All Middle East
Facing Trump 2.0, Palestinians voice rising concern: What’s our plan?U.S.-Palestinian relations under the first Trump administration ran aground over the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, among other issues. A flurry of diplomacy is not dispelling the notion of postelection Palestinian disarray.
In wartime Gaza, turning meager olive harvest into oil is an act of defianceFarming by its nature puts people in touch with their land and their traditions. In besieged Gaza, after more than a year of war, the olive harvest and production of its oil are a source of resilience.
When Hezbollah rockets are incoming, and you can’t reach the shelterHezbollah’s intensified rocket barrages against northern Israeli communities have created conflicting impulses among residents: supporting war, yet eager to end it.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah pays high political cost for its war with IsraelIn peace, Lebanon’s stability depends on a frail political balance. Now for many Lebanese enduring war with Israel, Hezbollah’s unique status as a heavily armed state-within-a-state is increasingly a problem.
First LookQatar halts its Israel-Hamas mediation efforts, citing lack of ‘good faith’The announcement comes after growing frustration with the lack of progress on a cease-fire deal. But one official said Saturday that Qatar is highly likely to return to the efforts if both sides show “serious political willingness” to reach a deal on the war in Gaza.
First Look‘An act of madness’: Protests erupt after Netanyahu fires defense minister Yoav GallantYoav Gallant was a moderating force in the Netanyahu government and had a strong relationship with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. His firing comes as Israel wages war in Gaza, Lebanon, and on multiple other fronts.
Amid costly war with Israel, Hezbollah faces fire from its own supportersHezbollah has long assured its Shiite Lebanese base that when the time came, it would robustly defend Lebanon and punish Israel. Now, amid another destructive war, many supporters are losing faith. Can it win them back?
UN schools in Gaza shaped our reporter’s childhood. She worries for the future.The Israeli parliament’s ban on U.N. Relief and Works Agency operations in Israel threatens humanitarian aid to Gaza and its schools.
In Israel-Hezbollah war, a rising cry from Lebanese: Why were we bombed?Lebanon is all too familiar with the heavy cost civilians bear in war. Now, as Israel pursues Hezbollah, people are dying or displaced from their homes, caught in the crossfire of a war that is not theirs.
Israeli strikes inside Iran cross a threshold. How will Iran respond?In over a year of conflict between Israel and Iran’s militia allies, a key brake on a regional war has been each side’s fear of what the other could do. Does Israel’s latest strike mean that brake is failing?
First LookIsrael conducts airstrikes against Iranian military targetsIsrael launched missile strikes against Iranian targets in retaliation for Iran’s attack on Tel Aviv earlier this month. Iran said the strikes caused only “limited damage.”
Under deadly Israeli siege, north Gaza residents face terrifying ultimatumWhere can one find safety in war? That has been an especially agonizing question for Palestinians in Gaza, ordered to and fro by Israel for more than a year. With death everywhere, one community after another has been reduced to rubble.
Netanyahu has high hopes of Trump. Might he be mistaken?Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu hopes Donald Trump will win the U.S. presidency. But Mr. Trump might well be just as demanding as his predecessor.
First LookA terrorist attack in Turkey drew global condemnation. Then, Turkey struck back.The strike came days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested parole for the PKK’s imprisoned leader and hours after a terrorist attack in Ankara. Turkey regularly conducts airstrikes against the PKK, who have power bases in Iraq and Syria.
Is an Israel-Hamas cease-fire possible? Pressures mount on Netanyahu.Benjamin Netanyahu initially described Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death as “the beginning of the end” to the war in Gaza. But are there any indications that pressures for a cease-fire will bear fruit?
As Israel pounds Lebanon, Gazans empathize, yet feel forgottenGazans know what Lebanon is going through, as Israel attacks Hezbollah and as civilians are killed or forced from their homes. But they worry the world’s attention has been diverted.
First LookDrone targeted house of Israeli prime minister, as IDF bombards GazaHezbollah didn't claim responsibility for the drone attack, which inflicted no casualties, but said it carried out several rocket attacks on Israel. Israel carried out at least 10 airstrikes on southern Beirut suburbs that are home to Hezbollah’s offices.
Hamas leader’s death revives hopes for a Gaza peace plan. Is that enough?After a year of war in Gaza and the Middle East, the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar rekindled hopes for a grand U.S.-led peace plan. But many obstacles, Israeli and Palestinian, remain.
Hamas leader, Israel’s ‘most wanted,’ is dead. What happens to war in Gaza?The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is the heaviest blow the Islamic militant group has endured in a year of war in Gaza. Will it break the stalemate over a cease-fire with Israel?
Slow and small, drones find cracks in Israel’s high-tech air defensesWarfare requires constant adaptation, both offensive and defensive, in tactics and technology. Trends in innovation often point to modern sophistication, but sometimes older and simpler methods work best.
