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Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun delivers a speech during a meeting of Pope Leo XIV with authorities, civil society and diplomatic corps at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital Beirut, on November 30, 2025. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images)

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Last Updated: April 17, 2026, 2:32 pm

Aoun says Lebanon seeks 'permanent agreements' with Israel after White House invite

Aoun says Lebanon is entering a “new stage” of negotiations with Israel focused on “permanent agreements” following a US-brokered ceasefire and a White House invitation extended to both him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Lebanon

STRAIT OF HORMUZ - NOVEMBER 19: In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits the Strait of Hormuz as an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from the Nightdippers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 lifts off from the flight deck November 19, 2019. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the M

'The reach is global': Pentagon vows pursuit of ships tied to Iran trade

A top admiral said the US Navy will pursue any vessels "providing material support to Iran" anywhere in the world.

United States

MUSCAT, OMAN - MARCH 25: Locals take photos of two bulk carriers anchored at Muscat Anchorage on March 25, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which conveys about 20% of the world's oil and gas, has mostly come to a halt after the joint U.S.-Israeli war with Iran that began on February 28. Iran, in a defiant reply to a ceasefire proposal from the United States, has claimed that sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz "is its natural and legal right." Under international law, t

Iran says Strait of Hormuz 'completely open' to ships

Iran’s foreign minister said on Friday that commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will remain secure for the duration of the Israel-Lebanon truce.

Iran

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Jerusalem on February 26, 2026. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Netanyahu caved to Trump on Lebanon and what it means for Israel

Israelis express anger that the prime minister's maneuvering to stay out of jail has allowed the US to once again "hijack" foreign policy and national security decision-making.

By Ben Caspit

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

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish Presient Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey April 17, 2026.

Sharaa distances Syria from Iran war, says Israel talks ongoing: What to know

Negotiations with Israel "have not reached a dead end, but they are progressing with great difficulty” Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Syria

Latest News

Trump announces Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, will invite Aoun and Netanyahu to White House

Lebanon

Analysis

How long can Iran's economy weather US naval blockade?

By Jack Dutton

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Interview

Minister warns aid cuts to Lebanon risk empowering Hezbollah

Haneen Sayyed

Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs

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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten (not pictured), after the Four Freedoms Awards ceremony, in Middelburg, Netherlands, April 16, 2026. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

Ukraine's Zelenskiy calls for joint efforts to set up Hormuz mission

Reuters

Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained by federal agents in the town of Somerville, Massachusetts in March 2025

Turkish doctoral student detained by US immigration returns home

Agence France-Presse

A satellite image shows the ship movement at the Strait of Hormuz on April 17, 2026, in Space. EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2/Handout via REUTERS

Significant differences remain between Iran-US, including on nuclear issues, senior Iranian official says

Reuters

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun attends a press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (not pictured), at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanon president says future deal will not cede territory

Reuters

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The AL-MONITOR Brief

Is the Gulf relieved or cautious as Trump and Iran declare Strait of Hormuz “fully open”?

Jack Dutton and Francesco Schiavi joins Adam Lucente

17 April, 4:22 PM ET

24:33

The AL-MONITOR Brief

Trump declares Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, but will it last?

Rina Bassist and Beatrice Farhat joins Adam Lucente

16 April, 6:11 PM ET

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On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

Lebanon’s Ghassan Salame: Israel talks ‘not negotiations,’ Hezbollah disarmament by force ‘illusion’

Ghassan Salame joins Amberin Zaman

13 April, 3:47 PM ET

33:33

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Despite Trump’s U-turns, US may still support Iran’s Kurds, says Komala’s Mohtadi

A armed Kurdish Peshmerga of the Komala party waves the Komala flag in a ceremony held in memory of Komala Martyrs' Day in Sidakan, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on March 17, 2021.

Abdulla Mohtadi

Leader of Komala

Interview

Ghassan Salame says Lebanon-Israel talks ‘not negotiations,’ Hezbollah disarmament by force ‘illusion’

Ghassan Salame

Lebanese Culture Minister

Interview

Ex-Israeli security official: Netanyahu pushed US, Israel into Iran war without imminent threat

Interview

Minister warns aid cuts to Lebanon risk empowering Hezbollah

Haneen Sayyed

Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs

Analysis

Stay a step ahead of your colleagues.

Analysis

Why Netanyahu caved to Trump on Lebanon and what it means for Israel

By Ben Caspit

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

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

Survival first: Will Iran soften red lines in US talks to consolidate war gains?

People walk past a wall mural along the roadside in Tehran on April 12, 2026.

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

How long can Iran's economy weather US naval blockade?

By Jack Dutton

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Joyce Karam, Randa Slim, Hamidreza Azizi, Hasan Alhasan

Iran War at One Month: Outlook and Implications

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sits across from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy capitalizes on Iran war to ink security deal with Saudi Arabia

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Joe Snell appears on a street wearing a black jacket; in the frame next to it, a woman with blonde hair, glasses, and a black blazer appears on a laptop screen from a Zoom meeting.

French ISIS Member Convicted of Genocide Against Yazidis

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Ezgi Akin at Turkey's Kapikoy border crossing

AL-MONITOR's Ezgi Akin at Turkey-Iran Border Crossing

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Past

AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosts food security forum with Dr. Conrad Rein

On October 16, 2025, the AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosted Dr. Conrad Rein, Secretary of the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, alongside representatives from multilateral development banks and the private sector for a discussion on food security in the Middle East and Africa.

Washington, DC

October 16, 2025 11:00 EDT

Past

AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosts Digital Cooperation Organization Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya

On Sept. 21, 2025, the AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosted Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, for a discussion on digital inclusion and economic empowerment in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

New York, NY

September 21, 2025 17:00 EDT

Past

Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani at AL-Monitor Global Institute

AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosts Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright

On May 22, 2025, the AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosted Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in Washington DC to discuss the future of power and energy in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Washington, DC

May 22, 2025 10:30 EDT

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