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Israel

May 20, 2026

Tel Aviv 8:38 am

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NICOSIA, CYPRUS - APRIL 24: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for an informal meeting of European Union leaders on April 24, 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The EU heads of state and government are meeting over two days to discuss the conflict in Iran and the Middle East, including freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the effects of high fuel prices, and how Europe may contribute to de-escalation and a peace agreement. (Photo by Byron Smith/Getty Images)

Syria's Sharaa renews ban on Israeli imports in customs law: What to know

The renewal comes even as Damascus pursues US-backed security talks with Israel aimed at reducing tensions along the border.

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.

Somaliland's first ambassador to Israel announces embassy in Jerusalem: What to know

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

A bride and group couple rides in a military jeep arriving for a public mass wedding ceremony at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran on May 18, 2026. Iran said on May 18 that it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that diplomatic exchanges continue despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict which the US and Israel launched on February 28, but they have held only a sin

Analysis

Israel pushes for full Iran blockade as it awaits Trump's next move

Israel’s preferred strategy, sources told Al-Monitor, calls for a comprehensive naval, economic, land and air blockade of Iran, alongside tighter sanctions and covert activity aimed at destabilizing the regime.

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

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.

Latest News

Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended 45 days as US opens security talks

talks

Analysis

‘A reckless act’: Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit

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.

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

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

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 ‘shooting routine’ on Gaza border

Israel must re-examine the army’s open-fire orders that result in Palestinians shot to death during Friday protests near the Gaza border; one such gunshot killed Gaza volunteer paramedic Rouzan al-Najjar in 2018.

Will Egyptians ever accept normalization with Israel?

Even the hint of normalization efforts between Israel and Egypt creates a public outcry in Cairo.

Israel Navy soldiers stand on the Rahav, the fifth submarine in the fleet, as it docks in Haifa port January 12, 2016. The Dolphin-class submarines, widely believed to be capable of firing nuclear missiles, were manufactured in Germany and sold to Israel at deep discounts as part of Berlin's commitment to shoring up the security of the country set in part as a haven for Jews who survived the Holocaust. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - GF20000092308

Israelis deserve to know the truth about submarine scandal

A public watchdog has petitioned the Supreme Court in an effort to determine whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was directly or indirectly complicit in causing grave damage to state security in a controversial submarine acquisition from Germany.

Avi Gabbai, the new leader of Israel's centre-left Labour party, gestures as he delivers his victory speech after winning the Labour party primary runoff, at an event in Tel Aviv, Israel July 10, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1780888D30

Intel: How the Israeli left’s implosion paves the way for Netanyahu’s re-election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro swearing-in ceremony at Brazil's National Congress, in Brasilia, Brazil January 1, 2019. REUTERS/Adriano Machado - RC1CDEEAD680

Israeli attorney general wrestles with indictment timing

Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is grasping for advice on how his decision on indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could affect the early elections in April.

US-Palestinian man gets life sentence for selling home to Jews

A Ramallah court has sentenced a Palestinian-American to life in prison for selling East Jerusalem property to Jewish Israelis in what could be a sign that the Palestinians are considering ending security coordination with Israel.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man looks at his watch as he stands near tracks of the light rail in Jerusalem October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC13C8690D70

The Israeli ultra-Orthodox paradox: earning little, feeling rich

The ultra-Orthodox population in Israel is considered poor by economic measurements, but its members do not feel poor in part due to their consumption habits and solidarity networks.

Putin’s next act: Syrian-Turkish rapprochement

The Russian president still needs the United States to keep the pace, and the peace, in Syria.

United Arab Emirates

Gaza traders face new taxes, import restrictions

In a bid to protect national products, Hamas’ Ministry of National Economy in Gaza imposed new taxes on imported goods and banned traders from importing any goods without its consent.

Israeli factory to be established in Gaza, is this possible?

Israel’s SodaStream announced it will open a manufacturing plant in the Gaza Strip, raising eyebrows since the company was forced to close a factory it previously operated in the West Bank under pressure from the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

Netanyahu's pro-settler allies force annexation into campaign agenda

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that he aspires to maintain his current coalition after the April elections means that Israelis can expect to see ideas like annexation and a binational state increasingly normalized.

Israeli Air Force F-35 flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1E7D135800

Memo from Israel: Game still on in Syria

Israel's most recent airstrikes against positions in Syria was a declaration of intent, to signal to all parties that the game continues and the rules have not changed.