If the Israeli Air Force is indeed behind the recent attacks on the Syrian-Iraqi border, it means Israel is prepared to go, and fly, farther than before to enforce its red lines against Iranian entrenchment in Syria or to prevent Hezbollah from acquiring advanced weapons.
After forcing an unprecedented second Israeli election of the year by refusing to join the government of his onetime ally, Netanyahu, maverick politician Avigdor Lieberman is now poised to be the kingmaker in the do-over vote on Sept. 17.
Secret peace talks between the US and Afghan presidents and Taliban leaders were canceled after the Taliban killed a dozen people, including an American soldier, in a car-bombing on Thursday. But negotiations will have to be resumed sooner or later.
The current hostilities in Gaza are on a low flame but could easily spiral out of control. Both Israel and Hamas want calm, certainly before the election in Israel. But Palestinian Islamic Jihad, at the behest of its Iranian master, is now weaponizing tiny drones to destabilize the situation. Does the IDF have an answer?
The message conveyed on Tuesday revealing Hezbollah's precision missile factory in Lebanon and the military base being built by Iran in eastern Syria cannot be mistaken: Israel is warning its enemies to cease and desist or face the consequences – even if it means going to war.
Despite its standoff with the US over the past two years, Iran’s regional power base has been substantially enhanced. Its “Shia crescent,” once aspirational, is now a reality. Having supported and developed the military capabilities of its proxies, Iran is now engaged in transferring to them advanced missile and drone capabilities, which it hopes will one day be unleashed on Israel.
Labor, the Democratic Union, and Yamina will all lose votes to either Blue and White or Likud, and there's nothing they can do about it, barring a miracle.
New developments have complicated the conflict on the Arabian Peninsula's southern flank. What compromise can there be between the Saudi-backed president of a united Yemen and the UAE-backed southern separatists and Iranian-supported Houthis?
While Israel has drawn clear red lines in the proverbial sand, it might not be enough to deter Hezbollah. It's more likely that Israel will soon have to face the same dilemma: Attack, knowing that doing so could perhaps ignite an immediate war, but significantly mitigate the damage of such a war down the road.
IDF declassifies names of top Quds Force commanders personally involved in the Shiite terrorist group's efforts to develop precision-guided projectiles. Israeli official says none of the production sites Hezbollah had hoped would be online by now are anywhere near being up and running, while its leadership is becoming increasingly vulnerable.
