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Military & Security

The U.S. Trump administration is set to meet with defense contractors to push for accelerated weapons production amid diminished munitions stockpiles while the United States escalates its attacks on Iran, using B-2 bombers to drop 2,000 pound bombs on underground ballistic missile sites in the second phase of the war, Reuters reported on March 6.

MENA: U.S. Looks To Accelerate Weapons Production, Israel Launches Attacks on Beirut Suburbs

Bahrain

Iraq

Kuwait

United Arab Emirates

Azerbaijan

Energy

The U.S. and Israel-Iran war has entered its second phase as U.S. and Israeli strikes have increasingly targeted Iran's underground ballistic missile sites and as the pace of Iranian attacks has slowed over the past several days, Reuters reported on March 4. 

MENA: Iran War Enters Second Phase

Politics

Israel's military called for full-scale evacuations of southern Beirut ahead of massive air strikes there, as signs mounted that Israel was preparing a large ground incursion into southern Lebanon, The Times of Israel reported on March 5.

Israel, Lebanon: Signs of Israeli Reinvasion Mount

Israel's defense minister announced that the Israel Defense Forces had advanced farther into southern Lebanon and seized additional territory to establish a buffer zone aimed at protecting northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah attacks, Reuters reported on March 3.

Lebanon, Israel: Israeli Forces Cross Into Lebanon To Seize Additional Positions

Palestinian Territories

Economics

Hezbollah rejected the Lebanese government's four-month timeline for the militant and political group to disarm, with Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Kassem saying disarmament would only serve Israel's interests, Reuters reported on Feb. 17. 

Lebanon: Hezbollah Rejects Disarmament Calls Again

Egypt

Jordan

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was designating three chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, naming the chapters in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, the New York Post reported on Jan. 13.

U.S., MENA: Washington Labels Local Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as SDGTs

The Lebanese Armed Forces announced the completion of the first phase of its plan to disarm non-state armed groups south of the Litani River, namely Hezbollah, AP reported on Jan. 8.

Lebanon: Army Announces End of First Phase of Disarmament Plan

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Israel will fully deploy the Iron Beam laser air defense systems on Dec. 30, the Jerusalem Post reported Dec. 1.

Israel: Iron Beam Laser Air Defense System To Be Deployed By Year's End

Assessments

Chile

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Germany

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Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions in Tehran on March 2, 2026, after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top military leaders, prompting a new wave of Iranian retaliatory missile attacks across the region. 

U.S.-Iran Relations

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

The Weekly Rundown: War in the Middle East, U.S.-China Trade Talks

People attend a gathering honoring Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on March 1, 2026, at Ashura Square in southern Beirut, Lebanon. 

The Iran war has thrown a wrench in Iraq's and Lebanon's political stalemates, likely further prolonging government formation and delaying elections.

Political Stalemates in Iraq and Lebanon Deepen Amid Regional Instability

Smoke plumes billow following Israel's bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs on March 2, 2026. 

Israel is set to escalate its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite the Lebanese government's accelerated efforts to disarm the militant group.

Lebanon Joins the Region's Growing Conflict After Hezbollah Strikes Israel

Snapshots

Yemen

A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion Feb. 28 in Tehran. The joint U.S.-Israel military operations on Feb. 28 against Iran have already escalated into a broader regional confrontation.

The military operations have already escalated into a broader regional confrontation and mark the onset of a sustained, multitheater conflict, but are unlikely on their own to trigger near-term regime collapse in Tehran.

A New U.S. and Israeli Attack on Iran Triggers a Regional Confrontation

Lebanese flags fly outside of Lebanon's central bank in July 2023.

The proposed "gap law" for repaying depositors could unlock an IMF bailout and boost economic growth. But success is far from certain, as both passing and implementing the reform will prove challenging.

Will Lebanon's Draft Banking Law Unlock an IMF Deal?

Columns

On Geopolitics

Somalia

Sudan

Libya

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

A dark earth map of the Middle East with glowing details of cities and human population density areas.

Two blocs are emerging in the Middle East: one focused on preserving existing states and institutions, and the other on creating new ones.

Preservation vs. Fragmentation: Two Paths Toward a New Order in the Middle East

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) inspect the honor guard during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on June 22, 2022.

After years of discord, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are finding common ground as they increasingly position themselves against Emirati- and Israeli-backed regional initiatives. 

Saudi Arabia and Turkey's New Regional Alignment

Europe

U.S. Vice President JD Vance's shadow is seen as he speaks during a press conference following a military briefing at the civilian military coordination center on Oct. 21, 2025, in Kiryat Gat, Israel. 

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Negotiations over a new Israel-U.S. security agreement signal a pivot in the bilateral relationship as Israel increasingly focuses on strengthening its domestic defense industry.

How Israel's Defense Sector Will Evolve Amid the Government's Push for Self-Reliance

A stock image shows the silhouettes of soldiers.

Emboldened by its recent capture of Venezuela's Maduro, the White House will likely seek to kill and potentially abduct more Middle Eastern extremists in the coming year, but pursuing high-profile targets like Iranian leaders will carry significant risks.

Potential Targets for U.S. Assassination and Abduction Operations in the Middle East

Benin

Burkina Faso

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Madagascar

Mali

Niger

Nigeria

Rwanda

Canada

Paraguay

Venezuela

Morocco

Qatar

Australia

Cambodia

Timor-Leste

Indonesia

Japan

Mongolia

Myanmar

Philippines

South Korea

Thailand

Vietnam

Bulgaria

Ukraine

Russia

Afghanistan

India

Nepal

Pakistan

Flight routes.

Cyber

As 2026 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five patterns and trends as measured by geopolitical impact.

2025: A Geopolitical Review

Israeli air defence systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv amid a fresh barrage of Iranian rockets on June 16, 2025.

If effective, the laser air defense system will significantly reduce the cost of intercepting short-range aerial threats and bolster Israel's multilayered protection against aerial attacks.


The Role of Iron Beam in Israel's Evolving Defense Architecture

A photograph taken from the Israeli side of the border with southern Lebanon shows U.N. peacekeepers clearing landmines on Nov. 19, 2025. 

Rare direct talks between the neighboring adversaries will probably continue despite Hezbollah's objections, but Israel's likely refusal to offer meaningful concessions will sustain a high risk of renewed conflict in the coming months.

Lebanon-Israel Talks Are Unlikely To Pave the Way for Peace

Lebanon is a small country wedged against the Mediterranean Sea, with Syria to its east and Israel to its south. The country is divided by the western Lebanon Mountains and the eastern Anti-Lebanon Mountains, which also run through Syria. These mountains produce three geographic and climate ranges for the country: hot and dry in the east and mild and wetter in the west, with the fertile Bekaa Valley in the midlands providing much of the country's agriculture. The cluster of mountains itself is friendly to the growth of cedar trees, the country's national icon.    Because of its small size, Lebanon is forced to import much of the food it needs to feed its population. Thus it has long been a center of trade, with coastal cities like Beirut acting as gateways for east-wide trade routes. It's a necessity for Lebanon to keep access to these trade routes. However, because the country is so small, outside powers have found it very easy to exert influence, especially given Lebanon's internal demographic divisions. Foreign powers can often find allies in Lebanon, though they rarely can find enough friendly forces to control the entire country, leading to frequent split governments and regular civil strife.     Lebanon's greatest challenge, therefore, is to keep access to its trade routes while balancing its own divisions, which are manipulated by outside powers. It has not always succeeded, and the country's 1975-1990 civil war is only the latest major conflict that has arisen from these conditions. In the future, Lebanon will continue to struggle with precariously balancing its small size, its divided population and its ambitious neighbors. 

SITUATION REPORTS

MENA: U.S. Looks To Accelerate Weapons Production, Israel Launches Attacks on Beirut Suburbs

MENA: Iran War Enters Second Phase

Israel, Lebanon: Signs of Israeli Reinvasion Mount

Lebanon, Israel: Israeli Forces Cross Into Lebanon To Seize Additional Positions

Lebanon: Hezbollah Rejects Disarmament Calls Again

U.S., MENA: Washington Labels Local Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as SDGTs

Lebanon: Army Announces End of First Phase of Disarmament Plan

Israel: Iron Beam Laser Air Defense System To Be Deployed By Year's End

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