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Israel

May 19, 2026

Tel Aviv 7:32 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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the Cybertech 2019 conference in Tel Aviv, Israel January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC11BC898700

Intel: How Netanyahu’s indictment is scrambling Israeli politics a month before elections

Refusing funds will cost Palestinians, perhaps Israel

Several sectors will be affected by the Palestinian Authority’s decision to reject on principle a reduced transfer of tax funds from Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the media as he attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem February 24, 2019. Abir Sultan/Pool via REUTERS - RC196ADBF2C0

Netanyahu goes it alone

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has completely excluded Likud ministers from the party’s election campaign, choosing to stand alone even as he stands to be indicted for corruption.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RC19AC167970

Putin, Netanyahu find common ground in Moscow

In their first meeting since the downing of a Russian jet in September 2018, Russia's president and Israel's prime minister carefully reaffirmed their strained ties.

Intel: Why Erdogan is keeping it ‘all in the family’ as he meets with Kushner

Tensions ramp up on Temple Mount ahead of Trump’s peace plan

With President Donald Trump set to unveil his much-hyped peace plan and Israel deducting Palestinian tax revenues, the disputed compound of Al-Aqsa or the Temple Mount is crackling with tension.

This picture taken on December 29, 2018 shows tourist horse-drawn carts waiting by the base of the Great Pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops) at the Giza necropolis on the southwestern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo on December 29, 2018. (Photo by MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP) (Photo credit should read MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images)

Visiting Egypt, Israelis thrilled by warm welcome

Egyptian intellectuals and politicians are disappointed over the refusal of the Israeli leadership to advance Palestinian statehood as promised in the peace treaty, but the people in the streets of Cairo welcome Israeli tourists.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement to the media in Tel Aviv, Israel February 21, 2019 REUTERS/ Ammar Awad - RC15D221F200

Israel hopes Zarif resignation reveals cracks in Iran's Syria policy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to express his glee when Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif offered his resignation, but what does it mean for Tehran's strategy in Syria?

Are Palestinian police protecting settlers?

Israeli media report that Palestinian plainclothes policemen were deployed to protect settlers from Palestinian citizens, which the Palestinian police denies.

Israel's radical right uncorked

Now that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has granted legitimacy to the Kahanist Otzma Yehudit, its members have not missed an opportunity to disseminate their racist ideology, including in the nation's schools and television stations.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a bilateral meeting during the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC1720F3A620

Is Netanyahu coordinating with Trump over 'deal of the century’?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes that publication of the US Mideast peace deal just after the elections would attract public attention away from an imminent indictment against him.

Avi Gabbai, the new leader of Israel's centre-left Labour party, delivers his victory speech after winning the Labour party primary runoff, at an event in Tel Aviv, Israel July 10, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1ABB63EDA0

Labor Party recalculates strategy ahead of Israeli elections

Paradoxically, the threat of the new Blue and White party in Israel has pushed the Labor Party into featuring sharper messages on diplomatic affairs and a clearer agenda.