Middle East Crisis

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

 

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich displays a map of an area near the settlement of Maale Adumim, a land corridor known as E1, outside Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich displays a map of an area near the settlement of Maale Adumim, a land corridor known as E1, outside Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.

As the War in Gaza Winds Down, the West Bank Is a Flash Point

If Trump wants peace, he must block Israel’s annexationist policies. This article has an audio recording

Analysis
Daniel C. Kurtzer, Aaron David Miller
Trump gestures with his arms out wide behind a sculpture that reads "PEACE 2025."
Trump gestures with his arms out wide behind a sculpture that reads "PEACE 2025."

Trump’s Foreign Policy Is Not as Successful as You Think

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the Gaza deal proves Trump’s diplomatic chops.

Argument
Howard W. French
Palestinian youths celebrate the news of a cease-fire deal outside Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip on Oct. 9.
Palestinian youths celebrate the news of a cease-fire deal outside Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip on Oct. 9.

One Question Looming Over the Gaza Deal: Why Now?

An outline of the agreement had been on the table for months.

Analysis
Daniel Byman
A man is seen sitting in rubble in Gaza with destroyed buildings in the background.
A man is seen sitting in rubble in Gaza with destroyed buildings in the background.

Doctor in Gaza Says Cease-Fire Brings Hope but Challenges Remain

An MSF doctor talks about the dire needs in Gaza as the cease-fire begins.

Q&A
John Haltiwanger
People gather to protest while holding Israeli and U.S. flags and banners. One banner reads "President Trump, stop the war! The mothers of Israel are behind you."
People gather to protest while holding Israeli and U.S. flags and banners. One banner reads "President Trump, stop the war! The mothers of Israel are behind you."

Trump’s Approach Just Might End the War in Gaza, but the Next Stage Is Harder

Lasting agreements require sustained focus, not just theatrics. This article has an audio recording

Analysis
Daniel B. Shapiro
Soldiers in combat gear are silhouetted as they stand along a fence overlooking a dirt training area.
Soldiers in combat gear are silhouetted as they stand along a fence overlooking a dirt training area.

How the U.S. Failure in Iraq Haunts Trump’s Gaza Plan

The American-led trusteeship will command no legitimacy among Palestinians.

Analysis
Marc Lynch

Israel-Hamas War

Trump holds up a finger as he speaks to the press, with microphones pointed at him.
Trump holds up a finger as he speaks to the press, with microphones pointed at him.

What We Can Learn From Trump’s Success in Gaza

In diplomacy, style now matters just as much as substance. This article has an audio recording

Argument
Suzanne Nossel
An Israeli flag hangs from a metal pole alongside loudspeakers on a beach, with dozens beachgoers playing and lounging on the edge of the sea in the background.
An Israeli flag hangs from a metal pole alongside loudspeakers on a beach, with dozens beachgoers playing and lounging on the edge of the sea in the background.

Two Ways Oct. 7 Changed Israel and One Way It Didn’t

The impact will be felt for years, even if Trump’s peace plan succeeds.

Analysis
David E. Rosenberg
Dozens of people crowd together, many with their arms raised in celebration. Closest to the camera are two boys about 8 to 12 years old, both holding up their fingers in the V-shaped peace symbols as they beam at the camera.
Dozens of people crowd together, many with their arms raised in celebration. Closest to the camera are two boys about 8 to 12 years old, both holding up their fingers in the V-shaped peace symbols as they beam at the camera.

Can Palestinians Trust Donald Trump?

Only U.S. pressure will ensure that Israel honors the Gaza cease-fire.

Analysis
Omar H. Rahman
A road is clogged with a vast mass of people stretching to the horizon. On one side is the sea on the other is devastation from the war in Gaza.
A road is clogged with a vast mass of people stretching to the horizon. On one side is the sea on the other is devastation from the war in Gaza.

Two Years After Oct. 7, a Trail of What-Ifs

Decisions made early on set the path for a devastating war. This article has an audio recording

Analysis
Steven A. Cook

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.

Argument
James M. Acton
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.

Argument
Eric Brewer, Scott Roecker
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.

Argument
Lina Khatib
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.

Argument
Trita Parsi

Israel and Hezbollah

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.

Argument
Oz Katerji
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.

Dispatch
Anagha Subhash Nair
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.

Argument
Bilal Y. Saab
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.

Argument
Oz Katerji

Regional Dynamics

President Donald J. Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at the Amiri Diwan, the official workplace of the emir, on May 14, 2025, in Doha, Qatar.
President Donald J. Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at the Amiri Diwan, the official workplace of the emir, on May 14, 2025, in Doha, Qatar.

America’s Accidental New Military Ally

The Trump administration has made an unprecedentedly sloppy security guarantee to Qatar.

Analysis
Bilal Y. Saab
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.

Analysis
Gonul Tol
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.

Analysis
Fatima Abo Alasrar
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa shake hands in Moscow on October 15.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa shake hands in Moscow on October 15.

Buying the Hatchet

How arms deals are helping Sharaa to make up with Moscow.

Analysis
Ahmad Sharawi

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.

Analysis
Aaron David Miller
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

Profile
Adam Rasgon, Aaron Boxerman
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.

How Will This War End? How Can the Next One be Prevented?

FP asks experts two questions about the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians.

Roundup
Zaha Hassan, Daniel C. Kurtzer, Omar M. Dajani, Diana Buttu, Peter R. Mansoor, Daniel Levy, Ehud Olmert, Eugene Kontorovich, Elliott Abrams
A child is silhouetted as he walks across a pile of rubble while carrying a flag.
A child is silhouetted as he walks across a pile of rubble while carrying a flag.

How Washington’s Israel-Palestine Peace Process Theology Failed Again and Again

Trump’s plan is just the latest example.

Review
Khaled Elgindy

Latest Stories

A group of man stand in a rocky field. An Israeli soldier wearing green military fatigues reaches out to push a hand against the chest of another man, who wears a red T-shirt and baseball cap as he gestures toward his own head. The man in red is flanked by two other men dressed casually in blue shirts, and all four seem to be speaking intensely.
A group of man stand in a rocky field. An Israeli soldier wearing green military fatigues reaches out to push a hand against the chest of another man, who wears a red T-shirt and baseball cap as he gestures toward his own head. The man in red is flanked by two other men dressed casually in blue shirts, and all four seem to be speaking intensely.

Lines Increasingly Blurred Between Soldiers and Settlers in the West Bank

Israeli attacks on Palestinians there have surged since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Analysis
Yagil Levy
Media delegates watch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, shown on a TV screen, address the Arab League summit in Jeddah.
Media delegates watch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, shown on a TV screen, address the Arab League summit in Jeddah.

The World Won’t Be the Same After the Israel-Hamas War

The Middle East’s latest war will have widespread geopolitical effects.

Argument
Stephen M. Walt
A young man walks across a ground of cracked stone in front of a cluster of small buildings below a clear blue sky. The buildings are covered with text painted in Arabic and English. One sign reads "Families, not firing zones," and another reads, "Where will I sleep?"
A young man walks across a ground of cracked stone in front of a cluster of small buildings below a clear blue sky. The buildings are covered with text painted in Arabic and English. One sign reads "Families, not firing zones," and another reads, "Where will I sleep?"

On the War’s Other Front, Palestinians Face Violence and Expulsion

Some Israeli settlers are exploiting the conflict to try to redraw the map in the West Bank.

Report
Ben Lynfield
An Arab Israeli woman waits in line before voting in the northern Israeli village of Maghar.
An Arab Israeli woman waits in line before voting in the northern Israeli village of Maghar.

‘Too Israeli for the Palestinians and too Palestinian for the Israelis’

How the war in Gaza is squeezing Arab Israelis.

Report
Ari Flanzraich
Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (C) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) attend a meeting, in Doha on Oct. 13.
Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (C) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) attend a meeting, in Doha on Oct. 13.

The Road to Middle East Peace Runs Through Doha

Bringing together Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to administer postwar Gaza could weaken Iranian and Russian regional influence. This article has an audio recording

Argument
Jason Pack
Individuals gather in Paris for a demonstration in support of the Palestinian people.
Individuals gather in Paris for a demonstration in support of the Palestinian people.

The Israel-Hamas War Is Dividing Europe’s Left

A political hot potato singes progressives across the continent.

Report
Michele Barbero
Israeli volunteers tend to plants in a greenhouse growing tomatoes in Moshav Sde Nitzan, in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip, on October 25, 2023.
Israeli volunteers tend to plants in a greenhouse growing tomatoes in Moshav Sde Nitzan, in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip, on October 25, 2023.

Israel’s Wartime Economy Can’t Hold Up Forever

The country’s massive military mobilization has created serious economic strain.

Analysis
Anchal Vohra
Rubble cleared in Gaza after Israeli airstrike in Israel-Hamas war.
Rubble cleared in Gaza after Israeli airstrike in Israel-Hamas war.

Can Our Leaders Avoid the Terrorism Trap?

For Israel and Palestine, the only way to break the cycle of violence is to understand the difference between justice and vengeance.

Argument
Yousef Munayyer
Supporters of Hezbollah gather at Ashura Square in the southern suburbs of Beirut to listen to the speech of the secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, on Nov. 3.
Supporters of Hezbollah gather at Ashura Square in the southern suburbs of Beirut to listen to the speech of the secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, on Nov. 3.

Will There Be a Wider War in the Middle East?

How Lebanon, Iran, Egypt, Qatar, and other countries in the region are watching Israel’s war on Hamas.

Insider
Ravi Agrawal
A USAID mural is pictured in the village of al-Badhan, north of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
A USAID mural is pictured in the village of al-Badhan, north of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

More U.S. Officials Are Anonymously Calling for a Gaza Cease-Fire

USAID open letter joins growing chorus of internal dissent over Biden’s Israel policy.

Exclusive
Amy Mackinnon, Robbie Gramer
A young girl is silhouetted as she stands behind the metal mesh that covered the window of a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in the southern Gaza. In front of her is a scene of destruction with the rubble of crumbled buildings and an excavator sifting through the piles.
A young girl is silhouetted as she stands behind the metal mesh that covered the window of a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in the southern Gaza. In front of her is a scene of destruction with the rubble of crumbled buildings and an excavator sifting through the piles.

What Happens to Gaza After the War?

A set of grim scenarios emerge for the enclave’s Palestinian residents. This article has an audio recording

Analysis
Amy Mackinnon
A large crowd gathers to watch a televised speech by Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, in Lebanon. The leader wears a black robe and head covering and gestures as he speaks. Text is seen on the screen next to and on sides above him with flags waving amid the crowd.
A large crowd gathers to watch a televised speech by Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, in Lebanon. The leader wears a black robe and head covering and gestures as he speaks. Text is seen on the screen next to and on sides above him with flags waving amid the crowd.

Hezbollah’s Nasrallah Tries to Walk a Fine Line on Israel-Hamas War

In his long-awaited speech, the Lebanese militant leader avoided committing Hezbollah to a bigger role in the conflict.

Analysis
Daniel Byman
A view shows an explosion in the distance with buildings in the foreground.
A view shows an explosion in the distance with buildings in the foreground.

Israel’s Gaza Campaign Is Entering a Moral Abyss

The country must be held to the laws and conventions that regulate warfare.

Argument
Howard W. French
Demonstrators, mostly women, wave Palestinian and Hezbollah flags and hold posters of former Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani during a rally in Tehran.
Demonstrators, mostly women, wave Palestinian and Hezbollah flags and hold posters of former Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani during a rally in Tehran.

Iran Can’t Afford a Regional War

Leaders in Tehran can either seize the diplomatic opportunity—or face a potential threat to their own power.

Analysis
Alex Vatanka
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

I Worked With Netanyahu. It’s Time for Him to Step Down.

A former U.S. ambassador to Israel on why Bibi has lost his mandate—and the confidence of his country’s closest allies.

Argument
Daniel C. Kurtzer
In a pro-government demonstration on October 18, 2023, in Tehran, Iran, mock body bags are placed on the podium as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi addresses the crowds.
In a pro-government demonstration on October 18, 2023, in Tehran, Iran, mock body bags are placed on the podium as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi addresses the crowds.

How Iran Really Sees the Israel-Hamas War

Tehran’s relationship to the conflict is not nearly as straightforward as its rhetoric suggests.

Analysis
Sina Toossi
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