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May 18, 2026

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Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended 45 days as US opens security talks

The Pentagon will host Israeli and Lebanese military delegations for a round of separate security talks later this month.

US President Donald Trump talks to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he departs the Al Bateen Executive Airport on May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Analysis

‘A reckless act’: Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit

Just as UAE-Israeli relations were deepening through cooperation against Iran, the Israeli prime minister publicly embarrassed Abu Dhabi by revealing his March visit.

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

Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's accusations of systematic sexual abuse and rape of Palestinian prisoners, calling the claims a "blood libel."

Latest News

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

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

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

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.

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Ronen Zvulun / 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

Jason Greenblatt (L), U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Ministerís Office in Jerusalem March 13, 2017. Picture taken March 13, 2017. Courtesy Matty Stern/U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY - RTX319TT

Trump’s envoy surprises Israelis, Palestinians

While the Israeli side was disappointed by the US demands to curb settlement construction, the Palestinian side was pleasantly surprised by the approach of President Donald Trump’s envoy Jason Greenblatt.

Benzion Gopshtein (L), leader of the far-right Israeli group Lehava, gathers with fellow activists in Jerusalem December 25, 2014. A far-right Israeli group that agitates against Arabs in the name of religion and national security is forcing the Jewish state into a legal and political balancing act as it tries to contain sectarian violence. The authorities are under pressure to deal with anyone encouraging Jewish retaliation against Israeli Arabs and Palestinians. Efforts to tackle Lehava, however, may be

Anti-racism coalition claims Israeli extreme-right groups getting state funds

A report by the Israeli Tag-Meir group argues that extreme-right groups that incite hate and violence are receiving state funds both directly and indirectly.

Visitors enter Shiloah Pool, part of an archaeological site known as a the City of David, still an active dig and also a tourist attraction, situated close to Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood next to Jerusalem's Old City June 30, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX2J0X4

What does it mean to be a Jerusalemite?

While Israel's Supreme Court recognized Palestinians' continued "resident-native" affiliation to Jerusalem after extended absences, Israel Prize judges gave this year’s award to a person who has dedicated his life to replacing Palestinian residents with Jews.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China March 21, 2017. REUTERS/Etienne Oliveau/Pool *** Local Caption *** Xi Jinping;Benjamin Netanyahu - RTX31YRF

Why Netanyahu won’t attend this year's AIPAC conference

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is afraid that US President Donald Trump is determined to close "the ultimate deal" between Israel and the Palestinians, and that he will not let anyone stand in his way to such a deal.

Palestinians take part in a rally marking the 29th anniversary of the founding of the Hamas movement, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX2UIYS

How did humanitarian funds end up in Hamas' pockets?

Israeli authorities are accusing Hamas of stealing funds from humanitarian organizations working in the Gaza Strip, but any action to stop the embezzlement could harm the Gaza population the aid is intended for.

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Israeli police raid map center outside East Jerusalem

Though past Israeli ministers promised the Palestinians their Jerusalem institutions would be preserved, the venerable Orient House has been closed and the map department it once housed has been raided outside the city limits.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a dialogue with Robin Li (not pictured), founder and chief executive of Chinese search engine Baidu, in Beijing, China March 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee - RTX31Y05

How Netanyahu ditched his 'panicker' image

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and other members of Benjamin Netanyahu's current government have been surprised to find that the prime minister is not so easily pressured as in the past.

Palestinians take part in a protest against the Palestinian authority, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTX30U54

Is Palestinian frustration playing into Netanyahu's strategy?

With Palestinian frustration increasing over the hardships of the Israeli occupation, Israeli security experts keep warning of a violent breakout, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps ignoring the warnings.

Israeli soliders patrol near an Iron Dome defence system, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on January 20, 2015, two days after an Israeli air strike killed six Hezbollah members in the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights. The strike on Syria killed an Iranian general, Tehran confirmed on January 19, as thousands of supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah gathered to bury one of the six fighters killed in the same rai

Is Assad shifting strategy on Israel?

Contrary to Israel’s typical low profile on operations in Syrian skies, Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman warned that if Damascus fires any more missiles against IDF jets, Israel will destroy its air defense system.

Ahmad Daqamseh, a Jordanian soldier convicted of killing seven Israeli schoolgirls on March 13, 1997, is seen at Um Alluol prison in the city of Mafraq, Jordan, July 30, 2013. Picture taken July 30, 2013. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTX30MQ8

Killer's release highlights fragile Jordan-Israel 'cold peace'

The release of Jordanian Ahmed Daqamseh, who served 20 years in prison for killing seven Israeli schoolgirls in 1997, has split the public despite the enduring strength of its animosity for Israel.

A Palestinian man walks past a graffiti portraying the Islamic State (IS) group's flag in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina on July 5, 2015. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD GHARABLI (Photo credit should read AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Will IS find popular base in Palestine?

Israel is increasingly arresting Palestinians over accusations of belonging to the Islamic State, which raises questions about IS’ presence in the Palestinian territories.

A Palestinian man stands next to a truck loaded with bags of cement at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and southern Gaza Strip May 23, 2016. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTSFJF6

Gaza receives first batch of construction trucks in 10 years

The Egyptian authorities allowed for dozens of trucks carrying construction materials to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, as part of its openness policy toward the small enclave that has been besieged by Israel since 2007.