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Israel

August 15, 2026

Tel Aviv 12:44 am

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Israeli army vehicles move to a position in southern Lebanon, March 27, 2026.

Analysis

Israel defies Trump on Lebanon as Netanyahu, Katz prioritize elections

Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump face fateful elections this fall, but one needs progress in Lebanon while the other wants more of the same.

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

Colombia's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, delivers a speech at the Pichincha Battalion after being sworn in, in Cali, Colombia, on Aug. 7, 2026.

Syria lodges UN complaint against Colombia’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Golan

Bogota’s move marked a foreign policy shift under new right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella, reversing Petro-era policies that strained ties with Israel.

Latest News

Analysis

Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan while quietly implementing it

lia YEFIMOVICH / AFP via Getty Images

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

Interview

Israel's deputy FM, Sharren Haskel, bets on a new right after breaking with Netanyahu

Sharren Haskel speaks at an event marking 60 years of diplomatic ties between Germany and Israel hosted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, Oct. 16, 2025.

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

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waves to supporters during a ceremony to swear Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (not pictured) into office, in Caracas April 19, 2013. Maduro was sworn in as Venezuela's president on Friday at a ceremony attended by several countries' leaders, after a decision to widen an electronic audit of the vote took some of the heat out of a dispute over his election. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins (VENEZUELA - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTXYSR0

Post-Ahmadinejad Iran: A New Challenge to the West

Shlomi Eldar argues that with the upcoming elections in Iran, the international community should try another, more conciliatory approach.

U.S. President Barack Obama embraces former president George W. Bush following remarks at the dedication ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, April 25, 2013. Obama is in Texas to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Bush in what could serve as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle against terrorism, from the Sept. 11 attacks to the Boston Marathon bombings. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYZY9

Why Is Obama Giving Up On Bush's Road Map?

Akiva Eldar writes that the Road Map, Annapolis Declaration, and Arab Peace Initiative should be a start for the latest round of US Middle East diplomacy.

Israel's President Shimon Peres (2nd L) meets Aryeh Deri (L), Eli Yishai and Ariel Attias (R), leaders of the religious Shas party, at his residence in Jerusalem January 31, 2013. Peres began talks with political parties on Wednesday over who should form a new government and appears certain to ask incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to assemble it. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3D6U4

Israel's Shas in Leadership Crisis

On the eve of its 30th anniversary, the Ultra-Orthodox party Shas finds itself in the opposition and in the throes of a severe leadership crisis, writes Nadav Perry.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) listens to remarks by Jordan's King Abdullah prior to a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House to discuss issues like the Syrian crisis and regional security, in Washington, April 26, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Theiler (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZ19P

Syria’s Chemical Weapons, Israel and Hezbollah

The US statement about Syrian chemical weapons; Israel weighs in; the debate within Hezbollah about Syria.

Surrounded by security Deputy Speaker of the Israeli parliament, Danny Danon is taken on a tour of the Temple Mount or Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound the holy site for Judaism and the Islam in Israeli annexed east Jerusalem's old City July 20, 2010, during the 9th of Av day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second holy temples. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD GHARABLI (Photo credit should read AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Wants to Accelerate Settlements

In an interview with Mazal Mualem, Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon promises to help the settlements in the West Bank and to institute compulsory national service for Israeli-Arabs.

Smoke rises after what activists said was a missile fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Deraa, April 26, 2013. REUTERS/Mazen Abu Mahmoud/Shaam News Network/Handout (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTE

The Red Line in Syria Has Long Been Crossed

Shlomi Eldar wonders why the world waits for the use of chemical weapons to launch a military operation ending the bloodshed in Syria.

An Israeli soldier sits behind concrete blocks in the village of Ghajar on the Israeli-Lebanese border November 17, 2010. Israel said on Wednesday it would withdraw troops from the village straddling the Lebanese border, in a gesture to the United Nations that drew residents onto the streets protesting the division of their community. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (POLITICS) - RTXUQYD

Israel Fencing Off Lebanese Village Would Violate UN Resolution

Israel is attempting to build a fence around the northern part of Ghajar, a Lebanese village that lies on its northern border with Lebanon, in violation of UN Resolution 1701, writes Nasser Chararah.

Hamas mediator Ahmed Al-Jaabari (L) escorts Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing in this October 18, 2011 file photo. Israel killed Jaabari, the military commander of the Islamist group Hamas, in a missile strike on the Gaza Strip on November 14, 2012 and launched air raids across the enclave, pushing the two sides to the brink of a new war. REUTERS/Middle East News Agency (MENA)/Khalid Farid/File (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Is Hamas PlanningTo Kidnap More Israelis?

Hamas seems to be seriously planning to kidnap another Israeli soldier or settler after the success of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, writes Adnan Abu Amer.

A child waves a Hezbollah flag as she holds pictures of martyrs as Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters during a rally to commemorate Martyrs' Day in Beirut, February 16, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3DVC2

Is Hezbollah Losing Its Grip?

The drone sent by Hezbollah to Israel must be interpreted as an outcry for survival by its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, writes Shlomi Eldar.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (R) and his Israeli counterpart Moshe Yaalon (L) look out of the window during a helicopter tour of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights April 22, 2013. Israel suggested on Monday it would be patient before taking any military action against Iran's nuclear programme, saying during a visit by Hagel there was still time for other options. REUTERS/Jim Watson/Pool (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY TRAVEL) - RTXYVU8

Did Israel Ambush the US on Syria?

Whether or not Israel planned to ambush the US on Syria's chemical weapon use, the result has been successful in moving the US closer to Israel's position, writes Alon Ben David.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (2nd R) and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon (R) watch an Israeli military K-9 unit train at an army base near Tel Aviv April 23, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Watson/Pool (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY ANIMALS) - RTXYWPQ

In Israel, 'Slip of the Tongue' On Syria Puts Pressure on US

Though a senior Israeli intelligence officer's declaration that Syria has used chemical weapons wasn't intended to embarass US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, the bigger problem is how the US will deal with its own red lines, writes Ben Caspit.

Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid attends the opening of the summer session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem April 22, 2013. Lapid is seeking spending cuts of 18 billion shekels ($5 billion) and tax increases of 5 billion shekels as part of the 2013-2014 budget framework, a spokeswoman for Lapid said on Monday. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTXYVXB

Israel: The Olmert-Lapid Reckoning

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has announced his intention to run again for office, but he may run into Finance Minister Yair Lapid, his protege and the son of his late best friend, writes Mazal Mualem.