Israel

Syria

Military & Security

Israel conducted an airstrike near Syria's presidential palace in Damascus, Bloomberg reported on May 2.

Israel, Syria: Israel Strikes Near Syrian Presidential Palace in Damascus

Politics

Clashes between Druze and Sunni gunmen in the Druze-majority town of Jaramana reportedly resulted in the deaths of 13 individuals after a recording of a Druze man allegedly cursing the Prophet Muhammad circulated, drawing in Sunni gunmen from nearby areas, Reuters reported April 29.

Syria: Druze and Sunnis Clash Near Damascus, Killing 13

United States

Iran

Economics

A huge port explosion in the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas on April 26 killed 45 people, injured over 1,000 others and temporarily led to the port's closure, Newsweek reported on April 28.

Iran: Government Refrains From Blaming Israel for Massive Port Explosion

Palestinian Territories

The Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council approved the creation of a vice presidential position for the Palestinian Authority, Reuters reported on April 24. 

Palestinian Territories: Vice Presidential Post Established as Abbas Succession Looms

Syria detained two Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders: Khaled Khaled, head of PIJ operations in Syria, and Yasser al-Zafari, head of PIJ's organizational committee, Reuters reported on April 22, citing PIJ and a Syrian official.

Syria: Damascus Detains PIJ Leaders in Pursuit of U.S. Sanctions Relief

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Palestinian militant group Hamas reportedly told Arab mediators that it was willing to halt tunnel construction, stop governing Gaza, place its arsenal into a guarded warehouse overseen by Palestinian technocrats, and release all remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a 5-15 year truce and Israel's exit from the strip, The Times of Israel reported on April 20. 

Israel, Gaza: Israel Rejects Hamas' Newest Peace Proposal

Saudi Arabia

Energy

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the United States and Saudi Arabia were on a "pathway" toward a nuclear energy cooperation agreement to develop a Saudi civilian nuclear program, and he opened the door to allowing Saudi uranium enrichment, Reuters reported on April 13. 

U.S., Saudi Arabia: Governments on 'Pathway' to Nuclear Energy Cooperation

Qatar

Turkey

In drills that ended on April 11, the Israeli air force confirmed that it flew alongside Qatar's air force for the first time at the annual Iniochos exercise held in Greece, The Times of Israel reported the same day.

Israel, Qatar: Military Cooperation Signals Improved Relations, but Normalization Remains Unlikely

Assessments

Fighters gather outside a building that was seized by jihadists in Syria's northern Aleppo province on Nov. 29, 2024, amid the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) offensive against government forces.

The two countries will seek to avoid direct conflict amid U.S. pressure to de-escalate tensions, but their competing military presence in Syria and elevated risk tolerances leave the door open to miscalculations and limited clashes.

Can Israel and Turkey Avoid a Conflict in Syria?

Columns

On Geopolitics

Lebanon

A Lebanese flag painted on a damaged building in the village of Meiss El-Jabal in southern Lebanon is seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on Jan. 23, 2025, in northern Israel. 

Hezbollah's military losses and the formation of Lebanon's new government have opened the door to a new chapter in Lebanese history, although external pressure will complicate the country's next steps.

Hezbollah's Future in Lebanon

Palestinian men walk amidst the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli strike on a residential area of Gaza City on April 9, 2025. 

With the U.S.'s tacit support, Israel will likely keep expanding its military operations in Gaza in the hopes of pressuring both Hamas and local civilians there to leave, thereby making it easier to reoccupy the Strip.

To Secure Gaza, Israel Pursues a Strategy of Occupation and Displacement

Global Trade

U.S.-Iran Relations

Rising tensions between the U.S., Israel and Iran are increasing the risk of direct strikes on Iranian territory and potential retaliation in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to disrupt global oil flows and destabilize energy markets.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Security Threats in the Strait of Hormuz and Likely Strategies

South Africa

China

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Ukraine

A list of countries facing reciprocal tariffs on display April 2 at the White House.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-China 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: The Escalating Global Trade War, South Africa's Coalition Government on the Brink

Media

Canada

Mexico

Australia

Philippines

Russia

Forecast Webcast

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2025 Second-Quarter Forecast.

2025 Second-Quarter Forecast Webcast

Somalia

Egypt

United Arab Emirates

Europe

Philippe Lazzarini (C), the commissioner general for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, attends a humanitarian conference for Gaza in Cairo, Egypt, on Dec. 2, 2024, amid the continuing Israel-Hamas war.

Egypt's economic limitations will continue to restrain its assertiveness in foreign policy, constraining its ability to project power in the region.

Egypt's Economic Priorities Sideline Assertive Foreign Policy

Brazil

Japan

Vietnam

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a joint press conference Feb. 16 at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem. Senior Israeli officials from the security and intelligence ministries will visit the United States to discuss Iran's nuclear program and Israeli border demarcation talks with Lebanon.

The Weekly Rundown: The U.S. and Israel Coordinate on Iran, the U.K. Chancellor Seeks Fiscal Discipline

Smoke billows during Israeli strikes west of Gaza City on March 18, 2025. 

In the coming days and weeks, Israel will likely carry out phased escalations and de-escalations to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages, returning Gaza to war by effectively collapsing the January ceasefire.

Large-Scale Israeli Airstrikes Plunge Gaza Back Into an Open-Ended Conflict

Oman

Yemen

A rally on Jan. 24 in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen. Should the United States attack Iranian ships and advisers supporting the Houthi rebel group, Houthi and Iranian retaliation would become likelier to extend beyond U.S. and Israeli targets to include regional oil and gas installations.

Should the United States also attack Iranian ships and advisers supporting the Yemeni rebel group, Houthi and Iranian retaliation would become likelier to extend beyond U.S. and Israeli targets to include regional oil and gas installations. 

U.S. Strikes on Houthis Risk Embroiling Iran and the Regional Energy Industry

A truck drives toward the Canada-U.S. border crossing in Blackpool, Canada, on Feb. 2, 2025.

The Weekly Rundown: An EU Summit on Ukraine, U.S. Tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China

An Israeli army vehicle patrols near the fence leading into the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone, which separates Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights, on Jan. 5, 2025. 

An open-ended Israeli military campaign in southern Syria risks destabilizing the country's fragile political transition and pushing Damascus back toward anti-Israeli forces like Hezbollah and Iran.

Israel's Effort To Secure Post-Assad Syria Risks Doing the Opposite

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.

Israel's Survival Strategy

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

SITUATION REPORTS

Israel, Syria: Israel Strikes Near Syrian Presidential Palace in Damascus

Syria: Druze and Sunnis Clash Near Damascus, Killing 13

Iran: Government Refrains From Blaming Israel for Massive Port Explosion

Palestinian Territories: Vice Presidential Post Established as Abbas Succession Looms

Syria: Damascus Detains PIJ Leaders in Pursuit of U.S. Sanctions Relief

Israel, Gaza: Israel Rejects Hamas' Newest Peace Proposal

U.S., Saudi Arabia: Governments on 'Pathway' to Nuclear Energy Cooperation

Israel, Qatar: Military Cooperation Signals Improved Relations, but Normalization Remains Unlikely

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