Refugees

From Egypt to Lebanon: What’s at stake for regional states on Trump’s visa ban list?

The State Department claimed that citizens from the affected countries are more likely to use social welfare services at a high rate.

TOPSHOT - Syrian and Lebanese people in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli celebrate on December 9, 2024, after Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Fathi AL-MASRI / AFP) (Photo by FATHI AL-MASRI/AFP via Getty Images)

Clashes and protests in Lebanon over Syria's anniversary: What we know

As celebrations erupted in Lebanon to commemorate the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Hezbollah supporters held counter-rallies.

A boy sits outside the entrance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) building complex in Gaza City, on Sept. 6, 2025.

Interview

UNRWA plans Turkey office to boost Gaza, Syria aid as pledges dip

Speaking exclusively to Al-Monitor, UNRWA’s Tamara Alrifai said the upcoming Turkey office would help the agency to expand its operations not only in Gaza but also in Syria.

Tamara Alrifai

A South African Airways (SAA) flight is seen on the tarmac before departing from the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Sept. 23, 2021.

After 13 hours, 150 Gazans allowed to enter South Africa: What to know

The group were reportedly stranded for several hours after opting to leave the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

Latest News

Culture

London photography exhibition documents daily life in wartorn Gaza

Against erasures

Lebanon begins disarming Palestinian factions after refugee camp hands over weapons

Lebanese army soldiers are stationed at the Burj al-Barajneh camp for Palestinian refugees in Beirut's southern suburbs on Aug. 21, 2025, as armed Palestinian groups in the refugee camps start handing over their weapons.

Taliban slams Iran after 1.8M Afghans deported in past 3 months: What to know

Afghan refugees are pictured at the Islam Qala border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran on June 28, 2025, following their deportation from Iran.

Analysis

How Iran’s Afghan expulsions signal new era in national security policing

Afghan migrants who were living in Iran as refugees deboard a bus after being deported back to Afghanistan at the zero point between Afghanistan and Iran in the Herat province on Feb. 23, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

This photograph shows Paris 2024 Olympics Games banner in front of the National Assembly, in Paris, on July 18, 2024.

Culture

From Egypt to Saudi: Meet Middle East's athletes at Paris Olympics

Burgeoning Iraqi soccer star Ali Jasim and 2020 Israeli gold medal–winning gymnast Artem Dolgopyat are among the most-known competitors from the region.

Migrants from Tunisia and Lybia arrive onboard of an Italian Guardia Costiera (Coast Guard) boat in the Italian Pelagie Island of Lampedusa on Aug. 1, 2020.

Analysis

As Europe's far right surges, North Africa immigration takes center stage

The election of far-right politicians in power across Europe will impact EU policy toward North Africa, which has proven to be an invaluable energy partner since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

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

A man rides a motorcycle near a burning Turkish truck during protests against Turkey in al-Bab, in the northern Syrian opposition held region of Aleppo on July 1, 2024.

4 dead in northern Syria protests following Turkey's anti-refugee riots

The riots targeting Syrian refugees in central Turkey have led to anti-Turkey protests in northern Syria.

Exterior view of the U.S. Capitol building prior to a roundtable discussion on Supreme Court Ethics conducted by Democrats of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on June 11, 2024 in Washington, DC.

House spending bill erases UNRWA, Gaza pier funding, blocks refugee resettlement

President Joe Biden has threatened to veto the House-passed State, Foreign Operations bill if it reaches his desk.

Sudanese drivers rest on May 14, 2023 after transporting evacuees from Sudan into Egypt, in Wadi Karkar village near Aswan.

Egyptian authorities arbitrarily arresting Sudanese, Amnesty says

The alleged mass arrests and forced expulsions of Sudanese coincide with the raging war in Sudan, where fears of foreign interference are growing.

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Real or ruse, Hamas' yes to cease-fire proposal catches Netanyahu off guard

Caught by surprise by the Palestinian militant group agreeing to an Egyptian deal, the Israeli prime minister has opted for a limited incursion into eastern Rafah.

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

People from states of Khartoum and al-Jazira, displaced by the ongoing conflict in Sudan between the army and paramilitaries, queue to receive aid from a charity organisation in Gedaref on December 30, 2023. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Sudan’s Burhan arrives in Libya as war leaves more than 8 million displaced

Eastern Libya-based military strongman Khalifa Hifter has been accused of fueling the conflict in neighboring Sudan by sending weapons and other supplies to paramilitary forces fighting the Sudanese army.

People who fled war-torn Sudan wait at a railway station in the Egyptian city of Aswan on April 28, 2023.

How Egypt’s takeover of UNHCR asylum claims will impact vulnerable refugees

The Egyptian government is preparing to assume the role of registering and determining asylum claims, which could have drastic consequences for people seeking asylum in Egypt.

School Lebanon

In south Lebanon, schools resume classes as displaced shelter inside

Hezbollah steps in as municipalities struggle to respond to the growing number of displaced.

This picture taken from the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing over Gaza City following Israeli strikes on Jan. 1, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 16, 2024, 10:31 am

Live Updates: Attacks in Red Sea, Israel as Gaza death toll passes 24,000

Gaza City was hit with more airstrikes on Monday as Gaza authorities say the death toll has passed 24,000.

Zaid Abdulnasser

As Germany expands anti-Hamas raids, a Palestinian activist fights against deportation

Caught in a web of geopolitics, migration policy and Germany’s growing attempts to contend with pro-Palestinian speech, Zaid Abdulnasser is fighting a battle to avoid deportation from his new home.

BERLIN, GERMANY - OCTOBER 17: Jordanian King Abdullah II and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not pictured) speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery on October 17, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The two leaders are meeting shortly before Scholz's departure for Israel and Egypt. Israel is seemingly on the verge of invading Gaza following the harrowing attacks by Hamas fighters in Israel that left over 1,300 people dead. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel-Jordan ties, peace treaty tested by Gaza war, deepening divide

Jordan has recalled its ambassador to Israel, but for the moment it is not considering severing diplomatic ties, say Israeli experts.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs