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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 13, 2026

Tel Aviv 6:14 am

20°C

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

While Israeli and Lebanese delegations are set to meet in Washington for the third time, the Israeli military faces a growing threat from Hezbollah’s cheap yet highly lethal drones.

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

Two men stand next to the burned remains of a Palestinian vehicle in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Susya village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 1, 2026.

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

European foreign ministers have agreed to sanction extremist West Bank settlers, but are still discussing the list of names.

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was not surprised by President Donald Trump’s suspension of Project Freedom and move toward talks with Iran, but analysts say Washington may not be fully weighing Israel's concerns in negotiations with Tehran.

Latest News

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

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

Israel strikes Beirut in breach of Lebanon ceasefire

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs neighborhood of Haret Hreik on May 6, 2026.

Analysis

Israel fears Trump seeking Hormuz win while sidestepping Iran nuclear issue

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

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

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint session of the US Congress on March 3, 2015 at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Netanyahu was invited by House Speaker John Boehner to address Congress without informing the White House. AFP PHOTO/MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Unhappy Netanyahu must now do with Biden

The first portfolio that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to deal with vis-a-vis the new Biden administration is the Iranian file.

Israel in talks for Pfizer's vaccine, official says

US drug company Pfizer said on Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective.

UN agency for Palestinian refugees runs out of money to pay salaries

The announcement comes as the UN body is strained with increased demands and still reeling from a total funding withdrawal imposed by the Trump administration.

Opposition slams Netanyahu for allegedly approving US-Emirates F-35 deal

Opposition members keep slamming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the imminent sale by the United States to the UAE of F-35 stealth jets.

Members of the Armenian community in Israel hold banners in the coastal city of Tel Aviv on November 6, 2020, as they protest against Israel's arms sales to Azerbaijan and Turkey's support to the latter. - Israeli media say that Israel's Elbit Systems has sold Azerbaijan armed drones, which have shifted the military balance in the decades-old dispute in Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenia in October recalled its ambassador from Israel in protest at its weapons sales to Baku. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK G

Armenian-Israelis protest arms sales to Azerbaijan

Israel has kept a low profile on its military dealings with Azerbaijan, but Armenian-Israeli activists have taken the issue to the streets.

Mansour Abbas, Israeli Arab member of the United Arab List party, speaks during a campaign rally for the Joint List political alliance ahead of upcoming September parliamentary elections, in the Arab town of Kafr Yasif in northern Israel on August 23, 2019. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli-Arab lawmaker cooperates with Netanyahu’s Likud

Knesset member Mansour Abbas of the Arab Joint List is willing to cooperate openly with the Likud on matters that are dear to his own constituency.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MARCH 09: In this handout image from the Israeli Government Press Office, L - R US Vice President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu make statements to the press on March 9, 2010 in Jerusalem, Israel. The American Vice-President is in the Middel East to meet Israeli leaders including Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before travelling to Jordan on Thursday. (Photo by Avi Ohayon - GPO via Getty Images)

Netanyahu takes his time on congratulating Biden

Unlike other world leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not congratulate US President-elect Joe Biden immediately after the publishing of the election results, but 12 hours later.

Biden's campaign showed what his Middle East policy may be as president

The former vice president criticized President Donald Trump's sanctions on Iran and also spoke out on Turkey's role in the Azerbaijan-Armenia war leading up to the Nov. 3 vote.

As Biden takes lead, Palestinians eager to return to talks with US

While Palestinian officials don't expect a Biden administration to roll back all of Trump's policies, they are hopeful for a change in course in US-Palestinian ties.

Israeli supporters of US President Donald Trump hammer a sign into the ground during a rally in the northern Israeli city of Karmiel near Haifa on November 3, 2020, to express their support for him during the US presidential election. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Hearts in throats across Israel as US votes tallied

Many Israelis are as emotionally invested in the US elections as though the domestic political contest were their own.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MARCH 09: In this handout image from the Israeli Government Press Office, L - R Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah greets US Vice President Joe Biden on March 9, 2010 in Jerusalem, Israel. The American Vice-President is in the Middel East to meet Israeli leaders including Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before travelling to Jordan on Thursday. (Photo by Avi Ohayon - GPO via Getty Images)

Is Netanyahu ready for Biden?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prefers for Donald Trump to stay in the White House, but will also know how to operate vis-a-vis his old acquaintance Joe Biden.

Israeli soldiers take part in military exercises near the northern Elyakim area on October 14, 2020, during a simulation to protect the country's northern border. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP) (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden win means war with Iran, warns Israeli minister

Israel's settlements minister is one of the many officials who want Donald Trump to retain the US presidency, in large part because of his Iran policies.