Israel

Yemen

Military & Security

The Israeli military conducted airstrikes against ports and energy targets in Yemen's Houthi rebel-controlled areas, including Salif, Ras Isa, al-Hudaydah and Sanaa, Reuters reported on Dec. 19.

Israel, Yemen: Israel Strikes Ports and Energy Targets in Yemen

Economics

Politics

The Israeli Knesset approved tax hikes to take effect on Jan. 1 as part of broader austerity measures to offset the financial cost of the Hamas-Israel war, Times of Israel reported Dec. 17.

Israel: Knesset Passes Tax Hikes to Offset Cost of War

Lebanon

Syria

In a surprise visit to Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Dec. 17 that Israel would remain on Mount Hermon beyond the demilitarized zone that separates Israel's occupied Golan Heights from Syria proper for the immediate future, Reuters reported on Dec. 18.

Israel, Syria, Lebanon: Israel To Stay at Mount Hermon, IDF Ejects Israeli Settlers From Lebanon

The Israeli Cabinet approved a 40 million shekel, or $11 million, plan to double the population of the Golan Heights through increased settlement in the disputed region, with the funds going toward education, renewable energy development and an integration program for new residents, Reuters reported Dec. 15. 

Syria, Israel: Israel Approves Plan to Expand Settlements in Disputed Golan Heights

United States

Iran

The incoming U.S. Trump administration is considering a spectrum of military options such as moving additional U.S. military assets to the Middle East, supplying additional advanced weapons that Israel could use against Iran's nuclear program, and even preemptive strikes against Iran's nuclear program, The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 13.

U.S., Iran: Incoming Trump Administration Considering Military Strikes Against Iran's Nuclear Program

Palestinian Territories

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Hamas conceded to two major Israeli demands in ceasefire negotiations that would enable the Israeli military to remain in Gaza temporarily after the ceasefire takes effect, and Hamas also provided a list of hostages that it would release under the ceasefire, The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 11. 

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Hamas Concedes to Two Major Israeli Demands in Latest Ceasefire Proposal

The Israel Defense Forces said it had withdrawn from Lebanon's town of Khiam along the Israel-Lebanon border near the Golan Heights as part of its November ceasefire with Lebanon's Hezbollah, The Times of Israel reported on Dec. 12.

Israel, Lebanon: IDF Withdraws From Town in Southern Lebanon as Ceasefire Broadly Holds

Syria's former rebel leader Mohammed al-Bashir was appointed provisional prime minister until March 1, 2025, marking the first formal appointment of the post-al Assad government after the regime fell to rebel forces on Dec. 8, The Times of Israel reported on Dec. 10.

Syria, Israel: Syria's New Leaders Appoint Caretaker Prime Minister Amid Israeli Airstrikes

Media

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

Podcasts

What can Trump's nominees for positions in Middle Eastern diplomacy tell us about his approach to the region?

Essential Geopolitics: U.S.-Middle East Relations Under a Second Trump Term

Assessments

Israeli tanks and armored vehicles line up the area outside the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the fence with the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from the rest of Syria on Dec. 9, 2024.

Israel's efforts to mitigate threats from war-torn Syria will risk triggering domestic and international blowback, and opening the door to a proxy conflict with Turkey.

Israel Expands Its Presence in Post-Assad Syria 

Columns

On Geopolitics

United Arab Emirates

Russia

Rebel fighters celebrate in the streets of Homs, Syria, in the early hours of Dec. 8, 2024, after seizing control of the city.

Syria, the geopolitical proving ground for virtually every major regional power, may be hobbled and damaged after 13 years of civil war. But it still gets a vote in its destiny. 

Syria Sets Out Toward a New and Uncertain Future

A fireball erupts from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 25, 2024.

To consolidate its gains, Israel will keep conducting targeted strikes against Hezbollah under the guise of ceasefire enforcement, fueling more tit-for-tat exchanges that could ultimately reignite full-scale hostilities. 

Will the Hezbollah-Israel Truce Collapse?

Iraq

Qatar

A child tapes a stick holding a Hamas flag during a demonstration in support of Palestinian resistance in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Jan. 12, 2024. 

Hamas' impending expulsion from Qatar will force the group to either relocate its Politburo or disperse its senior leaders across multiple countries, either of which would carry challenges.

With Its Welcome Worn Out in Qatar, Hamas Seeks a New Home Base

Fighters loyal to Yemen's Houthi group chant in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 21, 2024, during a military parade marking the anniversary of the Houthis’ 2014 takeover of the capital.

The Houthis' economic vulnerabilities, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates' desire to avoid being re-entangled in Yemen's decade-long civil war, will reduce the risk of a major escalation in Yemen. 

Gulf States Work to Avoid Major Escalation With Yemen’s Houthis

Smoke billows above Beirut's southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on Nov. 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. 

Mutual war-weariness and U.S. pressure have driven Israel and Hezbollah to accept a 60-day truce, though periodic tit-for-tat strikes could undermine the cease-fire and hope for a permanent one.

What to Expect From Israel and Hezbollah's Truce

Senegal

Brazil

Austria

A G-20 summit banner on Nov. 12 at City Hall in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will host G-20 leaders Nov. 18-19 in Rio de Janeiro, where he will try to secure support for three main proposals.

Energy

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Brazil Hosts the G-20, Constitutional Crisis Looms in Israel

Snapshots

The Iranian capital of Tehran. An Israeli attack on a previously undisclosed active Iranian nuclear weapons research facility demonstrates that Iran is trying to reduce the timeline to develop nuclear weapons.

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Israeli attack on a previously undisclosed active Iranian nuclear weapons research facility demonstrates that Iran is trying to reduce the timeline to develop nuclear weapons.

Israel's October Strike on an Iranian Nuclear Facility Indicates More Strikes Ahead

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks to journalists in Riyadh before the first meeting of Saudi Arabia's new global alliance to push for Palestinian statehood on Oct. 30, 2024. 

Protracted regional conflicts risk undermining the kingdom's efforts to diversify its oil-reliant economy, normalize ties with Israel, and balance between Iran and its opponents. 

Saudi Arabia's Regional Strategy, Part 1: Balancing Between Iran and Its Rivals

An Israeli police officer stands near the remains of an Iranian missile on Oct. 2, 2024, near the Dead Sea, Israel. 

In gauging how the conflict will evolve, much will depend on the level of Trump's support for Israel and hostility toward Iran.

How the Israel-Iran Conflict May Play Out With a Trump Presidency

Japan

Sri Lanka

A ballot is cast in front of the Japanese flag. On Nov. 11, the country will select a prime minister and convene an extraordinary session of its bicameral Diet.

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The Weekly Rundown: Japan Selects a Prime Minister, Trump's Shadow Looms Over COP29

Israel lives under difficult geopolitical circumstances. A small country with limited resources and surrounded by potentially hostile neighbors, Israel survives by allying with powers that do have the resources to manage the balance of power in the Middle East — namely, the United States. Its geographic position also means that Israel must manage complex relations with its Muslim neighbors by quiet collaboration, by exploiting divisions, and by parlaying its technological and economic advantages into create strategic dependencies. To navigate all the challenges presented by the Middle East, Israel will remain agile in its diplomacy and, when the situation warrants, steadfast in its pre-emptive strikes, its covert activities and its economic relationships.

SITUATION REPORTS

Israel, Yemen: Israel Strikes Ports and Energy Targets in Yemen

Israel: Knesset Passes Tax Hikes to Offset Cost of War

Israel, Syria, Lebanon: Israel To Stay at Mount Hermon, IDF Ejects Israeli Settlers From Lebanon

Syria, Israel: Israel Approves Plan to Expand Settlements in Disputed Golan Heights

U.S., Iran: Incoming Trump Administration Considering Military Strikes Against Iran's Nuclear Program

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Hamas Concedes to Two Major Israeli Demands in Latest Ceasefire Proposal

Israel, Lebanon: IDF Withdraws From Town in Southern Lebanon as Ceasefire Broadly Holds

Syria, Israel: Syria's New Leaders Appoint Caretaker Prime Minister Amid Israeli Airstrikes

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