Defense & Security

Moscow recently held a major Mediterranean military exercise; Jerusalem’s situation is a "very difficult challenge," says former Israeli Ambassador to Russia and Ukraine Zvi Magen.

Iran's attempts to equip its proxies in the Gulf and the Middle East with offensive UAV capabilities sparks growing regional concern.

"The Israelis are definitely vested in leveraging this technology," says a US official in Bahrain.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the new vessels "will upgrade the capabilities of the navy and contribute to Israel’s security superiority in the region," hinting at their multiple abilities.

An Israeli official says Thursday's agreement with Bahrain was the first such pact that Israel had reached with one of its new allies in the Gulf.

The maritime exercise includes 60 nations and organizations with Israel joining for the first time alongside nations that do not recognize it.

"Within a year already the IDF will bring into action a laser-based interception system, first experimentally, and later operationally, first in the south, then in other places," says Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, adding that the new system will be far more cost effective against rocket threats.

Lt. Col. Ofer Tchorz of the 74th tank battalion says the exercise simulated combat against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in which the battalion would have to navigate hilly terrain and take on a heavily armed enemy that uses guerilla warfare tactics and fights out of populated areas.

The Dakar-class diesel-electric submarines are expected to be delivered within nine years, Defense Ministry says. The procurement "will upgrade the capabilities of the Israeli Navy, and will contribute to Israel’s security superiority in the region," says Defense Minister Benny Gantz.