Israel

Gaza, Israel and Hezbollah with Matthew Levitt

On this week’s episode of This is America, we cover the Gaza ceasefire and the disarming of Hezbollah. We also feature an exclusive interview with Matthew Levitt, Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute, who shares his insights on the situation in Gaza and the prospects for peace in the region.

Hamas: A Beheaded Organization Still Standing

Is the terrorist group Hamas still capable of inflicting damage on the state of Israel? An investigation by American outlet NBC suggests that it is. Despite being severely weakened after two years of open war, the Islamist movement is believed to still have around 20,000 fighters, hundreds of rockets – including some with long-range ...

Israeli Lawmakers Approve Advancement of West Bank Annexation Bills

Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favour of advancing two bills on annexing the occupied West Bank, an ambition openly promoted by far-right ministers in recent months. The vote came with US Vice President JD Vance visiting Israel to shore up a Gaza ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump, who has made clear he would not back ...

Hezbollah’s Rapid Rebuilding Outpaces Lebanon’s Disarmament Efforts

Hezbollah’s accelerated rebuilding efforts risk provoking an Israeli response if Lebanon does not act swiftly, according to Western intelligence sources cited by The Jerusalem Post. In a report published Tuesday, the Israeli daily highlighted the group’s ongoing efforts to rearm and reconstruct, even as the Lebanese government has officially ...

Israeli Military Says Remains of Two More Hostages Returned from Gaza Identified

Israel's army said Wednesday that the remains of two more hostages returned the day before from Gaza have been identified as those of Aryeh Zalmanovich and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar. Zalmanovich, 85 at the time of his death, was abducted from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity on November 17, 2023, the Israeli military said in a ...

JD Vance Voices ‘Great Optimism' for Gaza Truce on Israel Visit

US Vice President JD Vance expressed "great optimism" that the Gaza truce would hold, ahead of a meeting Wednesday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Vance is in Israel to shore up support for the US-brokered ceasefire and post-war reconstruction plans. Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to ...

Israel Says Received Two Gaza Hostage Bodies from Red Cross

Israel said its security forces in the Gaza Strip received the remains of two hostages from the Red Cross on Tuesday, returned as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal. "Israel has received, through the Red Cross, the coffins of two hostages who were killed, which were handed over to an [Israeli military] and Shin Bet force inside the Gaza ...

JD Vance in Israel: Washington Reasserts Control over the Ceasefire

Vance’s trip is part of a broader American diplomatic push. Since Monday, special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been holding a series of meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Together, they are working to secure an agreement designed not only to end hostilities, but also to lay the groundwork for a new regional security ...

The Lebanese Demand Peace with Israel

"Break the taboos; we demand peace," declared Marcel Ghanem, host of Lebanon’s premier talk show. "Demanding peace [with Israel] is not a crime," he emphasized, challenging entrenched narratives. Marwan Hamade, a seasoned Druze lawmaker, appeared on I24 News (French service) to discuss Gaza, signaling a willingness to defy Lebanon’s surreal ...

Direct vs. Indirect Negotiations: Lebanon’s Diplomatic Playbook Reexamined

In the wake of the Gaza ceasefire brokered on October 13 by Donald Trump, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun issued a statement that raised more than a few eyebrows, and possibilities. “The Lebanese state has already negotiated with Israel under American and UN mediation, resulting in the maritime border agreement… So why not adopt the same ...