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August 16, 2026

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Israeli army vehicles move to a position in southern Lebanon, March 27, 2026.

Analysis

Israel defies Trump on Lebanon as Netanyahu, Katz prioritize elections

Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump face fateful elections this fall, but one needs progress in Lebanon while the other wants more of the same.

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

Children swimming in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Hormuz authority denies Trump claims of control over strait: What to know

Trump administration officials have said oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are rising, but maritime traffic remains diminished.

lia YEFIMOVICH / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan while quietly implementing it

Even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he rejects US President Donald Trump’s Gaza reconstruction plan, Israel is advancing its implementation.

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

Latest News

Analysis

As pro-Palestinian candidates gain ground, will AIPAC's influence wane?

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Analysis

As US rethinks regional presence, Israel shifts focus to destabilizing Iran

Hussein FALEH / 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 and Supporting Editor

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

Paul J. Saunders

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

Deposed President Mohamed Mursi greets his lawyers and people from behind bars at a court wearing the red uniform of a prisoner sentenced to death, during his court appearance with Muslim Brotherhood members on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, June 21, 2015. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo - S1AETCRHIPAB

Was Morsi’s brief presidency an opportunity lost for Israel?

The late Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi hated Israel, but his relationship with Hamas held the promise of negotiating a long-term truce between the organization and Israel and potentially altering the landscape in Gaza.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens to questions during a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House national security adviser John Bolton look on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1ACBBDB270

Trump may chicken out on Iran, frets Israel

Israeli security officials are getting worried that escalating tensions between the United States and Iran could spill over into Israel through an attack by Hezbollah on the northern border.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a chart of military hardware sales as he welcomes Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC14FF352EF0

Senate votes to constrain Trump on Gulf arms sales as Iran tensions heat up

A bipartisan group of senators rebuked President Donald Trump for his Iran emergency declaration hours after Tehran shot down a US drone over the Persian Gulf.

US sanctions fail to bend Iran’s economy, expert says

Al-Monitor contributor Bijan Khajehpour said at an Al-Monitor event in Washington today that the Donald Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign has not succeeded in crippling the country's economy.

The MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system completes its inaugural cross-country ferry flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland in this U.S. Navy photo taken September 18, 2014. The Pentagon's review of intelligence and surveillance programs should be completed by mid-October, which will help clarify the future of the Navy's proposed carrier-based unmanned spy plane, a senior Navy official said on Tuesday. REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Erik Hildebrandt/Handout (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY) THIS IMAGE HAS

Intel: What's next for US-Iran tensions after drone downing

Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated further as both sides confirmed that Iran shot down a US military drone today.

U.S. Air Force maintainers prepare a U.S. military drone RQ-4A Global Hawk for takeoff at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, December 2, 2010. Picture taken December 2, 2010. Courtesy Eric Harris/U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC17D81CAF00

IRGC: Drone downing 'message’ against foreign invasion

Iran claims that the US drone it shot down was flying over Iranian territory when hit by a surface-to-air missile.

ARLINGTON, VA - JULY 13: U.S. Army Secretary Mark Esper announces that Austin, Texas, will be the new headquarters for the Army Futures Command during a news conference at the Pentagon July 13, 2018 in Arlington, Virginia. The Army is undergoing its biggest reorganization in 45 years with the creation of the Army Futures Command, which is tasked with modernizing the fighting force. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

New Pentagon chief faces first test with Iran

Army Secretary Mark Esper is set to take the helm as the Pentagon’s newest acting chief, but comes to the job with limited Middle East experience.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks during an interview at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC12E94345A0

Intel: How Democrats are using John Bolton’s Iraq War baggage to push back on Trump’s Iran policy

National security adviser John Bolton wasn’t on Capitol Hill today, but he still took center stage as Democrats grilled State Department Iran coordinator Brian Hook on the Donald Trump administration’s maximum pressure policy.

Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attend a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RC12887C8A40

How will S-400 affair affect Turkish-NATO ties?

Calls for Turkey to be expelled from NATO or for Turkey to leave NATO are not realistic, say experts.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a summit between Arab league and European Union member states, in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, February 24, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC163E99B150

Abbas wins: Israeli officials won’t attend Bahrain conference

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas managed to veto the participation of an official Israeli delegation at the upcoming Bahrain conference.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a lunch meeting with Poland's President Andrzej Duda in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 12, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC120F191060

Pompeo visits CENTCOM amid mixed messaging from US on Iran

In a strange move for a top US diplomat, Mike Pompeo visited a US military command solo to avow that the United States doesn't want war with Iran.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and head of delegation Sergey Ryabkov attend a Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) conference in Beijing of the UN Security Council's five permanent members (P5) China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, China, January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/Pool - RC15C6930520

As Jerusalem meeting nears, Russia seeks ways to ease US-Iran tensions

Russia is urging the United States to cease provocations of Iran and also is seeking to persuade Tehran to stay in the nuclear deal.