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

Israel cover image

Israel

June 30, 2026

Tel Aviv 8:13 pm

26°C

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

While the deal with Lebanon allows the Israeli military to maintain a presence there, security experts warn that it also gives the weakened Hezbollah the time it needs to recover.

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

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

Ankara accused Israel of weaponizing history as Armenia avoided public comment amid delicate regional diplomacy.

AFP via Getty Images

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had recovered somewhat before renewed fighting between Iran and the United States saw traffic drop sharply over the weekend.

Latest News

Syria slams Israeli 'violations' in south as ground clashes intensify: What to know

A car drives past an United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) outpost in the village of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, southern Syria, April 29, 2026.

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon

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

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

Damages are seen on a street at Yabroud town in Damascus countryside March 20, 2014, after soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad took control of it from the rebel fighters. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3HYPI

Syria’s victory in Yabrud may be game changer

At least for now, the recapture of Yabrud by Syrian government forces appears to have tilted the military and political balance in favor of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

BERLIN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 06: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara attend a memorial service at Track 17, the place where the Nazis deported tens of thousands of Berlin Jews to concentration camps during World War II, on December 6, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. The German and Israeli governments are meeting today in Berlin for German-Israeli government consultations. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Israelis indifferent to latest Netanyahu scandal

The latest scandal concerning the behavior of Sara Netanyahu toward the premier's residence manager has not turned into a significant public debate, but generated caricatures and satirical comments on social networks.

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stands with Shula Zaken (L), an administrator in his office, during a session of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem January 2, 2008. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM) - RTX55O4

The woman who holds the key to Olmert's fate

As Ehud Olmert's former chief of staff, Shula Zaken has decided to unravel evidence which might incriminate the former prime minister for corruption, after realizing that he left her legally unprotected while covering his end in this long legal battlefield.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) is greeted during an unveiling ceremony for a monument commemorating the victory of the Soviet Red Army in World War Two in the coastal city of Netanya, north of Tel Aviv June 25, 2012. Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday urged visiting Putin to take steps to avert the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran and to stop the bloodshed in Syria. REUTERS/Jack Guez/Pool (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR344SB

Israeli immigrants divided on Russia, Ukraine

Israelis of Russian-Ukrainian-Belarus origins are divided between those who support Russian President Vladimir Putin, those opting for the democratic Ukrainian revolt and those claiming that the new Ukrainian forces are anti-Semites.

People watch planes from the Israeli Air Force fly over Jerusalem during celebrations marking Israel's 63rd Independence Day in Jerusalem May 10, 2011. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside (JERUSALEM - Tags: ANNIVERSARY MILITARY TRANSPORT) - RTR2M7SX

One Arab woman in Israel Independence Day event

Of 14 women, only one Arab will be among those participating in the traditional torch-lighting ceremony.

An Israeli Air Force F-15I jet is seen in the background as Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon (3rd R) speaks to reporters while standing next to Israel's armed forces chief Major-General Benny Gantz (R) and commander of Israel's Air Force Major-General Amir Eshel (4th R) during a presentation at Hatzerim air base in southern Israel April 30, 2013. Israel on Tuesday launched its first targeted attack on a militant in Gaza since a war in November, killing a Palestinian jihadist in an air strike that put f

Israel's defense minister speaks his mind about US

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's urge to vent his frustration in public is harming US-Israel ties.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint news conference with Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad February 20, 2014. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX196LB

Look for more assertive Russia in Middle East

Unless there is a de-escalation of the crisis over Crimea, the Obama administration could expect to deal with a Russian president more willing to challenge US interests in the Middle East.

Palestinian Fatah supporters hold placards showing pictures of President Mahmoud Abbas (R) and late leader Yasser Arafat during a rally in support of Abbas in the West Bank village of Tubas near Jenin March 16, 2014. With pessimism growing over future of Middle East peace talks, U.S. President Barack Obama will meet Abbas in Washington on Monday to try to break stalemate. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3HADW

Israeli deputy FM: Palestinians haven't budged 'a millimeter'

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to pay a political price for advancing negotiations, unlike the Palestinian partners.

Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres welcomes US Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams prior to their meeting in Jerusalem. Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres (R) welcomes U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams (L) prior to their meeting in Jerusalem March 23, 2005. A parliamentary committee on Wednesday approved a bill for a referendum on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from Gaza later this year, sending the legislation to parliament. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen - RTR5

Peace talks could benefit from implementing previous agreements

Advancing negotiations can be greatly assisted by trust-building measures, namely fulfilling older agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians.

1-!MeravMichaelMK.JPG

Israeli Labor MP slams Lapid as 'crony capitalist'

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Labor Knesset member Merav Michaeli refreshes Israelis' minds about the Palestinian eagerness to reach an agreement and the European Union that offered Israel a relationship package which did not make it to the press, unlike the boycott talks.

An Israeli army officer speaks to a soldier who was wounded during an explosion as he is evacuated to hospital, in the northern city of Haifa March 18, 2014. A roadside bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers patrolling the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, and Israel retaliated with artillery fire on Syrian army positions, the army said. It was not clear who had planted the bomb in an area where the Syrian military, Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas and Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad all have a p

Israel sets new red lines with Syria

The Israeli government prefers that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces keep the Golan quiet, while making clear it will not tolerate any game-changing weapons transfers to Hezbollah.

Residents wait to receive food aid distributed by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) at the besieged al-Yarmouk camp, south of Damascus on January 31, 2014, in this handout picture made available to Reuters February 26, 2014. World powers have passed a landmark Security Council resolution demanding an end to restrictions on humanitarian operations in Syria, but aid workers doubt it has the punch to make Damascus grant access and let stuck convoys deliver vital supplies. The resolution called for the i

Israel's opportunity in Syria

Israel has an opportunity to pursue both humanitarian and strategic objectives in Syria, and to support the Arab Peace Initiative.