Browsing: Israel News

By any measure, the morning of Oct. 7 reshaped Israel’s understanding of emergency preparedness. The unprecedented assault that unfolded across southern Israel exposed vulnerabilities that had long existed in theory but rarely on such a scale in practice: simultaneous mass-casualty incidents, attacks on civilian communities, overwhelmed communication systems, prolonged warfare, and a home front suddenly transformed into an active theater of conflict. For many Israelis, the visible face of that reality was the military. But another force – one that is civilian, largely volunteer-based, and operating far from the spotlight – was thrust into the center of the national response. Continue reading…

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Thursday evening that Israel will open its first embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital, following the approval of a new Slovenian government led by pro-Israel politician Janez Janša. The instruction was issued shortly after Slovenia’s parliament approved the formation of the new government under Janša, who was elected three weeks ago. “Janez Janša is a clear friend of Israel, and his election creates a unique opportunity to advance bilateral relations between the countries, which have been at a low point in recent years because of the hostility of the previous government in Ljubljana,” Sa’ar said. “The…

The Defense Procurement Directorate (DPD) of the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) has signed a contract with Cyclone, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems, for the development of an extended-range capability for the F-35 “Adir” fighter jet, manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The deal, valued at over $34 million (over NIS 100 million), covers the development and integration of external fuel tanks based on an existing Cyclone design originally developed for the F-16. Continue reading this article on israelnationalnews.com

Israel’s Cabinet on Sunday, April 26, unanimously approved the appointment of Michael Lotem as the Jewish state’s first ambassador to Somaliland. Lotem, a senior diplomat, was announced as Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s pick for the post on April 15. He finished a three-year tour as ambassador to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and the Seychelles in August 2025, and has since served as a non-resident economic ambassador to Africa. Lotem had previously served as ambassador to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. The posting will initially be non-resident—Lotem will be based in Jerusalem rather than in Somaliland, managing the bilateral relationship through visits and…

Since October 2023, when the war broke out, the IDF have steadily expanded the territory under their control. It began in the Gaza Strip, continued in Syria and the West Bank, and now includes a large area in Lebanon. All of this requires troops — even as mandatory service is expected to be shortened in about six months. At the political level, which has pledged “at the request of the chief of staff” to pass a package of laws extending compulsory service — while also exempting tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men from enlistment — progress has stalled. Despite the…

As Israel remains at war and many of its students continue to cycle between campus and reserve duty, those guiding them see their mission extending beyond academic excellence alone to include the needs of the state itself. Speaking ahead of Israel’s 78th Independence Day, Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan says the country’s flagship engineering school has long seen itself as part of the state’s national backbone. “We consider Israel’s security, Israel’s economy and Israel’s society as part of our mission,” Sivan said in an interview with ynet Global. “It’s not that anybody imposed that on us. But that’s how we…

As Yom Ha’atzmaut marks 78 years since the founding of the State of Israel, the occasion demands more than reflection. It is a strategic inflection point – a moment to consider how a small nation, born into existential adversity, has repeatedly converted limitation into asymmetric advantage and what lessons that holds for an increasingly unstable world. Israel’s story is often told through the lens of survival. But survival, on its own, does not explain its trajectory. Over nearly eight decades, Israel has engineered something far more durable: a national ecosystem in which innovation and security are not parallel tracks but a…

British police said on Friday they were investigating a security incident near the Israeli Embassy in London after a terror group reported online that it had targeted the premises with drones carrying “dangerous substances.” London’s Metropolitan Police officers were seen wearing protective clothing while searching a park near Israel’s Embassy for suspicious objects, with the Foreign Ministry stressing that all embassy workers were safe and that the embassy was not attacked. “There is an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens and officers are assessing a number of discarded items,” said Scotland Yard, calling the protective suits a “precaution.” Continue reading…

On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the global Jewish population stands at 15.8 million, according to data released Sunday by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), a figure that remains below pre-World War II levels. Of the total, about 7.2 million Jews, roughly 45% of the global Jewish population, live in Israel, while approximately 6.3 million, about 40%, reside in the United States. Together, the two countries are home to about 85% of Jews worldwide. By comparison, in 1939, on the eve of World War II, the global Jewish population was estimated at 16.6 million, with only 449,000, about…

A missile fired by Hezbollah terrorists from Lebanon on Friday evening, April 10, caused damage to a roughly 1,400-year-old Byzantine-era church in Nahariya. The church dates back to the early 7th century and was originally destroyed in 614 during the Persian conquest of parts of the land of Israel from the Christian Byzantine rulers. The Israel Antiquities Authority said an initial inspection indicated the ancient mosaic floor itself was not damaged but was covered by debris from the modern protective structure built above it. The mosaic features more than 100 medallions—of which 87 remain—depicting animals, birds, and human figures. At…