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Israel

May 8, 2026

Tel Aviv 2:17 pm

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People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs neighborhood of Haret Hreik on May 6, 2026.

Israel strikes Beirut in breach of Lebanon ceasefire

Israel has continued to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon but had not targeted Beirut since the ceasefire took effect.

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel fears Trump seeking Hormuz win while sidestepping Iran nuclear issue

While President Donald Trump keeps pressuring Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Israel fears the American leader will decide to cut his losses and sideline the nuclear threat.

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

A man sits watching as Lebanese first responders search for human remains among the rubble the day after a house was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, on May 1, 2026.

Culture

Lebanon's churches, mosques and archaeological sites damaged in Israeli strikes

Israeli strikes in Lebanon have damaged a growing number of cultural and religious sites, as sites in Israel have also sustained damage from Hezbollah and Iranian attacks.

Latest News

Analysis

Can Bennett, Lapid unite Israel’s opposition to unseat Netanyahu?

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid (L) speaks to outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, during a meeting at the Knesset (parliament), in Jerusalem on June 30, 2022. - Final approval of the parliament dissolution bill was initially expected by midnight but was postponed to June 30 as coalition and opposition lawmakers sparred over last-minute legislative details, several sources familiar with the parliamentary said. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Analysis

Iron Dome in Gulf: How Iran war turned UAE-Israel defense ties operational

AFP via Getty Images

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Analysis

Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

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 family arrives for a rapid COVID-19 antigenic test at Israel's Magen David Adom medical service in Jerusalem on Aug. 8, 2021.

Israeli government's tight grip on pandemic slips

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had labeled himself as Mr. Coronavirus, but now that he is at the helm, the pandemic just keeps spreading.

Michael Herzog speaks at The Washington Institute's Soref Symposium in Washington, DC, May 7, 2009.

Israel’s new US ambassador intimately familiar with Washington

Israel’s new envoy to the United States, Michael Herzog, is the only Israeli official to have participated in all diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Arab states over the past two decades and he knows Washington by heart.

Israeli Foreign Ministry

Arab-Israeli legislator tours Israel’s Foreign Ministry

Raam leader Mansour Abbas' visit to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem was anything but ordinary.

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Israel appoints bipartisan negotiator as ambassador to US

Having served in a variety of military positions and as negotiator in several rounds of talks with the Palestinians and Arab countries, Israel’s next ambassador to the US Michael Herzog is widely hailed as the right person for the job.

Michael Herzog and Isaac Herzog

Bennett names Michael Herzog as Israeli ambassador to US

Herzog, a retired brigadier general and fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is the brother of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Raisi at swearing-in

Raisi ready to support ‘any diplomatic plan’ that lifts sanctions on Iran

Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister is ready to "send a message" to Iran in response to drone attack on Israeli-managed ship that killed two.

JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images

Israel treads cautiously as fire exchanged on border with Lebanon

Israel’s border with Lebanon is increasingly volatile like the roiling Gaza front in the south.

Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attends the first meeting of the new government, Jerusalem, June 13, 2021.

Israel’s Bennett strives for new center-right electorate

As new prime minister in a government composed of the right, center and left, Naftali Bennett strives to create for himself a new political base.

Israel's Defence Minister Benny Gantz (L) and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speak to each other at a Knesset (parliament) meeting during which Isaac Herzog, a veteran of Israel's left-wing Labor party, was sworn in as the Jewish state's 11th president, replacing Reuvin Rivlin, in Jerusalem, on July 7, 2020.

Gantz says Israel ready for military action against Iran, if necessary

Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid champion diplomatic efforts against what they consider Iranian terror acts at sea.

ABIR SULTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Bennett styles himself as Israel’s new Mr. Security

On the backdrop of the fatal drone attack against the oil tanker off Oman and of growing tensions on Israel’s northern border, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is positioning himself as Israel’s new Mr. Security.

Mansour Abbas (L), head of Israel's conservative Islamic Raam party, attends a Knesset (Parliament) meeting in Jerusalem on July 7, 2021, during which Israeli President-elect Yitzhak Herzog will swear allegiance.

Will only Arab party in Israel’s ruling coalition provide blueprint for others?

If Ra’am’s experiment as a partner in the government is successful, it could have lasting impact on Israel's political system.

Zachary Weiss #44 of Team Israel pitches in the ninth inning against Team Dominican Republic during the knockout stage of men's baseball on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium on Aug. 3, 2021 in Yokohama, Japan.

Despite loss, Israel’s Olympic baseball team wins big in Tokyo

The Israeli baseball team brought home no medals, but still made history by qualifying for the Olympic games and gaining visibility.