Israel Update 25.6.26

VENEZUELA

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it is making “immediate preparations” for the possible deployment of an aid delegation to Venezuela following the devastating twin earthquakes that hit the country. The Health Ministry is also preparing to send a medical aid delegation, including forming medical, logistics, and emergency response teams.

Israel’s ZAKA emergency response organization said earlier that it is preparing teams to be sent to help local authorities rescue people from the rubble. Fellow rescue organization IsraAid also said it was “urgently responding” to the unfolding disaster. Reports here& here

LEBANON CONTEXT

For decades, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has armed, funded, and trained Hezbollah, transforming it into Tehran’s most powerful proxy and turning Lebanese territory into another front in its campaign against Israel.

When Hezbollah launches explosive drones at Israeli troops or fires rockets toward civilians in northern Israel, this is not merely a border dispute. It is Iran’s proxy war playing out from Lebanese soil.

Israel is working to dismantle that terrorist infrastructure while also pursuing direct peace talks with Lebanon. Israel’s fight is not with the Lebanese people. It is with the Iranian-backed terror army embedded inside their country. Analysis here

THE WAR AGAINST HIZBULLAH IN LEBANON

Four IDF soldiers, battalion commander Lt.-Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, 21, Staff Sgt. Liav Kababia, 20, and Staff Sgt. Nave Habshoosh, 20, were killed last Thursday night when a Hizbullah attack drone struck a tank in southern Lebanon. Hours later, five soldiers were wounded in the same sector by an explosive drone. After Friday’s ceasefire, Sgt. First Class Nir Ben Ari, 21, a Commando Brigade fighter, was killed Saturday night in southern Lebanon by Hizbullah rocket and explosive drone fire and 13 other soldiers were wounded. Reports here & here

A reserve soldier, Master Sgt. Basil Sweid, 32 died in an “operational accident” when a truck overturned in southern Lebanon Wednesday night. Another soldier was moderately injured.Report here

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter wrote Saturday on X: Hizbullah broke the ceasefire, not Israel. Terrorists lie…Iran is using its proxy to extract concessions.
Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon. Israel seeks to live side-by-side with its neighbours behind secure and recognized borders. Israel is honouring the ceasefire while defending itself against terrorist attacks, as any self-respecting country would.

He also listed 13 villages in southern Lebanon from which Hizbullah fired 147 rockets, 20 UAVs, and 9 anti-tank missiles in the previous 24 hours at Israeli forces in Lebanon and into Israel. X posts here & here

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday: “The only reason Israel is in Lebanon is because Hizbullah launches rockets and drones from there….[It] is our hope that the Lebanese Armed Forces and the legitimate, sovereign Lebanese Government will continue to be able to control and secure more and more of their own territory – because that’s who needs to control Lebanese territory, not a terrorist group like Hizbullah.” Press conference transcript here

The ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, announced Friday, does not mark the end of the IDF campaign.
The IDF has been seizing key positions meant to deny Hizbullah the vast strategic assets it has built over decades in southern Lebanon. While the advance of its forces has been halted, the IDF is firmly established inside the “forward defence area,” a dominant strategic strip from which it does not intend to move backward.Report here

After Hizbullah attacked IDF troops in violation of a day-old ceasefire, Israel carried out a wave of strikes targeting Hizbullah in southern and eastern Lebanon Friday night and Saturday. Report here

The dialogue between Israel and the U.S. on Lebanon has reportedly produced understandings that an Israeli withdrawal is not currently on the table.
But forces on the ground will be limited to removing various threats and completing the clearing of terrorist infrastructure in the area south of Israel’s yellow line.
Iran is facing an American demand to explain why Hizbullah is attacking, after Israel and other intelligence organizations, including Arab ones, passed along information indicating that the orders to Hizbullah to escalate the war are coming directly from Tehran. Report here

Israel has three minimum conditions for withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon: the withdrawal of all Hizbullah forces north of the Litani River; the dismantling of Hizbullah’s terrorist infrastructure south of the Litani; and full Israeli freedom of action to remove threats. Report here

Israel told the U.S. over the weekend that IDF forces in southern Lebanon are committed to the ceasefire.
All fire from Israel is in response to Hizbullah violations, operational fire intended to evacuate casualties, and pre-emptive fire against rocket launchers.
After each incident since Thursday night, contacts were held with the Americans at all levels.
Diplomatic sources say Iran was behind all the weekend attacks in which five IDF soldiers were killed.
Israel had warned the Americans in advance that linking the memorandum of understanding to the situation in Lebanon would lead to an escalation of the confrontation with Hizbullah, and that Iran would initiate attacks to create the crisis and deepen the rift between Jerusalem and Washington. Report here

IDF troops have surrounded an underground Hizbullah fortress, long been used to orchestrate and launch attacks against Israel, trapping dozens of terrorists inside. Report here (paywall)

Inside Majdal Zoun, a Lebanese village 10 km. from the Israeli border, is a military fortress that Hizbullah had built over decades under the cover of civilian life. From here, fire was repeatedly directed at communities in the Galilee, and terrorists set out from the area to carry out attacks. Video here

Israel and Lebanon are reportedly discussing a U.S.-backed pilot framework where Israeli forces would gradually transfer control of parts of southern Lebanon to the Lebanese Armed Forces, subject to a number of core conditions. Report here

Footnote

Former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo posted on Saturday:
The relationship between the United States and Israel is incredibly valuable to both partners. As CIA director, I saw firsthand how many American lives were saved thanks to Israeli intelligence.
We must never forget who are friends – and our enemies – are. X post here

IRAN

Israel believes that Iran is intensifying efforts to rebuild terror networks in the West Bank through Turkey, crypto funding and weapons smuggling, taking advantage of the ceasefire with the US and shifting regional dynamics after the war. Report here

In one week, Iran brought in nearly $3 billion through the export of 36 million barrels of oil.
This is a flood of cash from which Iran had been cut off during the U.S. naval blockade; most of this money goes to companies belonging to the IRGC which uses these funds for rebuilding military power, the missile array, and aid to regional terrorist organizations, mainly Hizbullah.
On an annual basis, Iran’s income from oil sales at the current pace would reach about $100 billion a year, more than double its revenue in the years before the war. Report here

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has set up secret cells in Iraq to carry out attacks on Gulf countries that host American forces.Three or four cells launched at least seven drone attacks against sites in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE between April 20 and May 17. Report here

GAZA/HAMAS & PIJ

A review of hundreds of recent obituaries published on official Hamas and PIJ military-wing channels found several people who had previously been identified as journalists, or other civilians. These admissions come after years in which the groups declined to identify nearly all of its combatants killed in the fighting, and lend credence to Israeli assertions that they were legitimate military targets. CPJ, a media advocacy group that records reported journalist deaths around the world, has removed several names of fighters it had previously claimed as “journalists”. Report here

On Tuesday night, the IDF struck four rocket launchers in Gaza that were set up during the ceasefire. They were armed for attacks on IDF troops and Israel, “and therefore posed an immediate threat.” Report here

WEST BANK/JUDEA & SAMARIA

In response to the U.S./Iran MOU, Hamas is openly calling to escalate attacks against Israel and signalling its intention to shift the centre of its jihad from Gaza to the West Bank.
To Hamas and the rest of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” the deal between Washington and Tehran is being interpreted as a sign of American weakness, a victory for the Iranian regime and proof that the U.S. is eager to end conflicts at virtually any price. Report here

The Israel Security Agency said Sunday it had foiled dozens of planned terror attacks in the West Bank over the past year that were directed by Hamas operatives based in Turkey.Report here

INFILTRATION FOILED

A jet ski was spotted trying to enter Israeli territory from Jordan two weeks ago. The Israeli navy identified the vessel, hit it, and forced it to flee back to the Jordanian coast.Report here

DEFENCE

The IDF is accelerating the deployment of unmanned ground robots across multiple fronts.
The Defence Ministry’s Directorate of Defence Research and Development is working with civilian defence companies to design, test, and deliver new platforms. Report here

CO-OPERATION

As part of the ongoing cooperation between the Israeli Navy and the German Navy, a German Navy vessel conducted a port visit at the Port of Haifa and a joint sail (PASSEX) was conducted between the German vessel and an Israeli Navy ship as part of efforts to enhance operational cooperation, exchange knowledge, and deepen the professional relationship between the two navies. Report here

INNOVATION

Tel Aviv ranks fourth among global cities in the worldwide start-up ecosystem list, with a valuation of $250 billion, after Silicon Valley, New York and London. The ranking is based on the world’s most comprehensive database dedicated to the global start-up ecosystem. It covers 71 countries and is based on data analysis of 5.5 million companies and more than 350 innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. Report here

BUSINESS

Global tech giant Nvidia has announced a new advanced office complex in Yokneam, to be built by BST Tower at an investment of NIS 170m. The new complex is part of Nvidia’s growing Israeli empire, which already includes operations in Yokneam, Tel Aviv, Ra’anana, Jerusalem, Tel Hai, and Be’er Sheva, along with a major campus being built near Kiryat Tivon for 2031. X post here

SPORT

Omri Haviv won the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship for the third year in a row. Photo here

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s star winger Helio Varela scored a second-half equalizer for Cape Verde against Uruguay in a dramatic World Cup group stage game on Sunday. Report here

COMMENT & OPINION

US/Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Col. (res.) Eldad Shavit and Sima Shine:
The US/Iran MoU is an interim framework primarily intended to halt a war that President Trump no longer wished to pursue.
The deferral of detailed discussions on the nuclear issue to the final agreement constitutes an achievement for Iran, as it allows Tehran to conduct the next round of negotiations after the U.S. has already relinquished some of its key leverage. Iran immediately receives significant economic and military gains, without being required to take concrete steps beyond reopening the Strait of Hormuz – something it itself needs.
The MoU grants Iran early relief and a pathway toward sanctions removal, while the issues most critical to Israel – enriched material, the future of enrichment, monitoring, missiles, Iran’s proxies, and freedom of action in Lebanon – are deferred to the final agreement or not addressed. Article here

Wall St Journal Editorial:
Vice President JD Vance said: “What the agreement [with Iran] does is fundamentally set up a structure whereby if the Iranians behave like a normal country, then we want to treat them like a normal country and welcome them to the world economy.” But the regime in Iran has never shown over 47 years that it wants to build a normal country or “join the international community.” At every turn it has banked U.S. relief and concessions and used them to promote terrorism and spread its Shiite revolution.
Every U.S. President since 1979 has had the same wish, only to discover the regime had other plans. Mr. Vance insisted that Iran’s regime is “a much different group of people” for whom “something has fundamentally transformed.” But there’s scant evidence for it. Iran’s new Supreme Leader says the only place for Americans in the Persian Gulf is “at the bottom of its waters.” The regime fired on its Gulf neighbours, U.S. forces and commercial ships throughout the ceasefire and even after the deal was announced.
Like so many before it, the Trump Administration wants to believe this regime is other than what it has shown itself to be. No matter what was intimated in back-channel talks, the unwillingness of Iran’s regime to put substantive nuclear commitments in the memorandum of understanding is a warning. Editorial here (paywall)

Lenny Ben-David:
President Trump’s acceptance of the Iran regime’s demands are unsettling. He has declared that Iran’s leaders are reasonable and that Israel’s actions in response to Iran and Hizbullah’s attacks are irresponsible.
For decades, U.S. policy toward Israel has followed a consistent pattern: affirm Israel’s security and capacity to deter, while resisting efforts that would produce an outright, transformative Israeli military victory. This approach has recurred across administrations from Dwight Eisenhower through Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.
Washington has often concluded that a managed military outcome better serves long-term American and regional interests than an unqualified victory on the battlefield. Article here

Khaled Abu Toameh: Many Arabs, including prominent Gulf analysts, academics, former officials, and Lebanese commentators, have publicly voiced concerns about the MOU. Their objections are similar to those expressed in Israel: the agreement strengthens Iran, weakens America’s credibility, ignores Tehran’s regional proxies, and leaves America’s allies vulnerable.
The concerns are especially pronounced in the Gulf states and Lebanon, where people have firsthand experience of Iran’s destabilizing activities. Article here

Marc A. Thiessen:
President Trump buried Iran’s nuclear material so deep that, senior officials tell me, Iran has indicated the U.S. will have to dig it up because it can’t reach it to hand over. He also took out over 85% of Iran’s defence industrial base; sank its navy; grounded its air force; damaged its centrifuges; and decimated its ballistic missile capabilities, conventional military forces, and infrastructure of repression.
The deal Trump signed helps Iran get up off the mat – without having to do virtually anything in return. After weeks of bombing, Iran is debilitated, but it is not chastened. The regime is determined to rebuild. It knows that Trump is only president for another 2 1/2 years.
In paragraph 7, the U.S. agrees that as part of a final deal it will “terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran…and all unilateral U.S. sanctions.” This includes sanctions related to Iran’s support for terror, ballistic missiles and human rights violations – none of which Iran will have agreed to give up. Many U.S. sanctions can be removed only by Congress. Article here (paywall)

Ahmed Charai: The countries on the front line with Iran – Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait – do not experience Iran as an abstraction. They experience it through missiles, drones, proxy networks, air-defence alerts, threats to shipping lanes, and the permanent pressure of a regime that has made destabilization a method of statecraft.
These countries have the right to ask questions. They have the right to demand clarity before being asked to live with the consequences of an agreement negotiated above their heads. Article here

The MOU & Hizbullah

Aviram Bellaishe:
A ceasefire that does not deal with Hizbullah does not halt the next war; it lets Iran rebuild the tool meant to wage it…Just as Iran will use any pause to rebuild its military and nuclear infrastructure, so, too, the ceasefire now pressed upon Israel in Lebanon amounts to the reconstitution of Hizbullah for the coming campaign.. The U.S.-Iran agreement disrupts recent efforts by the Lebanese government to counter Hizbullah’s weapons, resulting in an Iranian victory on Lebanese soil. The territory Hizbullah lost to Israel must pass to the Lebanese army, not return to Hizbullah. Israel will no longer allow Hizbullah to entrench on its border.Article here

Dr. Yossi Mansharof: Israel Cannot Give Up Its Freedom of Action Against Hizbullah.
Iran is attempting to impose a new deterrence equation on Israel, in which any significant Israeli action against Hizbullah in Lebanon…would trigger a direct Iranian response against Israel…However, history suggests that accommodating Iranian threats does not moderate Tehran’s conduct; it encourages further demands. Accordingly, sustained military pressure on Hizbullah must be complemented by diplomatic engagement with the Trump administration to clarify that acquiescence to Iranian consolidation runs counter to American interests…
In the Middle East, and especially in Tehran, restraint driven by fear of escalation is often interpreted as weakness. Experience suggests that Iran’s ambitions are more likely to be curbed by resolve than by accommodation.Article here

Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah: Trump’s Deal Hands Hizbullah a Lifeline
For months, the IDF have carried out a wide-ranging offensive in southern Lebanon to ensure the safe return of its displaced northern residents. Israel’s military strategy depended on the freedom to continue operations until Hizbullah was decisively and permanently neutralized.
The US/Iran MOU dismantles this strategy. By placing strict limitations on Israeli military activity in Lebanon, Washington is in effect protecting Hizbullah’s core military capabilities. Pushed into an unwanted and premature ceasefire, Israel’s freedom of action has been curtailed by its closest ally, while its most immediate existential threat remains intact, actively rearming, and shielded by an international agreement. Article here

ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

Bijan Omrani: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, delivered a sermon on Sunday (June 21) at St. Peter’s Church in the Palestinian town of Birzeit.
It is all very well for the Archbishop to call for peace and the recognition of dignity, but of what substance is this call unless it is also accompanied by an equal demand for repentance by those complicit in Palestinian terror campaigns that have made peace less likely than ever?
Does she not realize the consequence of repeating a narrative where the Palestinian people are nothing more than the helpless victims?
Of omitting to condemn the repeated refusals of the Palestinians to accept serious offers of peace over the generations, not to mention declining to excoriate the brutality of Hamas, the demand of their founding charter to eradicate Jews, their hiding behind civilians, and the complicity of ordinary Palestinians in the terror wrought by Hamas?
Mullally’s embrace of this Palestinian victimhood narrative will simply make it more difficult to combat the terrorism and totalitarianism of Hamas, which is the more fundamental cause of the misery of the people and the prolonging of the conflict – not to mention the oppressive treatment of Christians in their territory. Article here (paywall)