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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (June 9-16, 2026)

IDF forces continued operating within the Yellow Line and other areas of the Gaza Strip, destroying Hamas weapons depots and eliminating terrorists who posed a threat; Palestinians claimed the IDF issued broad evacuation orders in order to demolish buildings and move the boundaries of the Yellow Line; Hamas submitted armed Palestinian organizations' response to the roadmap for the continued implementation of the ceasefire, stating there would be no progress on disarmament before Israel met its obligations under the first phase, including dismantling the militias opposed to Hamas, and withdrew its forces from the Strip; Hamas’ "resistance security" announced the execution of collaborators with Israel who allegedly assisted in the elimination of Palestinians and "resistance" operatives. An independent UN commission of inquiry accused Hamas of committing war crimes and serious human rights violations; Hamas welcomed the memorandum of understanding reached between Iran and the United States. A senior Hamas delegation visited Russia; German authorities revealed a video indicating a Hamas terrorist cell intended to carry out an attack on the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack and massacre; Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria. An IDF officer was seriously wounded by an explosive device.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (June 8-15, 2026)

The United States and Iran formulated a memorandum of understanding on ending military activity, which apparently also includes a ceasefire in Lebanon. Lebanese began returning to the villages of south Lebanon despite warnings from the Lebanese army and Hezbollah; The IDF continued to expand its activity north of the forward defense zone in south Lebanon, along with airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon, in the Beqa'a Valley and on a Hezbollah headquarters in the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia. The forces eliminated Hezbollah terrorists and field commanders, including the holder of the Golan Portfolio; Hezbollah issued 130 claims of responsibility for attacks using explosive drones, UAVs, rockets and other weapons. According to the organization, all the attacks targeted IDF forces in south Lebanon but several UAVs fell inside Israeli territory; Lebanese President and Prime Minister reiterated that direct negotiations with Israel were the only way to end the conflict and strengthen state sovereignty; Hezbollah continued to oppose direct negotiations with Israel, while Parliament Speaker and Amal leader Berri mediates between Hezbollah, state authorities and international actors; Hezbollah is combating the erosion of its Shi’ite support base by strengthening the "resistance" narrative.
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Criticism of Hezbollah Increases among the Shi’ites in Lebanon

The heavy human and economic costs of the renewed hostilities started by Hezbollah on March 2, 2026, which come while the Shi'ite community is still recovering from the consequences of Hezbollah's previous hostilities in "support of the Gaza Strip", have intensified signs of dissatisfaction in Hezbollah's centers of power and support, with a shift from a discourse of "resistance, return and reconstruction" to one of economic and social survival; That has been reflected by criticism of the continued fighting and a loss of confidence in Hezbollah's ability to provide an adequate response to the cumulative cost of the war. Support also appears to be growing for political solutions and for strengthening the role and status of the state; The growing frustration has led to the emergence of a Shi'ite search for an ideological alternative to Hezbollah, based on loyalty to the Lebanese state, strengthening its institutions and prioritizing reconstruction and development over the continued involvement of the community in military confrontations; At this stage there are no particular signs of a collapse in Hezbollah's Shi'ite support base or the emergence of an organized political alternative with a real ability to challenge its status. However, the accumulation of destruction, displacement, economic hardship and growing criticism of Iran is creating a broader critical space than has been seen in recent years. In Amit Institute assessment, if the fighting in Lebanon continues and the reconstruction of the state is delayed, such processes may evolve from limited deterioration of the organization's standing to a more significant political and social challenge for Hezbollah and the Shi'ite community.
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The Israel-Saudi Arabia Normalization: A motive for the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre reflected in documents from the Gaza Strip

Hamas documents brought back by IDF forces from the Gaza Strip during the Gaza Strip War showed that the Hamas leadership closely monitored the progress of normalization contacts between Israel and Saudi Arabia from their inception and regarded the entire process as a real danger and a strategic threat which contradicted its worldview; On the eve of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre, the Hamas leadership decided that as part of efforts to prevent normalization, action should be taken to escalate tensions and ignite the situation in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem, while emphasizing the message of a "danger to al-Aqsa Mosque." Al-Sinwar declared that an unconventional move had to be made which would rattle Israel and halt the process; In Amit Institute assessment, Hamas regarded the progress of normalization as a fatal blow to the Palestinian cause which would weaken the movement and diminish its role in the "resistance axis." Hamas attempted to fight the process in various ways and divided its efforts among various areas. Yahya al-Sinwar led the struggle against normalization and believed that igniting the situation on the ground and using the narrative of a "threat to al-Aqsa" as an accelerant could achieve the desired results. However, as time passed, he concluded that the only alternative was to undertake an unconventional course of action to halt the normalization process, which he believed was approaching maturation.
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Hezbollah’s Campaign against the Lebanese Government

The tension between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah has intensified in recent months because of the organization's decision to violate the ceasefire and renew the hostilities against Israel, and because of the current direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under American auspices; Despite Hezbollah's protests and firm public opposition to the government's decisions to outlaw the organization's military wing and its commitment to continuing the talks with Israel, President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam remain determined to pursue the policy; As a result, senior Hezbollah figures and organization-affiliated media outlets have increasingly sought to undermine the legitimacy of the president and prime minister's actions. They claim the government's actions sabotage Lebanon's interests, betray the idea of "the resistance," and call the two "agents serving the American-Zionist project."; In Amit Institute assessment, the growing number of voices within Hezbollah challenging the legitimacy of the government in Beirut reflect the organization's weakness within Lebanon's political system and its inability to influence government decisions and prevent moves it perceives as contrary to its interests, as it had done for decades. That lays the groundwork for actions that go beyond political discourse, and could materialize as "popular" efforts to topple or paralyze the government or as the targeted use of force against key leadership figures to deter a change in the government's policy opposing Hezbollah's activities.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (June 3—10, 2026)

Iran fulfilled its threats to respond by launching missiles at Israel following an Israeli strike in Beirut, warning that if Israeli attacks continue, including in southern Lebanon, it will take measures that are more severe than those taken in the past; Concurrently with the attacks from Iran, the Houthis claimed responsibility for launching missiles at Israel and imposing a naval blockade on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea. The IDF announced the interception of a missile and a drone launched from Yemen; Iranian officials and media outlets emphasized the importance of Hezbollah as a core component of Iran’s security concept; The Iranian foreign minister criticized the president of Lebanon, who accused Iran of interfering in his country’s affairs. He noted that if Lebanon were a bargaining chip in Iran’s hands, an agreement in the country would have been reached long ago; The Iranian foreign minister spoke with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya to discuss recent developments in the region; The main pro-Iranian militias in Iraq announced that their weapons are vital for defending the country and that they would only hand them over to the “Hidden” Shiite Imam. 
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