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
Ali Larijani in a file photo.
Middle East Forum Online
Larijani’s Death Removes Key Pillar of Regime. Will It Be Enough to Make Iran Collapse?
Israel’s Ability to Locate the Most Important Figure in the Regime Evinces How Deeply Its Intelligence Has Penetrated the Islamic Republic
March 18, 2026
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Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
Small, Divided and Wary, Kurdish Rebels Won’t Be the Ones Bringing Down Iran’s Regime
Iran’s Kurdish Armed Groups Remain Too Fragmented, Cautious and Constrained to Shape the War’s Outcome.
March 17, 2026
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Lazar Berman
A U.S. Navy Sailor conducts flight operations in an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14, above Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 3, 2026.
Middle East Forum Online
They Won’t Specify It in Their War Aims, but Both Israel and U.S. Want Iran Regime Change
At Their Essence, War Aims Define What the Government Wants to Achieve Within the Bounds of What It Believes Its Military Can Accomplish
March 6, 2026
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Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
Sinking Iran’s Proxies, Sinwar’s Al-Aqsa Flood Left Khamenei High And Dry
Hamas’s October 7 Attack Triggered The Collapse Of Tehran’s Regional Deterrence And Left The Islamic Republic Exposed.
March 4, 2026
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Lazar Berman
Even after the war, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continue to push the same ideological narrative, vowing to maintain the three pillars of the military doctrine: nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and Islamist proxies.
Middle East Forum Online
Khamenei Set Iran’s Direction for Decades. Now the Public He Suppressed Has Hope
Khamenei’s Loss Is a Colossal Blow for a Regime That Was Already Under Intense Domestic Pressure from Its Population
March 2, 2026
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Lazar Berman
In his State of the Union address on Feb. 24, 2026, Trump brought up Iran’s ballistic missile threat, claiming it is “working on missiles that will soon reach” the United States.
Middle East Forum Online
Despite Overwhelming U.S. Military Might, Iran Campaign Would Pose Complex Challenges
That Overwhelming Edge Doesn’t Mean Success Is a Given
February 27, 2026
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Lazar Berman
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump.
Middle East Forum Online
Unpersuaded by Netanyahu, Trump Pushes Diplomacy With Iran and Hamas
Rejecting Israel’s Case for Escalation, the U.S. President Channels Churchill’s Postwar Belief in Negotiation Over Preventive War
February 13, 2026
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Lazar Berman
The concern over the kingdom moving into the arms of Islamists is overblown and fundamentally misreads both the structure of Middle East geopolitics and Saudi interests. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in California, October 9, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Relax, Mohammed Bin Salman Isn’t Aligning with Islamists. He Also Isn’t Normalizing with Israel Soon
Recent Moves by Saudi Arabia Against the United Arab Emirates and Toward Qatar and Turkey Have Alarmed Many, but These Processes Are Not New
February 8, 2026
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Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
The Last Hostage Is Home, but Israel Still Faces Being Shackled by Trump’s Plan for Gaza
As Washington Accelerates Phase Two in Gaza, Jerusalem Risks Losing Control Over the Endgame
January 27, 2026
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Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
Trump’s Gaza Push Is a Recipe for Hamas’s Revival, but Netanyahu Is Unwilling to Stir the Pot
Israel’s Prime Minister Is Accepting a Risky Phase Two That Could Leave Hamas Armed and Entrenched
January 22, 2026
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Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
Iran’s Regime Still Looks Likely to Survive Protests but Has No Answers for Public Anger
Widespread Unrest Has Revealed the Islamic Republic’s Inability to Address Economic Collapse or Public Anger
January 16, 2026
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Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
With Venezuela Raid, Trump Fires a Message to Iran and Hamas. Will They Listen?
A Shock Operation Signals That Long-Standing Deterrence Rules No Longer Apply—and Puts Tehran and Gaza on Notice
January 6, 2026
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Lazar Berman
Middle East Forum Online
Trump and Netanyahu Present United Stance on Gaza, but Will Hamas Agree to Go Along?
The Real Test Of Gaza’s “Day After” Will Be Whether Hamas Faces Any Meaningful Compulsion
January 1, 2026
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Lazar Berman
The Middle East Forum will remain on watch to ensure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise of “no more containment” is fully implemented through all levels of the Israeli security apparatus.
Middle East Forum Online
Netanyahu Aims to Convince Trump That Only Threat of War Can Bring Peace
With Gaza Talks Nearing a Cliff Edge, Israel’s Prime Minister Presses the Case for Deadlines, Deterrence, and Credible Military Escalation
December 30, 2025
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Lazar Berman
As Netanyahu makes plans to head back to the U.S., the mood has shifted and the premier’s standing has been dented.
Middle East Forum Online
Set for U.S. Trip, Netanyahu Faces Tough Sledding as Trump Cools on Aggressive Stance
December 9, 2025
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Lazar Berman
Saudi Arabia has for years been considered the holy grail of the Abraham Accords alliance, its importance in the region and the world far outweighing the countries that have normalized with Israel under the pact thus far. Above, Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman.
Middle East Forum Online
As Trump and Saudi Prince Heat up Ties, Israel Normalization Left Out in the Cold
Mohammed bin Salman Came to Washington to Try to Reassert the Oil-Rich Kingdom’s Position in a Region That’s Been Leaving It Behind
December 3, 2025
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Lazar Berman
Israel’s security concerns and Lebanon’s political paralysis are moving on a collision course.
Middle East Forum Online
After Weeks of Warnings Over Slow Hezbollah Disarmament, Israel Shows It’s Ready to Escalate
Lebanon’s Failure to Enforce Its Own Commitments Is Deepening Regional Instability
November 25, 2025
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Lazar Berman
President Donald Trump poses with the signed Middle East peace declaration at the summit on ending the Gaza war in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
As U.S. Dives Into Remaking Gaza, Shades of Nation-Building Come Into Focus
U.S. President Pledged to Steer Clear of Projects like George W. Bush’s Iraq and Afghanistan Commitments
November 25, 2025
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Lazar Berman
A year after Israel halted its invasion of Lebanon with a highly favorable ceasefire, another IDF operation against Hezbollah looks increasingly inevitable. Above, an Israeli strike on Beirut, Nov. 26, 2024.
Middle East Forum Online
Alarmed by Hezbollah Rearming, Israel Presses Beirut to Act Before the IDF Has To
Israel Has Given Beirut an Ultimatum That It Will Carry Out a Broad Operation If the Lebanese Armed Forces Do Not Step up Their Efforts
November 12, 2025
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Lazar Berman
With Hamas refusing to release the hostages on Israel’s terms — and after a deadly terror shooting in Jerusalem on Monday and a deadly attack on an Israeli tank in Gaza the same day — Israel’s patience ran out. Elements of the Al-Qassam Brigades at the funeral of a terrorist killed in Gaza, in the city of Khan Yunis; February 13, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Hamas Is Afraid Gaza Will Become Lebanon. So Is Israel
Maintaining Its Arms Will Enable Hamas to Prevent Israel from Achieving the Aim of Keeping Hamas Away from Governance
November 6, 2025
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Lazar Berman
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