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. 


 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 16, 2022.

Saudi Arabia’s changing strategy and the quiet strain with the UAE - analysis

Reported footage of Iranian security forces suppressing the Iranian protests

Kataib Hezbollah calls on supporters to prepare for conflict with Israel

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (C) inspects a guard of honour during the Army Day celebrations, marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of Iraqi army, at Military College in Baghdad on January 6, 2026.

US urges Iraq to limit Iranian influence as new government forms


Kobane under siege: Humanitarian corridors open amid Syria's Kurdish crackdown

A resident of Kobane said, “We are in a dire condition. We are melting snow through fire, but we do not have [enough] fire to melt the snow with."

A group of civilians carry bags and belongings as they flee following renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Aleppo, Syria, January 7, 2026

Iraq's former PM who helped fuel ISIS makes unlikely comeback - analysis

Nouri al-Maliki let ISIS take over a third of Iraq in 2014. He spent years in the political wilderness, but now he is angling for a third term as prime minister.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki reacts at a polling station inside Al-Rasheed Hotel during the parliamentary election in Baghdad, Iraq, November 11, 2025.

Iranian-backed militias exploit Syria-SDF clashes to entrench role in Iraq - analysis

The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which are mostly made up of Iranian-backed militias, have now deployed to the border. 

Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces drive along the border with Syria in the Tarfawi area of northwestern Iraq on January 22, 2026.

As end of ceasefire between Syrian gov’t and Kurds approaches, region asks if it will continue

An extension of the ceasefire would be in the interest of most groups involved.

Syrian citizens celebrate and raise Syrian flags on January 20, 2026 in Raqqa, Syria.

Weapons smuggling via drones poses a threatening new reality for Israel - analysis

The drone smuggling threat is growing, as the last attempts occured on the Egyptian and now apparently also the Jordanian border.

 View of a new security drone in Efrat, in the West Bank

Trump's Board of Peace signals new US approach to global diplomacy - analysis

“Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do. And we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” Trump said in Switzerland.

US President Donald Trump walks during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026

CENTCOM says up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be moved to Iraq from Syria

"Ultimately, up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be transferred from Syria to Iraqi-controlled facilities," CENTCOM said.

U.S. soldiers attached to the Iowa National Guard sign GBU-31 munitions systems in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 18, 2025 as the U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on U.S. personnel.

'October 7 moment for Kurds': Israel must assist Syria's Kurds amid attacks, analysts tell 'Post'

Over the last decade, the SDF worked with the US and defeated ISIS in Syria. However, now the SDF is facing major setbacks, and Kurds fear they may be massacred.

A Kurdish internal security forces member stands guard with a weapon as Syrian Kurds attend a protest in solidarity with the people in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo, in Hasakah, Syria January 7, 2026.

Iran escalates regional response to protests with strike on Kurdish forces - report

Video and photos from the site of the attack show the destruction of vehicles and other debris from the incident.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with PAK train on January 18, 2026 near Erbil, Iraq.

Is Syria’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa a master geopolitical chess player? - analysis

Ahmed al-Sharaa has proven to be an adept player of geopolitical chess. Now he will be tested on his ability to win the peace in Syria.

 Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa delivers a speech on the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad's fall, in Damascus, Syria December 8, 2025.