Iran

Israel

Syria

Military & Security

Israeli forces reportedly carried out a ground raid on an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC)-related facility in Masyaf in central Syria on Sept. 8, according to Times of Israel on Sept. 12. 

Israel, Syria: Israeli Ground Troops Used in Raid on IRGC Site

Jordan

Israel-Hamas Conflict

A Jordanian truck driver opened fire at the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and Israel on Sept. 8, killing three Israeli civilians before Israeli security forces shot him dead, Reuters reported the same day.

Jordan, Israel: Jordanian Gunman Kills Three Israeli Civilians at Border Crossing

United States

Germany

United Kingdom

Politics

The United Kingdom suspended 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel, effective immediately, due to risks that Israel could use the weapons in violation of international humanitarian law, Reuters reported on Sept. 2. 

U.K., Israel: London Partially Suspends Arms Export Licenses to Israel

Palestinian Territories

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it had received a ''preliminary commitment'' from Israel for temporary, localized humanitarian pauses in fighting in Gaza to allow for polio vaccinations after the war-torn enclave reported its first confirmed case of the deadly virus in 25 years, Al Jazeera reported Aug. 29.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Agrees to Temporary Pauses in Fighting in Gaza for Polio Vaccine Campaign

Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces announced it was conducting a large-scale raid and airstrikes around the northern West Bank in the areas of Jenin and Tulkarem, CNN reported on Aug. 28.

Israel, West Bank: Israel Launches Major Operation in West Bank

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said it would not accept the current framework for ending the war with Israel in Gaza because it aligned too closely with Israel's demands, including a continued Israeli presence in the Philadelphi corridor along the Egyptian border, The Times of Israel reported on Aug. 19.

Israel, Gaza: Hamas Rejects Latest Cease-Fire Proposal

Iraq

Baghdad said the announcement of the timeline for the U.S.-led coalition's withdrawal from Iraq would be delayed following the Middle East's "latest developments," Reuters reported Aug. 15.

U.S., Iraq: Announcement of U.S. Troop Withdrawal From Iraq Delayed

The United States approved the sale of a $20 billion weapons package that includes F-15 fighter jets and other military equipment, Reuters reported Aug. 13.

U.S., Israel: Washington Approves $20 Billion Weapons Package Sale to Israel

Assessments

Kenya

Mexico

China

A special session of the U.N. General Assembly is held on the Palestinian bid for full membership to the United Nations at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on May 10, 2024.

Economics

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

The Weekly Rundown: Mexico Ratifies a Controversial Judicial Reform, the U.N. Votes on a Palestinian Resolution

Columns

On Geopolitics

The Palestinian refugee camp of Bourj al-Barajneh on Aug. 8 in Beirut. Hamas's ascendency toward leadership of the Palestinian national movement seems likely to portend new cycles of violence and new major military operations.

Hamas's ascendency toward leadership of the Palestinian national movement seems likely to portend new cycles of violence and new major military operations.

The Future of Hamas in Gaza: Gauging Political Resilience, Part 2

Yemen

People watch a televised speech of Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah commemorating the seventh-century killing of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein, in Beirut, Lebanon, on July 17, 2024.

Despite their unified vision, groups within the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance are unlikely to sacrifice their strategic imperatives for one another, leaving them vulnerable to Israeli attacks.

Assessing the Strategic Imperatives of the Iranian-Led 'Axis of Resistance'

An Aug. 29 Israeli military operation in Tulkarm in the northern West Bank. In the coming months, wide-scale Israeli military operations and expanding settlements in the West Bank will further weaken the Palestinian Authority and put the territory at greater risk of uprising.

In the coming months, wide-scale Israeli military operations and expanding settlements in the West Bank will further weaken the Palestinian Authority and put the territory at greater risk of uprising. 

Will Israel Face a Third Intifada in the West Bank?

Demonstrators calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held captive since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants Sept. 3 in front of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel. A strengthened anti-government movement in Israel is likely to reduce coalition government unity and could lead to months of disruptions to daily life, incentivizing the Israeli government to intensify military operations in Gaza, pulling forces from the northern front and West Bank, and seeing tensions between pro- and anti-government partisans possibly escalate into violence.

Social Issues

A strengthened anti-government movement in Israel is likely to reduce coalition government unity and could lead to months of disruptions to daily life.

As the Opposition Gains Strength, Disruptions in Israel and the Gaza Conflict Will Increase

Smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Aug. 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Growing domestic and international pressure may force Israel to walk back its demands, leaving Hamas to step into an influential role in Gaza.

The Future of Hamas in Gaza: Gauging Political Resilience, Part 1

Sub-Saharan Africa

Mongolia

Russia

Supporters attend a campaign event for the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in Erfurt, eastern Germany, on Aug. 29, 2024, ahead of upcoming regional elections.

The Weekly Rundown: An Africa-China Summit, State Elections in Eastern Germany

An Israeli air force Samson C-130J Super Hercules cargo plane flies over the Israeli coastal city of Netanya toward northern Israel on Aug. 25, 2024, after Israel launched airstrikes targeting Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

Israel's recent preemptive strike on Hezbollah reflects an increasing willingness to strike Iran's regional proxies -- and potentially even Iran itself -- to interdict their impending attacks, raising the risk of a larger regional war.

As It Awaits Iran's Retaliation, Israel Mulls More Preemptive Strikes

A Hezbollah UAV is intercepted by Israeli air forces over northern Israel on Aug. 25, 2024.

The Lebanese militant group's recent barrage of attacks is unlikely to deter Israel from continuing to target high-ranking Hezbollah officials, even in Beirut, at the risk of further escalation.

Hezbollah's Retaliation Risks Emboldening Israel, Portending More Violence

Australia

Samoa

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

Nauru

New Zealand

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

France

Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holds a flag during a ceremony on Ukraine's Independence Day on Aug. 24, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Gaza Cease-Fire Talks Resume, Ukraine Observes Third Post-Invasion Independence Day

Lebanese authorities inspect a car that was targeted with an Israeli strike and killed a Fatah official in the southern city of Sidon on Aug. 21, 2024. 

Should the strike signal the start of a larger assassination campaign against the controlling party of the Palestinian Authority, it would significantly increase the likelihood of a full-scale uprising in the West Bank.

What Israel's Killing of a Fatah Official Means for Gaza and the West Bank

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Israel will continue using its advanced desalination technology to foster better relations with Arab neighbors, but the Gaza conflict currently limits the success of this water diplomacy and will ultimately hinge on Tel Aviv's future political and military actions in the region.

How Israel Will Leverage Desalination in Its Regional Normalization Efforts

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: Israeli Ground Troops Used in Raid on IRGC Site

Jordan, Israel: Jordanian Gunman Kills Three Israeli Civilians at Border Crossing

U.K., Israel: London Partially Suspends Arms Export Licenses to Israel

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Agrees to Temporary Pauses in Fighting in Gaza for Polio Vaccine Campaign

Israel, West Bank: Israel Launches Major Operation in West Bank

Israel, Gaza: Hamas Rejects Latest Cease-Fire Proposal

U.S., Iraq: Announcement of U.S. Troop Withdrawal From Iraq Delayed

U.S., Israel: Washington Approves $20 Billion Weapons Package Sale to Israel

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