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.

A general view of the Treasury Building on day two of a partial government shutdown in Washington, DC, US, February 1, 2026.

US Treasury goes after Iranian-backed militias in Iraq

Members of security forces look on during a funeral procession held for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri, alongside other senior naval commanders and their families who were killed in US-Israeli strikes in late March, on April 1, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Iran’s IRGC seems to be fighting Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

A French contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrols the area as displaced residents waving Hezbollah flags make their way back to their homes on a makeshift road on April 18, 2026.

Has Hezbollah crossed a red line in attack on French UNIFIL soldiers? - analysis


Syrian authorities intercept large shipment of 6,000 explosive detonators heading to Lebanon

The detonators could have been used in IEDs and were likely destined for Hezbollah.

 A Syrian girl, who was living in Lebanon and returned to Syria due to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah terrorists, looks out through a window of a vehicle, at the Syrian-Lebanese border, in Jdaydet Yabous, Syria, October 7, 2024; illustrative.

Pakistan's role in advancing US-Iran talks watched by Gulf nations amid rising tensions - analysis

Meanwhile, at sea, US Central Command says the US blockade of Iran is working. Iran claims that at least one Iranian supertanker had crossed the blockade line and made it to Iran’s Imam Khomeini port

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to hold peace talks, in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 11, 2026.

Syrian President Sharaa hosts Kurdish SDF leaders to talk integration

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Kurdish leaders to advance talks on the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into the national military.

SDF leader Mazloum Abdi (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) signing a deal to end the war between their two groups, March 2025.

Iraq turns to Syria for oil exports after Hormuz disruptions from US blockade

Iraq is rerouting oil exports through Syria’s Baniyas terminal as its maritime oil shipments face disruptions due to the Iranian and US blockades of the Strait of Hormuz.

Luojiashan tanker sits anchored in Muscat, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 7, 2026.

Iranian-backed drone attack kills Kurdish female member of opposition group

A Kurdish woman was killed in a drone strike in northern Iraq, suspected to be carried out by an Iran-backed militia targeting opposition groups.

Komala Toilers of Kurdistan militia members during a military ceremony near Erbil, Iraq, March 12, 2026; illustrative.

Jordan-Syria rapprochement signals new regional axis amid post-war realignment - analysis

Syrian-Jordanian ties are natural because many southern Syrian tribes have connections with people in northern Jordan.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026.

Will Israel-Lebanon talks solve the Hezbollah disarmament dilemma? - analysis

The key issue for Tuesday's talks is that the Lebanese want to see an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and border demarcation.

Hezbollah terrorists march in the funeral of senior terrorist Haytham Ali Tabatabai, others killed in IDF airstrike, in Beirut, November 24, 2025; illustrative.

Ukraine’s drone revolution is transforming the landscape of the ground war - analysis

Necessity is the mother of invention, so the saying goes, and Ukraine has had to innovate. Like Israel, Ukraine is an innovator in drones and unmanned ground vehicles.

P1-Sun FPV interceptor drone is displayed at an exhibition of Ukrainian drone makers in an undisclosed location in Ukraine

What the fall of Orban and rise of Magyar tells us about the world - analysis

Orban has become a cult-like figure for some in the world. They see him as a right-wing idol who supposedly defended Hungary and the "West."

PETER MAGYAR, leader of the opposition Tisza Party, speaks during a press conference a day after the parliamentary election, in which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conceded defeat, Budapest, Hungary, April 13, 2026.

Archbishop Emil Nona appointed patriarch of Chaldean Catholic Church

Archbishop Emil Nona was born in the Iraqi town of Alqosh in 1967 and was appointed Archbishop of Mosul in 2009 at the age of 42.

A priest leads the the Easter Vigil at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chaldean Catholic Church in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on April 4, 2026.