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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 29, 2026

Tel Aviv 5:38 pm

25°C

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 29: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Alternate crop) U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago club on December 29, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. The two leaders are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting to discuss regional security in the Middle East as well as the U.S.-Israel partnership. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Exclusive

Trump 'hit the brakes': Netanyahu's circle faults US president for failed Iran regime change, looming deal

With regime in Iran still standing and a possible US-Iran agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands to pay the ultimate political price as elections near in Israel.

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

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Israel strikes Lebanon's capital Beirut for first time in 3 weeks: What to know

According to Israeli media, Ali al-Husseini, the commander of the missile unit in the Imam Hussein Division, a brigade affiliated with Iran’s Quds Force that operates alongside Hezbollah, was the target of the attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Hungary’s parliament voted to remain in the International Criminal Court, reversing a planned withdrawal and marking a shift in Budapest’s approach to Israel and the EU.

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Who was Mohammed Odeh, Hamas military commander killed by Israel in Gaza?

Odeh was killed in a Tuesday strike in the Palestinian enclave just days after he assumed his leadership position.

Latest News

Analysis

'Very bad news’: Israel alarmed as Trump pushes ahead toward Iran deal

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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

Israel strikes near Lebanon’s Qaraoun dam as war intensifies: What to know

A partial view shows a drainage vacuum hole on the lake of Qaraoun in Lebanon's southern Beqaa Valley on April 5, 2019.

US gave Israel 'tacit agreement' to target senior Hezbollah figures

A view shows a Lebanese flag positioned among shattered concrete and twisted rebar, remnants of a destroyed building, in Sidon, Lebanon, on May 3, 2026.

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

Hezbollah and Syrian flags flutter on a military vehicle in Western Qalamoun, Syria August 28, 2017. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC19B2052B90

Syrian Druze wary of Hezbollah, Iranian presence

Since the Syrian war erupted, Iran has been trying to gain a foothold in Syria, most recently in the south, which includes trying to win over the local Druze community.

Will Israel cut Palestinian budget for terror payouts?

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and other Israeli politicians claim that the stipends paid to Palestinian prisoners in Israel and their families constitute incitement to terror.

Gas deal haunts Netanyahu again amid strip club recording scandal

The scandalous audiotape of Yair Netanyahu must be examined by the legal authorities to see if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acted wrongfully when authorizing the 2015 natural gas deal.

Palestinian leadership faces monumental decisions

The Palestinian Central Council faces some tough choices when it meets in Ramallah, but it is unclear what consensus can be reached on.

Netanyahu's 'family values'

The recent scandal involving Yair Netanyahu, son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, renews questions about the Israeli leader's handling of a lucrative natural gas deal.

Palestinians ride a motorcycle during a power cut on a street in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip January 11, 2017. Picture taken January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RC1567C8AF00

Abbas' electricity deal an olive branch to Gaza

By convincing Israel to restore Gaza's power supply, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hopes to regain the trust of Gazans ahead of a Palestinian National Council meeting.

Supermarket law buys Netanyahu's coalition more time

This week, Likud members voiced clear messages directed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the supermarket law promoted by ultra-Orthodox coalition partners.

Israel's betrayal of African refugees

Israel's right-wing government is set on expelling African illegal immigrants, who face great danger in their home and host countries.

Israel's endangered birds face growing threats

A new report paints a worrisome picture of the condition of Israel’s wild birds, of which 65 species are in severe danger of extinction from various threats.

Trump’s peace deal: A Gaza-centered Palestine

The Trump administration is elaborating on a Mideast peace plan of trilateral or even quadruple land swaps, involving Israel, the Palestinians, Egypt and, possibly, Jordan.

Jerusalem's political orphans

Israeli officials are making unilateral decisions about the fate and future of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem.

People walk on the beach as a container ship crosses the Gulf of Suez towards the Red Sea before entering the Suez Canal, in El Ain El Sokhna in Suez, east of Cairo, Egypt April 24, 2017. Picture taken April 24, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC1E42014B40

Israel seeks to revive long abandoned railway to Gulf

Israel is currently discussing a project to reopen the old Hejaz railway to connect it with Saudi Arabia, though many Egyptians are concerned about its impact on trade through the Suez Canal.