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June 6, 2026

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Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel on June 4, 2026.

Analysis

Israel’s Lebanon endgame remains elusive despite ceasefire deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was compelled by President Donald Trump to accept a new ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, but without a clear long-term strategy, he may be inclined to resume hostilities at the first opportunity.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency, a katyusha rocket is fired from a speed boat during a military drill near the port of Bandar Jask in the Sear of Oman on May 10, 2010.

Iran unveils new missile-armed fast attack boat: What to know

The boats are the latest addition to Iran’s "mosquito fleet," a fleet of high-speed attack craft operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

An Iranian flag flutters in the wind as ships remain anchored on May 16, 2026 in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran.

US sanctions network smuggling Iranian LPG as talks falter

The sanctions come as President Donald Trump has offered mixed signals on prospects for a deal.

A portrait of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is visible in heavily damaged building in the border town of Ayta al-Chaab, southern Lebanon, Feb. 21, 2026.

Analysis

Why Israel sees Lebanon’s 'pilot zones' as path to containing Hezbollah

Israel views the proposed pilot security zones in southern Lebanon as a pragmatic way to gradually expand Lebanese state control, push Hezbollah away from the border and preserve a fragile ceasefire while the Trump administration pursues broader negotiations with Iran.

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

Latest News

In aftermath of Iran attack, Rubio hosts Kuwait FM: What to know

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah walk together during a brief appearance for the press as they meet at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 4, 2026.

As Iran seeks leverage, can US enforce Lebanon-Israel ceasefire?

AFP via 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 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

Iraq rockets

US troops in Syria, Iraq targeted with renewed rocket and drone attacks

Iran-backed militias are not buying the Pentagon's attempt to rebrand the coalition's defeat-ISIS mission.

Demonstrators participate in a march against anti-Semitism in New York on Jan. 2, 2022.

Protests in New York after man wearing Israeli military shirt attacked

The incident was the latest showcasing divisions in the United States’ largest city over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Defense act

Here's what the 2022 NDAA has to say about the Middle East

These are the key takeaways on what the 2022 NDAA says – and doesn’t say – about US policy in the region.

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

Intel: US concerned over Iran, Turkey, UAE-supplied drones in Ethiopia war

Ethiopia's government has rejected calls for a cease-fire after routing Tigray rebels with the help of high-tech foreign drones.

The Horn of Africa

President Mahmoud Abbas, pictured at a meeting with journalists in the occupied West Bank town of Ramallah on June 23, 2019.

US-Palestinian economic ties resume after 5 years

Palestinians have reluctantly agreed to give the economic track a chance after it became obvious that there was no movement expected on the political track.

Meeks

Intel: Final defense bill gives Congress more oversight of US Syria policy

Lawmakers are grabbing the reins on the Biden administration’s dormant approach to Syria’s conflict.

This picture taken on Dec. 7, 2021, shows an aerial view of US Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFV) during a joint military exercise.

Pentagon: Four Islamic State fighters killed in nighttime Syria raid

Conflicting accounts of the raid emerged amid renewed scrutiny of the Pentagon's oversight of civilian casualties in Syria.

Tice

Austin Tice's mother says White House a 'hurdle' to his return

Debra Tice, whose son Austin disappeared while reporting on the Syrian war in 2012, called on the White House to do more to ensure his safe return.

An employee at the Saudi Aramco oil facility walks near a damaged silo at the plant in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea city of Jeddah on Nov. 24, 2020.

Senate fails to block missile sale to Saudi Arabia

The Biden administration has said the AIM-120C missiles are to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against hostile drone attacks from Yemen.

Gholamreza Soleimani, a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who commands Basij forces, attends a gathering during Basij Week in Tehran Nov. 24, 2019.

Intel: US announces Iran, Syria sanctions ahead of democracy summit

The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Iranian and Syrian targets in the run-up to the administration’s virtual gathering of the world's democracies.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, on Aug. 25, 2021.

Bennett urges Blinken to end Iran talks over 'nuclear blackmail'

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called for an "immediate cessation of negotiations" in Vienna.

air force

Pentagon review may mean closer oversight of CENTCOM requests

The Pentagon's anticipated posture review remains largely classified, but it may help prevent shows of force in the Middle East which some have seen as excessive.