Middle East

Ex-top Mossad official: Barnea led agency to unprecedented operational reach - interview

Former senior Mossad official Ilan Rom says Barnea’s leadership expanded the agency’s capabilities, allowing dozens of operations at once and boosting Israel’s regional influence.

Mossad chief David Barnea attends a farewell ceremony in his honor, at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh, on July 14, 2024.
FOR IRAN’S Christian community, the postwar crackdown has been particularly severe, with at least 50 members detained by authorities. Here, Iranian Christians take part in the New Year prayer ceremony at a church in Tehran last January.

Iran’s ethnic groups could alter the balance of power - opinion

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman

The moment for a Saudi peace initiative has arrived, but on new terms - opinion

MEMBERS OF the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) participate in an exercise in southern Iran.

Iran’s dangerous shift from deterrence to destiny - opinion


Behind the smiles and the sanctions: The hidden truth about Israeli-European relations

Amid headlines of EU-Israel tension, Prof. Sharon Pardo reveals that trade, arms, and cooperation quietly persist, even as EU statements grow harsher.

An illustrative image of a number of European Union member states' flags leading up to the EU flag at the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Syria makes bid to revive hospitality industry with new Tourist Police Unit

The new unit would provide guidance to tourist attractions and assist tourists in traveling safely to designated sites and along established tourism routes.

A riot police officer stands near residents during a ceremony marking the 11th anniversary of what participants describe as the liberation of Jericho, also known as Ariha, in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on May 28, 2026.

Iraq PM hosts Iranian-backed militias to push disarmament, consolidate state control

Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi met Iranian-backed militias to push them to disarm and join state command, aiming to limit armed group influence while avoiding conflict.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers a televised address after assuming office, in Baghdad, Iraq May 16, 2026.

Trump says US will not return to war against Iran unless American troops are killed - report

The report came just after Netanyahu told CNBC that the US and Israel would resume military action against Iran if needed

A US Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jet climbs after taking off from the former Roosevelt Roads naval base, after the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, January 4, 2026.

Trump-Netanyahu call, restraint on Beirut strike signals 'Iranian victory,’ INSS researcher warns

"Hezbollah has suddenly recovered, and they have also created a split between Israel and the United States. This is a kind of enormous Iranian achievement,” INSS researcher Beni Sabti said.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu give thumbs-up at the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 29, 2025.

US sanctions Iran's largest crypto exchange over IRGC links

The US Treasury announced on Tuesday that two brothers had also been individually sanctioned, along with the exchange’s chief executive officer.

Bitcoins are seen on the background of the Iranian flag (illustrative)

Iran’s ring of fire collapses: Why Oct. 7 was Tehran’s greatest strategic miscalculation - opinion

Tehran hoped the conflict would freeze regional integration and restore fear as the organizing principle of Middle Eastern politics. Instead, the war exposed the fragility of Iran's system.

A man is seen carrying a cardboard cutout of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

'We underestimated jihad’: JCFA experts warn of ideological war beyond the Middle East

We are moving from defense to offense, from explaining to exposing, and from defending to attacking.”

Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA) president Dan Diker.

Iran’s war strategy: Winning by making war too costly - opinion

Trump’s domestic political standing is often tied to energy costs and inflation. Iran understands that a spike in oil prices can destabilize Western economies and fracture international coalitions.

 A map showing the Strait of Hormuz and Iran is seen in this illustration taken June 22, 2025.

As Israel inches closer to elections, will the region see a silver lining, or concern? - analysis

Countries across the region will closely watch which parties are on the rise in Jerusalem over the next few months.

A plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, May 27, 2026.