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Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

While the deal with Lebanon allows the Israeli military to maintain a presence there, security experts warn that it also gives the weakened Hezbollah the time it needs to recover.

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

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.

Latest News

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

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

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

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

President-elect Donald Trump, left, and President Barack Obama arrive for Trump's inauguration ceremony at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S. January 20, 2017. REUTERS/J. Scott Applewhite/Pool - RTSWJEB

Was Obama lost opportunity for Iran-US relations?

Iran’s foreign minister believes that recent criticism by Iran’s neighbors stems from their regional failures.

Israeli soldier Elor Azaria is embraced by his mother at the start of is sentencing hearing at a military court in Tel Aviv, Israel February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Hollander/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSZLCK

The Israeli right's judicial shakedown

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has scored a victory in the ongoing campaign of the Israeli right to gain control over the Supreme Court.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and the head of the right-wing Jewish Home party, Naftali Bennett give a press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 6, 2015, to announce the formation of a coalition government. Just ahead of the midnight deadline, Netanyahu managed to put together a narrow majority coalition, comprising his rightwing Likud party with centre-right Kulanu, far-right national-religious Jewish Home and two ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas.

Will settlers bring down Netanyahu again?

Israel's right-wing activists have forgotten the trauma of bringing down the Netanyahu government in 1999 and are willing to threaten the prime minister with leaving the coalition if their demands are not fulfilled.

Freed Palestinian Hamas leader Yehia Sinwar (C) greets supporters following his release from an Israeli jail at a welcome tent near his home in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on October 19, 2011. The Palestinian Hamas movement exchanged Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who spent more than five years of isolation in a Gaza hide-out, for hundreds of Palestinian militants being held in Israeli jails. AFP PHOTO/SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Food vs. guns: Will Hamas chose Egypt or Iran?

The military wing of Hamas in Gaza pressures the new boss Yahya Sinwar to mend ties with Iran, while the residents of the Gaza Strip need the assistance of Egypt against the misery of the long closure.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool - RTSY99U

The real story behind secret Aqaba summit on Mideast peace

According to reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated a year ago in a secret meeting in Aqaba with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Isaac Herzog, co-leader of the Zionist Union party, are pictured together as campaign billboards rotate in Tel Aviv, March 9, 2015. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo - RTSEUAF

Why Israeli opposition head really wanted to join Bibi's government

News of the Aqaba summit and the political and diplomatic events surrounding it lead to the inevitable conclusion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no interest in the two-state vision and a regional peace initiative.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (C) walks with Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi (R) at the prime minister's office at Auberge de Castille in Valletta June 24, 2010.
REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi (MALTA - Tags: POLITICS) MALTA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MALTA - RTR2FNQR

Israel defense minister: We must coordinate moves with Trump

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman confirmed that he still supports a two-state solution, but one involving population as well as land swaps and as one part of a regional agreement.

Moshe Lifschitz of Shtreichman Shtreimelech, holds a shtreimel or traditional fur hat worn by ultra-Orthodox Jews on festive occasions and holy days, at a shop in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighbourhood April 28, 2010. Israel may be the first country in the world to pass a bill banning fur trade within its borders, but ultra-Orthodox parliamentarians who fear it will impinge on religious freedom, are attempting to block the bill. Picture taken April 28, 2010. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: RELIGION POL

Why Israel's ultra-Orthodox are fighting fur ban

A move to ban the sale of fur in Israel is being blocked by ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are hanging on to the tradition of wearing expensive fur hats on the Sabbath and other holy days.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad attends an opening reception of Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Delevopment (CEAPAD) in Tokyo February 13, 2013. Japan co-hosted the CEAPAD with Palestine in Tokyo on Wednesday as a part of efforts toward achieving the Middle East peace, according to the government statement. REUTERS/Issei Kato (JAPAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3DQ69

Who are real losers of US veto at UN against former Palestine PM?

The United States' blocking of Salam Fayyad as an envoy to the UN secretary-general has reminded the world of the former Palestinian prime minister's applauded reputation.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) escorts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into the White House in Washington, U.S., February 15, 2017.REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTSYUJN

Trump's warm embrace of Netanyahu nothing for Jews to celebrate

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revels over his meeting with US President Donald Trump, US and Australian Jews are uncomfortable with his warm relations with a volatile and anti-Muslim leader.

Palestinian Christians learn iconography

The Bethlehem Icon Center is seeking to revive iconography that originated in Palestine, by offering classes for Palestinians and foreigners eager to learn this ancient Christian form of art.

Orthodox Christians hold crosses as they wait along Via Dolorosa before a Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City April 22, 2011. Christians retraced the route Jesus Christ took along the Via Dolorosa to his crucifixion in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: RELIGION) - RTR2LI7U

Egyptian court contradicts church over Jerusalem pilgrimage ban

An Egyptian court issued a ruling whereby Christian employees are allowed a one-month paid vacation to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem, which some see as normalizing relations with Israel.