Defense/Security cooperation

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on June 25, 2024, in Arlington, Virginia.

Pentagon confirms Israel defense chief Gallant's Washington visit is postponed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nixed his defense chief's trip as Washington looks for leverage to restrain an Israeli retaliation against Iran that Biden administration officials fear could escalate into a regional war.

Italian F35 fighter jets take part in the "Blue Flag" multinational air defence exercise at the Ovda air force base, north of the Israeli city of Eilat, on November 11, 2019. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

As response looms, US tries to dissuade Israel from catastrophic attack on Iran

The United States, Saudi Arabia and other regional powers are waiting to see which strike option Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will chose to retaliate against Iran as his defense minister heads to Washington.

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

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stand during an honor cordon at the Pentagon on June 25, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia.

Biden treads fine line on Iran as Israel's Gallant heads to Washington

The Pentagon likened the current crisis in the Middle East to that in Europe prior to the First World War, as the Biden administration seeks to restrain an Israeli counterattack against Iran.

A man walks across from a raging fire at oil storage tanks a day after Israeli strikes on the port of Yemen's Houthi-held city of Hodeidah on July 21, 2024.

Analysis

How an Israeli retaliation on Iran could impact Gulf energy flow

Energy facilities along the east and west of the Arabian Peninsula brace for possible Israeli attacks against Iran and its proxies.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Latest News

Analysis

Israel’s four options for retaliating against Iran

This picture shows the remains of an Iranian missile on the ground in the Negev desert near Arad, on October 2, 2024, in the aftermath of an Iranian missile attack on Israel. Israel vowed to make Iran "pay" for firing a barrage of missiles at its territory, with Tehran warning on October 2 it would launch an even bigger attack it is targeted. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

Lebanon invasion: Will Israel stop at Litani River or go beyond?

An Israeli army main battle tank moves at a position along the border with Lebanon in northern Israel on October 1, 2024. The Israeli army on October 1 said it launched a ground offensive in Lebanon and that its forces engaged in clashes, further escalating the conflict after a week of intense air strikes that killed hundreds. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said, however, the Israeli operation did not amount to a "ground incursion" and while Hezbollah denied any troops had crossed the border, an Isr

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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Analysis

Israel buoyant after killing Nasrallah, mulls risky Lebanon ground invasion

Israeli army tanks are deployed in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon, Sept. 29, 2024.

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

Gallant hints Israel preparing to launch ground offensive in Lebanon

Yoav Gallant

The first delivered batch of F-35 fighter jets flies over the Skrydstrup Air Base, Denmark, Sep. 14, 2023.

Analysis

US revival of Turkey’s F-35 deal complicated by Russia, political climate

A potential F-35-for-S-400 deal doesn't seem feasible from a technical as well as political standpoint, Turkish experts believe.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Commanding officers of the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State.

US, Iraq announce end of defeat-ISIS coalition, but troops may stay

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s need for a domestic political win has sent Pentagon officials back to the drawing board to find ways to keep the lid on ISIS in neighboring Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem on September 2, 2024. (Photo by Ohad Zwigenberg / POOL / AFP) (Photo by OHAD ZWIGENBERG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

From yes to no to maybe: Behind Netanyahu's shifting stance on Lebanon cease-fire

Multifront conflicts are damaging Israel's economy, making a declaration of victory in Gaza by the Israeli prime minister a possibility at the UN.

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

Russian S-400 missile air defense systems parade through Red Square during the rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade, central Moscow, May 7, 2022.

No shift in US position on Turkey's acquisition of Russian S-400s: Official

A Turkish Defense Ministry official rebuffed claims that Turkey and the United States were close to a compromise on the impasse over Turkey having the Russian air defense systems.

A cloud of smoke erupts during an Israeli airstrike on the village of Sujud in southern Lebanon on Sept. 25, 2024.

Israeli military prepares for possible ground operation in Lebanon

The Israeli military is activating two reserve soldier brigades in what could be part of the preparation for a possible ground invasion into Lebanon.

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Marjayoun, near the Lebanon-Israel border, on Sept. 23, 2024.

Analysis

Could Israel's Lebanon assault force Hezbollah withdrawal beyond Litani River?

US and French mediation efforts to reach a deal between Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate tensions and implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 have failed so far.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 31: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, in the Oval Office on January 31, 2022 in Washington, DC. The two leaders were expected to discuss a range of issues, including global energy security as concerns about Russian natural gas supplies continue. (Photo by Tom Brenner-Pool/New York Times/Getty Images)

Qatar to join US visa-free travel list in first for Arab country

Qatar is set to become the second Middle Eastern country, behind Israel, to join the US Visa Waiver Program.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Turkey’s Erdogan calls for end to US defense sanctions amid reports of S-400 deal

Relations between the two NATO allies have worsened in recent years over political rifts regarding the Eastern Mediterranean, Gaza and Syria, as well as over Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems.

Residents watch as first responders and Israeli security forces gather amid debris and charred vehicles in Kiryat Bialik in the Haifa district of Israel, following a reported strike by Lebanon's Hezbollah on September 22, 2024. Hezbollah said on September 22 that it targeted military production facilities and an air base near north Israel's Haifa after the Israeli military pounded south Lebanon and said it targeted thousands of rocket launcher barrels. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via

Gallant vows to keep striking Hezbollah as Israel hits hundreds of Lebanese targets

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Israeli citizens that difficult times were ahead as the military continues to target Hezbollah posts while rockets stream from Lebanon.

A Hellenic air force helicopter flies during the Olympic Cooperation 23 exercise at the Petrochori training area, near Xanthi, northern Greece, on Nov. 24, 2023.

Analysis

Following defense deal, can Turkey, US split difference over Cyprus, East Med?

The new defense cooperation agreement between the United States and Cyprus has displeased Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Hezbollah fighters carry the coffins of people killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon the previous day, during their funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 18, 2024. Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon on September 17, killing at least nine people and wounding around 2,800 in blasts the Iran-backed militant group blamed on Israel. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Pager attacks shake Hezbollah; are they prelude to Israel-Lebanon deal?

Despite US warnings about the unintended consequences of war with Hezbollah, Israel's leaders claim the extent and intensity of the fire can be controlled.

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

An Israeli soldier works on a tank as troops gather at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on Nov. 7, 2023.

Israel deploys forces to Lebanon border after pager attack on Hezbollah

Reflecting a shift in priorities, the Israeli military has transferred the elite 98th Division from the Gaza Strip to the Lebanon border area.