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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

Israeli soldiers evacuate their comrade, playing the role of an injured person, as they drive past a Hezbollah flag during a combined forces drill in Shizafon military base, near Eilat in southern Israel June 7, 2016. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTSGDEV

Israel weighs response to Hezbollah rocket threat

For now, deterrence holds on Israel’s northern border; Iran ready to "fight to the last man" in Syria; Why does Erdogan go easy on Putin over Syrian Kurds?

Jordanian Ahlam Tamimi (C), just released from an Israeli prison, is hugged by a relative upon her arrival at Queen Alia international airport in Amman late October 18, 2011. Tamimi had been sentenced to 16 life terms for her involvement in a suicide bombing attack on the Sbarro Pizzeria in Jerusalem in August 2001. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2STMD

Will Jordan extradite woman convicted in Jerusalem bombing to US?

A US request that Jordan extradite Alham Tamimi, convicted for involvement in a 2001 terror attack in Jerusalem that cost American lives, has put King Abdullah II in a difficult position.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) speaks with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem January 31, 2016. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTX24S18

Why Netanyahu offended his finance minister

The public rift between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon never really threatened the integrity of the coalition, as none of its members is interested, at least for now, in early elections.

TOPSHOT - Arab-Israeli Knesset (Israel's Parliament) members, Ahmad al-Tibi (R) confronts an Israeli policeman during clashes with Bedouin protesters in the village of Umm al-Hiran, which is not recognized by the Israeli government, near the southern city of Beersheba, in the Negev desert, on January 18, 2017.
An Israeli policeman was killed while taking part in an operation to demolish homes in the Bedouin village, with authorities claiming he was targeted in a car-ramming attack. The driver was earlier r

Arab MK: Israel must 'pay a price' for occupation

Israeli Knesset member Ahmad Tibi believes that the two-state solution remains the best possibility for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict despite waning enthusiasm for it.

Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah security chief, gestures in his office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates October 18, 2016. Picture taken October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer - RTX2QI8I

What are Israel’s Liberman, Fatah’s Dahlan plotting?

For former Fatah senior member Mohammed Dahlan, a combination of Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman’s land-swap plan with the integrity of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative could open up negotiations for an Israeli-Palestinian arrangement.

Would open primaries save Israel's left-wing parties?

Senior figures within Israel's left-wing Meretz Party are debating whether open primaries are the best method to save the party from disappearing.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with Jason Greenblatt, U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, March 14, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTX30XHH

Palestinians fear US will block financial assistance

US President Donald Trump’s representative for international negotiations, Jason Greenblatt, asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to stop paying allocations to families of Palestinian assailants who attacked Israelis.

Israel's Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (R) speaks as Craig Beaumont of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) sits next to him, during a news conference to present an IMF report in Jerusalem, Israel February 8, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX306CP

Has Israel’s finance minister abandoned the lower classes?

Instead of focusing on poor people, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has decided to advance tax cuts that will only benefit the rich and deprive the state of revenue.

Palestinian Hamas supporters shout slogans during a rally marking the 29th anniversary of the founding of the Hamas movement, in Gaza city December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem - RTX2UZFP

How Hamas plans to rebrand internationally

It is thought that a policy document being finalized by Hamas will reflect a new flexibility in the movement's policies and perspectives.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) sits next to Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz during the opening of the winter session at the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on October 31, 2016. / AFP / MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images)

Why former defense minister is leaving Israel's ruling party

Senior Likud figures who quit the party are flourishing and occupy important positions in the government, while senior Likud members are afraid to challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Pavel Golovkin/Pool - RTS124IG

Whose ears burn most when Russia, Israel meet?

Moscow has been hosting an array of dignitaries recently, leaving observers to speculate on the possible topics of conversation.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is received on his arrival at the Bole International Airport ahead of the 28th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and the Government of the African Union in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, January 29, 2017. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri - RTSXXKH

Who will Abbas meet first: Putin or Trump?

In his expected meeting with US President Donald Trump, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will try to convey the image of a peace-seeking and open-minded leader, contrary to the image depicted to Trump by Israel.