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.

Protesters hold placards and Hezbollah flags during a demonstration condemning recent Israeli military actions in Lebanon, in Beirut, Lebanon February 4, 2026.

Hezbollah's war plan might involve a long conflict, international intervention - analysis

Revolutionary Guard Corps cadets attend the funeral of Razi Moussavi, a senior commander in the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was killed on December 25 in an Israeli strike in Syria, in Tehran, on December 28, 2023.

Bahrain arrests five accused of spying for Iran’s IRGC in latest crackdown

A member of the Iraqi security forces mans a turret while on guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, who was killed in a US-Israeli air strike in Mosul the previous evening, in Baghdad on March 8, 2026.

Rising militia strikes leave Washington with few good choices in Iraq - analysis


Iran-backed militias escalate drone attacks on US, Kurdistan targets in Iraq

Iran is also targeting Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Baghdad on March 8, 2026.

Will the US finally get to do littoral warfare in the Strait of Hormuz? - analysis

In the wake of the Cold War, there was a sense that warfare might shift toward smaller joint operations of all forces, known as "littoral operations."

A projectile approaches what US Central Command (CENTCOM) says is an Iranian naval vessel, during strikes that included attacks on mine-laying vessels, at a location given as near the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in this screen grab from video released March 10, 2026.

After French soldier killed in Iraq, will Baghdad stop attacks?

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, who have been targeting the Kurdistan Region with drones and missiles, were likely behind a drone attack that killed a French soldier.

A soldier is stationed at the entrance to the Varces barracks south of Grenoble in the Isere department on Friday 13 March 2026 where was based Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion a soldier with the 7th Alpine Chasseurs Battalion who was killed in an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq.

UN resolution condemning Iran leaves the country unexpectedly isolated - analysis

For years, Iranian-backed militias and terror groups attacked countries, and Iran carried out attacks directly, but the regime never seemed to face any censure.

US AND UK representatives vote in favor of a sanctions resolution regarding the situation in Iran and the Middle East a United Nations Security Council at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 12, 2026.

Tehran appears to prepare for long war despite heavy early losses - analysis

Gulf states are not ready to join the war, but they have gone to the UN to get condemnation for Iran’s actions.

A protester throws a stone near a fire as other demonstrators gather while blocking a street in Shiraz, Iran, on January 10, 2026.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq suffer increased losses as airstrikes hit multiple bases

The most recent attacks have targeted a camp of the PMF in Qaim in western Iraq on the border with Syria. Ten members of the group were killed.

Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Baghdad on March 8, 2026.

As chaos of Iran war rages around region, Iraq struggles to select a new prime minister

Initially, it appeared that former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki would become the new prime minister.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki leaves after casting his ballot at a polling station in Baghdad on November 11, 2025 during Iraq's parliamentary elections.

Iran’s Quds Day rallies uncertain amid war and leadership transition - analysis

Iran claimed it expects to hold Quds Day rallies on March 13, known in Tehran as the largest annual mobilization supporting the Palestinian cause.

Iranians display cardboard cutouts representing the US President and the Israeli Prime Minister, during a rally marking Al-Quds Day (Jerusalem), a commemorative day held annually on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in Tehran, on March 28, 2025.

Syria appoints key Kurdish commander Sipan Hemo as deputy defense minister

As a deputy, Sipan Hemo will focus on an area in eastern Syria.

Sipan Hemo, the new deputy to the Syrian defense minister. August 14, 2025.

'Our allies have chosen the sidelines': US Senator Lindsey Graham increasingly vocal on Iran war

"There will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous ayatollah’s regime,” Graham said.

US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks to members of the media as the Trump Cabinet briefs members of Congress on Iran at the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2026 in Washington, DC.