Magazine

Instead of insisting on efforts to topple the regime, there was a more effective step that was never taken, and the sense of a missed opportunity is enormous.

Between pressure from Washington and a brief clash with Iran, Israel continues to destroy Hezbolla's infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the world’s largest terrorist army has been forced to revert to operating as a guerrilla organization, merely harassing the IDF. And yet, to truly hurt it, there is one more thing that should be done. 

A rabbi in a kippah quotes the Quran. An Arab in a keffiyeh presents Righteous Among the Nations from Iran. Welcome to the International Dialogue of Civilizations and Tolerance Conference in Abu Dhabi, where peace is a moral and spiritual imperative that was born long before the Abraham Accords. 

A kilo of meat that costs a quarter of a monthly salary, grandmothers becoming TikTok stars and one persistent rumor driving an entire country mad. Social media researcher Effi Banay presents life in Iran through social networks and is convinced: “This regime will not last much longer.”

A new Hudson Institute report reveals how Tehran has systematically infiltrated Georgia through religious institutions, student recruitment pipelines, and IRGC-linked operatives – all while the Georgian government looks the other way.

While the Israeli public is feeling despondent over the situation in the north and the terrible news from the drone battlefield, some are talking about a huge achievement and the possibility of years of quiet.

It was a method developed by former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi and designed for one purpose: to prevent the "burning" of sensitive intelligence sources. But in the early hours of Oct. 7, it lulled the system to sleep. Now, what was going through Herzi Halevi’s mind in those fateful moments is revealed.

While Netanyahu boasts of "breaking the fear barrier," threats to Israel are emerging from every direction. Alongside the preservation of the Iranian-led Shiite axis' power, there are signs of the rise of a Sunni axis led by Turkey. It is time to prepare accordingly, especially in one branch of the military.

Shortly before Oct. 7, a vague piece of intelligence reached the chief of staff’s office: “Hezbollah will assassinate Ya’alon.” The team saw no reason to wake Herzi Halevi, who held the position at the time. Hours later, an explosive device went off in Yarkon Park. Also: The notes he wrote to himself moments before the Hamas attack. 

Cooperation with a world power, an existential threat and an ending that looked like an Israeli climbdown. This is not Operation Roaring Lion, but a completely different war. And despite the disappointment over the emerging agreement with Iran, the current campaign has produced one strategic achievement that should not be underestimated.