returns to Washington.

An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jet performs during a graduation ceremony of Israeli Air Force pilots, at the Hatzerim base in the Negev desert, near the southern city of Beer Sheva, on December 28, 2022. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

US CENTCOM pulls closer to Israeli military as Mossad tests Iran

Training exercise represents the tightest collaboration ever, but CENTCOM's deputy commander told Al-Monitor the US had no involvement in recent strikes attributed to Israel in Isfahan, Iran and eastern Syria.

Police secure the area in front of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen.

Can Turkey's Erdogan decouple Finland's and Sweden’s NATO bids?

Though Erdogan is adopting a more positive attitude toward Finland's NATO bid as he slams the door in Sweden’s face once more, neither Helsinki nor NATO seem keen on leaving Sweden behind just yet. 

Turkish tanks are positioned in the Turkish military base in Bashiqa, several kilometers outside of Mosul, Iraq.

Pro-Iran group claims attack on Turkey's base in northern Iraq

The so-called Bashiqa base, which has long been a source of tension between Ankara and Baghdad, is a frequent target of rocket attacks by pro-Iranian groups in Iraq.