Israeli sources said the Saudis had no clue something might happen. “It seems that the Americans were also in the dark, which is very worrying. A greater cause for worry, is if Washington knew and did not share the data in time with the Saudis” one source said.

TEL AVIV: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, still trying to form a new government, said Israel must increase its defense spending by “many billions immediately and then many billions every year” as the threat from Iran “has intensified in recent weeks. Israel, he said yesterday, faces a significantly growing threat from Iran. The Israeli military recently attacked… Keep reading →

“We’ve seen this coming,” but governments “haven’t been preparing to go after not only UAS but cruise missiles.”

“The threat that we face has developed faster,” than countermeasures, giving adversaries like Russia, and Iran, some asymmetric advantages.

Israel initially jammed all communications between the drone operators and their weapons and then bombed the facility on the night of Aug. 24, Israeli sources say.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee about the agreement, and told lawmakers that Israel participates in intelligence and other areas where it can offer capabilities and advantages.

As a first step, Kochavi wants to increase the capabilities of the IDF’s “Spearhead” units – the special units that hit fast and strong. This part of the plan explains the urgent need for a replacement for the old CH-53 of the Israeli Air Force, as well as for the Bell-Boeing V-22.

New reports emerge of Israeli strikes in Iraq, as a prominent Senator (and Trump ally) pushes a new security pact between Washington and Jerusalem.

The secretary heads first to CENTCOM to hammer out the details of Operation Sentinel, a plan to monitor and protect shipping from Iran in Persian Gulf.

The Iranian seizure of a British tanker in the Persian Gulf sends a new jolt of tension through the Middle East as complications arise on multiple fronts.