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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 12, 2026

Tel Aviv 1:45 am

26°C

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Nabatieh shows smoke as it rises from the site of Israeli strikes that targeted the hilltops of the mountainous area of the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge on Aug. 14, 2026.

Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah tunnels in Ali al-Taher ridge: What to know

The ridge has become a flashpoint in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon due to its extensive tunnel network Israel says is utilized by the Iran-backed group.

Chaim Goldberg / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack

The Emirati president reportedly warned that a planned attack could cause bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords.

TOPSHOT - Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system are pictured over Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel's public broadcaster reporting that the Iranian supreme leader had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel braces for Iran attack as Trump’s economic squeeze on Tehran intensifies

Skeptical about the effectiveness of the American economic blockade on Tehran to weaken the regime, Israel is preparing for the possibility that Iran could decide to strike the Jewish state during the upcoming high holidays.

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

West Bank settlements

12 countries including France, UK, Canada end trade with West Bank settlements

The decision comes against the backdrop of an escalation in settler violence and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

Latest News

Katz warns PA against 'Oct. 7-style' attack as West Bank violence rises

Israeli soldiers take positions during a military operation in the town of Qalqiya, in the occupied West Bank, Dec. 4, 2025.

Lebanon says at least 12 killed in Israeli strikes as tensions rise in south

An excavator digs as rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfar Roummane, southern Lebanon, Sept. 7, 2026.

Analysis

LORA missile test reveals limits of Germany’s Gaza criticism of Israel

A woman walks past a model of a Lora missile, Israel's long range artillery missile at the Israel defence stall at the international DefExpo 2008 defence fair, in New Delhi on February 16, 2008. India kicked off South Asia's largest defence fair, with hundreds of global weapons firms offering their latest hardware to the country's technology-hungry military. About 450 weapons companies from 30 countries are present at the four-day "DefExpo" in New Delhi, with several big-ticket announcements expected. AFP P

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Analysis

How Jewish politician joining Arab party could reshape Israeli politics

Raam

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas chairs a Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, May 4, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTX2CU11

Will PLO adopt new political strategy?

As partisan bickering costs the Palestinian cause momentum in the regional and international arenas, the Palestinian National Initiative hopes a new strategy will unify the political leadership and end the division.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inspects a guard of honor at the National Palace during his State visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 7, 2016. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri - RTX2K46G

Israel’s Africa ambitions highlight Egypt's absence

While Egyptian-Israeli relations are improving, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Africa could negatively affect Egypt's historical role in the African continent.

A member of the Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas speaks on a walkie-talkie at Rafah border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza Strip May 19, 2016. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTSEZZG

What do Palestinians think about Egypt's peace initiative?

Hamas leaders are unhappy about the Egyptian initiative, which positions Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as Israel's only interlocutor, but fear to express loudly their objections.

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addresses the media in Ankara, Turkey, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2IFQI

Following reconciliation with Israel, will Turkey revive ties with Cairo next?

While Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim expressed the desire for his country and Egypt to become closer politically and economically, Egyptian officials have reservations in this regard.

Palestinians collect watermelons at a farm in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip May 12, 2015.
REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

- RTX1CMR2

Why Israeli watermelons are making headlines in Gaza

As local watermelon supplies dwindle, the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza has allowed the import of watermelons from Israel and lifted an eight-year ban to cover the daily consumption of nearly 600 tons.

Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon (C) reviews an honour guard during a farewell ceremony at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel May 22, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSFDWN

Will US funders shell out for new political party in Israel?

Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon has begun laying the groundwork for his own party to offer a more moderate alternative to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Jerusalem July 10, 2016 REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTSH5M1

Netanyahu distracts public, buys time with Egypt talks

Facing another police probe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is directing the public's attention to a possible summit in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas prays for Maysara Abu Hamdeya, a Palestinian inmate who died from cancer in an Israeli hospital on Tuesday, during a Fatah Central Committee meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah April 2, 2013. Hamdeya's death threatened to raise tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinians, who view jailed brethren as heroes in a fight for statehood, have held several protests in recent weeks in support of prisoners. REUTERS/Mohamed Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLIT

Have Arab leaders forgotten about Palestine?

Palestinian senior officials feel that not only are Arab countries preoccupied by the Islamic State threat, but that the countries are also tired of the Palestinian issue and are sidelining the urgency of establishing a Palestinian state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) speaks with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem January 31, 2016. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTX24S18

Why Israel's left can't depend on Finance Minister Kahlon

Reading into statements by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon should clarify to the Israeli center-left that he has never deserted the right-wing.

Palestinians pass through an opening in the Israeli barrier fence as they attempt to make their way to attend the third Friday prayer of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque, near the West bank city of Bethlehem June 24, 2016. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2HXNV

Is Israel doomed to live with terror?

Former Mossad Deputy Chief Ram Ben Barak disagrees with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position that Israel is doomed to live with terror, claiming that it is up to Israel to decide if it wants to pay the price of occupation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (L) arrive for a meeting on May 15, 2016 during a meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem. Ayrault met Netanyahu before meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas ahead of a French-sponsored Middle East peace process summit in Paris on May 30. Israel has rejected the initiative, the Palestinians support it and the United States has been cold. REUTERS/ MENAHEM KAHANA/Pool - RTSECIO

EU to push forward with two-state conference, with or without Washington

EU senior officials are planning a two-state conference to be held before the end of the year, with both a bilateral and a multilateral track.

Supporters hold posters of Bahrain's leading Shi'ite cleric Isa Qassim during a sit-in outside his home in the village of Diraz west of Manama, Bahrain June 21, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2HIPR

Khamenei says Iran has not intervened in Bahrain

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran has not intervened in Bahrain and encouraged the island state's leaders to act wisely in order to not turn a political conflict into a civil war.