Middle East Crisis

News, analysis, and background on the Israel-Hamas war and regional conflict between Israel and Iran and its proxies.

 

Fire and tear gas smoke rise among a crowd in Beirut.
Fire and tear gas smoke rise among a crowd in Beirut.

Hezbollah Is Weak Enough for Lebanon to Finally Disarm It

The government and army are taking back their own country.

A black SUV is seen in the foreground as smoke billows from behind buildings in the background.
A black SUV is seen in the foreground as smoke billows from behind buildings in the background.

Israel Escalates War Against Hamas With Doha Strike

Qatar decried the strike as a violation of international law.

Smoke rises over several buildings.
Smoke rises over several buildings.

The Next Israel-Iran War Is Coming

Both countries’ strategic calculus suggests it will be even more violent.

Israel-Hamas War

Samuel Zbogar, the head of the Slovenian mission to the United Nations Security Council, speaks to the press alongside other U.N. representatives ahead of a Security Council emergency meeting on Gaza at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Aug. 10.
Samuel Zbogar, the head of the Slovenian mission to the United Nations Security Council, speaks to the press alongside other U.N. representatives ahead of a Security Council emergency meeting on Gaza at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Aug. 10.

What Was the Tipping Point on Gaza?

After almost two years of war, Israel is feeling the growing weight of governmental opprobrium.

A heavily damaged building can be seen with a Syria flag nearby.
A heavily damaged building can be seen with a Syria flag nearby.
Moaz Abu Taha and Mariam Abu Dagga, who were killed by Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital on Aug. 25, take a selfie in Gaza on Jan. 18.
Moaz Abu Taha and Mariam Abu Dagga, who were killed by Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital on Aug. 25, take a selfie in Gaza on Jan. 18.

Why Israel’s War in Gaza Has Been So Deadly for Journalists

Israel is directly targeting media workers, rights groups warn.

Four people stand while holding a banner that reads Gaza: Action Not Words. On the banner the names of thousands of children who have died as a result of the war.
Four people stand while holding a banner that reads Gaza: Action Not Words. On the banner the names of thousands of children who have died as a result of the war.

Why Recognizing Palestine Is Meaningless or Even Harmful

Recent announcements by France, Britain, and Canada are mostly performative.

Iran-Israel Tensions

Men work inside an uranium conversion facility in Iran.
Men work inside an uranium conversion facility in Iran.

There’s More Than One Way to Build a Bomb

Iran doesn’t need to rebuild its damaged facilities to sprint for a nuclear weapon.

Participants place radiation signs during a simulated nuclear emergency drill in Tehran on November 5, 2015.
Participants place radiation signs during a simulated nuclear emergency drill in Tehran on November 5, 2015.

Iran’s Collapse Could Cause a Nuclear Security Nightmare

Washington would struggle to secure dangerous materials, technologies, and expertise.

The late Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaks during a memorial service beneath portraits of slain Hezbollah leader Hasssan Nasrallah, Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, and Nasrallah's successor, Hashem Safieddine, at the Grand Mosque in Tehran on Feb. 23.
The late Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaks during a memorial service beneath portraits of slain Hezbollah leader Hasssan Nasrallah, Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, and Nasrallah's successor, Hashem Safieddine, at the Grand Mosque in Tehran on Feb. 23.

Iran Is Islamism’s Last Lifeline in the Middle East

Without support from a weakened Tehran, the region’s extremist movements would wither.

A view of the destruction at Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike on June 23, viewed on July 1.
A view of the destruction at Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike on June 23, viewed on July 1.

What the War Changed Inside Iran

The regime has been pushed to the edge of strategic pivot.

Israel and Hezbollah

Mourners surround the flag-draped coffins of Hezbollah fighters who were killed in the recent war with Israel, during a funeral procession in the southern Lebanese village of Majdal Selm on Dec. 6.
Mourners surround the flag-draped coffins of Hezbollah fighters who were killed in the recent war with Israel, during a funeral procession in the southern Lebanese village of Majdal Selm on Dec. 6.

Hezbollah Is Trying to Spin Loss as Victory

Assad’s fall and Israel’s offensive give Lebanese a chance to reclaim their country.

A man in a vest holds a cable attached to a spool on the ground. Behind him are shrubs and a blue sky.
A man in a vest holds a cable attached to a spool on the ground. Behind him are shrubs and a blue sky.

Lebanon’s Demining Mission Faces Aid Uncertainty

Cuts to foreign assistance and a fragile cease-fire have made the urgent work more dangerous.

Lebanese celebrate the nomination of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Beirut, on Jan. 13.
Lebanese celebrate the nomination of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Beirut, on Jan. 13.

Lebanon’s Success Depends on Sidelining Hezbollah

The new government in Beirut is the country’s best chance for reform in years—but support from Washington and Riyadh will be crucial.

Hezbollah supporters chant slogans during a protest against a planned visit of a U.S. envoy to south Lebanon.
Hezbollah supporters chant slogans during a protest against a planned visit of a U.S. envoy to south Lebanon.

Washington Has One Chance to Help Disarm Hezbollah

As Lebanon moves to confront the country’s most dangerous militia, U.S. support will be vital.

Regional Dynamics

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on August 26, 2019.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on August 26, 2019.

In the Middle East, a Cold War Redux?

China and the U.S. are competing for influence in the troubled region. This article has an audio recording

Plume of smoke rise into a blue sky following an explosion from a row of low and midrise buildings, several with industrial smokestacks, several without. A road a the bottom of the image heads toward the town, with a car and a person on a motorbike heading in that direction.
Plume of smoke rise into a blue sky following an explosion from a row of low and midrise buildings, several with industrial smokestacks, several without. A road a the bottom of the image heads toward the town, with a car and a person on a motorbike heading in that direction.

Ankara’s New Syrian Headache

Toppling Assad didn’t solve Turkey’s problems—it made them worse.

A man in military garb, including face covering and helmet, stands with a gun and wears a string of jasmine in front of a crowd holding flags.
A man in military garb, including face covering and helmet, stands with a gun and wears a string of jasmine in front of a crowd holding flags.

How Israel’s Strikes on the Houthis Will Change Yemen

For years, the group has relied on the perception that it is untouchable.

Sharaa sits in an ornately decorated armchair with his hands folded in his lap. He is in his young 40s, wearing a suit and a beard. Barrack, an older bald man who also wears a suit, sits in another armchair at a diagonal. They face small low tables with water glasses on them; a Syrian flag hangs in the corner.
Sharaa sits in an ornately decorated armchair with his hands folded in his lap. He is in his young 40s, wearing a suit and a beard. Barrack, an older bald man who also wears a suit, sits in another armchair at a diagonal. They face small low tables with water glasses on them; a Syrian flag hangs in the corner.

Qué Sharaa, Sharaa

With concrete steps, Washington can keep Syria’s future on track.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Pres. Bill Clinton (C) w. (L-R) Mideast peaceniks King Hussein, PM Rabin, PLO chmn. Arafat & Pres. Mubarak in WH Rose Garden for Israeli-Palestinian accord signing.    (Photo by Dirck Halstead/Getty Images)
Pres. Bill Clinton (C) w. (L-R) Mideast peaceniks King Hussein, PM Rabin, PLO chmn. Arafat & Pres. Mubarak in WH Rose Garden for Israeli-Palestinian accord signing. (Photo by Dirck Halstead/Getty Images)

Why the Oslo Peace Process Failed

And what it means for future negotiators.

Hussein al-Sheikh attends the funeral of former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
Hussein al-Sheikh attends the funeral of former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Leader Who Survived the Death of Palestine

What would it mean for Hussein al-Sheikh to lead a people whose dream of independence is no longer alive? This article has an audio recording

A Palestinian is seen from behind as they look outside through a large broken window. Some shards of fractured glass remain in the frame, but the rest of the opening reveals dark smoke billowing from a dense street of buildings in Gaza City. The sky is otherwise light but hazy.
A Palestinian is seen from behind as they look outside through a large broken window. Some shards of fractured glass remain in the frame, but the rest of the opening reveals dark smoke billowing from a dense street of buildings in Gaza City. The sky is otherwise light but hazy.
A Palestinian man carries his child to cross a roadblock in the West Bank city of Hebron in 2003. Rubble fills the land he walks across and barbed wire coils in front of him. A woman with a head covering follows behind them.
A Palestinian man carries his child to cross a roadblock in the West Bank city of Hebron in 2003. Rubble fills the land he walks across and barbed wire coils in front of him. A woman with a head covering follows behind them.

All the Palestinians Got From Oslo Was KFC

Thirty years of the peace process has left us with less land and fewer rights.

Latest Stories

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) shakes hands with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani following their meeting in Qatar’s capital city of Doha on Oct. 13.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) shakes hands with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani following their meeting in Qatar’s capital city of Doha on Oct. 13.

Why the U.S. Tolerates Qatar’s Hamas Ties

Washington’s conflicting views of Qatar reflect the constraints of U.S.-Middle East policy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an older man with white hair and wearing a black collared shirt, frowns slightly as he looks up during a press conference. An Israeli flag is partially visible behind him.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an older man with white hair and wearing a black collared shirt, frowns slightly as he looks up during a press conference. An Israeli flag is partially visible behind him.

Netanyahu Hasn’t Just Lost His Credibility on Security

The prime minister’s image has long depended on keeping Israelis safe and promoting economic growth. Polls show he’s in trouble.

Protesters wave Palestinian, Lebanese, and Hezbollah flags and a picture of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during an anti-Israel rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Lebanon's southern city of Nabatieh on Oct. 13.
Protesters wave Palestinian, Lebanese, and Hezbollah flags and a picture of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during an anti-Israel rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Lebanon's southern city of Nabatieh on Oct. 13.

Will Hezbollah Hold Back or Escalate?

The militant group must consider domestic Lebanese politics as well as relations with its patrons in Iran.

Rep. Jim Jordan speaks to reporters as House Republicans hold a caucus meeting to debate a new House speaker at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Rep. Jim Jordan speaks to reporters as House Republicans hold a caucus meeting to debate a new House speaker at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

How Congressional Chaos Hampers U.S. Aid to Israel, Ukraine

Republican infighting continues as emergency crisis response funding is put on ice.

Israeli troops prepare weapons and armed vehicles near the southern city of Ashkelon, near the Gaza border.
Israeli troops prepare weapons and armed vehicles near the southern city of Ashkelon, near the Gaza border.

What a Ground Invasion Means for Israeli Hostages

A former White House official who oversaw the Iran hostage crisis weighs in.

A fuel truck is seen through a hole in a border fence as it enters Gaza from Israel.
A fuel truck is seen through a hole in a border fence as it enters Gaza from Israel.

What the Israel-Hamas War Means for the World Economy

Palestinians are already reeling, but a wider conflict could trigger a surge in oil prices.

Israeli Merkava battle tanks deploy along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel.
Israeli Merkava battle tanks deploy along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel.

Can Israel Handle a War on 2 Fronts?

Tamir Hayman, a former head of Israeli intelligence, assesses the government's capabilities.

An Israeli soldier dressed in a green combat uniform and helmet speaks into a mouthpiece attached to his helmet as he glances toward the camera. The man stands in a tank, in front of an attached machine gun, and a clouded blue sky is visible behind him.
An Israeli soldier dressed in a green combat uniform and helmet speaks into a mouthpiece attached to his helmet as he glances toward the camera. The man stands in a tank, in front of an attached machine gun, and a clouded blue sky is visible behind him.

Israel’s Intelligence Failure Is a Wake-Up Call for NATO

Officials in Brussels are questioning the extent of their reliance on technology.

An illustration shows a peace dove with a rocket in its beak tangled in barbed wire atop a border wall between Gaza and Israel.
An illustration shows a peace dove with a rocket in its beak tangled in barbed wire atop a border wall between Gaza and Israel.

Vengeance Is Not a Policy

Emotionally driven reactions from Washington won’t prevent future violence. Dismantling the Gaza prison could.

Israeli soldiers and and a tank are silhouetted on a hazy, dusty horizon as they move near the Gaza border as the Israeli army deploys military vehicles around the Gaza Strip.
Israeli soldiers and and a tank are silhouetted on a hazy, dusty horizon as they move near the Gaza border as the Israeli army deploys military vehicles around the Gaza Strip.

Israel Prepares for Block-by-Block Warfare in Gaza

The goal is to destroy Hamas. The human cost will be high.

A couple stands with their back to the camera across a plaza from the dome of the U.S. Capitol building, which rises up against a bright blue dusk sky.
A couple stands with their back to the camera across a plaza from the dome of the U.S. Capitol building, which rises up against a bright blue dusk sky.

‘We’re Just Not Able to Function Right Now’

Democratic U.S. Rep. Andy Kim on a dysfunctional Congress amid two wars in Europe and the Middle East.

The troops and vehicles of an Israeli armored brigade are silhouetted as they move along a dirt road between hills in a hazy orange and yellow dawn scene during the Yom Arab-Israeli War in 1973.
The troops and vehicles of an Israeli armored brigade are silhouetted as they move along a dirt road between hills in a hazy orange and yellow dawn scene during the Yom Arab-Israeli War in 1973.

The 1973 War Analogy Is Deeper Than You Think

The parallels from 50 years ago will shape the region’s battle today.

Demonstrators carry Israeli flags and a large sign that reads "New York Stands With Israel."
Demonstrators carry Israeli flags and a large sign that reads "New York Stands With Israel."

The Peril in Declaring ‘I Stand With Israel’

Such sentiments stymie discussion of the harder questions around Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a roundtable with Jewish community leaders on Oct. 11 in Washington.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a roundtable with Jewish community leaders on Oct. 11 in Washington.

Has Washington’s Middle East Policy Failed?

The status quo is unworkable, but no one appears to be offering viable long-term solutions.

Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Shilo Rauchberger at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem. Wreaths of flowers adorn the grave in front of them as heads in the crowd are bowed in mourning. An Israeli flag is in front of one man.
Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Shilo Rauchberger at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem. Wreaths of flowers adorn the grave in front of them as heads in the crowd are bowed in mourning. An Israeli flag is in front of one man.

Hamas’s Strategy of Failure

Its attack on Israel is likely to set the group back and will prove especially devastating to ordinary Palestinians.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (not seen) following their meeting in Ramallah, West Bank.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (not seen) following their meeting in Ramallah, West Bank.

Modi’s Comments on Israel-Gaza War Signal Shift

Forthrightly expressing solidarity with Israel, India steps away from a long-held approach toward the Palestinians.

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