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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 16, 2026

Tel Aviv 12:15 pm

23°C

talks

Breaking | Last Updated: May 15, 2026, 2:49 pm

Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended 45 days as US opens security talks

The Pentagon will host Israeli and Lebanese military delegations for a round of separate security talks later this month.

US President Donald Trump talks to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he departs the Al Bateen Executive Airport on May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Analysis

‘A reckless act’: Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit

Just as UAE-Israeli relations were deepening through cooperation against Iran, the Israeli prime minister publicly embarrassed Abu Dhabi by revealing his March visit.

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

Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's accusations of systematic sexual abuse and rape of Palestinian prisoners, calling the claims a "blood libel."

Latest News

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

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

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

Two men stand next to the burned remains of a Palestinian vehicle in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Susya village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 1, 2026.

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

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

Egyptian star under fire for fraternizing with Israelis

Egyptian actor and singer Mohamed Ramadan has come under attack after photos of him with Israeli celebrities surfaced to a storm of condemnation from critics opposed to ties with Egypt's former foe.

A picture taken early on January 21, 2019 shows Syrian air defence batteries responding to what the Syrian state media said were Israeli missiles targeting Damascus. - Israel struck what it said were Iranian targets in Syria today in response to rocket fire it blamed on Iran, sparking concerns of an escalation after a monitor reported 11 fighters killed. Israel openly claimed responsibility for the strikes against facilities it said belonged to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, continuing its re

Israel again strikes targets in southern Syria

Syria's state news media reported material damage from an Israeli strike on Syrian air defenses and Iranian militias in the country yesterday.

Will Biden save the two-state solution?

President-elect Joe Biden must know that opting for confidence-building measures, instead of pushing the sides into negotiating a permanent settlement, would only perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A picture taken on September 25, 2019 shows a view of the Cityscape Global exhibition 2019 at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the Gulf emirate. - Dubai, a city defined by its glittering towers and man-made islands, is stuck in a five-year property downturn with no end in sight, drawing warnings of an industry reckoning that will see weaker players fail. (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP) (Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

In a changing Middle East, Abraham Accords will usher in new era for technology

Collaboration in the form of partnerships and joint ventures around technology between Israel and the United Arab Emirates could be indicative of the wider shift expected in a post-Abraham Accords Middle East.

United Arab Emirates

Rep. Tlaib accused of anti-Semitism for comments on Biden pick

The Michigan congresswoman said she hopes Joe Biden's nominee for secretary of state will not go after boycotts of Israel.

(L to R) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani give a press conference after their trilateral meeting in Jerusalem on November 18, 2020. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's Netanyahu planning to visit Bahrain 'soon'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement followed his phone call with Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa on Tuesday.

Israeli Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz arrives to attend a meeting at the Knesset (Parliament) in Jerusalem on October 15, 2020. (Photo by Alex KOLOMIENSKY / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEX KOLOMIENSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Gantz slams Netanyahu for 'chaos' in Israeli political crisis

The decision by Defense Minister Benny Gantz to open an inquiry into the submarine affair, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu excluding Gantz on the trip to Saudi Arabia, brings the political crisis to an unprecedented point.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint statement in the East Room of the White House on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. The news conference was held to announce the Trump administration's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Netanyahu, MBS concur on Iran, but normalization no closer

In their briefly secret meeting in Neom, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed on the common threat from Iran, but did not make progress toward normalization.

Israel's El Al to begin daily flights to Dubai

The news follows Israel's flagship airline signing a cooperation agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi.

Saudi Arabia denies secret meeting with Israeli officials during Pompeo visit

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhan, said no meeting between Saudi Arabia and Israeli officials took place.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - APRIL 29: (ISRAEL OUT) In this GPO handout, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu April 29, 2018 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Haim Zach / GPO via Getty Images)

Gantz slams Netanyahu over leak of alleged secret meeting with Saudi crown prince

Saudi and Israeli sources have confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew yesterday to Saudi Arabia and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, leaked news that Defense Minister Benny Gantz called irresponsible.

Israel’s Gantz announces major step for LGBTQ rights

Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered the "Name of Mother/Name of Father" section be stricken from all administrative forms, to be replaced by "Parent 1/Parent 2."