Israel Update 1.7.26

ISRAEL-LEBANON TRILATERAL FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT

The governments of Israel and Lebanon, with the full support of the U.S., signed an agreement in Washington on June 26 in which “the two countries declare their ambition to end conflict between them, ensure the sovereignty and security of both countries, and establish peaceful neighbourly relations between the two countries. Israel and Lebanon affirm the right of each state to exist in peace, and their mutual desire to live in security as neighbouring sovereign states. Israel and Lebanon hereby declare their intent to conclusively end the conflict, address its underlying causes, and to therewith formally conclude any state of war between them.” Details here/

The Israel-Lebanon framework agreement explicitly preserves the IDF’s full freedom to act against threats in the southern Lebanon security zone.
The classified security annex of the deal reiterates that there will be no automatic IDF withdrawals and that any redeployments will be based on conditions on the ground. Report here Text of security annex

The Hizbullah Secretary-General criticized the framework agreement as a “humiliation, a disgrace,” and called for the U.S.-Iran preliminary agreement to be implemented instead.
The Shi’ite Amal Movement, led by the Parliament Speaker also criticized the framework agreement, saying it “largely serves Israel.” The movement emphasized its consistent opposition to holding direct negotiations with Israel.
Report here (paywall)

An official source at the U.S. State Department said: “The framework agreement is a roadmap for achieving the sovereignty and ending the conflict in Lebanon….Arming Hizbullah and supporting a state within a state does the opposite. Iran cannot wage wars through its proxy organizations and complain when those proxies are required to disarm.”
“Lebanon will regain its sovereignty, Hizbullah’s terrorist infrastructure will be dismantled, and Israel will be able to return to its secure borders once the threat has been removed.”Report here (paywall)

VENEZUELAN EARTHQUAKES DISASTER: ISRAELI AID

Rescue teams from Israel and Mexico (the “Topos” search-and-rescue team) collaborated on a high-risk operation in La Guaira, Venezuela. The Israeli robotics company XTEND, led on-site by Roy Levy, deployed AI-powered drones equipped with thermal and infrared sensors. The Israeli drones scanned for signs of life and created real-time 3D maps of the debris. This allowed rescuers to identify safe access routes into hazardous zones without putting crews at unnecessary risk. Working through the night based on the drone-provided data, the combined teams successfully pulled a survivor to safety from beneath the concrete.Reports here here & here

The Israeli government has sent a joint mission to Venezuela consisting of professionals from the Foreign Ministry, the IDF and the Home Front Command. The delegation is heavily focused on structural engineering to assess damaged buildings, stabilize affected areas, and check structural safety. This deployment is highly unusual, as Israel and Venezuela have not maintained formal diplomatic relations since 2009. However, the mission was cleared to cooperate directly with Venezuelan counterparts for purely humanitarian purposes.Reports here here & here

The Israeli organization SmartAID rapidly deployed volunteers (American, Venezuelan, and dual Israeli-Venezuelan citizens) to distribute basic hygiene products and essential supplies to displaced families. The SmartAID-Magen 17 volunteer search-and-rescue team is entered Venezuela from Panama, with official government permission, to assist local teams in locating survivors under the rubble. SmartAID is also planning to fly in Starlink internet services alongside off-grid clean energy and water equipment from the US. Another Israeli relief organization IsraAID flew in a team to join its Colombia-based team which was already active in the disaster zone. Report here

THE WAR AGAINST HEZBOLLAH IN LEBANON

On Sunday a Hezbollah terrorist killed platoon commander Cpt David Hazutt, and wounded another soldier. The IDF later confirmed that it located the terrorist following extensive searches and shot him.Report here

Two IDF officers and two soldiers were wounded last Thursday in a clash with a terrorist in southern Lebanon.Report here

The IDF destroyed a fortified underground Hizbullah tunnel network in a south Lebanese village and stretching over 200 metres, was used to store weapons, including drones, warheads and explosives and ” was built using technology and knowledge from the Iranian terror regime.” Report here

IRAN

Iran continues to break the ceasefire agreement.

A few examples;

After Iran launched a one-way attack drone that hit the oil tanker M/T Kiku, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted additional strikes against multiple targets in Iran on Saturday. In direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping, U.S. military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities. Public release here

Bahrain came under attack from Iranian drones, and a tanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude was hit Saturday while crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media said the IRGC had carried out strikes against American targets and reasserted Iran’s claim of control over traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
A U.S. official said two Iranian drones were detected in the attack on Bahrain. Two other drones targeting commercial shipping were shot down by U.S. forces. Report here (paywall)

On Thursday, Iran hit M/V Ever Lovely on June 25 with a one-way attack drone, In response, the U.S. on Friday struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites. President Trump said that Iran had fired at least four attack drones at ships transiting the strait on Thursday. The U.S. had shot down three :”Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement,” Trump said. Report here (paywall)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, rejected Iran’s continued claim to control passage through the strait. “International waterways do not belong to any nation state,” he said. Report here (paywall)

Footnote:

Sanctions waivers that allow Iran to sell oil in U.S. dollars and commitments to unfreeze Iranian assets could grant Iran’s government access to billions of dollars.
But Trump administration officials say the deal is “performance based,” and most of the economic incentives demand that Iran comply with the terms of the initial agreement, including that it open the Strait of Hormuz and allow nuclear inspections. Report here (paywall)

GAZA

The IDF Military Intelligence Directorate and Southern Command has submitted a warning that Hamas is preparing for renewed war with Israel.
Hamas has been producing hundreds of explosive devices and anti-tank missiles every month, recruiting fresh fighters, and recently restarted training for its Nukhba attack force.
Hamas is also rebuilding underground infrastructure across Gaza and is trying to smuggle drones and communication devices from Sinai.
The IDF believes it must restart its offensive against Hamas, but the U.S. prefers to preserve the current status quo in Gaza while continuing to advance President Trump’s Board of Peace initiative.
Despite the ceasefire, the IDF has been carrying out strikes in Gaza on a near-daily basis in response to violations of the truce, including thwarting plans by terrorists to attack troops. Report here

The IDF has conducted strikes throughout northern Gaza over the past week, killing four Hamas terrorists as well as destroying several missile launchers. Report here

President Trump’s Board of Peace said on Wednesday that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) “has no place” in Gaza’s future. “We are turning the page on the complex of perpetual aid dependency and conflict…The people of Gaza deserve better.” Report here

Sources in Gaza said Hamas security forces prevented protests against its rule on Friday, with armed pro-Hamas activists positioned near planned gathering points, civilian movement around displaced-person camps restricted, and cellphones confiscated from people taking part in the protests or identified with the calls to demonstrate.
One source said, “Every attempt at public organization was met immediately by the presence of security forces.”

“No one can imagine the level of fear and intimidation Hamas has instilled in people’s hearts since its foundation in 1987,” said one Gazan. Reports here & here

DEFENCE

Rafael Advanced Defence Systems announced an agreement with Romania’s Ministry of National Defence for the Spyder air defence system to protect against short- to medium-range air threats, as part of a large-scale strategic agreement with an estimated value of $2.2 billion.
The Spyder system is in operational use in several armies around the world, including Czechia and Morocco. Report here

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Firewave is a new Israeli AI system which detects wildfires within minutes using sound sensors. Currently the main problem with wildfires is in detection, with rescue services unable to detect the fires before they become a major problem.Report here

The annual Israel Advanced Technology Industries (IATI) conference opened in Jerusalem on Monday, with around 1,800 representatives from over 40 countries participating. The event, described as the largest biomedical industry conference in the Middle East, is one of Israel’s central gatherings for the life sciences, biomedical and health-tech sectors. The agenda included emergency medicine, a field that has taken on added importance due to recent wars and battlefield experience. Report here

AI-powered collision alerts, wireless charging networks for electric vehicles and other next-generation transport technologies were among the innovations presented by an Israeli smart mobility delegation in London recently. The companies took part in MOVE 2026, one of Europe’s leading mobility and transport technology events.Report here

COLOMBIA

Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella pledged to restore and strengthen ties with Israel “like never before,” signalling a dramatic reversal of the anti-Israel policies pursued by outgoing President Gustavo Petro.Report here

THE UK

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has been ordered to pay costs after defeat in court in its attempt to bring a prosecution against a dual British-Israeli citizen who returned to his IDF reserve unit following the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023.The Senior District Judge, rejected the application in its entirety, finding that it was fundamentally misconceived in law, unsupported by evidence, and tainted by serious disclosure failures.
The judge also stated that the courts “must not be used as a vehicle for political debate.” Report here

“RESILIENCE” ICECREAM

Ben & Jerry’s Israel (which has nothing to do with the US company) has launched a new flavour “Milk and Honey” with ingredients and production from and by southern Israeli communities most affected by Oct 7 and the ensuing war. The product is described as a “symbol of hope, rehabilitation, and positive action”. Report here

COMMENT & OPINION

Israel-Lebanon Framework Agreement

Khaled Abu Toameh: For decades, Western diplomats and decision-makers have clung to the most dangerous belief that Islamist terrorist organizations can be persuaded through negotiations and diplomatic agreements to surrender their weapons and abandon their jihad(holy war) against Israel…
The framework agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon deserves recognition for several positive elements.
It formally commits both countries to pursue peaceful relations, seeks to restore the authority of the Lebanese state, provides for a process aimed at dismantling Hizbullah’s military infrastructure, and includes an important provision designed to prevent reconstruction funds from reaching Hizbullah.
The problem is that Hizbullah has already made clear that it has no intention of allowing the agreement to succeed. Article here

Itamar Eichner: The Israel-Lebanon framework agreement signed in Washington is an American attempt to create a new security reality in southern Lebanon, in the hope that it will eventually become a diplomatic reality as well…However, the agreement rests on the assumption that the Lebanese army will succeed in doing what it has failed to do for decades, disarm Hizbullah, which is not bound by the agreement at all…
Diplomatically, the agreement is a message aimed at Tehran. The document states that the Lebanese government is the only body authorized to use force on its territory, denying, at least declaratively, Hizbullah’s legitimacy to operate as a “parallel army” in Lebanon’s name.Article here

Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Gershon: The agreement between Israel and Lebanon is important because it reflects a deep shift in Lebanese consciousness, one born of painful reality. The Lebanese now understand that Hizbullah does not protect Lebanon. It destroys it…The Lebanese government must arrive together with the Lebanese army to provide health care, welfare, education, jobs and community reconstruction. The citizen must feel that the state is his first address, not Hizbullah.Article here

Jonathan Schanzer and Ahmad Sharawi: If Washington wants to break Iran’s grip on Lebanon, it has to help Beirut enforce its ban on IRGC activity and expel all Iranian personnel operating in Lebanon. Until Hizbullah’s attacks cease and Iran is out of Lebanon, the U.S. should greenlight Israeli reprisals.Article here (paywall)

Iran

Wall St Journal Editorial:

The best selling point for President Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran was that at least it opened the Strait of Hormuz. Now the regime is trying to nullify those terms by using force against commercial vessels, Gulf states, and U.S. bases. All of this violates the deal…

The (Iranian) regime wants to conquer the strait and turn it into a toll booth, with transit by permission only. This is the opposite of free navigation…The regime isn’t respecting the deal, which mandates a ceasefire as well as Iran’s “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels.” That means don’t shoot at them, for starters. The hard men in Tehran behave as if they have escalation dominance because they think Mr. Trump won’t return to war before the midterm elections. They see his reluctance to enforce the ceasefire terms.
The regime is leaving the President a choice: surrender Hormuz to Iranian terror or fight for it and reopen the strait by force. Editorial here (paywall)