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May 18, 2026

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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

Netanyahu connects directly with Israelis in new vlog

In his new vlog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows once again that he is a virtuoso when it comes to using social networks to bypass the media and control his messaging.

ANTALYA, TURKEY - MAY 27: Israel's charg√© d'affaires in Turkey, Amira Oron (C) poses for family photo during the Midterm Review of the Istanbul Programme of Action in Antalya, Turkey on May 27, 2016. The Midterm Review conference for the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries takes place at Titanic Hotel in Antalya, Turkey from 27-29 May 2016. The conference will undertake a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action by the least developed countri

Israel confirms first woman ambassador to Egypt

A year and a half after her initial nomination, the Israeli government has finally approved the appointment of Amira Oron as ambassador to Egypt.

Palestinians reveal Israeli alternatives to two-state solution

Palestinians seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place with Israel’s shifting away from a two-state solution and the diminishing chances of such an option after the announcement of the US Middle East peace plan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement overlooking the Israeli settlement of Har Homa, located in an area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the region's capture in the 1967 Middle East war, February 20, 2020. Debbie Hill/Pool via REUTERS - RC2E4F9ALPB6

Netanyahu’s dilemma over his annexation plan

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must now decide whether he wants to go ahead with his annexation plan, or hope that the White House will get him out of it.

China apparently left out of Israel's 5G network tender

The first phase of the tender for building the 5G wireless network in Israel has passed its deadline, with Chinese bidders apparently left out.

Jordan Valley Palestinians watch as Israel imposes authority ahead of looming annexation

Israel has intensified its measures in West Bank areas facing the threat of annexation at a time when Palestinians feel the imminence of the annexation project more than ever.

Sudanese immigrants in Lebanon try crossing border into Israel

In recent months, Sudanese refugees have been trying to enter Israel by slipping across the tense border with Lebanon.

Chinese construction labourers work at the site of the future Iconic Tower skyscraper, at its foundations in the business district, being built by China State Construction Engineering Corp (CSCEC) in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt May 2, 2019. Picture taken May 2, 2019. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC1DBF7311C0

Intel: US warns Middle Eastern partners against Chinese investment

The State Department’s top official overseeing US policy in the Middle East warned countries in the region against accepting Chinese investment, contracts and coronavirus aid during a virtual interview with the Middle East Institute today.

Israel suspends parliament after lawmaker tests positive for coronavirus

After he was spotted without a mask among crowds of people, Knesset member Sami Abu Shehadeh announced Thursday he was infected with the virus.

Israel’s new government promises Bedouins fast internet

Israel’s new Communication Minister Yoaz Hendel is determined to offer Bedouin villages technological solutions for fast internet connection.

A general view shows vineyards near the Jewish settlement of Achiya in the Israeli-occupied West Bank February 18, 2020. Picture taken February 18, 2020. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC2R7F9RM71Q

Settlers lash out at Trump, spark war of words with Netanyahu

Settler leaders are now attacking the Trump administration as they resist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's annexation plan, which they fear will lead to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks as he and U.S. President Donald Trump discuss a Middle East peace plan proposal in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC26PE94BY08

Israel denies policy change on deducting payouts to Palestinian assailants from PA taxes

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied any change in the policy of deducting funds paid by the Palestinian Authority from the tax revenues collected on its behalf by Israel.