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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Members and supporters of the Nafas movement take part in an anti-government protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied, chanting "Degage" and calling for political change, in Tunis,Tunisia on August 20,2026. (Photo by Imen Ben Youssef / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)

Tunisia’s water, power crisis fuels growing protests against Saied: What to know

A utility crisis is giving momentum to opposition forces challenging Saied’s grip on power.

Zaidi

Iraq’s Zaidi doubles down on militia disarmament, boosting oil exports

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi made the comments amid Hormuz-related export struggles and a nearing deadline for armed groups to disarm.

ANKARA, TURKEY - JULY 7: U.S. President Donald Trump (L)shakes hands with with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during a formal arrival at the Bestepe Presidential Palace during the NATO summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Emrah Gurel - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel fears Turkey’s Syria ambitions and doubts Trump will stop them

Israeli officials remain skeptical of Turkish and Syrian denials over Ankara’s military ambitions in Syria, warning that a deeper Turkish foothold could threaten Israel’s security and strain its ties with Washington.

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

Latest News

Saudi crown prince heads to France as ties deepen: What to expect

LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

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

Win McNamee/Getty Images

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

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via 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

SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

Infighting in southern Yemen exposes fragility of leadership council

Despite the existence of Yemen’s new leadership in Aden, fierce combat has wreaked havoc in Shabwa province in southern Yemen.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Understanding Iraq's Coordination Framework

The Coordination Framework is an umbrella bloc of Iraqi Shiite parties united mostly by their opposition to the Sadrist movement.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Since UN vote, aid still sparse in northwest Syria

Since the UN approved six more months of cross-border humanitarian aid to northwest Syria, deliveries remain minimal and millions of people are in need.

ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP via Getty Images

Risks of fire, heat stroke soar as heat wave cooks northwest Syria

Displacement camps in northwest Syria are sweltering as a heat wave sweeps the area.

Hamas

Analysis

Did Hamas win Israel-Islamic Jihad war in Gaza?

Hamas, PIJ stir resistance in West Bank; Egypt steps up, again, as mediator.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Palestinians hold candles during a rally amid the ruins of houses allegedly destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, Beit Lahia, Gaza City, Gaza Strip, May 25, 2021.

Relatives remember Gaza women, children killed in Israel-Islamic Jihad war

The recent war waged by Israel against Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip claimed the lives of 15 children and four women, in what the international community condemned.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gather outside the parliament building on the seventh day of protests against the nomination of a rival Shiite faction for the position of prime minister, Green Zone, Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 5, 2022.

What Iraq's rival Shiite forces want

The Shiite political parties are split into two rival camps, the Sadrists and the Coordination Framework, which is far less than unified.

A school girl walks past the Al-Nkhba School.

Israel revokes licenses of six schools in East Jerusalem

Israel has canceled the permanent licenses of six Palestinian schools in East Jerusalem, alleging that their textbooks contain "incitement" against it and its army.

Russia's governor to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mikhail Ulyanov.

Restoring Iran deal may see trade-off between past, present knowledge

Sticking points to kickstarting the Iran nuclear deal include Iran’s "demand that the IAEA end its investigation of uranium particles found at three sites in 2019."

The Star of David sits atop the choral synagogue in Moscow, Russia, July 28, 2022.

How Moscow's campaign against Israel's Jewish Agency could backfire

Moscow’s recent campaign against a Jewish nonprofit closely affiliated with the Israeli government is likely part of a broader strategy to gain concessions from Israel in ongoing bilateral disputes — yet the plan could backfire.

A bank employee leaves the Federal Bank of Lebanon after being held hostage.

Family of man who held up Beirut bank stages protest

Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein took hostages at gunpoint to get his own money out of the bank. Many Lebanese, who are unable to access their savings amid the economic crisis, called him a hero.

An engineer from the Israeli company Commun.it uses his expertise in social media commercial analysis to identify networks of fake users, Bnei Brak, Israel, Jan. 23, 2019.

Israel asks Russia to prevent interference in elections

The Shin Bet requested recently Russia to help block any hacking attempts of the upcoming general elections in Israel.