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Israel

July 12, 2026

Tel Aviv 11:46 pm

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Analysis

As US-Iran fighting resumes, Israel weighs 3 options with restraint winning, for now

Despite Israel's military readiness to resume strikes on Iran, officials say looming elections make Netanyahu more likely to stay out unless Tehran forces his hand.

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

Former Israeli army chief of staff Gadi Eizenkot speaks during the launch of the Yashar party's election campaign in Hod Aharon, in central Israel, on June 30, 2026.

New Israeli election poll puts Eisenkot ahead of Netanyahu: What to know

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party has now bypassed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud in the polls, cementing his status as Netanyahu’s main opponent.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not shown) for bilateral talks at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Trump declares MoU with Iran 'over' as Hegseth cancels trip to Israel

Trump said diplomacy with Tehran was “a waste of time” after renewed attacks around Hormuz, as US defense chief reportedly cancels Israel visit.

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Lebanon's latest damage estimate outlines reconstruction challenge

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Analysis

Trump's F-35 push for Turkey runs into CAATSA — and Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes US President Donald Trump (R) upon his arrival on Air Force One at Etimesgut Air Base near Ankara, on July 7, 2026, before attending the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Israel, Greece conduct military drills ahead of NATO summit in Turkey

ABIR SULTAN / AFP via Getty Images

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

Israeli defense official slams nuclear deal with 'evil' Iran

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Amos Gilad, director of the diplomatic-security bureau of the Israeli Defense Ministry, claims that Iran's acceptance of the recent nuclear deal is just a ploy to continue developing nuclear capabilities.

U.S. Marine Lt. Gen. John Allen shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama at an event in the East Room of the White House in this April 28, 2011 file photo during Obama's announcement that then CIA Director Leon Panetta would be nominated as Secretary of Defense. Former CIA Director David Petraeus will testify November 16, 2012 on Capitol Hill about the recent attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, but is also expected to be asked about his resignation last week over an extramarital a

Allen mission key to Israeli-Palestinian security talks

Gen. John Allen, former commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, quietly pursues the security talks required to support an Israeli-Palestinian agreement.

A protester rolls a burning tyre towards Israeli police during a demonstration showing solidarity with Bedouin Arabs who are against a government displacement plan for Bedouins in the Southern Negev desert in the village of Hura in southern Israel November 30, 2013. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX15YV8

Israel should freeze the Bedouin relocation bill

The Israeli plan to relocate Bedouins cannot be properly discussed before a series of actions to mend the rift between them and Israeli authorities rebuild trust.

Turkish culture popular among Gaza Palestinians

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's support for Palestine, in particular Gaza, has prompted strong interest in Turkish culture among Gazans.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after a ceremony at the United Nations in Geneva November 24, 2013. Iran and six world powers reached a breakthrough agreement early on Sunday to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief, in a first step towards resolving a dangerous decade-old standoff. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX15QM8

Iran deal recasts regional politics

The consequences of the agreement are already extending beyond Iran’s nuclear program.

An Israeli-Saudi axis? Not likely

Saudi Arabia has long been willing to work behind the scenes with Israel against common foes, but the kingdom is uninterested in anything more than the occasional clandestine connection.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - DECEMBER 25: Israeli former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman during the launch of the Likud-Beitenu election campaign on December 25, 2012 in Jerusalem, Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently seen his party lose ground to the right-wing Habayit Hayehudi-National Union party. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

Israel's Foreign Ministry continues to lose relevance

When Foreign Affairs Minister Avigdor Liberman sees diplomacy as a sign of weakness, it's no wonder that his ministry is losing relevance.

A Palestinian man dressed as Santa Claus rings a bell as he stands outside a shop in the West Bank city of Bethlehem December 23, 2007. Bethlehem is about to celebrate its most peaceful -- and profitable -- Christmas since 2000. Tourist levels are the best in seven years, with more than 60,000 people visiting last month compared to about 20,000 a year ago. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK) - RTX4Z3F

Palestinians fight Israeli attempts to claim Bethlehem

Palestine is resisting Israeli attempts to appropriate Bethlehem as the peak Christmas tourism season approaches.

Men work on the roof of a house under construction in the unauthorised Jewish settler outpost of Havat Gilad, south of the West Bank city of Nablus November 5, 2013. Israeli and Palestinian officials said on Tuesday the three-month-old peace talks pressed on them by Washington are going nowhere, painting a grim picture for a visit this week by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Both sides have been airing their frustration over a lack of progress in the U.S.-brokered talks aimed at resolving core issues su

Negotiators must treat Israeli settlements as barriers to peace

David Makovsky, the newest member of the US secretary of state's negotiating team, must realize that the settlement enterprise remains an "intentional, clear and winning" Israeli policy.

Women and girls mourn during the funerals of Palestinian Moussa Makhamra and Khalid al-Najjar in the West Bank village of Yatta, near Hebron November 27, 2013. Israeli security officials said their forces killed three Palestinian militants, including Makhamra and al-Najjar, on Tuesday who were part of an al Qaeda-linked network in the West Bank. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX15UU4

Israeli media miscasts Hebron clashes

The Israeli media has painted a recent confrontation in Hebron as the result of growing radical Islamism in the West Bank despite the lack of evidence for such a cause.

Khader Adnan (C), a member of Islamic Jihad, stands in a vehicle upon his arrival in the West Bank village of Arabe near Jenin after his release from an Israeli prison April 17, 2012. Adnan, a prisoner who refused food for 66 days before agreeing to a deal under which he was released late on Tuesday, was greeted by hundreds of supporters when he reached his hometown in the West Bank. Picture taken April 17, 2012. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR30VOO

Islamic Jihad accuses Palestinian Authority of collusion with Israel

In the aftermath of a security sweep, Islamic Jihad leaders in the West Bank say the Palestinian Authority is working with Israel to crack down on its activities in Jenin.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) lays a rose on the coffin of Israeli singer Arik Einstein, depicted in the placard, during a memorial ceremony before his funeral at Rabin square in Tel Aviv November 27, 2013. For many Israelis, nothing symbolised home more than singer Einstein, and on Wednesday a nation mourned the death of its king of cool. Einstein died of a ruptured aneurysm on Tuesday night at the age of 74. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT OBITUARY SOCIETY) - RTX15UZ9

Israeli musical giant Arik Einstein mourned by Israel

Singer Arik Einstein symbolized to Israelis all that was and is beautiful, pure, modest and creative in the country.