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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 13, 2026

Tel Aviv 11:47 pm

22°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.

Latest News

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

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.

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

Netanyahu needs Likud 'soldiers' to fight for his survival

The pre-Passover celebration of Likud members reflected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s success of turning the Likud into a one-man party.

Palestinians set to reject US peace plan

According to American sources, the peace plan elaborated by the Trump administration will offer Palestinians limited sovereignty on limited territory.

IDF demands 'excessive' transparency from rights groups

The Civil Administration in the West Bank has increased the information it requires from peace groups that organize face-to-face encounters between Palestinians and Israelis, and some activists say the new demands go much too far.

Jordan, Israel hedge their bets in southwest Syria

Southwest Syria could become the next battleground in Syria's multiple regional wars amid a possible collapse in the US-Russian cease-fire agreement.

Israel's acknowledgment of Syria nuclear strike sparks security debate

The story behind Israel's 2007 attack on Syria's nuclear reactor challenges the assumption that Israeli generals are more competent than Israeli politicians at making security decisions.

Disrespect for judicial rulings erodes Israeli democracy

By ignoring Supreme Court rulings that are incompatible with their populist messages, Israeli politicians not only offend the rule of law, they undermine the democratic foundations of the state.

Landowners waiting for next step in Jordan-Israel gas pipeline

Members of the Jordanian Bar Association are readying lawsuits to challenge land expropriations for the construction of a pipeline for natural gas from Israel's Leviathan field.

Can Israeli Labor head mend fences with party leaders?

Israeli Labor Chairman Avi Gabbay now realizes that his strategy of attracting Likud voters has failed and that his own party is crashing in the polls.

Abbas’ revenge against Hamas, US, Israel

Israeli officials believe that a decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to reimpose sanctions on Gaza is meant to entangle Israel and Hamas in a military adventure.

An undated image released by the U.S. Government shows the suspected Syrian nuclear reactor building under construction in Syria. The White House on April 24, 2008 broke its official silence on the mysterious September 6, 2007 Israeli air strike. "We are convinced, based on a variety of information, that North Korea assisted Syria's covert nuclear activities," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement. The statement came after intelligence officials briefed U.S. lawmakers about the Syrian nucl

The story behind Israel's secret strike on Syria's nuclear reactor

Israel for the first time acknowledges how nearly a decade ago it located and destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor built with the assistance of North Korea.

Israeli left-wing party moving in the 'right' direction

Tamar Zandberg, who is expected to assume leadership of left-wing Meretz, has sparked controversy by saying that she will not rule out joining a coalition that includes the right-wing Yisrael Beitenu.

Education minister cashes in on Israel Prize winners' popularity

Education Minister Naftali Bennett is using this year’s Israel Prize winners to promote his own image as mainstream and stately.