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Politics & Security

This aerial view shows residents waving Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognizing Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on Dec. 26, 2025.

Somalia’s president heads to Turkey as Israel’s Somaliland recognition rattles region

The Somali leader’s visit comes amid a heightened Turkish-Israeli rivalry, fueled by Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, in the region and beyond.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

At Mar-a-Lago, Netanyahu seeks Iran strike approval while Trump presses Gaza plan

US President Donald Trump is expected to push Israel to enter the second phase of his Gaza peace plan, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will focus on securing Trump’s approval for a potential strike on Iran’s ballistic missile program.

Turkish naval forces patrol vessel TCG F 500 and an unidentified submarine (back) sail during a military naval parade on the Bosphorus in Istanbul on Oct. 29, 2023.

Analysis

Turkey's defense sector enters 2026 with naval progress — and unresolved vulnerabilities

A year marked by regional wars, drone incursions and major arms exports has left Turkey confronting a familiar dilemma: how to turn ambition and prototypes into real deterrence without the budget to fully sustain them.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Analysis

From looming war to currency crash: Iran ends 2025 on edge

Bahram / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

2025: Why Gulf defense megadeals finally met reality

Saudi Air Force advanced F-15SA fighter jets perform during a ceremony in Riyadh on Jan. 25, 2017.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Analysis

In 2025, Hezbollah was weakened in Lebanon, but unlikely to disarm in 2026

Supporters of Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah carry the coffins of militants killed in recent Israeli attacks during their funeral in the southern city of Nabatiyeh on November 2, 2025. Hundreds of people gathered in south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh on November 2, 2025 to mourn five Hezbollah members killed in recent Israeli attacks, an AFP correspondent said, as Israel warned of intensifying attacks against the Iran-backed group. On November 1, an Israeli strike killed four people in Kfar Rumman, Nabati

Beatrice Farhat

By Beatrice Farhat

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Analysis

Gaza realities test Trump’s 2025 Middle East ambitions

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

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

Bibi

Netanyahu ends US visit with no Gaza deal but progress on reconstruction

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has departed Washington with little to show for his meetings with President Donald Trump.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit down for a meeting at the Pentagon on July 09, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia.

US strikes on Iran included F-22s, F-35s, Hegseth says

Netanyahu expressed gratitude for the US' long-range bombing of Iran's key nuclear sites, but failed to earn a public endorsement from Washington for further Israeli strikes on Iran.

Supporters of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood take part in a protest in the village of Sweimeh.

Jordan targets charities for alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties: What to know

Jordan banned the Muslim Brotherhood in April and arrested some senior members of the related Islamic Action Front last month.

Palestinian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Varsen Aghabekian speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza in light of ceasefire and hostage release at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Jan. 20, 2025.

Exclusive

Palestinian FM: Ready to work with Trump; Saudi payments to PA resumed

Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian told Al-Monitor in first such interview since taking the position that Palestinian officials are ready to "work closely" with President Donald Trump for a negotiated settlement.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images

US envoy Barrack pushes deal between Syria's Sharaa, Kurdish commander Kobane

The talks come amid shifting dynamics on the ground and a reduced US military presence in the northeast.

RICCARDO MILANI/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

In first AI crackdown, Turkey blocks access to some Grok content

The access ban marked the first AI content censorship in Turkey, stemming from offensive material targeting the Turkish president, religious values, and the country’s founder.

A S-200 surface-to-air missile system is on display as heavy weaponry, including ballistic missiles, air defense systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, are showcased during an exhibition that marks the 44th anniversary of the 8-year war with Iraq, known as the "Holy Defense Week", in Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran on Sept. 26, 2024.

Analysis

Can China and Russia fill Iran's defense vacuum after 12-day war?

With its air defenses shattered by Israeli strikes in the recent war, Iran is scrambling to rebuild amid growing public doubt over the reliability of its "strategic alliances."

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A Palestinian boy searches for things to rescue at a garbage waste dump in the Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 7, 2025.

White House upbeat about Gaza deal as Hamas signals impasse

US envoy Steve Witkoff said Israel and Hamas could agree to a 60-day truce and the release of 10 living hostages by the end of the week.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on July 8, 2025, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Iran FM visits Saudi Arabia as kingdom makes push for regional diplomacy

The meeting in Mecca comes as Saudi Arabia steps up its diplomatic engagement with key global powers with the aim of managing regional tensions.