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

Israel cover image

Israel

April 21, 2026

Tel Aviv 10:13 am

19°C

Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon-Israel negotiations to continue even as Iran talks stall

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also said that Lebanon will lead the negotiations and that no other party will take part, emphasizing that this track is separate from any other talks.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Jerusalem on February 26, 2026. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Netanyahu caved to Trump on Lebanon and what it means for Israel

Israelis express anger that the prime minister's maneuvering to stay out of jail has allowed the US to once again "hijack" foreign policy and national security decision-making.

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

Trump announces Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, will invite Aoun and Netanyahu to White House

The announcement follows landmark talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington on Tuesday.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (C) arrives to attend a cabinet session to discuss an army plan to disarm the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, on September 5, 2025. In August, under heavy US pressure and fearing Israel would intensify its strikes, Lebanon's government ordered the army to draw up a plan for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump, Rubio speak to Lebanon's president amid push for Aoun-Netanyahu call

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received a phone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday amid reports that Aoun is to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Latest News

First round of Lebanon-Israel talks concludes in Washington: What to know

Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Lebanon-Israel talks begin, can Rubio press Netanyahu into ceasefire?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press as he departs Tel Aviv for Qatar following an official visit, at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Lod, Israel, September 16, 2025. Israel heavily bombarded Gaza City on September 16 2025, witnesses told AFP, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new offensive there and its stated goal of eradicating Hamas. (Photo by NATHAN HOWARD / POOL / AFP) (Photo by NATHAN HOWARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

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

Meloni suspends Italy's military cooperation agreement with Israel

Meloni

Uncertainty shrouds Lebanon-Israel talks as Israeli bombardment continues

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Qlaileh on April 13, 2026.

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

Houthi soldiers stand guard on a missile carrier during an official military parade to mark the ninth anniversary of the Houthis' takeover of Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, Sept. 21, 2023.

Iran-backed Houthis emerge as threat to Israel, US amid Gaza war

The Houthis' ability to strike shipping in the Red Sea in the event of an expansion of the Israel-Hamas war makes them a factor in global geopolitics.

Gaza rubble

Analysis

Gaza needs integration, not isolation, after Israel-Hamas war

Also, our exclusive reporting from Lebanon, Iraq and the West Bank.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

Israeli Merkava tanks take part in a military drill near the border with Lebanon in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel on Oct. 26, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli invasion of Gaza threatens to collapse Washington's Middle East strategy

The Biden administration thought painstaking diplomacy could contain Iran and, by extension, its proxies in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. But by papering over the Palestinian question, Washington handed its adversary a strategic opportunity.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken listens on as US President Joe Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wait to make statements before a meeting in Tel Aviv

The Israel-Hamas War: Live Q&A with Jared Szuba & Elizabeth Hagedorn

In case you missed it, you can now watch the full webinar.

Israeli army soldiers are positioned with their Merkava tanks near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, Oct. 9, 2023

Analysis

Israel's Gaza ground operation delayed over US preparations, possible hostage deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must wait for the Americans to complete military preparations in the region and for the Qataris to broker a deal for the liberation of hostages before a ground operation in Gaza.

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

Eyup Kadir Inan

Official boycott, sit-ins target Starbucks in Turkey amid protests against Israel

The decision by Turkey’s state-run rail company to stop selling Starbucks products in its dining cars marked the first official boycott targeting an international brand over the Israel-Hamas war.

Smoke and fire rise from buildings as people gather amid the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Gaza City on Oct. 26, 2023, as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.

Day 21 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Oct. 27

A smoke plume covers the sun during a forest fire that reportedly ignited after shell fire from Israel, in the Labouneh area in southern Lebanon close to the border with northern Israel, on October 26, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Will Lebanon's Hezbollah change rules of engagement on Israel to aid Hamas?

Hezbollah has been careful not to escalate the situation along Israel's northern border beyond the accepted norms, but the situation could change quickly depending on events in Gaza.

Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan is seen on a TV monitor.

Israel considers denying visas for UN officials

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rejects Israel's claim that he justified the Hamas attacks.

Israel says it is seeking to totally destroy Gaza's Hamas rulers after the deadly October 7 attacks which caused the worst bloodshed in Israel's history

Day 20 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Oct. 26

Gaza refugees

‘They have no answers’: Americans trapped in Gaza wait for US help

Hundreds of US citizens are stranded in the Gaza Strip despite a US-led diplomatic effort to open the border to aid deliveries.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, Oct. 25, 2023.

Qatar ‘hopeful’ about hostage talks with Hamas as Turkey warns of regional shockwaves

As Qatar expresses hope for the release of more Israeli hostages, Turkey’s top diplomat has warned Israel against a ground invasion.