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Military & Security

Politics

Israel's Ministry of Defense signed two deals with domestic arms contractor Elbit Systems to develop new raw materials to help supply the military with heavy bombs in a deal worth around $275 million, The Times of Israel reported on Jan. 7.

Israel: Defense Ministry Aims To Produce Heavy Bombs Locally After U.S. Boycott

Lebanon

Syria

The Israeli military confirmed that it had been conducting "operational raids" in Syria on Mount Hermon over the past several weeks, The New York Times reported on Jan. 5. 

Israel, Syria: Israel Conducts Operational Raids in Syria

Palestinian Territories

Economics

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said around 155,000 Palestinians, or about 6% of the total population, have been displaced or killed in the course of the Israel-Hamas war since October 2023, Reuters reported on Jan. 1. 

Gaza, Israel: New Data on Gaza's Sinking Population Likely To Fuel Genocide Claims

Yemen

The Israeli Air Force struck several Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen on Dec. 26, including the Sanaa airport, the al-Dailami Air Base and a power plant in Hodeidah, Al Jazeera reported the same day.

Israel, Yemen: Israel Strikes Houthi Infrastructure in Sanaa, Hodeidah

Israeli forces advanced further into southern Lebanon's Wadi al-Hujeir area on Dec. 26, conducting sweeping operations and deploying heavy machine gun fire before retreating later to Wadi al-Slouki, according to a same-day report by Anadolu Agency.

Israel, Lebanon: IDF Forces Advance Further Into Southern Lebanon, Violating Ceasefire

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed that Israel would strike Houthi leaders after another Yemeni missile targeted the Tel Aviv area on Dec. 24, the Times of Israel reported the same day.

Israel, Yemen: Israel's Defense Chief Vows Assassination Campaign Against Houthi Leadership

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

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

Assessments

Turkey

North Korea

Ukraine

Russia

As 2025 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five events as measured by geopolitical impact.

Environment, Science & Technology

Global Elections

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Science & Technology

2024: A Geopolitical Review

China

India

The Geopolitics of Water

Cyber

Water utilities are uniquely vulnerable to cyberattacks due to frequent financial and security limitations, exposing water-stressed countries to threats from hacktivists and foreign adversaries.

 The Geopolitics of Water: Cyberattacks' Impact on Water Stress in the U.S. and Beyond

Media

Saudi Arabia

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

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

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

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: Defense Ministry Aims To Produce Heavy Bombs Locally After U.S. Boycott

Israel, Syria: Israel Conducts Operational Raids in Syria

Gaza, Israel: New Data on Gaza's Sinking Population Likely To Fuel Genocide Claims

Israel, Yemen: Israel Strikes Houthi Infrastructure in Sanaa, Hodeidah

Israel, Lebanon: IDF Forces Advance Further Into Southern Lebanon, Violating Ceasefire

Israel, Yemen: Israel's Defense Chief Vows Assassination Campaign Against Houthi Leadership

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

Israel: Knesset Passes Tax Hikes to Offset Cost of War

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