Seth J. Frantzman

Seth J. Frantzman is the senior Middle East Correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post . He has covered the war against Islamic State, several Gaza wars, the conflict in Ukraine, refugee crises in Eastern Europe, and also reported from Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Senegal, the UAE, Ukraine, and Russia since 2011. He is the author of three books: The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (2024), Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machines, Artificial Intelligence, and the Battle for the Future (2021), and After ISIS: America, Iran and the Struggle for the Middle East (2019). He is an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Born in Maine, he received his Ph.D from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2010. He previously served as a research associate at the Rubin Center for Research in International Affairs at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya and a lecturer in American Studies at Al-Quds University. He is Executive Director of The Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis and was a Ginsburg/Milstein Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum. Frantzman has conducted research and worked for the JDC, The Shalem Center, the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, and as a Post-Doctoral at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was a Congressional intern for Congressman Jim Kolbe while studying at The University of Arizona. He is a public speaker and frequent guest on various media as well as a contributor to Defense News , The Hill , The Spectator , and The National Interest, among other publications. His current interests include regional security and geopolitics.

The damaged Zrarieh Bridge over the Litani river, after it was hit by an Israeli strike in Tayr Falsay in southern Lebanon, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 13, 2026.

As Israel prepares to intensify ground offensive in Lebanon, what can be learned from past wars?

AN IRANIAN ballistic missile on display in Tehran.

Iran struggles to assert control in Iraq amid strikes, militia attacks, tensions - analysis

 A NEW REPORT by NGO Regavim analyzes the UN database which documents violent incidents in Judea and Samaria. Here, a Palestinian man looks towad Israeli flags placed over a Palestinian house after an incident with Israeli settlers in Bruqin village near Salfit, in the West Bank last month.

West Bank violence tests Israel’s rule of law amid rising settler attacks - analysis


Iranian-backed militias claim 30 killed, wounded in US airstrikes on base

Up to 30 fighters from Iran-backed PMF were reportedly killed or wounded in US airstrikes on their base in Anbar province, Iraq, including operations commander Saad Dawai.

A funeral ceremony is held at Al-Hussein Al-Askari Hospital for members of Popular Mobilization Forces who were killed in an attack in Al Anbar Province near the Syria border in Baghdadi Iraq on March 16, 2026.

Iran-backed militias strike Kurdistan, killing Peshmerga in northern Iraq

Iran and its militias struck northern Iraq, killing six Peshmerga and wounding 19, as attacks on the Kurdistan Region escalate amid the wider Middle East conflict.

Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga at a mountain outpost. September 19, 2019.

Iranian-backed militias fire rockets from Iraq at Syrian base

Rockets launched from Iraq targeted a Syrian Army base in Hasakah, with Iranian-backed militias suspected behind the cross-border attack.

A Syrian government soldier stands outside SDF controlled Al Aktan prison which holds ISIS detainees, as the Syrian amry takes possession of the nearby SDF military base in the city of Raqa on January 19, 2026.

Why did Iranian-backed militia in Iraq extend ‘ceasefire’?

Kataib Hezbollah has extended its ceasefire on US targets in Iraq for five days, warning foreign forces to leave while US Iran talks continue.

A flag of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary group Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah), flutters against the backdrop of people taking a swing ride at an amusement park during Eid al-Fitr celebrations, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Baghdad on March 21, 2026.

Houthis making preemptive ‘moves’ in case of war, UAE media says

A report revealed that the Houthis began major movements on five frontlines, adding that there could be clashes near Taiz and also the important port city of Hodeidah.

A Yemeni security soldier guards next to a large screen broadcasting the leader of Houthi movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, alongside messages supporting Palestinians and the cause of Jerusalem, during a rally by Houthi supporters on International Quds Day on March 13, 2026 in Sana'a, Yemen.

Ali Larijani, Henry Kissinger’s reported 2015 meeting resurfaces, sparking interest - analysis

In 2015, an American statesman such as Kissinger could sit down with an Iranian official and speak about philosophy.

Iranian security chief Ali Larijani takes part in a pro-government rally in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2026

Escalating Gulf war highlights limits of US strategy, search for mediators intensifies - analysis

Tehran has shown in the past that it won’t accept the US terms, relating to the nuclear and missile programs, either.

FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises following a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, on Sitra Island Bahrain, March 9, 2026.

Gulf states expel Iranian diplomats as tensions rise over attacks, regional security

In four weeks of conflict, Iran has launched thousands of rockets and drones at the Gulf states, the UAE being the one targeted the most.

Iran and Iraq map. Ilustration.

Egypt backs Saudi Arabia as Sisi condemns Iran attacks on Gulf states

In the meeting, the leaders discussed the challenges facing the region amid the current clashes with Iran.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi takes part in a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at an airport in Moscow, Russia, May 8, 2025.

Iranian-backed militias strike Iraqi intelligence service in Baghdad escalation

Reports indicate that the militias have also struck Iraq’s intelligence service in Baghdad, injuring personnel at the site.

Members of the Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah attend the funeral of their members, who were killed in an airstrike that targeted a Hashd al‑Shaabi headquarters near the western al‑Qaim district on the Syrian border, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 2, 2026.