Browsing: Middle East

Israeli defense companies are accelerating efforts to develop countermeasures against the growing threat of small, low-cost First Person View (FPV) drones being used in combat. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have faced increasing challenges along the northern border, where Hezbollah has adopted FPV drone tactics first widely used in the war in Ukraine. Originally designed for recreational use, the drones can be modified into weapons using commercially available parts and 3D-printing tools to attach explosive payloads such as grenades or RPG warheads. According to recent reports, the IDF has already suffered casualties in FPV drone attacks in southern Lebanon over…

After the October 7 massacre, Israel established an elite task force to track down and kill or capture every Hamas terrorist who participated or planned the attack, from the most minor participants to their leadership, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The task force is called NILI, an acronym of “Netzach Yisrael Lo Yeshaker” (“The Eternal One of Israel does not lie”), signifying that no victim of the attack would be forgotten. “The clear message to all future enemies is to think again about the price of a terrorist operation like that,” said Shalom Ben Hanan, a former senior official in the Shin Bet (Israeli…

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday, May 16, 2026, confirmed killing Hamas military chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the terror group’s leader in Gaza, in a “precise strike” on Gaza City the previous day. The IDF described Haddad as “one of the architects of the brutal October 7 massacre” and called the operation a significant blow to Hamas leadership. A Hamas source said Haddad was killed along with his wife and a daughter. The military said Haddad had recently “acted to rebuild the capabilities of the terrorist organization’s military wing and to plan numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF…

The IDF updated this morning (Thursday) that the soldier who was seriously wounded yesterday in a battle in southern Lebanon is in the IDF Spokesperson’s Operational Documentation Platoon. She was struck by an explosive drone in southern Lebanon and was evacuated by military helicopter directly to the hospital alongside a combat officer who was moderately wounded and two other soldiers who were also moderately wounded. After her serious injury, and as a special tribute to her work, the IDF published the operational recordings that she managed to film and document from within the battlefields of Lebanon. She is seen skillfully…

The IDF on Thursday revealed that it, led by the Ground Technology Division, has been supplying the Lebanese army with anti-explosive drone barbed wire, as Hezbollah’s drone threat continues to grow and expand.To date, the military has issued approximately 158,000 square meters of anti-explosive drone barbed wire, equivalent in size to about 20 football fields. Further, the IDF is in the process of procuring an additional 188,000 square meters of the wire. Continue reading this article on jpost.com

Iran’s IRGC vowed a “heavy attack” on American military assets after US forces disabled Iranian tankers — and IDF simultaneously struck over 85 Hezbollah sites in 24 hours. Here’s what’s happening. This Monday update covers three major fronts developing simultaneously across the Middle East. On the maritime front, the IRGC Navy has issued explicit threats against US military installations and naval assets, warning that any further action against Iranian tankers will trigger devastating retaliatory strikes. This follows US forces disabling multiple Iranian-flagged vessels under the ongoing naval blockade — a crisis that traces back to February 28. Indirect diplomacy continues,…

Israeli soldiers wounded by Hezbollah drones in Lebanon are being evacuated to Rambam Medical Center in growing numbers, as troops on the ground describe the aircraft as one of the most dangerous threats they face. Over the past two weeks, 17 people wounded in Hezbollah drone explosions have been brought to Rambam, 11 of them by helicopter. Fifteen soldiers are currently hospitalized there, including five wounded by explosive drones. Since fighting resumed in the north, the Haifa hospital has treated about 132 soldiers. “We move with protective gear, vests and helmets, but you don’t know when it will hit you,”…

The IDF confirmed Thursday it killed Ahmed Ali Balout, commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, in an airstrike a day earlier in the Dahieh district of Beirut. The military said Balout was killed in a precise strike in the Hezbollah stronghold, the first such attack there in weeks, while a ceasefire remained in place and amid reports of contacts between the United States and Iran over a potential arrangement that would see the cessation of hostilities across the Middle East, including in Lebanon. According to the IDF, Balout held several positions over the years in the Radwan Force, Hezbollah’s elite…

Late on Wednesday night, a Hezbollah terrorist launched rockets that fell adjacent to IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon. No IDF injuries were reported. In footage now revealed, Hezbollah’s method of operation can be observed. Following the rocket launches, the IDF identified that the terrorist concealed the launcher inside a civilian structure in the Jwaya area in southern Lebanon. Subsequently, the IDF struck the structure and eliminated the terrorist in order to remove the threat. Following the strike, secondary explosions were identified, indicating the presence of weapons inside the structure. 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…