CIA head John Brennan landed in Israel Thursday to discuss the Syrian conflict and Iran’s nuclear proliferation. During the visit, Brennan met with heads of security and defense in the Jewish state, including Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon at army headquarters in Tel Aviv. The pair briefed one another on intelligence regarding chemical weaponry in Syria, specifically steps taken to prevent weapon spillover to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The surprise meetings come just days after Israel allegedly struck …More

Israel is “determined” to keep advanced weapons from Syria out of Hezbollah hands, an anonymous official told the New York Times. The senior Israeli insider told the paper that if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seeks retaliation against Israel involvement in the matter, he would face serious consequences. “If Syrian President Assad reacts by attacking Israel, or tries to strike Israel through terrorist proxies, he will risk forfeiting his regime, for Israel will retaliate.” Israel has …More

US President Barack Obama backed Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, as speculation over the Jewish state’s involvement in a Syrian strike over the weekend heats up. "The Israelis, justifiably, have to guard against the transfer of advanced weaponry to terrorist organizations like Hezbollah," Obama said. "We coordinate closely with the Israelis, recognizing that they are very close to Syria, they are very close to Lebanon.” Neither the US nor Israel have confirmed the …More

Israeli airplanes reportedly bombed a second site outside Damascus early Sunday morning, according to Syrian activists and news agencies. The targets of the alleged strike are unclear, but reports hold that a military research center and nearby ammunition depot were hit early in the morning. One of the sites, the Jamraya military research center, was previously targeted by Israel in January. Some activists claim that a missile brigade and two Republican Guard battalions were also targeted Sunday. Neither Israel …More

Some 2,000 Israeli army reservists were called up for a surprise drill along the Jewish state's border with Lebanon. The drill, which was announced Tuesday and is expected to run through Thursday, includes a simulation using live ammunition, according to Haaretz. It is the first such surprise drill in several years, the newspaper reported on its website. An active Israeli army unit joined with the reservists for the drill, which the Israel Defense Forces told military correspondents had been planned for several …More

The rise of the ultra-nationalist party in Ukraine threatens an increase of anti-Semitism. [Forward] The small Jewish community of Dresden, Germany is appointing a hometown rabbi for the first time since 1938, when the town’s last synagogue was destroyed in Kristallnacht. [Forward] Descendants of Peruvian Jews have converted back to Judaism and plan to make aliyah to Israel. [Israel National News] Israel and Lebanon have increased troops patrolling their border following the aircraft seen flying low …More

The Western Wall’s rabbi, Shmuel Rabinowitz, has vowed to fight against the proposal for a separate, egalitarian prayer section at the Kotel. [Forward] Lebanese media reported that Israel was conducting mock raids along the border, while Israeli defense minister blames Hezbollah. [Times of Israel] Bulgaria has re-enacted the bus bombing that killed five Israeli tourists at the Burgas airport, to gather more information about the attack. [Times of Israel] In 1948, the High Commissioner of Palestine …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

UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon are not sufficiently reporting on Hezbollah arms movements, an Israeli official told a crowd at Tel Aviv University yesterday. National Security Adviser Yaakon Amidror said the UN units (UNFIL), which patrol the border area to monitor Hezbollah’s armaments efforts, have not met security requirements as laid out in its mission goals. "Under pressure, a multinational force is like an umbrella that gets folded up on a rainy day," Amidror said. "Has Hezbollah avoided …More

For nearly 40 years, Israel’s border with Syria has been, perhaps improbably, its quietest. The two countries technically have been in a state of war since the ceasefire that ended the 1973 Yom Kippur War. But over the past four decades, while Israel’s other borders occasionally have exploded with missile salvos, intifadas, shooting incidents and cross-border terrorist attacks, the Syrian frontier on the Golan Heights has stayed largely peaceful. With Syria now entering a critical phase in its …More

Sixteen years ago today, two IDF helicopters crashed into one another, killing 73 Israeli soldiers. The crash, still cited as the greatest disaster in Israeli Air Force history, took place in northern Israel on February 4, 1997. The two Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallions were en route to Israel’s security zone in southern Lebanon, intent on protecting Israelis along the Lebanese border. The effect of the crash on the national psyche was immediate. Flags were lowered to half staff, Israeli officials including …More

IDF head Benny Gantz is in Washington to meet with US Joint Chiefs of Staff head Martin Dempsey, following rising tensions between Israel and Syria. Gantz will remain in the US for a five-day work visit, just days after Israel reportedly struck a weapons convoy along the Syrian-Lebanese border. Israel has long warned it could take action to prevent weapons landing in Hezbollah hands due to spillover from the Syrian civil war. "Both sides will discuss the shared security challenges with respect to the regional …More