Gaza

Smoke billows following Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on August 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Pentagon watches closely for signs Iran will attack Israel

The Biden administration is touting this week's last-ditch round of Gaza cease-fire negotiations in a bid to dissuade Iran and its proxies from striking Israel, but officials say the threat of a coordinated attack has not yet diminished.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Boys walk on dry bricks to traverse a puddle of sewage water past mounds of trash and rubble along a street in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees, northern Gaza Strip, August 14, 2024.

Analysis

Can progress on Gaza cease-fire talks help US restrain Netanyahu, hold off Iran attack?

A new bridging proposal might allow calmer heads to prevail and lower the temperature in the region.

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

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on February 13, 2024 shows (L to R) CIA Director William Burns during an official State Dinner at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023; Israel's Mossad Director David Barnea during a conference in Herzliya on September 10, 2023; and Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on January 16, 2024. CIA director William Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime

US says Gaza cease-fire talks in ‘end game’ with new proposal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel Saturday ahead of cease-fire negotiations that are set to resume in Cairo next week.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) walks with France's Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Stephane Sejourne ahead of their meeting in Beirut on August 15, 2024, amid regional tensions during the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

French FM to visit Israel after Lebanon amid efforts to thwart all-out war

After meeting with Lebanese leaders in Beirut, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne continues on to Israel in a bid to prevent the outbreak of a regional war.

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Analysis

Iran’s delayed retaliation against Israel tests Pentagon’s global strategy

In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), left, the Royal Navy air defense destroyer HMS Defender (D 36) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99)

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Analysis

Pessimism prevails as Gaza cease-fire talks resume in Doha

OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Gaza cease-fire talks begin in Doha without Hamas

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, displaced Palestinians return to Bani Suhayla and neighboring towns east of Khan Younis following reports of Israeli forces withdrawing from the area in the southern Gaza, July 30, 2024.

Ben-Gvir’s Temple Mount visit angers both Muslims, ultra-Orthodox

An armed Israeli soldier watches nationalists gathered at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on June 5, 2024, during the so-called Jerusalem Day flag march.

Israel’s Elbit Systems sees Q2 revenues rise by 12% amid Gaza war sales

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

OREN ZIV/AFP via Getty Images

Israel's Netanyahu shakes off credit downgrade as deficit grows

Last week, Israel reported that its 12-month trailing deficit widened to 8.1% in July, from 7.7% in June.

rocket fire

Analysis

Iran, Israel in 'war of nerves' as US applies pressure to reach Gaza deal

The Biden administration is working both fronts simultaneously by pressuring the sides to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza and limiting the expected attack on Israel by Iran and Hezbollah.

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the Sixth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, Astana, Kazakhstan, Oct. 13, 2022.

Putin hosts Abbas as Russia looks for role in ending Gaza war

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas held talks in Moscow on first such visit for the Palestinian leader since 2021.

This handout picture provided by the Iranian army office on Dec. 24, 2023, shows equipment on display.

US says Iran’s attack on Israel 'could be this week'

With the timing of Iran's attack unclear, the White House says it's preparing for a "significant set of attacks."

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant leaves the State Department after meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on March 25, 2024. The White House said Monday it was "perplexed" and "disappointed" by the cancelation of an Israeli delegation's planned visit to discuss US concerns over a possible offensive in southern Gaza. Israel scrapped the visit after the United States abstained from a UN Security Council vote demanding an "immediate ceasefire" in Ga

Gallant clashes with Netanyahu, cautions against Israeli war in Lebanon

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the military is ready for possible attacks by Iran and Hezbollah, but he does not support a preemptive operation in Lebanon.

Palestinian children passing by on the street look at the makeshift gravesite of Khaled Abu Obeid at his family's home in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood on August 7, 2024. Khaled was feeding pigeons on their rooftop when he was killed by a sniper on December 21 amid an Israeli siege of the area, forcing the family and neighbours to dig his grave at home, where it remains, the family said. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP) (Photo by OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)

UK, France, Germany leaders urge restart of Gaza cease-fire talks as Hamas reconsiders

European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Monday for the truce talks to resume, after the mediators did last week.

A panoramic view of Jerusalem's Old City is pictured at dawn of April 14, 2024, after Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel. Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles on Israel in an unprecedented attack late April 13, 2024, the Israeli army announced, in a major escalation of the long-running covert war between the regional foes.

Analysis

What an Iran-Israel escalation could mean for Pakistan

Though Pakistan has no diplomatic ties with Israel, peace remains tenuous on the Iran-Pakistan border; still, popular support in Pakistan remains with Tehran, and any situation in Iran has to be handled delicately by Islamabad.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A cleric stands next to a poster depicting slain leader of the Palestinian Hamas group Ismail Haniyeh at Tehran's Palestine square on August 8, 2024.

Iran says Israel retaliation won't be to 'detriment' of Gaza cease-fire

As the region braces for Iranian retaliation against Israel, Tehran says its response will be conducted “in a manner not to the detriment” of a Gaza cease-fire deal.

A F18 Hornet fighter jet pilot takes off from the deck of the US navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on May 8, 2018.

Analysis

'A chance to stand down': Can US pressure lead to Gaza deal, curb Iran attack on Israel?

The Biden administration and Gaza war mediators hope a cease-fire can entice leaders in Israel and Iran to halt the march to all-out war.

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

Iranians lift up a flag and the mock up of a missile during a celebration following Iran's missiles and drones attack on Israel, on April 15 2024, at Palestine square in central Tehran.

Iran’s threat to Israel adds uncertainty over Gaza cease-fire

The looming attack from Iran and its allies, coupled with Hamas’ elevation of Yahya Sinwar, casts fresh doubt on a cease-fire deal.

(L-R) Michael Erik Kurilla, head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), former Israeli Army Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, and former US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley attend the International Military Innovation Conference at the Tze'elim Urban Warfare Training Center (UWTC) base in southern Israel on September 15, 2022.

CENTCOM chief back in Israel amid fears of Iran, Hezbollah attack

US Air Force F-22 Raptors arrived in the Middle East on Thursday as the Pentagon gears up to fend off an anticipated retaliatory attack by Iran and its proxies against Israel for the assassination of a top Hamas leader in Tehran last week.

Egyptian army vehicles are deployed along the border with the Gaza Strip on July 4, 2024 in el-Arish, in the north Sinai Peninsula, amid continuing battles between Hamas and Israel in Palestinian besieged territory. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Netanyahu says arms smuggling from Egypt's Sinai, not Qatar, fueled Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Time magazine that his approval of Qatari financial assistance to Hamas over the years was not the reason the group became powerful enough to attack Israel.