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. 


 L to R: US President Donald Trump, Qatar PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Qatar strengthens its image as US ally after defending Al Udeid from missile attack - analysis

 Iraqi security forces sit on vehicles at a street after an attack by a drone strike on an Iran-backed militia headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq January 4, 2024.

Whose mystery drones are targeting radar sites at Iraq military bases? - analysis

 A drone view shows the Zubair Oil Field in Basra, Iraq, January 16, 2025.

Oil companies quietly evacuated Iraq during Israel-Iran conflict


Reporter's Notebook: Israelis move forwards as Israel-Iran ceasefire takes effect

After Israelis waited 12 days for an end to the war with Iran, many hope for the end to over 600 days of war in Gaza.

Rescue crews operate in Beersheba after an Iranian missile impacted a building on June 24, 2025.

Why did Iran tip off US, Qatar on its missile attack targeting US bases in Middle East? - analysis

Iran had to respond to Sunday's US airstrikes, but Tehran does not want an escalated war that endangers its regime.

 An Iranian cleric visits the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran, Iran, November 15, 2024.

UAE seeks de-escalation amid Iran conflict, reaches out to over 30 countries

The UAE has reached out to at least 36 countries in its efforts to reduce tensions.

 Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Emir of Qatar receives Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, prior to the 44th session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in Doha, Qatar, December 5, 2023.

Israel condemns deadly Damascus church bombing, reaches out to Syria's Christians

The question is now whether ISIS can be fully defeated, and if these threats can be stopped.

 Syrian security forces secure the area at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following a suicide bombing, in Syria, June 23, 2025

Is Iran switching to a ‘trickle’ of missiles to target Israel?

The question is, what may Iran’s new tactics and strategy reveal about Iran’s regime and its belief in what comes next?

 A missile is launched during an annual drill in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman and near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, in this picture obtained on December 31, 2022.

Iran reportedly withdrawing IRGC commanders from Baghdad, driven by US airstrikes

Iran has had advisers in Iraq in the past, especially in the war against ISIS. Now, Iraqi sources informed Arab media that there could be several

 A picture of late Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Major General Hossein Salami is seen on a street in Tehran, Iran June 15, 2025.

Gulf states seeking stability, hope US strikes on Iran will not spark wider conflict - analysis

Most of these countries have already dealt with the 624 days of crisis that Hamas's October 7 massacre caused. They want regional stability and peace. 

 Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, US President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attend a group photo session with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025.

Iran may need to change its tune to dig itself out of hole dug by US, Israel - analysis

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is trying to portray Iran as committed to its policies and not surrendering while mobilizing support abroad and reaching out to countries for mediation.

 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi talks during a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, June 22, 2025.

Have Trump's strikes reversed decades of US policy on Iran? - analysis

The US's desire to pull out of the Middle East has empowered Tehran and its proxies over the last decade - is that all over now?

 US President Donald Trump delivers an address following strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, at the White House in Washington, DC, US, June 21, 2025

Tehran's next move: Make a peace deal or drag the US into a long war - analysis

The US President wants to see Iran come to the peace table. He hopes that will happen, but is warning that more strikes may occur if Iran does not.

  IRAN’S SUPREME leader Ali Khamenei and United States President Donald Trump.