Archive for month: June, 2026

News Update

Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Wednesday that Israel will not withdraw from its “security zones” in Lebanon and Syria, even if the United States were to demand it. He said, “The IDF must be on the enemy’s side of the border and protect the communities from within the territory itself.” He also said that Israel would not allow Lebanese civilians back into the security zones. Meanwhile, IDF forces eliminated 2 armed Hezbollah terrorists who were posing a threat near the security zone.

Israeli and Lebanese representatives resumed U.S.-mediated talks in Washington. Israel is demanding on a “step-by-step” process in which the Lebanese army takes concrete action on the ground to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure before any Israeli pullback. Israeli Ambassador Leiter said Lebanon’s government must exercise its sovereignty by ensuring that Iran is no longer involved in “malign activity or influence” in the country. He called the latest round of talks between the 2 countries a “train wreck”, primarily due to the continuing influence of Iran in the situation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi reportedly told a senior Hamas official that he would raise the Gaza issue in negotiations with the U.S. He stressed that the recent MOU signed with the U.S. includes a cessation of fighting on “all” fronts.

News Update

Four IDF soldiers were killed Thursday night when a Hezbollah attack drone struck their tank, near the village of Kfartebnit in southern Lebanon. Among those killed was Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, 32, of Kibbutz Beit Hashita, commander of the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade. The names of the three other soldiers were being withheld pending notification of their families. Ben Simhon had taken command of the 52nd Battalion in April, replacing a lieutenant colonel who was seriously wounded in combat in southern Lebanon. Several hours later, five soldiers were wounded in the same sector by an explosive-laden first-person-view (FPV) drone. The fighting near Kfartebnit is part of operations against what the military described as the last underground Hezbollah area north of Beaufort.

In response to the Hezbollah ceasefire violations, the IDF struck over 100 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon with Artillery and airstrikes. Talks between the U.S. and Iran that were set to be held today in Switzerland were called off because of the fighting. The White House said that VP Vance would not be traveling to Switzerland. The Iranian delegation also cancelled their trip, claiming that Lebanon is an integral part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iran.

President Trump has not made any statements regarding the most recent flare up in Lebanon and how it effects the MOU. Yesterday he posted, “The United States is committed to PEACE, and we encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold. The Markets are loving what is happening with Oil Prices way down, and Stocks way up. We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.”

Yesterday, VP Vance lashed out at critics of the deal in the Israeli government saying, “Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who’s sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”

Prime Minster Netanyahu has refrained from criticizing the deal, but reiterated that Israel would remain in southern Lebanon as long as necessary, to protect the northern border and communities.

How will all this play out?

Pray.

News Update

President Trump announced a ceasefire deal with Iran, which apparently the Iranians have confirmed, that will immediately open the Strait of Hormuz and lift the U.S. naval blockade. The final deal will be signed on Friday in Switzerland, after which they have 60 days to start talks on dealing with Iran’s nuclear program. The ceasefire also applies to Lebanon. The Tel Aviv stock exchange dropped over a percent on the news. Investors apparently don’t think the deal is that good for Israel.

While the details of the agreement remain unclear, as is whether Iran will actually sign and abide by it, Defense Minister Katz wrote today: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are leading a clear policy stating that the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza without a time limit, in order to protect the border and Israeli communities from jihadist elements. The area will be cleared of local residents, and all terror infrastructure, above and below ground, including homes in contact-line villages that served as terror outposts, will be destroyed.”  So no withdrawal of IDF forces. He added, “Prime Minister Netanyahu made this clear to U.S. President Trump and other senior American officials, and I also made it clear yesterday to U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.”

According to Minister of Transport Miri Regev, if the 72 U.S. military refueling planes that are parked at Ben Gurion airport and taking up more than have the parking spots are not moved within the next 48 hours, over 2.4 million airline tickets sold for the summer and holidays season will have to be cancelled, resulting in billions of dollars in losses for airlines, the tourism industry and the economy. For more, click here.

News Update

In response to President Trump’s statement that implied that Prime Minister Netanyahu might not run for reelection, the Likud said that Netanyahu will run in Israel’s next election and “with God’s help, will win”. Trump had told a reporter, “I don’t know, he’s had an amazing career. Does he want to continue? Because, you know, he’s a wartime prime minister. We will very shortly win the war one way or the other, and you know he’s a wartime prime minister. That’s okay, just like I’m a wartime president.”

[It’s unlikely that Netanyahu called Trump and demanded that he not retaliate against Iran, after an Iranian drone downed a U.S. Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. After all, it’s clear that if you’re attacked, you must respond with force. Except, of course, when Israel is attacked.]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today that Israeli strikes in Syria and Lebanon have reached a point where they also threaten his country, and he warned against further action, saying, “We see comprehensive initiatives led by Israel in the Mediterranean, and no one should pursue adventures there.” He added, “Israel’s aggression threatens the entire world. If the rights of Turks or Turkish-Cypriots are harmed in the Middle East – our response will be unequivocal and strong.” Israel, Greece and Cyprus are reportedly examining the formation of a joint military force in the eastern Mediterranean. According to the report, the proposed force would include about 2,500 troops, ships, fighter jets and infrastructure to be deployed on the Greek islands of Karpathos and Rhodes and in Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

Foreign Minister Sa’ar announced that Israel will open a representative office in Papua New Guinea, whose embassy to Israel is located in Jerusalem. Earlier this month, Sa’ar attended the opening of a new Israeli embassy in Suva, Fiji—reestablishing a physical diplomatic presence there 30 years after the previous embassy was closed. Israel maintains full diplomatic relations with numerous other Pacific nations, including Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, as well as the Cook Islands and Niue.

Responding to the High Court’s decision to require female soldiers to be integrated into combat roles in the IDF’s armored corps, the heads of 12 Hesder Yeshivas, whose students all primarily serve in combat units, signed a letter saying that they would not permit their students to serve in the armored corps along because of religious reasons.

The letter said:

“The IDF is the army of the people of Israel, and the sanctity of the camp is the basis of the IDF’s spirit and of success in defeating the enemy. Putting female soldiers in tanks together with male soldiers causes spiritual and practical harm to combat capability.”

“We have decided that service in the armored corps is forbidden according to Jewish law, and therefore we will not send our students to serve in the armored corps starting with the next draft. Our thousands of students who enlist in combat units will continue to do so with a sense of mission and strength, but the IDF is responsible for ensuring that those with combat profiles who are not suited for infantry service have a combat framework suited to their fighting spirit.”

News Update

Israeli officials said that IDF forces would remain in southern Lebanon and continue dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure during the ceasefire. The U.S. State Department announced overnight that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to “implement a ceasefire,” but the statement came with a major caveat: Hezbollah must halt its fire and all of its operatives must withdraw from south of the Litani River. Hezbollah has not yet responded. The Lebanese army is expected to enter areas that were not captured by the IDF, deploy there and work to remove Hezbollah and dismantle its infrastructure.

Hezbollah attempted to assassinate Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo with an explosive-laden first-person view (FPV) drone during a recent visit to southern Lebanon, according to IDF officials. The drone struck Milo’s vehicle shortly after he had gotten out. No injuries were reported.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has endorsed a Republican proposal to phase out the $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid Israel receives and replace it with a relationship based on defense trade and strategic cooperation. The proposal, advanced by Republican Reps. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Abe Hamadeh of Arizona, would end direct military assistance when the current U.S.-Israel security agreement expires in 2028 and establish a new framework centered on Israeli purchases of American weapons. Netanyahu said, “The time has now arrived for us to move from aid recipient to partner.” For more, click here.

Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that a government ban against Red Cross visits to security prisoners and detainees held in Israel Prison Service and IDF facilities was illegal and must be canceled. The policy was introduced after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre and the outbreak of the war, and remained in force for more than two years. For more, click here.