Israel

U.S. Approves Major Arms Deals to Israel, Saudi

The United States on Friday approved multibillion-dollar weapons sales to both Israel and Saudi Arabia, at a point of high tensions with Iran. The State Department said it green-lighted a $3.8 billion sale of 30 Apache attack helicopters to Israel, which has agreed to a fragile ceasefire in Gaza. "The United States is committed to the security ...

Israel to Partially Reopen Gaza's Rafah Crossing on Sunday

Israel announced it would reopen the crucial Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday after months of urging from the UN, humanitarian organisations and ordinary Palestinians -- but only for the "limited movement of people". Earlier on Friday, the Islamist movement Hamas had called for the "immediate transition to the second phase" of the ...

Israeli Airstrikes Hit Areas Near Sidon, Including Nabih Berri’s Hometown

Israeli airstrikes were reported near Mseileh, al-Najjariya, al-Dawoudiya and Wadi Azza in the Sidon district of southern Lebanon on Friday night.  According to the IDF, the strikes aimed to destroy Hezbollah engineering equipment. There are also reports on Friday of low-flying Israeli aircraft over the villages of Zahrani. Mseileh is ...

Israeli Strike Kills One in South Lebanon

One person was killed on Friday in an Israeli airstrike targeting a car in the town of Siddiqine, in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon. Following the raid, the Israeli army declared that it had eliminated a Hezbollah member.  Earlier Friday, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deployed patrols in the border town of Yaroun after Israeli ...

Trump Confirms Speaking to Iran, Says He Plans to Again

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday evening that he intends to hold talks with Iran. When asked by reporters about the possibility of talks with Tehran, Trump said, "Yes. I intend that. We have a lot of very large and powerful ships heading to Iran right now, and it would be great not to have to use them.” Asked if ...

From Armed Deterrence to Durable Peace: Rethinking Shiite Security in Lebanon

Despite failing to instill ideological allegiance to Iran's Wilayat al-Faqih among Lebanon's Shia, Hezbollah has succeeded in forging a sense of collective belonging to Iran’s political project. The party achieved this more consequential outcome by recasting its weapons as a political doctrine and overarching identity, portrayed as superior to ...

Washington Hosts Saudi and Israeli Officials to Weigh Possible U.S. Strikes on Iran

The Trump administration is hosting senior defense and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia for talks on Iran this week as President Trump considers military strikes, two U.S. officials and two other sources with knowledge told Axios. The Israelis came to D.C. to share intelligence on possible targets inside Iran. Israeli military ...

Trump Wants to Create Conditions for ‘Regime Change’ in Iran: U.S. Sources

U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders to inspire protesters and wants to create conditions for “regime change”, multiple U.S. sources familiar with the discussions told The Times of Israel.  To do so, he was looking at options to hit commanders ...

Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Iran Has Become Its Liability

Naim Qassem’s latest speech sought to project certainty at a moment of regional flux. Instead, it revealed Hezbollah’s deepest fear: that its patron, Iran, may choose negotiation over confrontation and survival over its proxies. The Hezbollah leader declared that his organization would not remain neutral if Iran were attacked, framing any ...

The Transatlantic Alliance Will Survive Just Fine

Media and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic are hyping the idea that President Trump's attempt to gain sovereign control of Greenland has caused unprecedented and irreparable damage to the over 75 year-old Transatlantic Alliance.  This "analysis" stems from multiple sources.  On both sides of the ocean, there are those who pounce on any ...

Lebanese Neutrality: The Strategic Interest Shared by Beirut and Jerusalem

Lebanon's neutrality in regional conflicts is the single most important strategic choice it can make today, serving its core national interests and those of Israel in equal measure. If the Lebanese understand this, their country will be well on its way not only to recovery but to an economic boom. More than a year after the November 2024 ...