Neil Drao, at The Blogs

Neil Drao

Jun 13, 2025, 5:21 PM

IDF Refocus: From Hamas to the Ayatollah Regime

While the international community expresses shock over Israel’s strikes on Iran’s military, nuclear, and civilian infrastructure during the IDF’s Operation Rising Lion, Hamas is experiencing a “leadership vacuum” following the elimination of its central command. This shift in focus...

Jun 7, 2025, 1:11 PM

Israel’s Attack on Hezbollah in Beirut: A Foreign Policy Perspective

Shortly before this year’s Eid Al Adha, the Israeli military launched air strikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. Israeli authorities alleged that Iranian operatives were assisting the Shia Islamist group, Hezbollah, in mass-producing drones, despite a ceasefire agreement reached...

Jun 3, 2025, 5:01 PM

Netanyahu’s Calculation: The War Must Go On

נשיא המדינה יצחק הרצוג מטיל על חבר הכנסת בנימין נתניהו את המנדט להקמת הממשלה
Photo by Kobi Gideon / GPO

Over the past week, the US administration held another round of negotiations involving Israel and Hamas. Although Israel agreed to the ceasefire agreement, including the release of 125 Palestinian prisoners and ten Israeli hostages by each side, and the...

May 26, 2025, 8:00 PM

Palestinian Statehood Conference Impacts on Israel

Last week, the French and Saudi envoys at the United Nations underscored that the forthcoming Palestinian statehood conference must chiefly seek to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In reprisal, the Israeli government unveiled plans for a military...

May 21, 2025, 9:05 PM

Challenges of A Post-Hamas Gaza

Yesterday, the Israeli government launched an extensive ground operation in Gaza, resulting in at least 103 fatalities. In parallel, it instructed residents of Khan Younis to evacuate immediately, having already cleared civilians from Rafah. This escalation followed weeks of...

May 17, 2025, 11:50 PM

Is Trump Deliberately Avoiding Netanyahu?

Since taking office in January 2025, Donald Trump has not made any state visits until last week, when Air Force One touched down in Saudi Arabia as part of his first Middle Eastern trip. Rather unusually, the US president has prioritised...

About Me

Neil Drao is a Middle Eastern affairs analyst based in Canberra, Australia, specialising in the Israel-Palestine conflict. As a Middle Eastern studies and History alumnus at the Australian National University and the University of Edinburgh respectively, Neil continues to engage with research institutes extensively and take a deeper dive into the Israel-Palestine conflict studies.