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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 18, 2026

Tel Aviv 5:52 am

25°C

OLIVER BUNIC/AFP via Getty Images

Serbia opens factory to assemble Israeli-made drones: What to know

Serbian President Vucic said the factory will put together “state-of-the-art” Israeli-designed drones and employ around 100 workers.

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

The move will mark the first time Morocco and Israel have exchanged ambassadors.

ISRAEL-ENTERTAINMENT-TELEVISION-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-MASS-MEDIA-D (L to R) Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, co-creators of the hit Israeli TV show "Fauda", attend a demonstration against the Israeli government's plans to shut-down public broadcaster KAN, in Israel's Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv on January 25, 2023. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Israeli show ‘Fauda’ tops Netflix in Lebanon, hits top 10 across Arab states

The show was created by Israeli journalist Avi Issacharoff and actor Lior Raz, drawing on their experiences serving in the Israeli military’s elite Duvdevan unit.

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 2026.

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

Showing its support for Lebanon, Paris is backing Beirut’s request at the UN for a short-term extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, although French sources acknowledge that the chances of the request being approved are slim.

Latest News

Exclusive

Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

Europe’s West Bank trade ban fires warning shot at Israel’s economy

Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Once Netanyahu’s top challenger, Bennett loses ground to Eisenkot: What to know

Erik Marmor

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah tunnels in Ali al-Taher ridge: What to know

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Nabatieh shows smoke as it rises from the site of Israeli strikes that targeted the hilltops of the mountainous area of the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge on Aug. 14, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Palestinians determined to reopen West Bank mushroom farm

Local Palestinian agricultural products are a powerful way to resist economic dependency on Israel, but barriers have plagued the West Bank's first mushroom farm.

A general view shows the Israeli Arab city of Umm al-Fahm August 16, 2016. Picture taken August 16, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - S1BETXLWGTAB

Umm al-Fahm: Where the streets have no name

Israeli authorities are refusing to approve street names selected by the city of Umm al-Fahm to acknowledge and honor Palestinian figures and history.

Israel almost ready for another Golda Meir

Almost 50 years after her era, Golda Meir remains the only woman to have served as prime minister of Israel, but the clock is ticking.

Israel plagued with political corruption

Unless Israeli society acts severely and decisively against political corruption, this corruption monster will take over every aspect of life.

'The World According to Netanyahu'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's character will not allow him to surrender until he knows he no longer has a chance of prevailing in the face of police allegations of involvement in criminal activity.

Palestinian press applauds coverage of Netanyahu investigations

While Palestinian journalists have appreciated the Israeli media's reports on the police investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the journalists are sharply critical when it comes to Israeli media coverage of the occupation of Palestinian territories.

Knesset advances 'dangerous' Jerusalem residency law

An Israeli Knesset committee recently approved a draft law that would make it easier to revoke the residency status of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, raising the concerns of human rights organizations.

US hits deadlock in Lebanon-Israel border mediation

Renewed tension over the demarcation of the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon has the United States engaged in shuttle diplomacy between the countries.

A picture taken in the northern Israeli Kibbutz of Harduf on February 10, 2018, shows the remains of an Israel F-16 that crashed after coming under fire by Syrian air defences during attacks against "Iranian targets" in the war-torn country. / AFP PHOTO / Jack GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Why Iran doesn’t want escalation in Syria

Contrary to the narrative that Iran wants to drag Israel into the Syrian war, Tehran appears to have no incentive to do so.

Has Gaza joined the axis of resistance?

Palestinian factions, with the exception of Fatah, are threatening to open a Gaza front against Israel if it goes to war in Syria, Lebanon or Iran.

Police closing in on Netanyahu

With the former director general of the Ministry of Communications, Shlomo Filber, as a state witness, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to be indicted and even convicted.

'Bibimania' hits Israel

The police investigations against Netanyahu have contributed to an increasingly divisive and corrosive atmosphere in Israel's public and politics.