Israel - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Israel cover image

Israel

June 29, 2026

Tel Aviv 11:25 pm

25°C

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

Ankara accused Israel of weaponizing history as Armenia avoided public comment amid delicate regional diplomacy.

AFP via Getty Images

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had recovered somewhat before renewed fighting between Iran and the United States saw traffic drop sharply over the weekend.

A car drives past an United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) outpost in the village of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, southern Syria, April 29, 2026.

Syria slams Israeli 'violations' in south as ground clashes intensify: What to know

In a rare incident, the Israeli military said it fired at armed men in southern Syria, without identifying the attackers.

Latest News

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, back) looks on as (L/R, front row) Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. Lebanon, Israel and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP

Iran vows to respond to Israeli military using neighboring airspace: What to know

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha

Vance

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

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

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

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

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

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Rina Bassist

Associate Editor (Israel)

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel speaks during his meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem April 25, 2017. REUTERS/ Ronen Zvulun - RTS13UDU

How confronting Germany bolsters Netanyahu’s status

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no limits in his battle for personal popularity; he attacks anti-occupation groups, foreign friendly leaders and even the State Comptroller.

How North Korea nuke crisis affects Israel

Israeli intelligence believes that North Korea, Syria and Iran are collaborating on the development of missile systems and nuclear programs.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTS13I6K

Did Netanyahu's ultimatum to German foreign minister pay off?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel of provocation by meeting with anti-occupation organizations during a visit to Israel.

An Israeli soldier passes a demonstration by left-wing Israelis calling on army recruits to refuse to serve in the Palestinian territories, as they protest outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv 18 March 2004. AFP PHOTO/Tal COHEN (Photo credit should read TAL COHEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Who in Israel decides who must enlist in the army?

Israel allows Orthodox men and women to avoid IDF drafting, but imprisons conscientious objectors who refuse to enlist in the occupation army.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin lays a wreath during a ceremony marking the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, in Jerusalem April 24, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTS13NJX

How Israel’s president is shifting his country’s worldview

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin objects to the worldview where all threats to Israel are considered through the prism of the Holocaust, as preached by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Abbas versus Barghouti, Round 2

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is furious at Fatah activists who called for a Day of Rage five days before he is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump.

A worshipper holds crosses inside the Church of Holy Sepulchre during a Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City April 14, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTX35J9I

Congress-mandated panel accused of whitewashing Israeli discrimination against Christians

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom is under fire from one of its own.

The real reason behind Netanyahu's shameful silence

It took Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu four days to apologize to bereaved families over insults by Likud Knesset members.

A portrait of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad on January 19 at the entrance of the village of Hadar in the Syrian side of Golan Heights close to Mount Haramoun which is a stratigic site that Israel occupied with Golan Heights in 1967.The Golan is at the centre of Syrian-Israeli peace negotiations. - RTXJG3W

Help comes with dangerous strings for Syrian Druze town

The Golan Heights town of Hadar has been suffering essentially siege conditions throughout the Syrian war, surrounded by the warring factions and unfriendly neighbors and manipulated by aid from both the regime and Israel.

Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. Militant Islamist fighters held a parade in Syria's northern Raqqa province to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq, a monitoring service said. The Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot previously known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), posted pictures online on Sunday of people waving black flags from cars

How the IDF is plotting Islamic State's next move

Israeli intelligence expects the Islamic State to relocate after it loses the battles over Mosul and Raqqa.

Left-wing Israeli protesters hold placards during a demonstration against the recent Palestinian-Israeli violence in Tel Aviv, Israel October 9, 2015. In the past 10 days, four Israelis have been shot or stabbed to death in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, and at least a dozen have been wounded by Palestinians wielding knives or screwdrivers in stabbings in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities. Three Palestinians have also been killed, and scores wounded in clashes with Israeli security forces during ston

Why is Israeli Labor shifting back to leftist agenda?

Israel’s Labor Party is returning to its left-wing agenda, readopting the vision of peace of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Israeli policemen remove a pro-settlement activist during the second day of an operation by Israeli forces to evict settlers from the illegal outpost of Amona in the occupied West Bank February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTX2ZACM

Israeli politicians continue silence over settlers attacking IDF

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ignored extreme-right incitement for many years, including a recent attack by the Hilltop Youth group against the Israel Defense Forces.