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Israel

September 3, 2026

Tel Aviv 5:36 pm

31°C

Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Israel to release 5 Lebanese prisoners ahead of next talks: What to know

Israel said the detainees are "civilians who are not members of a terrorist organization, were not involved in terrorism, and that there is no reason to continue holding them in Israel."

missile

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

Latest News

Analysis

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

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Israeli activists call out military academy for messianic teachings

Human rights activist and attorney Yair Nehorai is petitioning the Supreme Court to halt the state funding of the Bnei David Military Preparatory Academy, which he claims advances a messianic worldview and is working to undermine democracy.

Why is Qatar helping Hamas in Gaza?

The Palestinian Authority believes the Qatari aid to the Gaza Strip serves the interests of the US and Israel, which plan to announce the "deal of the century" that aims at separating the Gaza Strip from the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Education Minister Naftali Bennett with pupils during a visit at the "Tamra HaEmek" elementary school on the first day of the school year, in the Arab Israeli town of Tamra, Israel September 1, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - S1AETYTKZEAA

Netanyahu ignores Iran's scientific, educational advances

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised himself for security achievements, but neglected to address the worrying decline in Israeli research and higher education.

Are Gaza rockets a first taste of next Israel-Hamas war?

The rocket that hit a home in Beersheba on Oct. 17 made it clear that if Israel carries out threats for a war against Gaza, the price will be very steep.

TOPSHOT - Protestors hold pictures of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a demonstration in front of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 5, 2018. - Jamal Khashoggi, a veteran Saudi journalist who has been critical towards the Saudi government has gone missing after visiting the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, the Washington Post reported. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

Analysis: Israel torn between Saudi Arabia, Turkey on Khashoggi affair

For Israel’s leadership, the anti-Iran alliance with Saudi Arabia is more important than reacting on the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Israeli sappers stand on a crane as they work on a house that the Israeli military said was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Beersheba, southern Israel October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC165705AE00

Escalation in Gaza challenges Israeli leadership

Heavy rockets fired from Gaza on Wednesday have sent Israel's military and political leaders into disarray while Egypt mediates a Hamas-Israel arrangement.

What's next for Israel: early elections or war in Gaza?

With early elections expected and rumblings on Israel's border with Gaza, the opposition appears unable to come together to present a credible alternative to the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Palestinian property transfers to settlers anger Jerusalemites

The recent transfer of a Palestinian-owned property in the Old City of Jerusalem to settlers caused anger in the Palestinian territories, as the seller and buyer exchange accusations.

Palestinians eager to welcome UN Security Council mission

Palestinians hope that a UN Security Council visiting mission will make the trip to Gaza and the West Bank to experience their reality firsthand, but the United States might veto any such plans.

Gaza’s first maritime emergency service attends to protesters

The Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip launched the first maritime emergency service in Gaza in order to provide medical assistance to demonstrators injured by Israeli fire while protesting at sea.

Liberman pushes for Hebron construction as party numbers flag

Yisrael Beitenu's grim polling is prodding Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman further into dangerous militancy and allegiance to far-right nationalist interests.

Mixed marriages between Arab, Jewish celebrities cause uproar in Israel

Even the politicians fighting against religious coercion in Israel had openly racist reactions to the wedding of Arab TV star Lucy Aharish and Jewish actor Tzahi HaLevi.