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April 9, 2026

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Israeli military vehicles drive along a road in southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border on April 8, 2026. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had carried out a surprise attack on April 8 targeting hundreds of Hezbollah members across Lebanon. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images) /

Breaking | Last Updated: April 9, 2026, 2:18 pm

US to host Lebanon-Israel talks next week, Israeli official says

A senior Lebanese official told Al-Monitor that the Trump administration relayed to Beirut on Wednesday its support for Lebanon to handle its negotiations with Israel, separate from talks taking place with Iran this weekend in Pakistan.

An undated image of Shelly Kittleson.

Exclusive

'King of Iraq': Top judge Zaidan played key role in Shelly Kittleson's release

Officials say Faiq Zaidan leveraged his influence with Iran-backed militias to help secure the US journalist’s release, underscoring his outsized power in Iraq’s fractured political landscape.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

TOPSHOT - Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran, on April 8 2026. The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday barely an hour before US President Donald Trump's deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

Trump ceasefire leaves Netanyahu flustered as Iran gains politically

US President Trump’s decision on a ceasefire with the Tehran regime leaves Israel far away from its Iran war objectives.

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

President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington.

Trump agrees to halt war for 2 weeks if Iran reopens Hormuz

Latest News

US strikes Iran’s Kharg Island as Trump threatens 'whole civilization'

Motorists ride scooters near a large political banner, depicting missiles being fired behind Iranian demonstrators in solidarity with the government, at Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026.

With Trump's goals unmet, can strikes on Iran's economy force a deal?

TOPSHOT - A view of the B1 bridge is pictured, a day after it was destroyed by a strike in Karaj, around 20miles (35kms) southwest of Tehran, April 3, 2026. US President Donald Trump said on April 2 the tallest bridge in Iran had been destroyed, hours after threatening to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages." (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

‘No bridges, no power plants’: Trump ups threats against Iran if deal fails

US President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, on April 6, 2026, in Washington.

Iran rejects latest ceasefire proposal as Trump deadline looms

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 06: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he attends the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Easter Egg Roll is a White House tradition dating back to 1878. The Trumps also honored the 250th anniversary of the United States during the event. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain delivers a speech at the first meeting of the Global School Meals Coalition, in Paris, on Oct. 18, 2023.

Interview

WFP chief McCain urges funding to alleviate Syria's hunger crisis

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned of donor fatigue after nearly 14 years of civil war in Syria.

Cindy McCain

Cindy McCain

WFP Executive Director

Former US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Israeli American Council National Summit at the Washington Hilton, on Sept. 19, 2024, in Washington.

Analysis

Will Netanyahu follow through with ending Gaza war?

Despite his promise to President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also assured hard-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that the fighting would continue until Hamas is defeated.

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

A car belonging to Palestinian villagers set on fire during clashes after the Israeli settlers stormed the village of Qusra in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Photo by Wahaj Bani Moufleh / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by WAHAJ BANI MOUFLEH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump revokes sanctions on Israeli settlers in West Bank: What we know

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders from withdrawing from the World Health Organization to reversing one that sanctioned violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Donald Trump is sworn into office as Melania Trump holds the Bible in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

With Trump inaugurated, how will the Republican trifecta reshape Middle East?

Trump’s White House will have the support of the House and Senate on post-war Israel and Gaza, Iran deterrence, Saudi normalization and more.

Megan Mineiro

By Megan Mineiro

In Washington, DC, reporting on US Congress

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - JANUARY 18: Syrians gather at a park in central Damascus on January 18, 2025 in Damascus, Syria. Following the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad by opposition groups in a quick offensive on December 8, the country is looking to gain economic momentum after years of global sanctions on the Assad-led government. Arab and Western countries have been reopening diplomatic relations with Syria's new de facto authorities, headed by the Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

Exclusive

US issues sanctions waiver for countries backing Syria’s transition

The Biden administration stopped short of lifting sanctions on Syria or rescinding the terrorist designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Armed Yemeni tribesmen join Houthi fighters riding military vehicles during an anti-US and Israel rally on the outskirts of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on Jan. 16, 2025.

Senate Republicans sponsor bill to redesignate Yemen's Houthis as terror outfit

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair says a stronger stance on Yemen's Houthi rebels will be part of Trump's renewed maximum pressure campaign against Iran.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a joint statement in the East Room of the White House on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. The news conference was held to announce the Trump administration's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Analysis

Netanyahu goes all in on Trump: Accepts Gaza deal, shifts to Saudi Arabia and Iran

Netanyahu did everything within his power to delay the deal in the months leading up to the US presidential elections. Diplomatic sources say the Israeli premier was eager to hand Donald Trump credit for the ceasefire.

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

US President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club on Jan. 07, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump, Biden vie for credit as Gaza ceasefire awaits Israel’s approval

The president-elect’s nominees for top positions are talking tough as the ceasefire with Israel hangs in the balance.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) displays a map with the 2021 bases/facilities with reported U.S. access agreements during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan at the Rayburn House Office building on Capitol Hill on September 29, 2021 in Washington, DC. The committee held the hearing “to receive testimony on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and plans for future counterterrorism operations.” (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

After Gaza deal, Trump's top adviser says Saudi-Israel normalization 'huge priority'

Trump’s next national security adviser, Mike Waltz, emphasized on Wednesday that the incoming administration will place Saudi-Israel normalization atop its agenda now that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas seems imminent.

US President Joe Biden (C) delivers remarks on the recently announced ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

How the Gaza ceasefire deal came together

At the last minute, negotiators in Doha managed to seal the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal that had eluded the Biden administration for more than 15 months.

Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, president of Sudan, delivers a national statement during the high level segment on day two of the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference at Baku Stadium on Nov. 12, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

US unveils sanctions on Sudan's army chief Burhan

The move comes over a week after the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

US Army Gen. Erik Kurilla arrives to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his nomination to the next commander of the US Central Command, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, Feb. 8, 2022.

CENTCOM chief in Israel as Biden, Trump clinch Gaza ceasefire deal

Army Gen. Erik Kurilla's latest trip to Israel came in the final days of Biden's presidency, as White House officials sought to capitalize on the broad defeat of the IRGC's multinational bulwark of armed militias.