Lazar Berman

Milstein Writing Fellow

Lazar Berman is the diplomatic correspondent at the Times of Israel, where he also covers Christian Affairs. He holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and taught at Salahuddin University in Iraqi Kurdistan. Berman is a reserve captain in the IDF’s Commando Brigade and served in a Bedouin unit during his active service.

Articles by this Author
An Israeli F-16 takes off for a mission against targets in Iran.
Middle East Forum Online
Iran’s Nuclear Program Has Been Hit Hard, but Won’t Be Knocked Out If Fordo Remains
The Only Munition That Can Reach Fordo’s Underground Facility Is the American 30,000-Pound Gbu-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator
June 18, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Britain’s World War II prime minister, Winston Churchill, whose bust keeps a watchful eye over his office, is his role model for rallying the liberal West to fight against a brutal enemy that threatened Jews and all civilization. For Churchill, it was Nazi Germany; for Netanyahu, it’s the Islamic Republic of Iran. At the White House in Washington, D.C., April 7, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Many Doubted Netanyahu Would Follow Through. It’s a New Era for Him, and the Region
Obama Adm. Officials Scorned Him, and Years Went by Without an Israeli Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Program. But Oct. 7 Changed Israel and Its Leader, and the Writing Was on the Wall
June 17, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
More than 600 days after the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, Israeli soldiers are once again ramping up an operation that, the country’s leaders say, is the key to finally winning the war.
Middle East Forum Online
For Now, Victory Is Still Within Reach: 10 Truths About the Gaza War, 20 Months In
Israeli Troops Are Again Maneuvering Inside Gaza, Hoping This Will Be the Knockout Blow; But Hamas Is Still Fighting and Doesn’t Seem Desperate for a Deal
June 6, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 7, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Eager for Political Wins, Trump Was Never Going to Wait Around for Israel
The U.S. President Is Plowing Ahead While Jerusalem Finds Itself Surprised Again and Again; But Israel Can Still Advance Its Core Interests If It Makes the Necessary Adjustments
May 28, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
President Donald Trump (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the White House balcony during the signing ceremony for the Abraham Accords; Sept. 15, 2020.
Middle East Forum Online
Trump Ditched Israel with Surprise Houthi Truce. That Doesn’t Bode Well on Iran
Even Before the Ceasefire Announcement, the U.S. Campaigns Were Having Some Effect
May 7, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
Along the newly established Morag Corridor, in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF is continuing the daily, Sisyphean work of rooting out Hamas fighters and destroying the organization’s infrastructure. An IDF infantry commando soldier in Khan Yunis, February 7, 2024.
Middle East Forum Online
Against Core Principles, Israel Is Leaning on Reservists to Fight Its Forever War
From the Country’s Early Days, Leaders Recognized That Conflicts Had to Be Short: The Government Is Expanding the Fight in Gaza and the North, While Letting Haredim Avoid the Draft
May 6, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and United States National Security Adviser Michael Waltz speak to the press outside the White House; Feb. 4, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Iran Wants to Drag Out Talks, Trump Wants a Deal Now. Neither Is Good for Israel
Tehran Now Enriches Uranium to 60 Percent, a Step Away from Weapons-Grade, and Operates Far More Advanced and Numerous Centrifuges than It Did in 2015
April 15, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
After Softball Visit to Hungary, Netanyahu Strikes Out in D.C. Meeting with Trump
U.S. President Surprises Israeli Delegation as He Announces Iran Talks, Refuses to Commit to Tariff Relief, Praises Hamas Defender Erdoğan
April 8, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
It’s Too Early to Know How Deep Qatargate Goes, but It’s Time to Ask Tough Questions
Expanding Investigation Suggests That Israeli Decisions on Hostage Talks, Relations With Egypt Could Have Been Influenced by Doha
April 8, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits back and lets Trump lead, Iran might accept the president’s invitation to talk, forcing a confrontation between Netanyahu and Trump.
Middle East Forum Online
Hamas Squandered the Few Chances It Had Left. Will Netanyahu Do the Same?
Will Israel Now Pursue a Clear Plan for Victory?
March 19, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House on Feb. 4, 2025. For Israel, and for Netanyahu, the stars have aligned, the ducks are all in a row, the pieces have fallen into place. What matters is that Trump showed last week that he is on board with every one of Netanyahu’s goals, and then some.
Middle East Forum Online
Netanyahu Believes He’s Israel’s Man of Destiny. Now Is His Moment of Truth
The PM Argues Only He Can Destroy Hamas, Stop Iran, Make Peace with the Saudis, and Ensure Israel’s Survival
February 10, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
Palestinians return to the southern Gaza Strip after the Israeli army withdrew from some areas, on February 2, 2024.
Middle East Forum Online
Trump’s Gaza Plan Won’t Happen, but It Could Certainly Shake Up the Region
New Ideas Are Needed, and This Might Spark More Viable Solutions
February 6, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
The Syrian flag. As Syria's new government strives to gain international legitimacy after overthrowing the Bashar al-Assad regime, Western countries seem open to giving a chance to the government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group.
Middle East Forum Online
As European and Arab Leaders Rush to Meet Syria’s New Leader, Israel Calls for Caution
Ahmed Al-Sharaa Hopes to Convince the World He’s Left His Jihadist past Behind, but FM Gideon Sa’Ar and Other Senior Officials Are Not Persuaded
January 5, 2025
 · 
Lazar Berman
The flags of Iran’s proxies, including the Palestinian Authority, Iraq, Hezbollah, Iran, and Yemen; Tehran, Jan. 7, 2020.
Middle East Forum Online
As Iran’s Network of Proxies Withers, Israel Has an Opening to Revive Its Own
After Years on the Defensive, Israel Is Now on the March Against Those Proxies
December 31, 2024
 · 
Lazar Berman
Ahnaf Kalam
Middle East Forum Online
Israel Shifts Focus to Houthis, but It Needs Partners to Defeat Distant Foe
After Hundreds of Missiles Fired at Israel, PM Says Yemeni Rebels Will Meet Same Fate as Hamas and Hezbollah
December 25, 2024
 · 
Lazar Berman
Missiles are aimed at the sky at sunset with Iran's flag.
Its Proxies Pummeled, Iran Is Suddenly More Vulnerable Than Ever. Will It Go Nuclear?
Hezbollah is weakened, Assad is history, and Tehran’s air defenses have been hit. With Trump coming back, will Khamenei decide to play his last card – and will Israel strike?
December 22, 2024
 · 
Lazar Berman
The Daily Mail, a British tabloid, announces Assad's fall on Dec. 9, 2024.
Middle East Forum Online
Sinwar’s ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ Washed Iran’s Axis Away, but That Doesn’t Spell Plain Sailing for Israel
Hamas, Hezbollah, and Assad’s Syria No Longer Pose a Strategic Threat, but Unpredictable Turkey and Its Proxies Are Ascendant
December 9, 2024
 · 
Lazar Berman
Donald Trump wrote on Dec. 2 that “if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity.”
Middle East Forum Online
Isolated Hamas Faces Collapsing Negotiating Stance After Drastic Trump Threat
Terror Group Pinned Hopes of Salvation on the Iranian Axis and World Pressure on Israel, but Now Has Little Time Until President Trump Returns
December 4, 2024
 · 
Lazar Berman
A poster depicting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Middle East Forum Online
Rebels in Syria Take Advantage of Israel’s Successes Against a Weakened Iran Axis
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Had Been Building Up Its Military Capabilities for Years in Preparation for Such an Offensive
December 1, 2024
 · 
Lazar Berman
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told IDF officer cadets that the force’s troops would stay on the formerly Syrian side of Mount Hermon, and in the buffer zone carved out to the east of the Golan Heights, for “an unlimited period of time.”
Middle East Forum Online
PM Vows to Respond to All Truce Breaches, but Hezbollah Intends to Make Him Think Twice
Israel Will Face New Dilemmas in Tackling Overt and Less Clear Ceasefire Violations, with Every Rocket from Lebanon a Potential Political Headache
November 28, 2024
 · 
Lazar Berman
Load More
OSZAR »