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

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Politics & Security

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Caught in the middle, Oman shrugs off Trump's latest Iran threat

For the second time in months, President Donald Trump has threatened to strike the US partner as it holds talks with Iran.

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Houthis claim new strikes on Saudi Arabia after IRGC warning: What to know

A senior Iranian commander said Saudi Arabia will be unable to the defeat the Yemeni group as the conflict intensifies.

Burhaanettin Duran

Turkey signals restraint as war of words with Israel escalates over Syria

The Turkish president’s top communications aide says Ankara will not be drawn into the Israeli government's “games” as Washington pushes a Turkey-Israel-Syria deconfliction mechanism.

Latest News

Syria’s FM pays Pakistan first visit in 19 years amid new regional alignments

Islamabad

Australia summons Israeli ambassador over World Central Kitchen strike: What to know

Zomi Frankcom

Interview

Barzani calls for enhanced air defense for Kurdistan Region to counter drone attacks

Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, gives a press conference in the autonomous region's capital Arbil on June 25, 2025.

Masrour Barzani

Masrour Barzani

KRG Prime Minister

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

President Isaac Herzog welcomes Benjamin Netanyahu to the presidential residence before assigning the task of forming a government to him, Jerusalem, Nov. 13 2022.

Netanyahu starts coalition talks on forming Israel's next government

Tasked by President Isaac Herzog to cobble together Israel’s next government, Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu is already deep in negotiations with his future coalition partners.

A Kurdish peshmerga fighter affiliated with the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party stands guard on top of a building following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye (Koysinjaq), Iraqi Kurdistan, Oct. 1, 2022.

Iran renews assaults on Iraq’s Kurdistan Region

Iran again bombed Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, targeting alleged headquarters of the Iranian-Kurdish opposition located in northern Iraq.

Adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates Anwar Gargash speaks during a joint press conference with Cypriot, Israeli and Greek foreign ministers (unseen), Paphos, Cyprus, April 16, 2021.

UAE senior official: country's strategic ties "unequivocally with the US"

An Emirati official has stressed the need for "quiet diplomacy instead of outspoken criticism" during a debate in Abu Dhabi Nov. 14.

A member of the Hamas security forces sets fire to a pile of confiscated bars of hashish and analgesic pills.

Smugglers find new ways to bring drugs into Gaza

Smugglers in the Gaza Strip are using new and unconventional methods to bring in narcotics hidden inside various goods, as local authorities struggle to stop them amid lack of equipment due to the Israeli siege.

A tramway drives through a crowd in Istiklal avenue on Jan. 25, 2019 in central Istanbul.

Suspected terror attack in central Istanbul kills six, wounds dozens

At least six people were killed and dozens wounded in an explosion on one of Istanbul’s busiest streets.

A young displaced Syrian returns from school to an overcrowded camp for the internally displaced near the village of Qah, close to the Turkish border, northwestern Idlib province, Oct. 28, 2020.

Syrian jihadi group exploits poverty in Idlib to attract new members

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Idlib, is taking advantage of the difficult living conditions of the people to attract more people into its ranks by offering high salaries.

Members of the Palestinian Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades take part in a demonstration by supporters of the Hamas movement.

Hamas says it is not behind rocket attacks from Gaza

Hamas says it is committed to the truce with Israel.

Members of the Baqir Brigade are seen in the city of Aleppo in this undated photo.

Why is Iran allying itself with Syrian tribal brigade in Aleppo?

A group of Iranian clerics visited the headquarters of the Baqir Brigade, Iran's ally, in the city of Aleppo. The brigade has played a major role in curbing Russian influence in Aleppo in favor of Iran.

Iran nuclear

With US elections over, new run at Iran nuclear deal is possible

By backing the Israel-Lebanon border agreement, Iran shows it is ready to move with the right guarantees.

Afif Abu Much

UAE think tank explores fallout of Israeli elections

In a sign of strengthening relations, a first-of-its-kind symposium this week in Abu Dhabi discussed election results in Israel and the political and security climates there.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (L) hold a press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on November 8, 2022.

The Turkey Briefing: Erdogan basks in the global limelight

In this weekly newsletter, Amberin Zaman rounds up the biggest Turkey stories from the region.

Uriel Sinai/Getty Images

Far-right future Israeli lawmakers visit volatile Joseph’s Tomb in West Bank

Fanning the flames of unrest ahead of Israel’s incoming government, far-right and ultra-Orthodox future Knesset members encountered gunfire when they visited the site of Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus this week.