Iran-Israel conflict

A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (R) holds a signed "Make America Great Again" hat while (L-R) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad listen to US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys at a new round of peace talks Thursday, with Beirut seeking a one-month extension of a

Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

Some Israelis worry the US president might force them to accept an unsatisfactory agreement driven by his inability to secure a tangible achievement in Iran.

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

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds the hand of his wife Sara as they attend a ceremony commemorating Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers, or Yom HaZikaron, at the Military Cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's Netanyahu says he was treated for prostate cancer: What we know

The prime minister said he postponed the report’s publication to prevent it from being released at the height of the war with Iran.

Refueling trucks are seen at Southend Airport on April 17, 2026, in Southend, England.

Which airlines are cutting flights amid Hormuz fuel disruption?

European and Asian airlines have been most impacted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is throttling jet fuel supplies.

Latest News

Kuwait acquits journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin after 7 weeks in detention

Ahmed Shihab‑Eldin attends the Opening Night during the Doha Film Festival 2025 on Nov. 20, 2025 in Doha, Qatar.

Who is Ahmad Vahidi, IRGC chief and hard-liner against nuclear compromise?

Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi speaks at a candidates' registration office in Tehran on May 30, 2024, during the first day of registration ahead of the country's presidential election.

How are Iran-linked tankers still moving through Hormuz blockade?

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images

Iran seizes two cargo ships in Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire

Fishing and cargo ships and ferries are pictured in the Gulf off the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, which is the main base of the Islamic Republic's navy and has a strategic position on the Strait of Hormuz, on April 29, 2019.

JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon FM says Israel may strike Beirut airport in war with Hezbollah

Lebanon’s top diplomat said Beirut has received warnings that Israel would strike the country’s airport in a war with Hezbollah as the specter of a military confrontation between the group’s ally, Iran, and the United States looms.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands amid debris outside the Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beersheba, after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran on June 19, 2025. Israel's defence minister warned that Iran's supreme leader "can no longer be allowed to exist" after a hospital was hit in an Iranian missile strike on June 19, spiking tensions in the week-old war. (Photo by Marc Israel SELLEM / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Despite warnings from Israel's defense elite, Netanyahu pushes for Iran strike

Although Israeli advisers warn against appearing to drag the US into war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not hidden his desire to help topple the Islamic Republic.

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

DENMARK-NORWAY-US-FRANCE-NATO-ARMY-DEFENCE-EXERCISE Picture taken on September 24, 2025 from the French Navy frigate Bretagne shows F-18 fighter jets on the deck of the the world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford as both ships are taking part in the NATO Neptune Strike 2025 exercise in the North Sea. According to NATO, more than 10,000 sailors, soldiers, aviators and marines from 13 allied nations took part in the large-scale multinational enhanced Vigilance Activity, running from September 22 to

US readies warships, jets, tankers for potential weekslong Iran war

Pentagon assembles its largest Middle East strike force since 2003, adding F-35s, F-22s, tankers, electronic-warfare and command planes plus a second carrier.

Joseph EID / AFP via Getty Images

As Hezbollah vows to defend Iran, Lebanon braces for potential spillover

Lebanon once again finds itself preparing for Hezbollah’s involvement in a looming US-Iranian military confrontation.

Members of the Israeli security forces check the apparent remains of an Iranian ballistic missile lying on the ground in the Golan Heights, Northern Israel, on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Photo by Michael Giladi / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by MICHAEL GILADI/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel steps up Iran war preparations, keeps plans within small inner circle

The Israeli military has not yet changed its current guidance for the civilian population.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, March 25, 2025.

Interview

Huckabee confirms US-Israel alignment on Iran, says Hamas will disarm 'sooner or later'

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Al-Monitor in an interview that the 2025 strike on Iranian nuclear sites was only a preview of what the US military is capable of.

Robin MILLARD / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel concerned Iran trying to buy time but sees US strikes as still possible

“We don’t yet know what happened there and hope that the Iranians didn’t string the American team along in order to buy time. The gaps between the sides are enormous and cannot be bridged," a senior Israeli official told Al-Monitor.

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

Steve Witkoff, US special envoy to the Middle East, (C) Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), (L) and Jared Kushner listen as US Vice President JD Vance speaks.

Analysis

Why Trump is betting on military leaders for Iran negotiations

The White House has enlisted senior US military commanders to grease the wheels of complex negotiations with adversaries, but can they help advance Trump's policy demands?

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Analysis

Despite Israeli concerns, sources say Trump giving Iran talks up to 2 months

Leaving Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in the dark over his intentions, sources suggest that US President Trump decided on a deadline for the talks with Iran.

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

US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Analysis

Netanyahu 'skeptical' as Trump doubles down on Iran diplomacy

President Trump says he’d prefer a deal but warns of "traumatic” consequences for Iran if diplomacy fails.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

US military pulls out of Syria’s Al-Tanf garrison in major shift

Initially established as an outpost for US special operators to disrupt the Islamic State's control of the Syria-Iraq border, the base evolved into a key node for the Pentagon's efforts to monitor Iran's expanding military activity in the Levant.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 29: U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump (R) as U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum (2L) and Kathryn Burgum (2R) look on in the Oval Office at the White House on January 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to coordinate a federal government response to drug addiction. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Analysis

Fearing Iran deal, Netanyahu races to US to sway Trump, sidestep Witkoff

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is flying to Washington to persuade President Donald Trump not to forget Iran's ballistic missile project and its proxies in the talks with Tehran.

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