Yaakov Lappin
ARTICLES BY: Yaakov Lappin
After Hamas Massacre, the IDF Will Need to Drastically Update Its Multi-Year Program
The IDF’s new multi-year strategy, Ma’alot (Hebrew for “ascent”), led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, was formulated before the Hamas mass...
The New IDF Chief of Staff Faces an Array of Challenges
On January 16, 2023, the 23rd IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, was officially sworn in, replacing Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi. Halevi was...
What’s Behind the New Israel-Lebanon Maritime Deal?
In the coming days, Israel and Lebanon are expected to sign a US-mediated agreement that regulates their maritime border, and respective rights to extract natural...
US Vote on Palestinian Refugees Raises Discomfort in Israel
The United States' vote to abstain last month on a draft United Nations resolution involving Palestinian refugees and their descendants set off discomfort in Israel...
Allies Step Up Confrontation With Iran as US Looks to Scale Back From the Middle East
In recent months, the United States has sent unmistakable signals that, 20 years after 9/11, the era of its Middle East counter-terrorism mission is drawing...
Hamas and Iran Join Forces to Encircle Israel
A senior Hamas delegation that visited Iran in October — and met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei — is the latest sign of the close...
Israel’s Shadow War Delayed Iran’s Takeover of Syria — But Only for Now
Explosive drones likely launched by Iranian-backed militias recently targeted the Al-Tanf US airbase in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders. The strike appears...
Palestinian Islamist Jihad Terrorists Aligning With Hamas’ Interests in Gaza — For Now
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror organization is often in the business of "jihad now, not later," an approach that has led to multiple deadly...
How the IDF’s Counter-Terrorism Raids Keep the Palestinian Authority Afloat
Recent events in the West Bank have served as a reminder that there are certain places where the Palestinian Authority (PA) cannot move around freely,...
Hamas Is Building a Second Front Against Israel in Lebanon
In recent days, a senior Iranian military commander boasted that his country has built "six armies outside its borders that work for it." What the officer...
Iran’s New Interest in Nuclear Talks Is Nothing to Celebrate
Iran is signaling its willingness to return to talks with the P5+1 countries (the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, plus Germany) over...
Hamas Escalates Again as It Plays the Long, Radical Game
Three months after the end of its May conflict with Israel, Hamas has returned to its familiar ways of constant attrition, violent extortion, and "controlled...
Afghanistan’s Fall Is a Message to US Allies
As the scenes of Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban continue to unfold following the US decision to withdraw its 2,500 remaining troops -- and the...
Hamas’ Radical Ideology Runs Into the Grind of Daily Governance
Since taking control of the Gaza Strip through a violent coup in 2007, and expelling Fatah, Hamas has tried to be many things — a...