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Israel

May 2, 2026

Tel Aviv 7:09 am

14°C

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran

While President Donald Trump remains undecided on striking Iran again, the Israeli military is sinking deeper into its Lebanon quagmire with a reinforced Hezbollah.

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

Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

A potential French deployment to Greek Cyprus comes amid Turkey’s growing concerns of strategic encirclement in the Eastern Mediterranean.

President Donald Trump gives a speech during the State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn on April 28, 2026, in Washington.

Trump speaks with Netanyahu, Putin as Iran pressure campaign escalates

President Donald Trump spoke by phone separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing the situation in Iran and the possibility of extending the ceasefire.

DENIS LOVROVIC/AFP via Getty Images

Israel rejects Ukraine's claim that Russian shadow fleet vessel docked in Haifa

Ukraine alleges the vessel unloaded wheat taken from occupied territories in Haifa, while Israel says ship had not entered the port.

Latest News

Analysis

Despite Trump pressure to limit Israel's Lebanon attacks, Aoun-Netanyahu meeting still unlikely

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

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

Turkey’s military spending jumps to $30B, leads Mideast growth in 2025

Turkey's submarines and fast-attack craft ships participate in the live-fire phase of the Blue Homeland-2026 (Mavi Vatan) tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Why US, Israel are freezing France out of Lebanon talks

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to journalists as he arrives for an informal meeting of the European Council in Nicosia, Cyprus, April 24, 2026.

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the margins of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, on April 17, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Death of 16-year-old provokes settlers' ire against police, Palestinians

Settlers angry after the death of 16-year-old Ahuvia Sandak are protesting violently across the country and also attacking Palestinian property in the West Bank.

Israel debates Sheldon Adelson’s media, political heritage

Following the death of Jewish American Sheldon Adelson, the Israeli right and left disagree about how he influenced Israel’s media, society.

Rights group B’Tselem says Israel is an apartheid state

A new report by one of Israel's leading human rights groups argues in favor of the analogy to segregated South Africa.

Israel’s Gantz advances Palestinian construction plans in West Bank

After advancing the construction of some 800 housing units in West Bank settlements, Defense Minister Benny Gantz takes an opposite, rare move, of advancing construction plans in Palestinian West Bank villages.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in an East Room event at the White House as Founder, Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam Ochsorn look on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump released details of his administration's long-awaited Middle East peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Sheldon Adelson, major donor in US and Israeli politics, dies at 87

Adelson was a strong supporter of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as pro-Israel Republicans in the United States.

Women missing from top roles as Israeli election takes shape

The Knesset race is painting a sad picture of gender equality in Israel, with no party led by a woman.

Israel advances plans for 800 new settlement homes in West Bank

The news comes ahead of Israel's March 23 election as well as the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20.

ROSH HA'AYIN, ISRAEL - NOVEMBER 21: A passing ultra-Orthodox Jew watches as Aviv Recycling workers use a strong vacuum to move plastic bottles from a collection cage into their truck November 21, 2006 in Rosh Ha'Ayin in central Israel. Aviv managers say they recycle about 15 percent of the country's PET plastic waste annually, some 4,000 metric tons or 80 million bottles, but have the capacity to sort, clean, crush and sell more than double that if recycling programs in Israel were more efficient. (Photo b

The battle against the bottles: Israel extends law on plastic containers

The Knesset Economics Committee has now approved extending the Bottle Deposit Law, so it will also include family-size plastic bottles.

Israeli children take part in activities at a kindergarten in the central city of Shoham, on October 18, 2020. - Israel started cautiously emerging from a second coronavirus lockdown after a month of tight restrictions, with the re-opening of preschools, kindergartens, beaches and national parks, as numbers of new infections recede. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Coronavirus crisis propels Israeli mayors to front stage

With the government in a perpetual state of crisis, the coronavirus pandemic propelled Israeli mayors to a position of unprecedented prominence.

Israel tightens lockdown measures

Israel added more restrictions on top of its lockdown as coronavirus cases continue to spread rapidly. On the other hand, Israel is successfully rolling out the vaccine.

Israel, UAE top Middle East vaccination rates

Other countries in the region have only just recently imported vaccines, and the status of vaccination in Iran and Syria in particular is unclear.

Israeli sailors stand on board the first of four new German-built Saar 6 naval vessels purchased by the navy, in the northern Haifa city naval base, on December 2, 2020. - Israel received the first of its new missile boats, with a top naval officer telling AFP the fleet upgrade "dramatically" improves the country's ability to counter regional rivals, including Iran. (Photo by Heidi levine / POOL / AFP) (Photo by HEIDI LEVINE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

For Israel, Houthi threat a whole new ballgame

Israel fears that Iran would encourage the Houthis in Yemen to attack the southern city of Eilat.