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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 13, 2026

Tel Aviv 2:10 pm

26°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

Israeli border policemen take up position during clashes with Palestinian protesters following a protest marking Nakba Day near Israel's Hawra checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus May 16, 2015. Palestinians marked "Nakba" (Catastrophe) on May 15 to commemorate the expulsion or fleeing of some 700,000 Palestinians from their homes in the war that led to the founding of Israel in 1948. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini - GF10000096946

IDF prepares response to Gaza Nakba Day protests

The Israeli army estimates that Hamas plans to continue with the protests along the Gaza border long after their original deadline of Nakba Day, on May 15.

Battle erupts over Israeli High Court’s independence

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no qualms about threatening Israel’s democracy by advancing a bill bypassing High Court rulings.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas give a press conference following a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black sea resort of Sochi on May 11, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / YURI KOCHETKOV (Photo credit should read YURI KOCHETKOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Russia seeks to extend role in Mideast peace beyond Syria

Moscow faces many challenges in its efforts to help resolve Palestinian issues, especially as Israel rejects any mediator other than the United States and Egypt continues to be the sole sponsor of intra-Palestinian reconciliation.

IDF falls into Hamas’ trap on Gaza border

It took Israel three weeks to understand what was evident from the beginning: that only restraint could minimize the number of casualties on the Gaza border fence.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) speaks with reporters ahead of the party luncheons on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC13C084AA50

Liberal US Jews recruit Democrats from all sides in anti-Trump fight

Seeking to capitalize on growing partisan backlash to President Donald Trump’s Middle East policies, the liberal Jewish lobbying group J Street has formed a surprising alliance with one of the Senate’s fiercest pro-Israel advocates.

Israeli-Arab party split over US strike on Syria

The Hadash faction within the Israeli-Arab Joint List demonstrated against the American attack on Syrian chemical depots.

Netanyahu compares himself to Israel’s founding father

The text written this week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comparing himself to Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, has no credibility whatsoever.

A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest where Palestinians demand the right to return to their homeland, at the Israel-Gaza border in the southern Gaza Strip, April 13, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC151862B9A0

As border protests persist, Abbas steps up pressure on Gaza

Despite the ongoing protests on Gaza's borders, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas does not seem to be backing out on his demand for a full handover of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert is seen in the court room as he waits for the judges at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem December 29, 2015. Israel's top court slashed Olmert's prison sentence to 18 months from six years on Tuesday after overturning the main count in his 2014 bribery conviction. Olmert, 70, will begin serving his term on Feb. 15, according to live reports from the Jerusalem courtroom, making him the first former head of government in Israel to go to prison. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool

Disgraced former Israeli PM drums up support for unlikely pardon

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has asked the president to expunge his criminal record so he will be again eligible for political office.

Saudi leadership offers Israel a chance

Open declarations alongside discreet talks indicate that Saudi Arabia is ready to engage with Israel, in parallel with a two-state solution process.

Trailblazing Israeli-Druze photo artist fights against tradition

Through her photos, Ameera Ziyan showcases the changes the Druze community is undergoing in its attitude toward art and gender equality.

A Palestinian from the herding community of Al Hadidya in the Jordan valley herds livestock near the Jewish settlement of Roi September 12, 2011.
REUTERS/Darren Whiteside (WEST BANK - Tags: SOCIETY ANIMALS) - GM1E79D06M901

Farmers' efforts fruitless after Israeli military drills

Israel's army drills are razing thousands of acres of the Jordan Valley used by Palestinians for farmland and pastures.