Seth J. Frantzman

Latest from Seth J. Frantzman

Trump has handed Bibi free rein on Gaza – he now needs to figure out a strategy

Removing Hamas requires a vision to prevent the territory becoming a source of more extremism and terror

By Seth J. Frantzman

4 min read

Trump has handed Bibi free rein on Gaza – he now needs to figure out a strategy

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November 19, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas militant group. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP) (Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)

Can any of the plans for Gaza prevent a Hamas takeover?

4 min read

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (Andriy Sybiga) (C-L) leads a delegation of officials including Agriculture Minister Vitaliy Koval (2nd-L) as they are received by Syria's new leader and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) chief Ahmed al-Sharaa (C-R) in Damascus on December 30, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP) (Photo by BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images)

2025 could see a wave of optimism spread across the Middle East

4 min read

Supporters of Yemen's Houthi group raise up their arms during a rally in solidarity "with the people of Gaza" (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel and the US know that only sustained bombing will stamp out the Houthis’ threat

5 min read

More from Seth J. Frantzman

Syria’s new rulers need to show Israel and the rest of the region that it will not be a threat

Nature abhors a vacuum and Syria is now a power vacuum. Let us hope it is filled with something positive

4 min read

December 11, 2024 09:02

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, leader of Syria's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group (Getty Images)

Are Israel and Hamas about to reach a deal?

The imminent arrival of President Trump has changed the dynamics

4 min read

December 5, 2024 09:55

Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip (Getty Images)

If we want peace, Unrwa and Unifil must both be completely reformed

The UN needs to focus on preventing Hamas and Hezbollah rule. Only then can civilians live in peace in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon.

4 min read

November 27, 2024 09:55

Israel must press ahead and finish off either Hamas or Hezbollah – for peace

Israel has eliminated the leaders of both groups, but they have vowed to carry on the war

4 min read

November 14, 2024 10:53

Residential buildings amidst piles of rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon, on November 9, 2024 (Getty Images)

Trump will not restrain Israel: the clock is now ticking for Iran and its proxies

The terrorists’ window of opportunity will close when Trump is inaugurated

3 min read

November 6, 2024 12:51

A banner depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei next to a ballistic missile in Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran (Getty Images)

These precision strikes have damaged Iran – but will they act as a deterrent?

Almost certainly it will keep trying to target Israel with proxies

4 min read

October 28, 2024 10:30

An Israeli F-35 fighter jet (Getty Images)

Killing of Sinwar is huge achievement but no magic wand

The death of the Hamas leader is no guarantee that the war will end

3 min read

October 17, 2024 17:15

Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar has reportedly revived contact with mediators in Qatar this week to explore the possibility of receiving immunity (Credit: Getty)

The Russia-Iran axis is transforming the nature of Middle East danger

Russia’s siding with Iran will make it harder for peace to be achieved in Lebanon, or for a ceasefire to be achieved on the multiple fronts that Israel is facing

4 min read

October 15, 2024 13:34

Vladimir Putin meets Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of an international forum "Interrelation of times and civilizations - basis of peace and development" October 11 (Getty Images)

Israel and its Western allies should now strike back against Iran

When Iranians see that their regime is a paper tiger they will be emboldened

3 min read

October 1, 2024 20:02

IAF pilots at Nevatim Airbase. Photo: Ori Shifrin, IDF Spokesperson's Unit The Israel Defense Forces

Hamas did get Hezbollah involved – but not as it hoped

The October 7 atrocities were meant to unleash a massive war against Israel. Instead, Israel is dismantling Hezbollah

3 min read

October 1, 2024 12:48

Smoke rises from the site of Israeli airstrikes on September 29 in Beirut (Getty Images)

International donors are complicit in Hamas’ presence in Gaza – and key to its demise

To separate Hamas from local people in Gaza, donor countries should mandate that any NGO or UN organisation working in Gaza must monitor and report on Hamas and other groups’ presence in institutions that receive funding.

4 min read

September 18, 2024 10:28

UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City before the Israeli military operation (Getty Images)

Is this a turning point for the West Bank?

The IDF acted last week to stem terrorism, but then three policemen were killed

4 min read

September 4, 2024 09:44

An Israeli soldier takes position during an army operation in Tulkarm in the north of the occupied West Bank on August 29 (Photo: Getty Images)

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