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

Israel cover image

Israel

June 27, 2026

Tel Aviv 11:10 pm

24°C

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Analysts say the expected vote for recognition is not morally motivated, but intended to spite the Turkish leader.

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

US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon

The deal establishes a US-facilitated military coordination group to oversee the creation of two initial pilot zones in southern Lebanon.

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

Latest News

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

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.

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

Rwanda President Paul Kagame (2nd L) and his wife Jeannette (L), U.S. singer-actress Barbra Streisand (3rd L), former U.S. President Bill Clinton (4th L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd R) and his wife Sarah (R) attend celebrations marking Israeli President Shimon Peres' (3rd R) 90th birthday in Jerusalem June 18, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Hollander/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT) - RTX10SO1

Peres Birthday Bash Strikes Wrong Chord With Some Israelis

In the social context, while Israeli citizens struggle with economic cuts and the polarization of society, President Shimon Peres' 90th birthday celebrations seem out of line.

Palestinians wait to fill their motorcycles with fuel at a petrol station in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 16, 2013. The Gaza Strip is experiencing a shortage in fuel which is smuggled from Egypt to Gaza, residents said. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTX10PO7

Will Israel Solve Gaza Fuel Crisis?

Hamas chosen to unilaterally cut itself off from Israeli fuel and to replace it with gas from Egypt — a decision that has turned out to be a mistake.

Russia's President Valdimir Putin (L) looks at Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and U.S. President Barack Obama during a family photo at the G8 Summit, at Lough Erne, near Enniskillen, in Northern Ireland June 18, 2013. REUTERS/Yves Herman (NORTHERN IRELAND - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10S1Z

G8 Fails to Mention 'Occupation' Or 'Settlements'

The G8's 110 words on the Middle East peace process are dissected.

Israel's Foreign Affairs Minister Avigdor Liberman listens to a translator during a news conference with his Portuguese counterpart Luis Amado after their meeting in Lisbon January 25, 2011. REUTERS/Jose Manuel Ribeiro (PORTUGAL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXX2FL

Israel's Liberman: 'No Chance' For Deal With Palestinians

Former Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman rejects demands for settlement-construction freeze and prisoner releases as preconditions for negotiation.

Israel's President Shimon Peres speaks during an interview with Reuters at his residence in Jerusalem June 16, 2013. In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters before his 90th birthday, Peres dismissed the idea that Israel could launch a unilateral military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities and urged Palestinians and Israelis to forge immediate peace. Picture taken June 16, 2013. To match Interview ISRAEL-PERES/ REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10RKC

Shimon Peres, Israeli Prototype

At 90, Israeli President Shimon Peres can teach the young generation a thing or two about dreams, looking one step ahead.

Recently-freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit leaves after meeting with Christophe Bigot, the French ambassador to Israel (not pictured) at the French embassy in Tel Aviv January 11, 2012. During the meeting, Shalit gave the ambassador a letter addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Shalit returned home in October 2011 in a thousand-for-one prisoner swap which ended his five years of captivity in the Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Jack Guez/Pool (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2W5D2

Secret Israel-Hamas Channel Freed Gilad Shalit

In a new book, Israeli academic Gershon Baskin reveals the back channel he established with Hamas that led to the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Greece's Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis (L) shakes hands with Nabeel Shaath, Envoy of the President of the Palestinian Authority, in Athens September 9, 2011. REUTERS/John Kolesidis (GREECE - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2R16W

In Ramallah, Israeli Journalists Meet With Palestinian Leadership

In a talk with Israeli journalists in Ramallah, senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath declared that the current Israeli coalition will not permit jump-starting the negotiations.

Israel Should Give Rouhani a Chance

The election of Hassan Rouhani as Iran's next president proves that the Iranian people seek change.

Israeli Public Veers Left

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reeling from the loss of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president of Iran and a recent poll signaling Israelis are tiring of settlement policies.

Iranian presidential candidate Hassan Rohani (L) waves to supporters in the central Iranian city of Shiraz June 11, 2013. Picture taken June 11, 2013. REUTERS/Fars News/Mohammad Hadi Khosravi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION WILL BE PROVIDED SEPARATELY - RTX10L2E

Obama Should Invite Iran's Rouhani to Geneva

The election of Hassan Rouhani as president of Iran might present an opening for a political solution to the Syria war.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) listens to his aide-de-camp Eyal Zamir during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem June 2, 2013. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX108W1

Netanyahu as the Prophet Jeremiah

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu radiates pessimism concerning Israel's strategic landscape, when he is concerned about his own standing within his party and his coalition.

An Israeli Air Force F-15I jet is seen in the background as Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon (3rd R) speaks to reporters while standing next to Israel's armed forces chief Major-General Benny Gantz (R) and commander of Israel's Air Force Major-General Amir Eshel (4th R) during a presentation at Hatzerim air base in southern Israel April 30, 2013. Israel on Tuesday launched its first targeted attack on a militant in Gaza since a war in November, killing a Palestinian jihadist in an air strike that put f

Israel Says It Can 'Manage' Chaos in Syria

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon predicts fighting in Syria will go on for a long time, but suggests that may not be a problem for Israel.