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September 2, 2026

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Analysis

Israel favors status quo as tensions in Iran's leadership fuel escalation risk

Israel would prefer to preserve the current balance of pressure — with US naval blockades and economic measures continuing without a return to active fighting — per a senior Israeli security source.

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

Mecca Alliance

Israel, Greece sign $3.5 billion air-defense deal: What to know

Against the backdrop of growing tensions with Turkey, Israel signed one of its largest-ever defense industry deals to supply Greece with advanced air defense systems.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrive for a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Feb. 4, 2025.

Analysis

Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines

Turkey supports US-backed Israel-Syria talks but sees little prospect of a lasting accommodation until the Israeli elections.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel’s Lebanon dilemma: Confront Hezbollah without angering Trump, triggering Iran

Israeli sources point out that the pilot project for Israel's withdrawal and the Lebanese military taking control over the area is not working because of the government's reluctance to search for Hezbollah's weapons in private homes.

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

Latest News

Israel, Hamas bide their time as Gaza peace plan stalls

A boy walks carrying a table on his back past salvage workers scrapping the rubble of a building that was destroyed during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza City on Aug. 16, 2026. — Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu trails Eisenkot in new poll as Israel's right-wing bloc weakens

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference with US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. — Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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

Israel's military chief Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz salutes in front of the grave of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during his funeral near Sycamore Farm, Sharon's residence in southern Israel, January 13, 2014. Israel buried Sharon at his family farm on Monday, celebrating the military achievements of a man seen as a war hero at home but as a war criminal by many in the Arab world. Sharon, 85, died on Saturday after spending the last eight years of his life motionless in a hospital bed, pitc

Israeli parties in search of ex-generals

On the backdrop of security tensions on Israeli’s northern and southern fronts, all of the parties are looking for security-oriented stars.

Palestinians survey the scene of an Israeli airstrike at a Hamas outpost in the central Gaza Strip October 9, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC1FBD3435D0

Israel’s early elections could trigger new Gaza violence

With early elections approaching in Israel, Hamas is wary of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdrawing from the Gaza arrangement and might opt for another wave of violence.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem October 7, 2018. Abir Sultan/Pool via REUTERS - RC173BB25600

Intel: How Russia is putting Israel on notice over Syria strikes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) delivers a statement at the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, on December 24, 2018. - Israel's government decided to hold early elections in April with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struggling to keep together a one-seat majority in parliament as he also faces potential corruption charges in the months ahead. (Photo by Marc Israel SELLEM / AFP) / Israel OUT (Photo credit should read MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/AFP/Getty Images)

What Israel’s election should actually be about

The issues of ending the occupation, the democratic nature of Israel and relations with American Jewry should dominate the election campaign no less than the character of the political actors seeking office, but they likely will not.

Yellow vest protests fail in Israel

Just putting on a yellow vest to protest against sudden price hikes hasn’t proved to be enough to spread in Israel the rage that brought hundreds of thousands of people out onto the streets of France.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem December 23, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC19032C0880

Who's afraid of a free Israeli press?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has intensified attacks against media outlets and journalists that don't serve his interests.

Fear of indictment drives Netanyahu to call early elections

By calling early elections, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racing his own indictment.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) welcomes his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki (L) ahead of their meeting, in Moscow, on December 21, 2018. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP) (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Can Russia succeed with Palestinians where Egypt has failed?

Moscow has expressed its interest in facilitating an intra-Palestinian reconciliation as well as furthering Palestinian-Israeli relations, but Israel remains wary of such efforts.

Palestinians extinguish fire at an olive tree grove that was allegedly set ablaze by Jewish settlers in the northern West Bank village of Salem, east of Nablus, on November 14, 2010. AFP PHOTOJAAFAR ASHTIYEH (Photo credit should read JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP/Getty Images)

IDF in West Bank refrains from arresting Jews

Despite a dramatic increase in Jewish nationalist crimes, such as slashing tires, throwing stones, and cutting down olive trees in Palestinian settlements even within the Green Line, Israeli security forces have been remarkably helpless.

Education minister held secret meetings with settler leaders ahead of elections

The Israeli settlers are exploiting their political leverage in this pre-campaign period to legalize West Bank outposts and push for the expulsion of family members of Palestinian assailants.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 14, 2018. (Photo by Yuri KADOBNOV / AFP) (Photo credit should read YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Russia eyes greater Palestinian role

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced its readiness to hold Fatah-Hamas talks to overcome the obstacles impeding internal reconciliation, amid an expected visit by head of the Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh to Moscow.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks withh Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the opening ceremony of the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 11, 2018. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS - RC19136AAEC0

Trump buries the hatchet with Erdogan over Syria

The US troop withdrawal could also lead to a return of the 'art of the deal' with Putin.