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

Israel cover image

Israel

June 27, 2026

Tel Aviv 3:19 am

23°C

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

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.

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

Iran, Turkey and Israel were among the first countries to offer assistance to earthquake-hit Venezuela despite their varying diplomatic relationships with Caracas.

Latest News

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

A Shas supporter, wearing a poster of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef the spiritual leader of the ultra-orthodox Shas party, joins thousands of other supporters outside the Rabbi's home March 27 after Israel's attorney-general ordered police to investigate the Rabbi on suspicion of incitement against a political adversary. [Shas' support is vital to Ehud Barak's hopes of making peace with Syria and the Palestinians. The police probe stems from remarks Yosef made about Education Minister Yossi Sarid, calling him a devil

Can Israeli Shas Party Outlive Its Spiritual Leader?

No man has shaped the face of modern Israel as has the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, the official king of Sephardic Judaism, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the inauguration ceremony of a hi-tech industry park in the southern city of Beersheba September 3, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) - RTX135KM

Netanyahu to Adapt His Position On Changing Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems unable to readjust his conservative position on Iran, when facing President Hassan Rouhani's new approach to the West.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, September 24, 2013. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13YDU

Israel Should Put Rouhani to Test

Instead of denigrating the new foreign policy of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Israel should put him to the test and demand concrete, confidence-building action.

No Longer David: The State of Israel As Goliath

In a new book, journalist Max Blumenthal leaves the ''comfort zone'' of the Jewish American community, opening the issue of Israel and the conflict with the Palestinians to critical debate.

The Dome of the Rock, on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, is seen in the background as Palestinian onlookers survey a protest calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails February 8, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS) - RTR3DI1Z

Israeli Actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque Raise Palestinian Fears

Palestinians are being increasingly barred from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, leading many to question Israel's intentions.

A worker stands in front of his gold jewellery shop at the market of Khan el-Khalili in Old Cairo October 10, 2012. Goldsmiths at the market say they are lacking customers and feeling unsafe, and are asking for a stronger security presence. Picture taken October 10, 2012. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY) - RTR397KI

The Secret Language Of Cairo's Jewelry Merchants

Jewelry merchants of the Khan al-Khalili market in Cairo use a secret code that originates in ancient Hebrew to outsmart their (non-Israeli) customers.

Civilians escape an area at the Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi September 21, 2013. Gunmen stormed the shopping mall in Nairobi on Saturday killing at least 20 people in what Kenya's government said could be a terrorist attack, and sending scores fleeing into shops, a cinema and onto the streets in search of safety. Sporadic gun shots could be heard hours after the assault started as soldiers surrounded the mall and police and soldiers combed the building, hunting down the attackers shop by shop. REUTE

Nightmare in Nairobi: What Can West Learn From Israel?

While Israel enjoys a relatively terror-free era, security experts warn of Islamic terror groups spreading across Africa and toward the Middle East as the West avoids dealing with them.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem September 17, 2013. Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on September 30, an Israeli official said on Tuesday, for talks expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13O85

Diplomatic Negotiations Cost Netanyahu His Likud Base

While negotiations with the Palestinians are underway, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing distrust and lack of support within his own Likud party.

Slide 3.jpg

Ethiopian Jews Redefine Israeli Beauty

Social entrepreneur Yohannes Azanaw has opened the first Israeli agency for dark-skinned models, challenging misperceptions and racism.

Trucks transporting construction materials are seen through a crack in a police post after entering the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing September 22, 2013. Israel began allowing construction material for private projects into the Gaza Strip on Sunday for the first time in six years, in response to a request from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, an Israeli defence official said. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION REAL ESTATE TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX

Israel Allows Construction Materials To Enter Gaza Under EU Pressure

Israel briefly modified its blockade on Gaza to allow in badly needed construction material, but Gazans say it is not enough to ease the economic crisis.

A Palestinian argues with Israeli soldiers as he tries to walk through a closed off area during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron September 23, 2013. An Israeli soldier was shot dead on Sunday during a Jewish festival in Hebron, a hotbed of tensions where some 500 Israeli settler families live among 100,000 Palestinians. He was the second Israeli serviceman killed since Friday by suspected Palestinian gunmen as tensions rise in the occupied territory despite a resumption of stalled U.S.-brokered peace

Only Palestinian Authority Can Prevent Third Intifada

There is sufficient rage and despair in the West Bank to fuel another intifada, but Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen knows this would be a fatal blow for Fatah.

Coalition Boss Warns Netanyahu Against Settlement Evacuation

Yariv Levin, chairman of the governing coalition, has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the political price he would pay for striking a historic peace agreement with the Palestinians.