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

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas walks to welcome Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko at the Palestinian Authority leadership compound, Ramallah, West Bank, Nov. 15, 2007.

Palestinian Authority remains neutral on Ukraine

The Palestinian Authority adheres to the principle of neutrality in the Russian war on Ukraine, but Palestinians do not hold back in criticizing the double standards of the West, imposing sanctions on Russia, while turning a blind eye to Israel’s war against them for 74 years.

KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images

Lawmakers urge US action on Syria's crisis-hit Rukban camp

The Biden administration faces congressional pressure to help desperate civilians stranded in the Syrian camp near Jordan.

JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images

Iran says Ukraine war will not impede nuclear talks

Iran is seeking details on comments made by Russia about sanctions and the nuclear talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett gives a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said a new Iran nuclear agreement "cannot be postponed any longer," at the King David Hotel, Jerusalem, March 2, 2022.

Israel calculates Ukraine war's influence on Iran nuclear talks

Israel follows closely on Russian warnings against US-Ukraine sanctions affecting the emerging Iran-nuclear deal.

Ukraine resistance

As West rallies around Ukraine, Palestinians see double standard

While Palestinians have lauded Ukrainian efforts to resist Russia's invasion, they lament a double standard in the West toward their own efforts to resist occupation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during their meeting, in Sochi, Russia, Oct. 22, 2021.

Israel’s Bennett undertakes diplomatic blitz on Ukraine

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spent the weekend in Moscow and Berlin, and talking either in person or on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Palestinian Khader Adnan, who staged a 56-day hunger strike while being detained for a year without charge by Israeli authorities and who Israel says is a member of Islamic Jihad, lies on a bed as he is treated at the Makassed hospital in East Jerusalem, July 15, 2015.

Assassination attempt on Islamic Jihad leader escalates tensions with Palestinian Authority

Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank Khader Adnan was subjected to an assassination attempt in Nablus, raising speculation about the possible role of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Jailed Egyptian activists on hunger strike to protest pretrial detention

Twelve Egyptian political prisoners who have been in pretrial detention for years are now on hunger strike.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with Chechnya's head Ramzan Kadyrov.

Jihadis in Idlib bash Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov for role in Ukraine war

Chechen jihadis in Syria seek to join the forces defending Ukraine against Russia while condemning the participation of pro-Russian and leader of Russia's Chechnya region Ramzan Kadyrov in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images

New Sudanese press union takes shape

Sudanese journalism bodies have signed a draft charter to establish a new union in a win for post-coup press freedom.

People gather around a damaged building in the Turkish-controlled city of al-Bab in Syria's northern Aleppo province on the border with Turkey on Feb. 2, 2022, following reported artillery shelling.

Residents in north Syria grow angry at Turkish-backed rebels over rise in bombings

The wave of assassinations reflects the failure of the Turkish-backed opposition factions to secure the area in north Syria, while their members are accused of facilitating these operations by turning a blind eye on smuggling operations from regime and Kurdish-held areas.

Western wall

Ultra-Orthodox, Reformist Jews clash over prayer space at Western Wall

Progressive Judaism activists from Israel and the US are demanding Prime Minister Naftali Bennett implement the compromise on an egalitarian mixed-prayer space by the Western Wall, as was agreed under the former government.