Israel Update 28.5.26

THE WAR AGAINST HIZBULLAH

A very difficult week as the IDF continues to suffer casualties inflicted by Hizbullah explosive drones.

On Saturday, Staff Sgt. Noam Hamburger, a technology and maintenance soldier, was killed near the Lebanese border. During that incident another IDF soldier was severely wounded, and a non-commissioned officer was lightly wounded.

Sgt. Nehoray Leizer, 19, from Eilat, a combat engineer was killed on Sunday in southern Lebanon  and another soldier seriously wounded.

Sgt. Rotem Yanai, a 20-year-old a welfare NCO was killed as she ran to a shelter during a twin drone attack on the Israeli side of the border on Wednesday.She was the 24th soldier to be killed since Hezbollah began attacking Israel on March 2 in support of Iran. A civilian contractor has also been killed in southern Lebanon.

A second explosive drone that also took part in the deadly attack seriously wounded a reservist, and left another reservist in moderate condition. Reports herehere& here

 

An Hizbullah UAV (one of 3 launched)  hit a home in the northern border community of Metula on Monday, amid a series of drone infiltrations throughout the day, which set off sirens in communities along the Israel-Lebanon border. Report here

 

While most Israelis have returned to routine after months of war, communities along Israel’s northern border are living under a different reality; repeated Hezbollah drone attacks from Lebanon, frequent alerts and a sense that the rest of the country is ignoring them. The threat has continued even under the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. For residents who returned home after more than a year of evacuation following the October 7 Hamas attack and the outbreak of war on the northern front, the return has not brought real security.Report here

 

Israel will escalate strikes against Hizbullah in Lebanon, PM Netanyahu said Monday, as a U.S. official said the terror group had ignored warnings to halt firing at Israel in a conflict that could threaten US-Iran negotiations.
In Israel, local leaders in communities along the northern border announced that schools would be shut on Tuesday and until further notice.
A senior U.S. official indicated on Monday, amid a surge in drone attacks targeting Israel, that Washington could soon greenlight a larger Israeli operation against Hizbullah in Lebanon.  Report here

 

US Secretary of State Rubio said that “Israel always has a right to protect itself…If Hizbullah is going to launch missiles at them, Israel has every right to respond to that, or to prevent that from happening…That’s always been understood. It’s being understood during the ceasefire.” Report here

 

The IDF carried out a strike in a suburb of Beirut on Thursday, the first time in three weeks that Israel has bombed the Lebanese capital, amid an escalating conflict with Hezbollah. An Israeli security source said the target was Ali al-Husni, the head of the missile force in the Imam Hossein Division, an Iranian militia that operates alongside Hezbollah.Report here

 

Footnote

More than 300 members of Israel’s defence-tech community met on Tuesday for an urgent closed-door session to discuss how to accelerate deployment of solutions addressing the use of fibre optic and first-person view (FPV) drones by Hezbollah to attack IDF forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel. Report here

IRAN

(The various rumours and speculation concerning a possible deal between the US & Iran are outside the scope of his Update excepting some Comment & Opinion articles below.)

 

Reportedly, with assistance from Russia & China (the latter supplying the Islamic Republic with missile components since war broke out on February 28), Iran is rebuilding its military capabilities faster than expected, including restarting its production of drones, and could fully restore its pre-war capabilities in as little as 6 months. Report here

 

 

The U.S. military launched new strikes against Iran on Wednesday when American troops shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones “that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz.” An Iranian ground control station was also struck as a fifth drone was being prepared for launch.Report here

 

On Thursday (today) Kuwaiti air defence systems were responding to hostile missile and drone attacks. Air defence systems intercepting incoming threats caused explosions to be heard over a wide area.  Report here

 

GAZA

Israel on Tuesday evening carried out a strike in the Gaza Strip targeting new Hamas military chief Mohammed Odeh, 11 days after assassinating his predecessor

The Israeli Defence Minister called Odeh “one of the architects” of the October 7 attacks. Reports here& here

 

SOMALILAND

 

Iran is said to be ‘deeply threatened’ by the small African breakaway state, Somaliland, because of the potential for U.S., Israeli, and Western powers to use its deep-water port and airbase. Such moves would severely disrupt Iran’s plan to use its proxy, Yemen’s Houthi terror group, to attack Red Sea shipping.
Somaliland’s Foreign Minister said “At a time when the Strait of Hormuz is under pressure and threats to the Red Sea are escalating, Somaliland has reiterated its longstanding offer to provide the United States with access along our coast. We have been clear about this in times of peace, and we are equally clear today.” Report here

EID IN JERUSALEM

On Wednesday, the first day of the four-day Eid al-Adha festival, the number of worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque was estimated at 140,000. Report here

 

DEFENCE

The US has delivered to Israel the first of at least six, and possibly eight, KC-46 midair refuelling aircraft.  The KC-46 can carry up to 15% more fuel and double the refuelling capacity per flight of its predecessor, the “Raam” refuelling aircraft.

IDF Lt. Col. “A” said that had the KC-46 been in Israeli hands during the recent Iran war, it would have significantly increased the air force’s refuelling and flying capacities. Report here

 

Elbit Systems Ltd. announced on Tuesday that it has secured an approximately $1.4 billion defence contract from an unnamed European nation to supply a comprehensive suite of military modernization systems over the next five years. Report here

 

Demand for Israel’s weapons tech is soaring. Sales of battle-tested Israeli arms have more than doubled over the past 5 years, including to states that publicly avoid deals with Israel. Report here

 

CZECH REPUBLIC

 

Relations between Israel and the Czech Republic are very strong, and have been that way for decades, according to the Czech Ambassador to Israel. She noted that even following the change of government in Prague last October, the country’s pro-Israel trajectory remained undisturbed.One specific feature of the Czech Republic is that support for Israel exists across the political spectrum. Prague will continue to block anti-Israel measures inside the EU. Report here

MEDICAL

 

A research team led by Professor Yosef Yarden at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel has discovered why standard treatments stop working in roughly half of all advanced prostate cancer cases. Report here

 

Surgeons at the Rambam Health Care Campus  in Haifa successfully performed a world-first transplant using a completely 3D-bioprinted human cornea. The lab-grown implant successfully restored sight to a legally blind 70-year-old patient. (This item was originally published late last year & recently resurfaced)Report here

 

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science announced they have discovered, in a world first, that specialized immune cells known as memory B cells can recognize and attack ovarian cancer tumours. Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynaecological cancer worldwide, with a five-year survival rate below 50%.Report here

 

Dr. Nadia Khir, the first ever female Druze doctor in Israel, was awarded the Habama Shelahen prize for women in leadership roles in Israel on Sunday. Today there are approximately 40 female Druze doctors in Israel, but in the early 1990s, there were none; she was the first. Dr Khir works as a gynaecologist in four clinics in the Galilee. Choosing Dr. Nadia Khir means “choosing a woman who broke barriers not only for herself, but for an entire generation of women in Druze society,” Report here

 

 

BUSINESS

 

A 6 month old Israeli startup has been bought by cyber unicorn Cyera for about $50m. Genie Security’s two founders and five employees developed technology to detect efforts to leak sensitive data from employee devices, as they increasingly adopt generative AI tools. Report here

 

RESILIENCE

 

Nahal Oz has reopened its pub, which was abandoned when the Gaza border kibbutz evacuated following the Hamas-led onslaught of Oct 7.HaTzrif (“The Shack”) is now dedicated to the memory of Sgt. First Class Tal Lahat who fought in the kibbutz on Oct 7 and was killed in the ensuing Gaza war in July 2024. It was rebuilt with help from Bazan oil company and Dutch and German volunteers. Report here

FLOTILLA AFTERMATH

 

Spanish police were filmed hitting anti-Israel activists and their supporters with batons and dragging them to the floor, after their arrival in Spain.  Sharing a video of the violence, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said: “We demand an explanation from the Spanish government regarding its treatment of the flotilla anarchists.” Report here

 

 In Austria, the police were filmed restraining and arresting an activist from the pro-Palestinian flotilla intercepted by Israel, upon his arrival at Vienna airport. Report here

 

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has accused activists from an intercepted Gaza-bound flotilla of faking their injuries, after the activists alleged they were assaulted and sexually abused in custody last week, which Israel denies.

On Monday, the ministry posted on X pictures of German activist Nesrin Zeaiter smiling at a soldier in Israel; lying on a stretcher with a neck brace upon arrival in Turkey on a deportation flight; and flashing a victory sign, on her feet and without the neck brace, upon return to Germany.The ministry respectively captioned the three photos, “standing healthy in Israel,” “posing ‘injured’ for the cameras” and “healthy again in Germany.” “The miraculous ‘recovery’ of the flotilla participants.” Report here

SPORT

 

Israel on Saturday won gold and silver in the women’s competition at the European Windsurfing Championships in Portugal, with Tamar Steinberg taking the title and Shahar Tibi finishing second. Fellow Israeli Daniela Peleg placed fourth. Report here

 

The Israeli Wushu* team delivered a highly successful performance at the 2026 European Wushu Championships, returning home with a total of 19 medals: 5 gold, 6 silver, and 8 bronze.

*traditional Chinese martial arts.    Reel here

 

Israel’s Women’s Lacrosse Team won the 2026 Heritage Cup with a hard fought 6-5 win over the Philippines in New Jersey. Photo here

 

COMMENT & OPINION

 

Iran

 

Ron Ben-Yishai: Israel Fears US-Iran Deal May End the War without Ending the Threat.

The flood of reports and leaks in recent days surrounding the U.S.-Iran negotiations has been filled with contradictions, disinformation, political interests and very few hard facts. More than anything, it reflects how many hands are stirring the pot.

One source familiar with the Iranian arena put the Israeli fear bluntly: once the United States enters a prolonged negotiating process with Iran, Tehran gains time, leverage and room to manoeuvre.

Israeli officials fear that if the issue is pushed down the road, a future U.S. administration, or a less pro-Israel political climate in Congress and among American voters, could leave Israel with far less freedom to act.

Another major Israeli concern is what does not appear to be central to the current framework: Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programs.

The emerging memorandum, as described in foreign reports, focuses on ending the war, resolving the Hormuz crisis and opening a window for broader negotiations. But Israel’s threat perception is not limited to uranium enrichment. Iran’s missile and drone arsenal is a direct strategic threat to Israel, to Gulf states and to American forces in the region.

That is why Jerusalem is watching the emerging memorandum with deep concern. Israeli officials fear it will not guarantee the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear project, will not limit the missile and drone programmes, and will not stop the activity of Iran’s proxies, especially Hezbollah and the Houthis. Article here

 

 

David M. Halbfinger and Ronen Bergman:  Israel was so thoroughly sidelined by the Trump administration, two Israeli defence officials said, that its leaders were cut almost entirely out of the loop on truce talks between the United States and Iran.
With the Trump administration excluding Israel from the negotiations, Iran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles may have been left off the table, as far as Israeli officials know. It would also be a dismaying setback for the Israeli public, for whom life largely ground to a halt as the nation was bombarded by Iranian missiles in March and April.
On more than one occasion, Israel cleared plans with the United States, only to have the Trump administration throw them under the bus after those plans were executed…
Mr. Trump even pressured Israel to bring a premature halt to its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon within days after the cease-fire on April 8, forcing Israel to accept restraints on its fighting with a hostile adversary right on its border. Article here (paywall)

 

Ben Sale: Israel began the war as a partner of the US – and is ending it on the sidelines.

Netanyahu said that the war was meant to halt the Iranian threat and suggested it brought the US and Israel closer than ever. Now Trump has frozen the PM out of talks that may leave the threat intact.Article here

 

 

 

Wall St Journal Editorial:
If Iran keeps stringing U.S. diplomats along in negotiations, what is President Trump prepared to do to win the war? While the U.S. has done enormous damage to Iran’s military, and set back its nuclear programme, the regime refuses his offers for a settlement and has shut down most commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The President has so far rejected a bad deal on Iran’s terms that might open the Strait at the price of easing pressure on the regime without real nuclear concessions. While a U.S. blockade on shipping to and from Iranian ports has meant Iran suffers most, the regime’s new leaders have been safe while they hold global energy supply hostage.
If the goal was to see whether Iran’s regime is ready to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, by now Mr. Trump has his answer: It isn’t. Signing a mooted “letter of intent” to continue negotiating for another 30 days would merely let Iran string Mr. Trump along even closer to the election. Editorial here (paywall)

 

 

Israel Criticism

 

Bret Stephens:
Good-faith criticism of Israeli leaders and policy has for years been giving way to something darker. It’s a conviction that Israel, alone among the nations, was a mistake to begin with and has no right to exist now. The fashionable frenzy that is today’s loathing of Israel is a sign of the degradation of the West.
Societies that value critical thinking and reasoned moral judgment do not make a fetish of demonizing one small country and its people while imagining that peace, justice and freedom would somehow be achieved if only the country and its people were made to disappear.
Israel has been living under the endless drizzle of orchestrated propaganda and media hostility over the course of its 78 years, while still managing to transform itself into a military, technological and economic powerhouse – as well as one of the happiest countries in the world.
Moral judgments should be made about Israel according to the same standards by which we judge other countries faced with similar circumstances. It’s when Israel is demanded to be a saint – and then, as it invariably falls short, is damned as the worst sinner – that we lose our sense of perspective and proportion. Article here (paywall)

 

 

The Palestinian Authority’s “Reform” Fraud

 

Khaled Abu Toameh:  During Fatah’s recent eighth general conference in Ramallah, 90-year-old PA President Mahmoud Abbas promised institutional and constitutional updates to prepare for future elections. However, these promises lacked any concrete timetables, enforcement mechanisms, or roadmaps, serving merely as a slogan to reassure Western donors. Instead of ushering in a new generation of leaders, the conference resulted in a “carefully controlled continuity” that recycled aging elites, Abbas loyalists, wealthy insiders, and security officials focused purely on institutional self-preservation.

Fatah is not a “moderate” alternative to Hamas. While Hamas openly demands Israel’s destruction through jihad, Fatah simply uses a tactical approach—speaking of diplomacy to Western audiences while internally promoting “armed struggle,” honouring terrorists, and naming public spaces after perpetrators of massacres.

Despite intense pressure from the U.S. (including the Trump administration), Europe, and Arab donors to “revitalize” the PA as a prerequisite for governing the Gaza Strip post-war, the Fatah conference demonstrates that genuine political change is impossible under the current system. Western belief in PA reform is a delusion, and the current leadership is actively preparing its people for continued stagnation and extremism rather than peace. Article here

 

 

 

New York Times

 

Jonathan S. Tobin: The Four Reasons We Can’t Move on from a Blood Libel. Article here