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April 17, 2026

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press as he departs Tel Aviv for Qatar following an official visit, at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Lod, Israel, September 16, 2025. Israel heavily bombarded Gaza City on September 16 2025, witnesses told AFP, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new offensive there and its stated goal of eradicating Hamas. (Photo by NATHAN HOWARD / POOL / AFP) (Photo by NATHAN HOWARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

As Lebanon-Israel talks begin, can Rubio press Netanyahu into ceasefire?

"Donald Trump pressured Benjamin Netanyahu into these negotiations...Trump sees what is happening in Lebanon as a troublesome issue that prevents him from addressing the main problem with Iran," an Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor.

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

Pope Leo XIV

'No fear': Pope Leo pushes against Trump attacks as he lands in Algeria

President Donald Trump has escalated against the first American pontiff over his criticism of the Israel-US war in Iran.

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

Oil back above $100 as US moves to blockade Strait of Hormuz

Soaring energy prices can be expected to remain volatile while the US begins its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Latest News

Analysis

Inside Turkey’s role in the US-Iran ceasefire

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) walks with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on June 1, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

In talks with Lebanon, Israel seeking guarantees to contain Hezbollah

NABATIEH, LEBANON - APRIL 08: Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike in the city center on April 08, 2026 in Nabatieh, Lebanon. Israel has stepped-up its attacks on Lebanon following President Donald Trump's announcement of a two-week ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, conditional on shipping being allowed to resume through the Strait of Hormuz. Israel says it will observe the ceasefire with Iran but insists Lebanon was not included in the deal, and has since launched the "largest coordinated strik

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Analysis

Ahead of Washington talks, Israel has little choice but to accept ceasefire in Lebanon

TOPSHOT - Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted an area in Beirut on April 8, 2026. Israel launched a series of strikes on Beirut on April 8, the most violent attack on the Lebanese capital since the start of war. The strikes came as Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, which drew Lebanon into the Middle East war by attacking Israel on March 2, claimed it was close to a "historic victory". (Photo by Dylan COLLINS / AFP via Getty Images) /

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

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

Intel: Morocco signs 10-year military cooperation agreement with Pentagon

The United States is building up its alliances in North Africa amid tensions with Russia and China.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 10: U.S. President Donald Trump look on during a ceremony to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to retired four-star Army general Jack Keane in the East Room of the White House March 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. Gen. Keane currently works as an analyst on Fox News. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Iranians call COVID-19 diagnosis 'lesson' for Trump

To many Iranians, the news that US President Donald Trump has the novel coronavirus is poetic justice.

Intel: Pentagon eyes partnership with Algeria amid competition with Russia, China

The United States is looking to bolster military ties with North Africa.

Two Iranian fuel tankers reach Venezuelan territory

The Associated Press reported that two Iran-flagged ships reached Venezuela and a third is on its way without US interference. Together they are carrying 815,000 barrels of fuel.

Employees walk past a lighted Twitter log as they leave the company's headquarters in San Francisco on August 13, 2019. - Twitter on August 13 said that by the end of the year users will be able to follow a small number of interests the same way they follow people. The feature will be rolled out internationally as the one-to-many messaging platform makes a priority of being an online venue for conversations rather than a pulpit for one-way broadcasting to the masses. (Photo by Glenn CHAPMAN / AFP) (Photo by

Twitter says it closed Iranian government accounts focused on US election

The social media company said it received the information on Tehran's purported activity during the first US presidential debate from the FBI.

Trump administration again slashes refugee admissions to new low

The announcement followed Trump's attack on refugees during a campaign rally in Minnesota.

US sanctions Syria’s central bank chief, intel head

The Trump administration sanctioned more than a dozen Syrian officials and entities in its latest push to choke off the regime's financial network.

Iraqi counter-terrorism forces stand guard in front of the US embassy in the capital Baghdad on January 2, 2020. - The US embassy siege by pro-Iran protesters in Baghdad lasted just over a day, but analysts warn it could have lasting implications for Iraq's complex security sector and diplomatic ties. On Tuesday, hundreds of Hashed supporters stormed the high-security Green Zone and besieged the US embassy. The ease with which they breezed past US-trained forces demonstrated the Hashed's dominance in Iraq,

Iraqi foreign minister warns US Embassy pullout would be 'dangerous' for region

Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned an American withdrawal could cause other members of the anti-IS coalition to pull their diplomatic staff.

The Iron Dome defence missile system, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, is pictured in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod on November 12, 2019. - Israel's military killed a commander for Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in a strike on his home in the Gaza Strip, prompting retaliatory rocket fire and fears of a severe escalation in violence. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Intel: First Israeli Iron Dome battery arrives in US

A second Iron Dome battery is expected to arrive by the end of the year.

Biden criticizes Turkish role in Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict

The Democratic presidential nominee also said Trump should work to de-escalate the war in the Caucus. Turkey has come up in the US presidential race before.

US President Donald Trump speaks on Covid-19 testing in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on September 28, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump mum on refugee admissions despite pleas from Congress

The administration has drastically reduced the number of refugees resettled annually in the United States.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a bilateral meeting in Vienna, Austria, May 17, 2016.
/ AFP / POOL / LEONHARD FOEGER (Photo credit should read LEONHARD FOEGER/AFP via Getty Images)

Why rejoining Iran nuclear deal isn’t so easy, even if Biden wins

A new Iran deal should consider the “gold standard” energy pact by the UAE and include a regional dialogue on the peaceful use of nuclear power.

United Arab Emirates