Israel

Politics

Israeli media reported that the ultra-Orthodox Shas party was considering joining the United Torah Judaism party in leaving the coalition government, with the latter party's leaders convening on June 5 to discuss next steps, The Times of Israel reported on June 5.

Israel: Government Wavers as Religious Parties Consider Exiting Coalition

Syria

Military & Security

Syria's foreign ministry condemned a deadly Israeli attack on southern Syria that followed the first 2025 attack launched from southern Syria into the disputed Golan Heights, Al Jazeera reported on June 3. 

Israel, Syria: Damascus Condemns Israeli Response to Militant Attack Launched From Syria

United States

Palestinian Territories

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said the current U.S.-led proposal to pause the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza "fails to meet any of the just and legitimate demands of our people" but added that the group would continue to "study" the proposal without rejecting it, Reuters reported on May 30.

Israel, Gaza: Hamas Rejects U.S. Ceasefire Proposal But Does Not Abandon Talks

Israel's Defense Ministry said it had approved 22 new West Bank settlements, including a series of previously illegal settlements, The Times of Israel reported on May 29.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Approves 22 More West Bank Settlements

The U.S.-backed and Israeli-approved Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing aid in the strip, marking the first significant alteration in aid deliveries since Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza in March, AP reported on May 26.

Israel, Gaza: Israeli-Dominated Organization Begins Distributing Aid in Gaza

Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar and several other top commanders were killed in southern Gaza on May 13 after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted an airstrike on a high-level meeting among the militant group's members, The Wall Street Journal reported on May 22.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Hamas Leader Mohammed Sinwar Killed in Israeli Airstrike 

Lebanon

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Beirut, marking his first trip to Lebanon since 2017, to discuss disarming Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon with President Joseph Aoun, France 24 reported on May 21. 

Lebanon: Palestinian President in Beirut To Discuss Disarming Palestinian Refugee Camps

Germany

United Kingdom

Belgium

Economics

The European Union will review its trade and cooperation agreement with Israel to determine if Israel violated human rights requirements under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which gives Israel preferential treatment and a framework for political discourse and the free exchange of goods, Reuters reported May 20. 

U.K., EU, Israel: U.K. and EU Revisiting Trade Talks, Cooperation Agreements with Israel

Columns

On Geopolitics

Iraq

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) interacts with Oman Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Asaad (second from right) as they prepare to pose for photos with leaders during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Leaders' Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025.

Energy

Despite Trump's recent sharp words on his predecessor's "forever wars," U.S. trade and energy interests will keep him engaged in the region, though in ways that rely more on economic and diplomatic leverage, as opposed to military campaigns.

Is the Era of U.S. Interventionism in the Middle East Over?

Assessments

Israeli soldiers conduct a raid in the West Bank on March 19, 2025. 

Israel's newly approved plan to expand its offensive against Hamas will invite more Houthi attacks on its territory, worsen Gaza's humanitarian crisis, and fuel backlash both at home and abroad. 

To Break Hamas, Israel Prepares to Reoccupy Gaza

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?

Iran

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

France

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

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

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

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: Government Wavers as Religious Parties Consider Exiting Coalition

Israel, Syria: Damascus Condemns Israeli Response to Militant Attack Launched From Syria

Israel, Gaza: Hamas Rejects U.S. Ceasefire Proposal But Does Not Abandon Talks

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Approves 22 More West Bank Settlements

Israel, Gaza: Israeli-Dominated Organization Begins Distributing Aid in Gaza

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Hamas Leader Mohammed Sinwar Killed in Israeli Airstrike

Lebanon: Palestinian President in Beirut To Discuss Disarming Palestinian Refugee Camps

U.K., EU, Israel: U.K. and EU Revisiting Trade Talks, Cooperation Agreements with Israel

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support