Israel

Palestinian Territories

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, has declared a famine in the Gaza governorate, stating that more than 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza City and the surrounding area are facing "catastrophic" conditions, giving the area a Phase 5 classification -- the highest possible -- in an Aug. 22 report.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: IPC Officially Declares Famine in Gaza Governorate

United States

Lebanon

Politics

The U.S. Trump administration has reportedly urged Israel to scale back "non-urgent" military operations in Lebanon to support the Lebanese government's move to begin disarming the political and militant group Hezbollah, Axios reported on Aug. 21.

Lebanon: U.S Asks Israel To Scale Down Attacks, Lebanon Starts Disarming Palestinian Camps

Israel's Higher Planning Council formally approved the E1 settlement, which would separate east Jerusalem from the West Bank, on the same day that Israel began the initial stages of its Gaza City takeover, Reuters reported Aug. 20. 

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Begins Gaza City Takeover, Approves E1 Settlement

The Israel Defense Forces announced it was calling up 60,000 reservists to support the next phase of "Operation Gideon's Chariot" in the military's newly approved plan to conquer Gaza City, CBS News reported on Aug. 20. 

Israel, Gaza: IDF Calls Up More Reservists, Netanyahu Criticizes Ceasefire Proposal

Australia

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar revoked the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority after Australian authorities barred far-right Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman from entering the country and banned him from applying for another visa for three years, Reuters reported Aug. 18.

Israel, Australia: Israel Revokes Officials' Visas in Escalation of Diplomatic Dispute

Economics

​​Hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and engaged in a grassroots strike on Aug. 17, calling for an end to the nearly two-year-long Hamas-Israel war and a deal to return the Israeli hostages who remain held in the Gaza Strip, The New York Times reported Aug. 18.

Israel: Nationwide Protests, Strikes Demand Hostage Deal, End to War

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved the long-frozen E1 settlement project, which would see the construction of more than 3,000 homes in the West Bank, BBC reported on Aug. 14.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Advances E1 Settlement Plan in West Bank

After vocal opposition, Israel Defense Forces Chief Gen. Eyal Zamir approved military plans for the conquest of Gaza City, and local sources in Gaza reported increased fighting ahead of the operation, The Times of Israel reported on Aug. 13.

Israel, Gaza: IDF Greenlights Conquest of Gaza City, Hamas Chief in Cairo for Talks

Assessments

Syria

Turkey

A tank is seen during Turkey's International Defense Industry Fair on July 22, 2024, in Istanbul.

Turkey's push to improve its air defenses in Syria amid Israel's ongoing aerial campaign raises the risk of tactical incidents and a brief crisis, although a larger conflict remains unlikely.

In Syria, Turkey and Israel's Parallel Deployments Heighten Flashpoint Risks

Bolivia

China

Russia

India

An aerial view shows a campaign poster of Bolivian presidential candidate Samuel Doria Medina and his supporters marching during a rally in La Paz, Bolivia, on Aug. 12, 2025.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Bolivian Elections, a Controversial Israeli Settlement Plan 

Israeli military vehicles drive along the border fence into Israel, near the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on July 17, 2025.

While the two countries may engage in limited security cooperation, Israel's continued military interventions in Syria and the lack of U.S. economic pressure on Damascus will make full normalization nearly impossible.

Despite Recent Talks, Syria-Israel Normalization Remains Highly Unlikely

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) looks at Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 30, 2018, during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in the coming days.

Energy

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

The Weekly Rundown: A Trump-Putin Summit, the Deadline for a U.S.-China Tariff Pause

Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem speaks from a stage surrounded by flags in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on July 6, 2025. 

Lebanon's new push to disarm Hezbollah will prove challenging amid U.S. pressure, Israel's military assertiveness and Hezbollah's hardening stance, potentially leading to government instability and increased violence.

Can Lebanon Navigate the Minefield of Disarming Hezbollah?

The new flag of Syria's interim government.

Parliamentary elections in September will cement Syrian leaders' power at the expense of many minority groups, deepening national fragmentation and heightening risks of violent unrest, particularly amid Israeli military intervention.

In Syria, Parliamentary Elections Will Deepen Political and Sectarian Divides

Israeli troops are seen deployed at the border with the Gaza Strip on July 23, 2025.

Reoccupying the Strip would be expensive and stir controversy at home and abroad, making the strategy politically difficult to sustain in the likely case that a new Israeli government is elected next year. 

The Fallout From an Israeli Reoccupation of Gaza

Media

Bahrain

Iran

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Podcasts

How have Gulf Arab states' positions on the Israel-Iran conflict evolved?

Essential Geopolitics: The Future of Gulf-Iranian Relations

Columns

On Geopolitics

U.S. Army soldiers prepare to go out on patrol from a remote combat outpost in northeastern Syria on May 25, 2021. 

The U.S. is shifting its Syria strategy from isolation to limited engagement to stabilize the country and protect American interests there, but Turkey and Israel's competing influence campaigns could complicate Washington's approach.

In Post-Assad Syria, the U.S. Struggles to Find a New Strategy

Vehicles drive along a main thoroughfare past a billboard that reads in Farsi and Hebrew: "A severe blow... The vile and villainous Zionist regime (Israel) has made a grave mistake,” in central Tehran on June 24, 2025. 

The war has weakened Iran, but has also shifted regional perceptions of Israel as a destabilizing force, prompting Gulf states to reassess alliances, Turkey to emerge as a rival, and raising the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

Assessing the Regional Impact of the Israel-Iran War, Part 2

A collapsed water tank painted with the Lebanese flag is seen in the ruins of a village in southern Lebanon, located near the border with Israel, on Jan. 7, 2025.

Ahead of Lebanon's 2026 election, Hezbollah will try to portray itself as a nationalist resistance movement rather than an Iranian proxy, but the risk of renewed conflict with Israel will persist unless the group disarms. 

To Ease Pressure to Disarm, Hezbollah Pursues a Rebrand 

Iraq

Yemen

An Iranian flag is draped from a building damaged during a recent attack by Israel is seen in the Gisha neighborhood of Tehran, Iran, on June 25, 2025. 

The brief war with Israel has significantly weakened Iran's regional influence and military capabilities, forcing it and the members of its Axis of Resistance to recalibrate their strategies and focus on recovery.

The Impact of the 12-Day War on Iran and Its Allies, Part 1

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, Palestinian Territories: IPC Officially Declares Famine in Gaza Governorate

Lebanon: U.S Asks Israel To Scale Down Attacks, Lebanon Starts Disarming Palestinian Camps

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Begins Gaza City Takeover, Approves E1 Settlement

Israel, Gaza: IDF Calls Up More Reservists, Netanyahu Criticizes Ceasefire Proposal

Israel, Australia: Israel Revokes Officials' Visas in Escalation of Diplomatic Dispute

Israel: Nationwide Protests, Strikes Demand Hostage Deal, End to War

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Advances E1 Settlement Plan in West Bank

Israel, Gaza: IDF Greenlights Conquest of Gaza City, Hamas Chief in Cairo for Talks

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