Israel is the world leader is drone sales, according to insiders. The Jewish state reportedly sells $400 million in drones annually, and has sold a total of $4.6 billion worth in the last eight years. The data was published in a report by leading business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, which also found unmanned drones account for 10 percent of the Israeli military's export. In 2008, Israel’s drone exports totaled $150 million, a sum that increased to $650 million for the 2009 year. In 2010, Israel …More

The IDF shot down an unmanned aircraft drone near Haifa, which government insiders say was sent by Hezbollah out of Lebanon. Israeli fighter jets shot down the craft this morning, though the IDF was not ready to name Lebanon outright. "A short time ago, a UAV attempted to infiltrate Israeli airspace from the north," the IDF said in a statement. "The craft was intercepted by an Israeli Air Force fighter jet. The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israel’s sovereignty or security." Deputy Defense …More

The IDF shot down a drone from Lebanon near Haifa. [Times of Israel] Tunisian Jews hope for high attendance at this year's annual pilgrimage. [Arutz Sheva] Francois Jacob, French Nobel-winning Jewish scientist, dies at 92. [Forward] Poland is set to reintroduce kosher slaughter. [Arutz Sheva] An Israeli judge has made a landmark ruling in the Women of the Wall saga. [Forward] The Boston bomber suspect was allegedly trying to acquire a copy of the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion." [Algemeiner] …More

Drones may replace all of the Jewish state’s military aircraft within 40 to 50 years, according to Israeli insiders. “There is a process happening now of transferring tasks from manned to unmanned vehicles,” an unnamed officer told the Associated Press. “This trend will continue to become stronger.” The officer added that drones would ultimately supplant all aerial crafts used for military operations, drastically cutting the rate of soldier casualties. The news came as the issue …More

In an attempt to bolster its leadership role in the Arab world, Turkey has recently done almost everything it could to alienate Israel, to the extent that neither currently has an ambassador in the other's country. Turkey also decided to cut off all government-based business deals with Israel ending a formerly substantial trade in military equipment, including, according toDefense News, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); according to the publication, Turkey purchased 10 Heron UAVs from Israel Aircraft Industries in …More

Turkey's leaders have called Israel the "West's spoiled child," and the "bully" of the eastern Mediterranean. When a Tel Aviv soccer team showed up in Istanbul recently for a match, the welcome was less than warm. In September, Turkey kicked out the Israeli ambassador, suspended military and trade deals and threatened legal and naval action to challenge Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. As roars of approval went up around the Arab world, few noticed another announcement quietly slipped in by Ankara: Turkey …More

The French Defense Ministry decided last week to purchase unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel, 42 years after French President Charles de Gaulle placed an embargo on weapons sales to Israel.The approved sale of Heron TP, or Eitan, will be the first time the drone is sold to a foreign country. The Eitan is the largest and most sophisticated drone made in Israel. It is assembled by Israel Aerospace Industries, and went into operational service in the Israeli Air Force a year and a half ago. The Eitan has a wingspan …More