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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Israeli soldiers react after taking cover near the Israel-Lebanon border following a Hezbollah drone attack that hit the northern border on May 19, 2026. The Israeli military on May 19 warned residents of 12 towns and villages in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate ahead of expected attacks against Hezbollah, the latest despite a ceasefire. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images)

In first, US sanctions Lebanon military, intel officials for aiding Hezbollah

New tranche of sanctions marks a warning shot from Washington as Senate Republicans threaten to freeze funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces if it does not move more aggressively to disarm Hezbollah.

Iranians drive next to a billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi " Science is the power," at the Enqelab Square in Tehran, on Aug. 29, 2025.

US, Iran trade mixed signals on enriched uranium as Tehran weighs response

Speaking on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he would be willing to wait "a couple of days" for Tehran's response to the latest US proposal to end the war.

TOPSHOT - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City on September 22, 2025. (Photo by Bing Guan / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

With sanctions off, what’s keeping Syria on US terror blacklist?

Despite President Donald Trump’s pledge to lift all sanctions on Syria, the country's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism continues to discourage investment.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Israel targets Turkey charity amid Gaza flotilla tensions

The request, published in Israeli media, marks a further escalation in tensions with Turkey amid disputes over Gaza aid operations.

Latest News

Iran’s Hormuz authority declares control over ports in UAE, Oman: What to know

AFP via Getty Images

Ethiopia accuses Egypt of obstructing Red Sea access bid: What to know

TO GO WITH STORY by Peter Martell: "Eritrea-economy-port": A couple of boats and two tug boats can be seen in Eritrea's Red Sea port of Massawa on November 18, 2007. Once one of East Africa's busiest ports, the town is still recovering after being badly bombed in 1990 during Eritrea's war of liberation from Ethiopia. The government is trying to revitalize the port, but efforts are hampered by a sluggish economy and threat of a renewed conflict with Ethiopia. AFP PHOTO/Peter MARTELL (Photo credit should read

Turkish court ousts CHP leadership amid opposition crackdown

Leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ozgur Ozel addresses the audience during a rally in Istanbul on April 9, 2025.

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

TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 31: Members of the British Royal Navy walk near helicopters parked aboard HMS Prince of Wales, the navy's flagship aircraft carrier, during a public ship tour at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal on August 31, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. The aircraft carrier was opened to the public in connection with the UK Carrier Strike Group's (CSG) port call in Tokyo. The group has been in Japan since August 12 for joint training exercises. (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)

Turkey deepens Europe defense ties with UK aircraft deal, German security talks

Turkey-European defense cooperation is deepening as Ankara finalizes a military transport deal with the UK and prepares for high-level defense talks with Germany.

Members of the internal security forces loyal to the Palestinian group Hamas, man a checkpoint in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 12, 2025.

US military says Hamas must 'immediately' halt violence as crackdown targets rivals

The US wants Egyptian and Qatari mediators to rein in Hamas amid skirmishes with rivals and evidence of extrajudicial killings in Gaza.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Under Western pressure, Iran turns to non-aligned bloc for backing in Uganda

Iran’s engagement with the movement comes amid its growing isolation from Western powers.

Gaza

Exclusive

Turkey readies Gaza rescue crews pending final dispatch decision

The dispatch of Turkish search and rescue crews remains pending coordination with other countries and final approval in Ankara.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/AFP via Getty Images

Even as Putin shields Assad, Syria’s Sharaa seeks to 'redefine' Moscow ties

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Moscow in a visit overshadowed by the presence of ousted President Bashar al-Assad in Russia and Moscow’s attempts to maintain its military presence in Syria.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addresses foreign ambassadors to Iran, in Tehran on Oct. 5, 2025.

Defy or engage? Trump’s call for dialogue divides Iran’s political landscape

The Iranian leadership blasted Donald Trump's call for dialogue as "hypocritical," but Reformist voices in the country argue that the overture could offer a rare chance to break the country's deepening diplomatic isolation.

President Donald Trump poses with the signed agreement at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war on Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

With ceasefire on shaky ground, Trump declares Gaza plan’s next phase

Major questions remain unanswered about Gaza’s future governance and security as negotiators turn their attention to the plan’s second phase.

ABDELRAHMAN RASHAD/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

FIFA, Arab League, World Bank: Who's pledging what toward Gaza’s $70B reconstruction?

More than 90% of Gaza’s residential buildings have been damaged, and nearly 70% of all structures have either been severely damaged or leveled over the course of the war.

BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas targets opponents in violent bid to rebuild authority in Gaza

Hamas is targeting what it describes as Israel collaborators and outlaws as part of a display of power following the ceasefire.

Kurds wave Kurdistan Workers' Party flags (PKK) and flags depicting Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, during a demonstration to call for Ocalan's liberation outside the European Council in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Sept. 15, 2025.

Exclusive

PKK leader Ocalan appeals to Iraqi Kurdistan president for help in Turkey peace talks

In a letter shared exclusively with Al-Monitor, the jailed PKK leader asks Barzani to help advance negotiations aimed at ending decades of conflict with Turkey.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture