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

Israel cover image

Israel

July 1, 2026

Tel Aviv 11:21 am

32°C

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

While the deal with Lebanon allows the Israeli military to maintain a presence there, security experts warn that it also gives the weakened Hezbollah the time it needs to recover.

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

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

Ankara accused Israel of weaponizing history as Armenia avoided public comment amid delicate regional diplomacy.

AFP via Getty Images

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had recovered somewhat before renewed fighting between Iran and the United States saw traffic drop sharply over the weekend.

Latest News

Syria slams Israeli 'violations' in south as ground clashes intensify: What to know

A car drives past an United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) outpost in the village of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, southern Syria, April 29, 2026.

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

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.

US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon

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

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 army soldiers gather by three tracked medical vehicles near the northern town of Kiryat Shmona close to the border with Lebanon, Oct. 31, 2023.

Analysis

Israel deepens Gaza incursion, seeks to pressure Hamas leaders Deif, Sinwar

The Israeli army is taking its time, choosing a slow-rolling ground operation instead of a massive armory entry.

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

Forces loyal to Yemen's Houthi rebels hold up Palestinian flags as they march in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians, Sanaa, Yemen, Oct. 15, 2023.

Yemen’s Houthis claim attack on Israel as Gaza war rages

The Iran-backed forces said the missile and drone attack was a response to “Israeli aggression.”

This picture taken on Oct. 31, 2023 from a position along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel shows smoke plumes billowing during Israeli bombardment amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

Day 25 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Tuesday, Oct. 31

Thousands of Yemenis attended weekly Muslim prayers in the rebel-held capital Sanaa on Friday, many waving Palestinian flags in solidarity with Gaza

Yemen's Huthi rebels vow more attacks on Israel

Agence France-Presse

INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images

Gaza war could double oil prices, threaten global food security

Washington-based multilateral lender World Bank compared the situation to the 1973 Arab oil embargo in its latest Commodities Market Outlook.

10/29/2023 Golan Heights, Israel. Israeli soldiers, as part of the 'Israeli Paratroopers Brigade,' experimented with colorful smoke during their battalion training at the Golan Heights on October 29, 2023, before subsequently returning to the Gaza border. (Photo by Dima Vazinovich / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by DIMA VAZINOVICH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

US military advisers depart Israel, focus on containing blowback from Gaza war

The White House on Monday dismissed international calls for a cease-fire, suggesting humanitarian ‘pauses’ instead, as the IDF sent armored forces into the northern Gaza Strip.

An antenna of a communications tower that relays phone and internet signals is pictured in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on October 28 , 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas

US working to keep Gaza's phone, internet services operational

Israel cut communications in Gaza late Friday for over 24 hours as the Israeli military increased strikes and ground operations.

This photograph shows Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) vans parked at the airport in Makhachkala on October 30, 2023. Russian police on October 30, 2023 said they had arrested 60 people suspected of storming an airport in the Muslim-majority Caucasus republic of Dagestan, seeking to attack Jewish passengers coming from Israel. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel-Russia ties unravel as Putin calls meeting over Dagestan mob incident

After a Hamas delegation visited Moscow and the anti-Israeli incident in Dagestan, the crisis between Israel and Russia is out in the open.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Families and friends of Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza gathered at "Hostages Square" outside the Art Museum of Tel Aviv.

Israel rescues soldier from Hamas captivity in Gaza

In the first known successful rescue mission, an Israeli soldier was freed from Hamas captivity during an Israel Defense Forces operation in the Gaza Strip.

A view of the platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea is pictured from the northern coastal beach of Nasholim, Israel, Aug. 29, 2022.

Israel hands out gas concessions to BP, ENI as Gaza war drags on

Israel is determined to project a "business as usual" stance despite the conflict with Hamas claiming the lives of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says the unrelenting retaliatory Israeli bombardment has killed more than 8,000 people

Day 23 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Oct. 29

Jordan's Queen Rania and Spain's Queen Letizia (R) arrive for an official luncheon at the Royal Palace in Madrid, on June 19, 2023. (Photo by Paul White / POOL / AFP) (Photo by PAUL WHITE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Day 19 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Wednesday, Oct. 25