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

Israel cover image

Israel

June 26, 2026

Tel Aviv 10:18 pm

24°C

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, back) looks on as (L/R, front row) Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. Lebanon, Israel and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP

Breaking | Last Updated: June 26, 2026, 2:56 pm

US brokers Lebanon-Israel framework agreement after days of talks

Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged "a lot of work" remains.

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

Iran vows to respond to Israeli military using neighboring airspace: What to know

Iran’s military headquarters said it “considers responding to these dangerous actions as its right” after alleging that Israeli jets have been operating in the airspace of neighboring countries near Iran.

Vance

Analysis

Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha

The US-Iran decision to launch direct talks between the IRGC and CENTCOM in Qatar deepens the rift between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while heightening Israeli fears that Washington is shifting toward Doha and Tehran.

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

Responders arrive to a demolished building at San Bernardino after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Israel, Turkey, Iran offer aid as Venezuela’s 2 quakes kill at least 188

Iran, Turkey and Israel were among the first countries to offer assistance to earthquake-hit Venezuela despite their varying diplomatic relationships with Caracas.

Latest News

Explainer

Pro-Palestine Democrats win in NYC elections: What it means

Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candidate Brad Lander, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at King's Theater on June 18, 2026 in New York City.

Analysis

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

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

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

Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid (L) and Minister of Economics and Trade Naftali Bennett (2nd L) walk together during the swearing-in ceremony, at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem March 18, 2013. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new governing coalition took office after a parliamentary vote on Monday with powerful roles reserved for supporters of settlers in occupied territory. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F5XP

Lapid, Bennett Performances Disappoint on Israeli Economy

On this Jewish time of “assessments” for the New Year, many are reconsidering the performance of Finance MInister Yair Lapid and Minister of Economy and Trade Naftali Bennett.

Lebanon's Hezbollah scouts parade during a rally to mark 'Quds (Jerusalem) Day' in Beirut's southern suburbs, August 2, 2013. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech to hundreds of supporters in support of Palestinians in his first public appearance since last September. He has been living in hiding, for fear of assassination, since Hezbollah fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ANNIVERSARY) - RTX128J7

Hezbollah's Empty Threats Against Israel

Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Damascus and Tehran are all threatening to set Israel ablaze after any attack on Syria, but none of them has the interest or ability to follow through.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with bipartisan Congressional leaders in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington to discuss a military response to Syria, September 3, 2013. From L-R are: National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Speaker of the House John Boehner, and Obama REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX135QE

Obama Stuns Israel With Delay on Syria Strike

The US president's decision to seek congressional approval to strike Syria has caught Israel and its security establishment by surprise.

A Jewish worshipper covered in a prayer shawl blows a shofar, or a ram's horn, during prayers at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in the Old City of Jerusalem September 27, 2011, ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which starts at sundown on Wednesday. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: SOCIETY RELIGION) - RTR2RW7H

Regional Turmoil Casts Shadow On Israelis’ New Year’s Eve

Israelis will celebrate the Jewish New Year with the threat of the Syrian civil war, the revolutions in Egypt and other changes in the region; next year doesn't promise more stability.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat arrive to a special cabinet meeting marking Jerusalem Day at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem May 20, 2012. Jerusalem Day marks the anniversary of Israel's capture of the Eastern part of the city during the 1967 Middle East War. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY) - RTR32C9K

Jerusalem Mayor: City Must Remain Outside Peace Negotiations

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's re-election campaign has heightened tensions between former Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, supporting Barkat's opponent, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is yet to endorse a candidate.

Obama's Unnecessary Red Line

President Obama's hesitation in enforcing his own red line on Syria will make Israelis question his limits for Iran.

Islamic Jihad militants take part in the funeral of their comrade Mahmoud Shaath in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip November 28, 2012. Shaath died on Wednesday from a wound he suffered from an Israeli air strike during an eight-day conflict, Palestinian medics said. Eight days of Israeli air strikes on Gaza and cross-border Palestinian rocket attacks ended in an Egyptian-brokered truce agreement a week ago that called on Israel to ease restrictions on the territory. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZ

Islamic Jihad May Respond If Israel Enters Syria War

Fighters from Al-Quds Brigades say they are ready to fight in Syria alongside Hezbollah if requested.

Palestinian first-graders sit with their schoolbooks during class in the West Bank city of Ramallah February 4, 2013. Israelis and Palestinians depict each other in schoolbooks as an enemy and largely deny their adversary's history and existence, according to a U.S. government-funded study published on Monday. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: EDUCATION POLITICS) - RTR3DCH4

Israeli Curriculum Draws Criticism In East Jerusalem Schools

The addition of the Israeli curriculum to five schools in east Jerusalem has been heavily criticized by Palestinian officials.

Israelis Note: Obama's Decision On Syria Is From Strength

President Barack Obama's decision to seek authorization from the US Congress for a possible missile strike on Syria is a sign of strong moral values, not weakness.

A Palestinian protester holds pictures of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during a demonstration against potential strikes on the Syrian government, in the West Bank City of Ramallah August 31, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTX132FY

How Will Hezbollah Respond To a Western Strike on Syria?

As the world awaits an expected Western military strike on Syria, Hezbollah's reaction will depend on the details of this possible strike and is based on regional concerns.

A man carries gas masks kits which he collected from a distribution centre in Jerusalem August 29, 2013. Israel ordered a small-scale mobilisation of reservists on Wednesday and strengthened its missile defences as precautions against possible Syrian attack should Western powers carry out threatened strikes on Syria. Many Israelis continued to queue up for gas masks at distribution centres on Thursday. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CIVIL UNREST) - RTX1302E

Israel's Routine: Movies, Video Games And Gas Masks

Israelis bear in their collective memory the sounds of sirens announcing the fall of a rocket, fearing a missile with a chemical warhead.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks out with his children after collecting gas mask kits at a distribution point in Jerusalem August 28, 2013. Thousands of Israelis on Wednesday continued to queue up for gas masks or ordered them by phone, spurred on by fears that any Western military response to last week's alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria could ensnare their own country in war. Israel also deploying all of its missile defences as a precaution against possible Syrian retaliatory attacks should Weste

Israel Prepares for Syria Strike

As Israel stations an Iron Dome anti-missile battery in Tel Aviv, Israelis fear missile attacks on their major cities and wonder: Will Israel be prepared?