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

Israel cover image

Israel

June 24, 2026

Tel Aviv 5:56 pm

28°C

Lebanese army forces deploy in the village of Bir al-Salasel in southern Lebanon on June 15, 2026. Iran's foreign ministry on June 15 said the US must ensure that Israel commits to stopping the war in Lebanon under a deal agreed upon with the US to end the Middle East war. Lebanon was pulled into the conflict in early March when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion. (Pho

Analysis

Pilot zones at center of Israel-Lebanon talks as Trump pressures Netanyahu

With the fifth round of talks set to begin Tuesday, Israel is prepared to withdraw from at least one “pilot zone,” allowing the Lebanese army to take control of the area.

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

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, Lebanon, on June 9, 2026.

Analysis

As US reshapes Lebanon strategy, Israel finds itself sidelined

The deal advanced between Washington and Tehran sees a linkage between the Iranian and Lebanese theaters and creates a deconfliction mechanism — without consulting Israel beforehand.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot gives a press conference in Tel Aviv, on December 4, 2018.

Can political novice Eisenkot defeat Netanyahu in upcoming elections?

The former military chief of staff is emerging as the prime minister's strongest rival in upcoming elections, overtaking former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in recent polls.

Latest News

Analysis

How Netanyahu used Lebanon strikes to push back on Trump’s Iran deal

US President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 29, 2025.

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

'Let Syria take care of Hezbollah': Trump criticizes Israel, leans on Sharaa to help in Lebanon

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit, on June 16, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Leaders from the Group of 7 (G7) countries convened in Evian, France, near the Swiss border, for their annual summit to discuss challenges to peace and security for Ukraine and Europe, the situation in the Middle East, and other geopolitical issues. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Get

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

A Jewish worshipper throws a candle into a fire during a ceremony marking the 19th anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shalom Ifergan at his grave-site in the southern town of Netivot June 13, 2013. Organised by Rabbi Shalom Iregan's son, Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Ifergan, the annual memorial ceremony draws hundreds of Israelis who throw candles into a bonfire near the Rabbi's grave-site. Picture taken June 13, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: RELIGION ANNIVERSARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX10NEP

Israeli police battle ties between rabbis, organized crime

Israeli police arrested Israeli Rabbi Yoram Abergel for involvement in an extortion deal, unraveling a dangerous triangle of rabbis, criminals and local politics in Netivot.

French President Francois Hollande and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) listen to speeches during the second edition of the Israel-France innovation day in Tel Aviv, November 19, 2013. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15JYG

The next frontier in US-Iran relations: Reducing Iran-Israel tensions

As the US brokered the normalization of ties between Egypt and Israel, the same could happen in Iran-Israel ties.

Diplomats from the United States and Israel are silhouetted as they join about 100 mourners at a ceremony, held on Thursday in memory of veteran Jewish leader Carmen Weinstein, at Sha'ar Hashamayim (Gate of Heaven) synagogue in downtown Cairo, April 18, 2013. Weinstein, 82, died last Saturday at her home in Cairo where she was known over the past two decades for leading efforts to preserve the overwhelmingly Muslim country's Jewish heritage. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS OBITUARY) -

Jews from Arab countries: the forgotten refugees

A UN conference addresses the status of Jews from Arab states who were expelled from their homeland after the creation of the state of Israel.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat (C) directs remarks to Israel's Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (L) during a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) at the end of talks at the State Department in Washington July 30, 2013. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held their first peace talks in nearly three years on Monday in a U.S.-brokered effort that Kerry hopes will end their conflict despite deep divisions. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX124ZT

Mistrust Clouds Israeli-Palestinian talks

According to a Palestinian source, no understanding has been reached so far by the negotiating parties.

A Palestinian woman walks along the controversial Israeli barrier in al-Ram in the West Bank on the outskirts of Jerusalem July 6, 2010. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2G4VG

Will separation wall be new Israel-Palestine border?

Recent developments in the Palestinian village of al-Ram might indicate a long-term plan to demarcate a future border along the separation wall.

U.S. Republican Congressman Ted Poe, a Representative of Texas, talks with business leaders at a breakfast forum on what Houston employers need from immigration reform, sponsored by ImmigrationWorks USA, in Houston August 20, 2013. As lawmakers return to their home districts in the final weeks of summer, hundreds of U.S. businesses have quietly mobilized to persuade Republicans such as Poe that an immigration overhaul is broadly supported by their constituents, even if some conservative activists loudly obj

Congressman Ted Poe: US-Israeli ties 'very tenuous at best'

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he hopes "that the United States would mend its relationship with Israel."

Smoke rises during a military operation by Egyptian security forces in the Egyptian city of Rafah, near the border with southern Gaza Strip October 13, 2013. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX149QW

Egypt and Israel spar over Gaza as Sinai crisis escalates

Egypt-Hamas ties have plummeted while Israel seeks to keep a lid on Gaza.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande (not pictured) at his residence in Jerusalem November 17, 2013. President Hollande assured Israel on Sunday that France would continue to oppose an easing of economic sanctions against Iran until it was convinced Tehran had ended a pursuit of nuclear weapons. REUTERS/Alain Jocard/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15HKF

Israeli public closes ranks with Netanyahu on Iran

Israeli media fails to inform the public on the alternative interpretation of the Iran nuke deal.

A pedestrian walks outside a branch of Bank Hapoalim in Jerusalem March 26, 2009. Bank Hapoalim, Israel's largest lender in terms of assets, should return to profitability in the first quarter after posting a loss in the
fourth quarter, its chairman said on Thursday.
REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM BUSINESS) - RTXD7YQ

Leading Israeli bank involved in nuclear missiles industry

While many countries and companies avoid investing in companies that develop weapons of mass destruction, a Dutch organization reveals the funding sources of the global nuclear weapons industry.

Palestinian Hamas militants stand next to M-75 home made rocket as they take part in a military parade marking the first anniversary of the eight-day conflict with Israel, in Gaza City November 14, 2013. Eight days of Israeli air strikes on Gaza and cross-border Palestinian rocket attacks in November last year ended in an Egyptian-brokered truce agreement calling on Israel to ease restrictions on the territory. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY CONFLICT MILITARY) - RTX15DKU

Gazans want electricity, not Hamas military parades

Hamas' show of force on the streets of Gaza is not resonating with a population enduring a severe electricity and economic crisis.

Soldiers, policemen and medical personnel gather at the site of explosions near the Iranian embassy (L) in Beirut November 19, 2013. Two explosions targeting the Iranian embassy hit the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, security sources said, killing at least seven people and damaging buildings in the embassy compound. REUTERS/ Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX15JOF

Lebanon enters 'third stage' of suicide bombings

Tuesday’s suicide attack on the Iranian Embassy in Beirut represents a new stage of violence in Lebanon, with Lebanese citizens targeting their compatriots at home.

U.S. President Barack Obama walks out after speaking about the violence in Egypt while at his rental vacation home on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard in Chilmark August 15, 2013. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12MDQ

Israel, Egypt, Gulf fear US betrayal

Israel has become part of an unexpected alliance with the Gulf countries, Egypt and Jordan, all disappointed by the US administration's lack of Middle East understanding.