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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran

While President Donald Trump remains undecided on striking Iran again, the Israeli military is sinking deeper into its Lebanon quagmire with a reinforced Hezbollah.

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

Iraq's prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, at Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office on April 28, 2026.

Trump congratulates Iraq PM-designate Zaidi in call: What to know

The US President was openly critical of previous nominee Nouri al-Maliki, seen as too close to Iran, but is now welcoming the new candidate put forward by Iraq’s leading Shiite bloc.

This photo obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, on April 21, 2026.

Trump faces three paths ahead in Iran war as Hormuz standoff intensifies

As the Hormuz standoff threatens a global economic chill, Trump must choose between military escalation, seeking a partial deal with Iran, or waiting out the pressure campaign.

Latest News

In defiant message, Iran’s Khamenei threatens US but appeals to Gulf

AFP via Getty Images

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

US blockade tests Iran's limits, but will global pain force Trump’s hand?

QESHM ISLAND, IRAN - APRIL 28: Boats navigate the sea on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's latest proposal for ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz calls on the United States to end its naval blockade of Iran's ports, and sets aside questions about what to do with Iran's nuclear program. The United States has not formally responded to the latest proposal, which was delivered by Iran's foreign minister to Pakistan two days ago. (Photo by Asghar Besharati/Getty Images

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 Aug. 4, 2022, shows the closed main gate to Beit Hanun at the Erez crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip.

Israel airstrikes kill Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza

Detecting military regrouping, Israel’s air force struck this afternoon several Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza and killed the head of its northern district command.

Passengers arriving from the United States walk with their luggage at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Lod, Israel, Nov. 1, 2021.

US urges Israel to expedite legislation needed for visa waiver

A senior official at the US Embassy in Jerusalem warned that if the Knesset waits until after the Nov. 1 elections to pass legislation required for the American visa-waiver plan, the wait for entering the program could be very long.

Turkey frees Palestinian man in Haiti assassination saga

A Palestinian man suspected of involvement in the slaying of Haiti’s president last year has left Turkey after winning a protracted legal battle over his detention in the country.

A People's Liberation Army air force WZ-7 high-altitude reconnaissance drone is seen a day before the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China, Sept. 27, 2021.

Drones used by Iran-backed militias are coming from China, US says

Senior US official accuses Beijing of playing both sides in the Middle East’s race for drone technology.

Israeli Prime Minister and Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid speaks during the party's opening election campaign rally ahead Israel's general elections, Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 3, 2022.

Israel launches airstrikes against Islamic Jihad in Gaza

Three months before the Nov. 1 elections, and following growing tensions on Gaza border, Prime Minister Yair Lapid decided to respond forcefully to Islamic Jihad threats.

This picture taken on May 2, 2021, shows a view of the Amur-class Russian navy repair ship PM-138 docked at the port of the Sudanese city of Port Sudan.

Russia eyes Port Sudan as key naval hub

Russia-Sudan ties have deepened since the October 2021 military takeover in Sudan and the Russia-Ukraine war.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Russian Orthodox Church builds on links with Egyptian Copts

Egypt's Giza governorate now hosts an administrative and spiritual center for the Russian Orthodox Church.

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr wave flags as they occupy the Iraqi parliament for a sixth consecutive day, in protest at a nomination for prime minister by a rival Shiite faction, Green Zone, Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 4, 2022.

Muqtada al-Sadr complicates Iranian moves in Iraq

Iranians from different sides look at Iraq's Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s recent move with suspicion.

Beirut silo

Lebanese mourn, seethe as damaged and neglected Beirut port silos fall

Victims of the Beirut blast can only watch as the port’s ruined grain silos – an unofficial monument to those killed and a symbol of denied justice – have begun to collapse after two years of indecision from government authorities.

Yemen Houthi

US calls on Yemen's Houthis to release embassy staff

US Special Envoy Yemen Tim Lenderking said the rebels' detention of US and UN staff "sends an extremely negative signal."

SERGEI SAVOSTYANOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan hopes Putin summit will greenlight Turkey's new Syria operation

Ankara’s central role in facilitating the Russia-Ukraine grain deal could strengthen its hand in securing Moscow’s acceptance of a Turkish military incursion.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, Akile Saleh.

After years of hostility, Turkey forges ties with eastern Libya

Turkey’s hosting of the head of Libya’s eastern-based parliament sets a meaningful landmark in its bid to reshape its Libya policy.