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

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Politics & Security

Iranian ambassador Mohammad Reza Sheibani

In shift, Lebanon grants Iranian ambassador residency extension

Mohammad Reza Sheibani’s visa was set to expire early Tuesday morning and he was first ordered to leave in March.

Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon fighter aircraft

China holds second air drill with Egypt: What to know

China is seeking to strengthen ties with Egypt and Gulf states, including via joint air drills.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander-in-chief Mazloum Kobane speaks during a press conference in Syria's northeastern city of Hasakeh on Dec. 6, 2024.

Explainer

SDF chief Kobane’s Damascus visit a high wire act for Syria’s Kurds

The SDF says its integration with Damascus is complete, but major questions remain over its fighters, weapons and the future of Kurdish self-rule.

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent addresses the audience during opening remarks at the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism at the State Department on July 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. Bessent spoke alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller as they discussed the rise of far-left political terrorism as a transnational threat. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

In 'warning shot,' US threatens sanctions on Iran’s trading partners

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said countries were given "defined timelines" to halt business with Iran or face US sanctions.

Latest News

Houthis claim strike on Saudi oil tanker off Yanbu: What to know

Supporters of Yemen's Houthi rebel movement carry a mock rocket as they demonstrate in the capital, Sanaa, to denounce a reported air strike by the Saudi-led coalition on a prison in the country's rebel-held north, on Jan. 21, 2022.

Ex-defense minister: Israel in ‘worst possible’ Gaza situation as Hamas gains strength

Palestinian militant group Hamas police officers stand guard as people attend the opening of the Fatah party's eighth general conference at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City on May 14, 2026.

US lifts Syria's terror designation after 47 years

ANKARA, TURKEY - JULY 08: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) meets with Ahmed al-Sharaa, President of Syria (L) for bilateral talks at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 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 Win McNamee/Getty Images)

In Lebanon, Italy proposes robust multinational force to replace UNIFIL: What to know

ALINE DESCHAMPS/Middle East Images/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

Media staff members watch a live image of China's President Xi Jinping speaking at the media center of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, Kunming, Yunnan province, China, Oct. 12, 2021.

China expands its influence in Horn of Africa, overlooks dispute over Nile dam

The agenda of the first African tour made by the newly appointed Chinese envoy to the Horn of Africa did not tackle the controversial GERD dispute between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.

Syrians wave the flag of Russia.

Pro-Russia rallies continue throughout Syria

Syria has been one of the most vocally supportive countries of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (2R).

Will Ukraine crisis help Turkey dodge Western arms embargoes?

Drawing on the role of Turkish drones in bolstering Ukraine’s defense, Erdogan has urged NATO partners to lift restrictions on military sales to Turkey. But US sanctions remain a tough row to hoe.

A general view shows the interior of the Iraqi parliament building, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 27, 2020.

Cross-sectarian bloc emerges in Iraq

As none of the political coalitions are able to hold a legal session for selecting the president that requires two-thirds of the members, the Iraqi political scene is facing a deadlock.

Members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran FM says IRGC sanctions 'red line' for Vienna talks

Iran’s foreign minister has issued a clarification stating that sanctions on the IRGC must be removed before Tehran agrees to a new Iran deal in Vienna talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (R) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Terror attacks in Israel turn settlers against Bennett

Disillusioned by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the leaders of the settlers are now campaigning against what they perceive as an unprecedented freeze of settlement construction in the West Bank.

Members of the Syrian National Army, an alliance of Turkey-backed rebel groups, ride in an armored personnel carrier in the town of Sarmin as they take part in a military offensive on the village of Nayrab following an artillery barrage fired by Turkish forces, near Idlib, Syria, Feb. 24, 2020.

Syrian Christian militia leader ready to join Russian forces in Ukraine war

The leader of a Syrian Christian militia loyal to the Syrian government is mobilizing fighters willing to fight in Ukraine alongside the Russian army by luring them with high salaries.

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) welcomes Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani.

Goals of Israeli-Arab summit go beyond Iran

While the foreign ministers of Israel, the United States and four Arab Gulf nations emphasized cooperation on containing Iran, their meeting also seems aimed at boosting Israel's role in regional affairs.

Negev Summit

Israeli, Arab summit seeks 'new regional architecture' against Iran

Washington's top diplomat reassured Arab allies and Israel that the US would continue to work with them to confront threats posed by Iran and its proxy militias.

Staff of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission display electoral lists ahead of the upcoming general elections, at the commissions local offices in Ramallah, West Bank, April 6, 2021.

West Bank local elections bring Hamas, PFLP closer

Local elections in the West Bank seem to have boosted ties between Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which are running as allies.

Montélimar power plant

Ukraine war could delay Egypt’s first nuclear power plant

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Egypt's vote in favor of a UN resolution condemning Moscow could possibly throw a wrench into the Dabaa nuclear plant project, a joint project with Russian companies.

Egyptians carry the coffin of a soldier who was killed a day earlier in the restive Sinai Peninsula in an attack claimed by the Islamic State, during a funeral ceremony in the 10th of Ramadan city, north of Cairo, Egypt, July 8, 2017.

Islamic State affiliate in Sinai steps up attacks under new leader

Since the radical Islamic State-affiliate Wilayat Sinai pledged allegiance to the new IS leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, it intensified its operations in northern Sinai, where they are confronting local tribes.