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Israel

May 19, 2026

Tel Aviv 3:31 am

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Men gather around the husk of a destroyed pickup truck that was driven by a local shepherd who was reportedly struck by Israeli forces and buried by locals at a grave nearby, in the Najaf desert in southwestern Iraq, on May 12, 2026.

What we know about secret Israeli bases in Iraq

Iraqi authorities have said there are no longer any hostile forces operating in its territory.

Somaliland’s first ambassador to a foreign country formally, Mohamed Hagi, presented his diplomatic credentials in Jerusalem to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on May 18, 2026.

Israel accredits Somaliland's first ambassador: What to know

Israel was the first country to recognize the breakaway region on the Horn of Africa last year.

talks

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

Latest News

Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

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

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

White House adviser Jared Kushner attends a plenary session at the Middle East summit in Warsaw, Poland, February 14, 2019. Agencja Gazeta/Slawomir Kaminski via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. POLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN POLAND. - RC1F9B11F600

Kushner's clues to peace deal raise more questions than answers

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner recently talked about the administration's long-awaited Mideast peace plan, saying Gaza and the West Bank must be united under one leadership, which raised speculation and doubt in Palestinian circles.

A man shows old ballot papers during a briefing for members of the media ahead of the upcoming Israeli election at the Israel Central Election Committee Logistics Center in Shoham, Israel March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC1BEA8F8EA0

Israel’s Central Election Committee, at the service of the right?

Members of the Central Election Committee knew that their disqualification of certain candidates was a mere formality, which is why they took the liberty of inflicting a blow on democracy and minority rights

Would Israeli unity government advance Trump’s plan?

The Likud Party prefers a broad coalition after the election, and only Blue and White could present that potential.

Gaza aid cannot wait while Israel holds elections

On the backdrop of the growing crisis in the Gaza Strip, Israel, Qatar and Egypt are discussing the idea of humanitarian aid supplies financed by Qatar.

Is Israel headed for national unity government?

According to current polls, neither Likud nor Blue and White alliance would be able to assemble a governing coalition after elections, raising a number of even more unlikely scenarios for doing so.

Why is two-state solution absent from Blue and White party charter?

The charter of the new Blue and White party veers to the right, thus offering Zionist left-wing Labor and Meretz parties an opportunity to reattract voters who support the two-state solution.

Disqualification battle camouflages real danger to Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is exploiting a fraudulent symmetry between Kahane’s racial doctrine and a minority’s struggle for equal rights to incite against Israel’s Arab citizens.

Iranian MP's display their disagreement over the a bill to counter terrorist financing in parliament in Tehran on October 7, 2018. - The bill, one of four put forward by the government to meet demands set by the international Financial Action Task Force (FATF), was passed by 143 votes to 120, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

As Iran mulls joining financial watchdog, Israel sees win-win situation

If Iran joins the FATF anti-money laundering organization, the Islamic Republic might find it harder to fund militant organizations in the region, but if Iran does not join, it may lose what few international banking connections it already has.

The Dome of the Rock is seen in the background as Palestinian men take part in Friday prayers on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City October 23, 2015. Palestinian factions called for mass rallies against Israel in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in a "day of rage" on Friday, as world and regional powers pressed on with talks to try to end more than three weeks of bloodshed. Israeli authorities also lifted restrictions on Friday that

Clock winding down on Israel's Bab al-Rahma ultimatum

After Palestinians broke open the Bab al-Rahma gate and decided to keep the prayer house open and renovate it, Israel has given them a deadline to close it up again — which isn't expected to happen.

US diplomats speak out against closure of Palestine mission

Several former US diplomats have expressed anger and disappointment over the administration’s decision to merge the mission that handled diplomatic contacts with Palestinians with its new embassy in Jerusalem.

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) sits next to Israeli Public security Minister Gilad Erdan during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem April 10, 2016. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool/File photo - RC17175E03C0

Signal jamming promises to rile Palestinian prisoners in Israel

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan's push to jam cellphones in prisons has infuriated Hamas prisoners and security heads warn the move could backfire on Israel.

Start-up nation Israel: Where women are the future

More and more women are starting high-tech businesses in Israel, site of the second-largest technology hub in the world.