Monday, June 22, 2026

06/21 Links: A Judge's Verdict on Israel; JNS Summit: Melanie Phillips Gives Chilling Warning on Islam!; IDF killed PIJ terrorist who kidnaped 12 y.o. hostage Yagil Yaakov

From Ian:

Eugene Kontorovich: A Judge's Verdict on Israel
REVIEW: 'Israel on Trial: Examining the History, the Evidence, and the Law' by Roy K. Altman

Countries exist, and whether they're the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan or Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus or China, no one doubts their basic right to continue their existence—unless it is Israel. Roy Altman, a young federal judge in Miami, has been lecturing about Israel widely on campuses since October 7. Israel on Trial distills his rebuttals of the six claims he has most often encountered that aim to undermine and delegitimize the presently constituted Jewish state.

I'm pleased to say Judge Altman is a friend, and kindly praises my work in his book—but I will risk my other friendships by recommending this book as absolutely indispensable equipment for any college student in America today.

The first three claims challenge Israel's creation or existence, claiming it is a "settler colonial project," illegitimately founded, and displacing what should be a Palestinian state. The other three focus on Israel's supposed conduct. Israel cruelly occupied Gaza before Oct. 7, 2023, one claim goes. This lets Hamas sympathizers, especially on campus, present that attack as more like a plucky prison break than an attempt to destroy Israel. Then there are the invocations of seldom-used international criminal law concepts of genocide and the even more obscure crime of apartheid.

Altman's answers to these critiques draw broadly from law and history. He provides excellent distillations of the abundant archaeological evidence for Jews' indigeneity in the Land of Israel. He also shows how this has not impeded their willingness to make repeated territorial concessions in the name of peace. Altman details six occasions on which the Jews agreed to the creation of a Palestinian state, only to have the Arabs reject it. His longest and most thorough chapter shows that "if anyone has colonized the Land of Israel, it has been [a] succession of Muslim armies." This is particularly important to recount now, as arguments challenging the authenticity of Jewish historical claims have started to sprout up on the political right, transmogrified into crank theories about how today's Jews are not the real Jews (a pet theme of Tucker Carlson's).

Many have heard of Israeli "settlers" living in the supposedly Arab city of Hebron, but do not know about the Arab ban on Jewish entrance into the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron—800 years ago. They have heard of "Palestinian rights," but not Napoleon's proclamation recognizing Jews as the "rightful heirs of Palestine." Altman's quick tour through history is crucial for a generation that, at best, knows about the past from podcasts and social media.

One place Altman falters is in describing Gaza and the West Bank as having been occupied before Israeli troops left in 2005. He makes the remark in passing, as his discussion focuses on rebutting the unprecedent proposition that Israel has since then occupied Gaza without physically occupying it, a unique doctrine invented for Israel. But Israel's presence before 2005 was not an occupation either, because these areas were both part of the League of Nations’'Mandate for Palestine, also known as the British Mandate, formed after the collapse of the previous sovereign, the Ottoman Empire. As the successor state to the Mandate, Israel inherited its borders under the international law doctrine of uti possidetis juris (Latin for "as you possess under law")—the same rule that accounts for Jordan's odd borders, the Kurds' statelessness, and Syria's boiling melting pot.

Altman analyzes the accusations with a legal methodology, closely examining the evidence presented for each—and marshaling the facts to the contrary. But unlike in a courtroom, Israel's "acquittal" is not enough. The accusations are so sensational and passionately made that many neutral observers would conclude that even if they are off the mark, Israel must be guilty of some lesser included offense. Proof is not necessarily the point of these criticisms as much as creating a taint. Dreyfus's acquittal surely did not convince his accusers that he was entirely honorable.

Altman points out that the Palestinians' claims all mirror those of the Jews. The Jews' indigeneity in the Land of Israel has served as a paradigm for a people connected to a particular land. The Palestinians present themselves as the genuine natives. The word "ghetto" was invented to describe the tiny, crowded areas in European cities where Jews were permitted to live—and, therefore, Gaza becomes the world's largest open-air prison.
Why the genocide libel is central to the propaganda war against Israel and Jews
The Gaza war may have ended, but the genocide libel marches on. That libel, the false accusation that Israel and Diaspora Jews perpetrate genocide against others, allows anti-Zionists to invert the Holocaust, erasing Jews’ Holocaust victimhood and bestowing it upon Palestinians. And given this libel’s ubiquity, it’s worth understanding the libel’s origins, why it was amplified and went viral after Oct. 7, 2023, and why some Gazans dubbed themselves “Holocaust survivors” on social media as combat ceased.

The genocide libel is a central plank in “the propaganda war against Israel, which has become one of the most organized and sophisticated narrative campaigns in modern geopolitics,” said Faran Jeffery, director general of operations at the U.K.-based Midstone Centre for International Affairs. It focuses on “framing Israel … as a moral aberration.”

This propaganda war builds upon decades-old Soviet anti-Zionism. While the postwar West marginalized Nazi-style antisemitism, anti-Zionism evaded that strong taboo with thinly disguised libels about Israel and “Zionists.” Leveraging that loophole, the contemporary Western Left has recycled the extensive Soviet playbook, and its emphasis is clearly on efficacy over accuracy.

Professor Gunther Jikeli, associate director of the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism at Indiana University, wrote, “If we apply the accepted legal definition of genocide, the accusation is simply untrue — and constitutes a form of defamation and demonization of a country. Second, it has a direct impact on Jews in the U.S. and elsewhere: Jews face constant suspicion of supporting an ‘evil’ state.”

Lest this prompt cognitive dissonance, anti-Zionism offers a preemptive remedy. “Anyone who senses that hostility toward Jews might be racist risks feeling a kind of moral contamination — becoming, in that sense, ‘like a Nazi,’” said Adam Louis-Klein, founder of the Movement Against Antizionism. With Nazism still widely considered objectionable, “that guilt must be instantly inverted and projected onto the object of hatred itself. Thus, a core feature of anti-Zionist ideology is to depict ‘Zionists’ as ‘racists’ and ‘Nazis,’ while Palestinians are recoded as the ‘Jews’ or ‘Holocaust survivors.’”
Pierre Rehov: Trump's Iran 'Deal'
The 14-point text is unambiguous on the point the White House is most eager to fog. It commits the United States, "with regional partners," to develop a "plan with at least USD 300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran" -- $3 billion of which has, according to the unsurpassed journalist, Lee Smith, already been sent to Iran through by way of the United Arab Emirates. The president has called reports of that figure "fake news" and insisted nobody is putting up "ten cents." The clause nevertheless sits prominently in the document he signed.

Only one question really matters: what does the agreement, if honored by Iran, deliver? It leaves enriched uranium inside Iran, concedes a right to enrichment that was recently a red line, permits the Iranian ballistic-missile program Trump now defends supposedly because other countries have missiles too, and pours reconstruction money into an economy whose ruling institution is the brutal Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

An interim framework can easily be a device for extracting one concrete concession -- opening the shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz -- while the other clauses quietly expire.

Trump has repeated that if the deal collapses he will return to force – but who will do that after he is no longer president?

Each Israeli reprisal can trigger an Iranian walkout, and each walkout hands Washington a legal pretext to resume the war it paused. If Trump, however, is reluctant to use force against Iran again now, why should anyone think that he would be more inclined to use it later?

Without a united opposition to inherit power and without an army to seize Tehran, talk of liberation is a consolation, not a strategy. The war degraded the regime; it did not remove it -- and nothing in this agreement will. In fact, the MOU promises to enrich the IRGC again so that it can tighten its hold on the Iranian people even more viciously.

So the memorandum sits there, looking like the clumsiest concession an American administration has made to a sworn enemy in a generation...

The regime in Tehran, which has waited out many American presidents and means to wait out another, is betting they are bluffing about everything except the check.
Iran: Did Trump Cave In?
[Iran] continues to execute opponents, confiscate the assets of critics, organize mass arrests across the nation, and funnel funds to proxies in the region.

The only change that has happened is that in the past few days it has raised a claim to the exclusive ownership of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Majlis of which Ghalibaf is speaker has passed at least three laws forbidding any negotiations with the American "Great Satan".

The Majlis also put a $50 million price on the US president's head.

What we have so far is a 60-day extension of a shaky ceasefire with a list of desiderata to haggle over.

Will the projected 60-days of talks produce anything resembling peace and stability in the region as many pray for? The outright answer I could give is a firm no.

Gorbachev and Deng could achieve a change of course because the USSR and the People's Republic of China had a deeply-rooted party structure plus highly centralized armed forces.

Neither of those two conditions exists in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is a hodgepodge of political, economic and military baronies pulling in different directions while regarding the maintenance of the status quo as essential for their survival. Imagine a kaleidoscope that if turned this way or that produces different visuals and colors but remains fundamentally the same.

The tactic Tehran will use is clear: drag out the talks until we see the back of Trump and Netanyahu, as we did with six other US presidents and as many Israeli premiers.

If it actually happens, the 60-day stint may establish a roadmap pointing to several desired goals. The next phase would be labeled "confidence building easers" followed by a third named "modalities of implementation" -- in other words, a roadmap to lead Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner up the garden path.


JPost Editorial: Israel’s security cannot hinge on unfinished US-Iran diplomacy
Trump’s language also shows why the deal is a framework, not a completed peace agreement. He has said the sides will “play out the 60 days,” during which they are supposed to negotiate the central unresolved questions. The fate of Iran’s enriched-uranium stockpile, sanctions relief, the future administration of Hormuz, and a final nuclear arrangement have been deferred.

The MOU offers Iran immediate benefits and makes broader commitments contingent on later talks, while the nuclear issue appears only after provisions on ending operations and restoring economic access.

On Sunday, conservative political commentator Mark Levin said on Fox News: “Israel has a right to defend itself without us telling them how to do it.” That means Israel should not reject diplomacy or dismiss American interests, but it should insist that a durable arrangement be judged by whether it prevents Hezbollah from attacking, rebuilding, and again placing the North under threat.

It also means tying any lasting cessation of operations to concrete, verifiable security conditions, i.e., removing Hezbollah’s military infrastructure from the border area, effective monitoring, consequences for violations, and Israel’s retained ability to respond when an imminent threat emerges. It is the least of what Israeli leadership owes its own citizens.

The United States remains Israel’s indispensable ally, and its effort to avert a regional conflagration deserves serious engagement. Yet partnership cannot mean Israel’s security policy is subordinated to the timeline of an American negotiation with Iran. The North has paid too high a price for that.

A deal that protects shipping lanes but leaves Israel constrained against an armed Hezbollah is not yet a regional security agreement; it is unfinished diplomacy. Israel must ensure it is not asked to bear the risks when it has already failed on the ground.
What Israel Achieved in Iran, and What Threats Remain
Setting back Iran's nuclear and missile programs by years was of strategic significance. But the memorandum of understanding that Trump was maneuvered into by the Iranians gave the ayatollahs a psychological victory that will strengthen their ability to survive and suppress their people, as well as an economic lifeline that will grow and enable them to rebuild capabilities and repair the destruction.

Contrary to claims by opponents of the war in the U.S., Netanyahu did not drag the Americans into it. But in the U.S. media, the perception took hold that Israel had enticed Trump into a war that did not serve American interests and amounted to a glaring waste of resources.

Israel launched its June 2025 attack on Iran because the Iranians had taken steps that could have given them, within a short time, the knowledge and physical capability to produce an initial nuclear explosive device. Such a capability, combined with the large quantity of uranium that had already been enriched to 60% - almost weapons-grade - created a real atomic weapons threat within months.

Trump stopped Israel after 12 days, but only after it had achieved nearly 80% of its military objectives. Trump completed the mission with American bombers, putting the Fordow enrichment facility - which Israel could not neutralize on its own - out of action for a long time. Based on what is known, the nuclear program was set back by 3-5 years. Today, Iran cannot break out to a nuclear weapon, even if it has immediate secret access to some of the material and even if a hidden enrichment facility exists.

Israel destroyed many launchers and missiles, as well as production facilities for missiles and the materials used to manufacture fuels and explosives. But the ballistic missile threat remains. The intelligence community had information by early 2026 showing that Iran had a plan to destroy Israel with conventional means. At its center was producing thousands of ballistic missiles and launching dozens or hundreds in each barrage, overwhelming the air defense systems of Israel and the U.S. together.

On the eve of the operation in Feb. 2026, Iran had 2,500 long-range ballistic missiles and several hundred launchers, most of them hidden in tunnels and missile cities beneath rock layers more than 100 meters thick. Because Israel does not have bombs capable of directly penetrating to such depths, and the Americans had only a very limited number of bombs of the type used at Fordow, it was decided to seal the entrances to the tunnels and missile cities so the launchers could not emerge.

But the Iranians prepared huge bulldozers in advance, cleared the rocks and dirt blocking the entrances, and resumed launches within days. More than 50% of Iran's launchers and missiles were put out of action, but it still has more than 1,000 missiles of all types and ranges.

The main strategic achievement of the IDF and the U.S. military was the systematic and extensive destruction of defense industry plants and Iran's massive research and development infrastructure. This means Iran's ability to reproduce large quantities of missiles that would allow it to overwhelm Israel's defense systems has been neutralized for a long time, probably 2-3 years, even if the U.S. releases large financial resources to Iran.
Israel Knew the Americans Wanted an Agreement with Iran at Almost Any Cost
There is no need to be too impressed by the attacks on Israel and on Netanyahu that accompanied the Iran agreement.

This is just the rhetorical justification for the main move, which is wrapping up the affair while continuously bombing rhetorically anyone perceived as interfering.

The most recent conversation between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu was surprisingly friendly.

The assessment voiced by Netanyahu himself in discussions was that the Americans want an agreement at almost any cost.

For many weeks, Israel has known that the agreement would not include stopping the funding of terrorism and shutting down the ballistic missile array.

Hizbullah is in a desperate situation. Linking the two fronts will not only save it but make it easier for it to resume harassing the residents of northern Israel.

There is a national consensus in Israel on the war with Hizbullah.
Gulf States Hesitant to Fund Iran Reconstruction
Gulf states will likely be reluctant to contribute to Iran's reconstruction after months of unprovoked attacks, regional experts told the Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Vice President JD Vance told CBS that Iran could receive a $300 billion reconstruction fund backed by Gulf states.

Bahraini analyst Dr. Ahmed Alkhuzaie said that while Gulf states were likely relieved by the "tactical pause," there is fear that the financial terms of the Iran agreement would allow it to further destabilize the region.

The release of frozen Iranian funds and the lifting of sanctions could "empower Tehran's regional networks of militias and proxies, reinforcing the very threats the MoU was meant to contain," he explained. It would free resources for Iran to invest in its militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen "that directly threaten Gulf security." While Gulf leaders "welcome the ceasefire and reopening of Hormuz, they fear the agreement may empower Iran rather than restrain it."

After suffering months of attacks from Iran, the American commitment raises "the uncomfortable question of whether Gulf states would indirectly contribute to rebuilding the very adversary that targeted their infrastructure." Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain all feel that the fund "risks rewarding aggression and undermining deterrence."

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told Al Arabiya on Wednesday that trust in Iran would need to be rebuilt before financial investments could be addressed. Oman and Qatar would also "struggle to justify Gulf financial participation when public opinion remains raw from the damage inflicted on energy facilities, ports, and civilian infrastructure."

"For Gulf states that have suffered direct attacks, the idea of channeling funds into Iran's reconstruction is not only politically implausible, but economically irrational, as it would expose investors to heightened risks while strengthening a state still perceived as a strategic adversary."
Lindsey Graham defends deal with Iran, even as he predicts it will likely fail
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) defended the Trump administration’s diplomatic discussions with Iran on Sunday, but predicted that negotiations with the Islamic Republic will likely fail, and threatened that the U.S. will take over the Strait of Hormuz if no agreement is reached.

“Let’s try a diplomatic solution. I think it’s going to fail,” Graham said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday regarding a negotiated agreement with Tehran.

He said that, following his lengthy meeting with Trump on Friday, he believes that, ”If this deal fails, President [Donald] Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz over by force. The United States will control the Strait of Hormuz” and charge fees for passage. President Donald Trump made similar comments on Saturday.

“If Iran continues to attack Israel and Lebanon, the new policy will be, we’ll hit Iran. So, to the Iranians, if you’re listening, when you use Hezbollah to attack Israel, I think the new policy will be, we will attack Iran,” Graham continued. The senator’s comments are at odds with recent remarks fromTrump and Vice President JD Vance rebuking Israel for its strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, responding to Hezbollah attacks on Israel.

Graham acknowledged the memorandum of understanding signed last week is “problematic” but said he’d rather “try diplomacy than take it off the table,” and downplayed the financial windfall that Iran will get from the deal in the form of the lifting of sanctions and unfreezing of sanctioned Iranian funds.

“The money Iran gets is not going to change the future of Iran,” Graham said. “It’s not enough to reconstruct the country.”

Graham and other Senate Republicans in 2023 criticized the Biden administration for releasing $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds as part of a hostage deal, a sum likely to be dwarfed by the amount Iran stands to gain from this deal.

Graham, who previously criticized the idea of a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, now says he supports the prospect — as long as the funds come from Arab states, rather than from the United States. But he also raised doubts that such a fund would actually come to fruition.
Prime Minister Netanyahu speaks at JNS summit
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel prevented Iran from "carrying out a plan to annihilate us" during a speech at the Jerusalem News Syndicate (JNS) International Policy Summit on Sunday.

"They would have had a nuclear weapon, an atomic bomb to do so," said Netanyahu. "We prevented that from happening."

He said that the IDF had "removed an existential danger" through its actions against Iran over the past year.

"Had we not acted in Operation Rising Lion and then in Operation Roaring Lion, Iran would have had atomic bombs, and let me tell you something. They would have used them," he said. "That's what we prevented."

Netanyahu emphasized the achievements of "the largest airstrike" in Israel's history, conducted in partnership with the United States.

"We destroyed Iran's nuclear infrastructure," said Netanyahu. "We knocked out 20 of their top nuclear scientists; 12 in Rising Lion, another eight in Roaring Lion."

When you take out the scientists, it's very hard to make a nuclear weapon," he added. "We did hundreds of billions in damage to the IRGC; they may not recover." Netanyahu: We were told 'for years' we couldn't attack Iran

"For years, people told us, you cannot attack the soil of Iran," he stressed. "Yes, you can do Mossad operations, and we did quite a few. I authorized many, but you cannot send our military to Iran, but we changed that. We sent our brave pilots over the skies of Iran, and they took out targets, regime targets, terror targets, missile batteries, and missile pods. sites, and nuclear sites.

"We changed Israel's security doctrine. We initiate, we attack, we surprise, and we attack those enemies that seek our destruction, that seek to kill us; we attack them before they have a chance to do so."

The prime minister described the achievements as having created the conditions for the fall of the Islamic regime and called on the Iranian people to seize the opportunity to "eventually" overthrow the Iranian government.

"We shattered Iran's terror axis," he said. "We took out Sinwar, we took out Haniyeh, we took out Deif, we took out tens of thousands of terrorists, and despite those who said it couldn't be done, we brought back to Israel every single hostage."

Netanyahu called the return of Israeli hostages "an achievement that I think the entire people of Israel and the entire people of the free world should be proud of."


First day of US-Iran negotiations in Switzerland concludes amicably after rocky start
The first session of peace talks between the US and Iran in Switzerland has concluded, mediators Qatar and Pakistan announced in a joint statement early on Monday morning.

The talks were conducted in a "positive and constructive atmosphere," the countries said, despite reports of the Iranian delegation walking out of negotiations on Sunday night in protest at US President Donald Trump's threats to resume strikes unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.

Additionally, both Iran and the US have agreed to establish a High-Level Committee for political oversight during future talks, said the joint statement.

Chief negotiators will regularly report to the committee on the status of negotiations, which has agreed to establish a roadmap to reach a final deal within 60 days.

The US and Iran also agreed to the creation of a “deconfliction cell,” through which the termination of Israeli military operations in Lebanon would be assured.

'Just the beginning'
The talks began after representatives of the United States, Pakistan, and Qatar spoke to the press after a quadrilateral meeting, also including Iran, at the Bürgenstock mountain resort in Switzerland, earlier on Sunday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched the talks by thanking Trump for his efforts that led to them.

"We are witnessing a great day that will lead to world peace," said Sharif. "We thank Trump for his active vision that led to direct negotiations and look forward to fruitful negotiations between the United States and Iran that will lead to results. I am confident that a meaningful document can be reached that will lay the foundations for lasting peace."

A source told Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency that the Iranian delegation declined to participate in a group photo with the US delegation, and that Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf refused to enter the room during the press conference.


Iran’s foreign minister says ‘major progress’ made to end Lebanon war in talks with US
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says there was “major progress” in talks with the United States over ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War,” Araghchi posts on X. He says the establishment of a de-confliction cell in the Lebanon conflict is the “1st real test.”

He notes other areas of progress in the negotiations in Switzerland.

“Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran.”

The conflict in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group has continued despite multiple declarations of truces, and has threatened to derail US-Iran peace talks, to which Israel is not a party.

The memorandum of understanding signed between the US and Iran declared a ceasefire in Lebanon, but Israel has vowed to keep its military in a buffer zone in the country’s south.


Poll: 92% of Israelis believe Iran emerged as winner after war and deal with US
Israelis overwhelmingly view the war with Iran and the subsequent deal between Tehran and the United States in a negative light, with 92.1 percent of Israelis believing the Islamic Republic to have won, according to a survey published Sunday.

The poll of 3,644 respondents, conducted between June 17 and 20 by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in collaboration with the Agam Institute, paints a stark picture of public sentiment following the US-Iran deal.

The survey found that even among voters who support the right-wing bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 93.1% believed Iran had won.

Furthermore, 82.9% of respondents believe the six-week campaign against Iran weakened Israel’s long-term security, and 86% have a negative attitude toward the outcome of the fighting and the deal forged by the US and Iran without input from Jerusalem.

The poll also found 87.8% of Israelis believe that the country failed to achieve the objectives it launched the offensive to achieve, or fulfilled only some of them. Israel and the US has said they aimed to eradicate Iran’s nuclear program and missile threat, and bring down the regime.

The findings pointed to a broader crisis of confidence in Israel’s leadership, with nearly three-quarters of those surveyed, 72.5 percent, saying they did not believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assertion that Israel achieved significant gains and removed an existential threat, and 56.4% rating his management of the war as “failed” or “poor.”

Just 26.5% considered the premier’s management of the offensive “good” or “excellent,” and 17.1% considered it “fair.” Demonstrators protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government near the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem, June 13, 2026. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

The poll also pointed to the political price paid by Netanyahu, with support for his premiership plummeting from 40.5% in early March to 29.4% in June.

Also apparent in the survey was the depth of the anger over US President Donald Trump’s handling of the war and its aftermath, including the deal with Iran, which is deeply unpopular in Israel.

Among survey respondents, 69.1% rated his management of the war as “failed” or “poor,” compared to just 10.8% who considered it “good” or “excellent.”

At the same time, however, the poll found ongoing support for military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Asked whether Israel should renew major military action against Hezbollah, including strikes in Beirut, even at the risk of a clash with Trump, who has voiced displeasure over the fighting in Lebanon, 48.2% of respondents said it should, compared to 20.9% who disagreed with this option and 30.9% who said they were unsure.


IDF captures Hezbollah drone factory and launch site hidden inside south Lebanon mountain
Buried beneath a hilltop village in southern Lebanon, just kilometers from the Israeli border, the Hezbollah terror group built an underground drone “airbase” from which it launched Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles at Israel.

The subterranean facility, guarded by massive steel blast doors, was built in the past decade with direct Iranian assistance, including planning and funding, Israeli military officials told The Times of Israel during an organized media tour of the site last week.

Journalists were brought into Lebanon at dusk, so that the visit to the tunnel would take place under the cover of darkness — an attempt by the military to mitigate the possibility of Hezbollah attacks on members of the press.

As the sun set over the Mediterranean, reporters were driven in a convoy of Humvees along the Lebanese coast before heading east toward Majdal Zoun, some six kilometers (3.7 miles) from the Israeli frontier.

With just the moonlight and glowsticks to illuminate the way, soldiers led the group to the tunnel’s main entrance, which was accessible from the ground level on the north side of the mountain.

The tunnel and surrounding area, which was delineated as part of the southern Lebanon security zone buffer area in an updated IDF map Thursday, were captured this month by a reservist commando and paratroopers formation.

The operation took place amid a porous ceasefire in which both Israel and Hezbollah have continued to attack each other.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, the tunnel runs several hundred meters into the mountain, reaching depths of 29 meters (95 feet) under Majdal Zoun — including beneath a mosque.

The IDF has uncovered similar Hezbollah tunnels in southern Lebanon in the past, but commanders said this one was built to a “much higher standard,” comparable with an underground Iranian missile factory in Syria that the military raided in September 2024.

Soldiers and officers were made available to the tour on condition of anonymity, in line with military protocol.

Inside the tunnel, which was wide enough for a standard vehicle to drive through, Hezbollah had assembled Iranian-made drones using parts smuggled into Lebanon, according to the army.

Iran, which has invested heavily in drone development and production, has long been understood to supply its Lebanese proxy group with missiles and other arms meant to be used against Israel.

After capturing the tunnel, soldiers found around 50 UAVs with warheads of around 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of explosives apiece, officers said. An Israeli soldier is seen in an underground Hezbollah drone facility in Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon, on June 18, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

The drones appeared to be of the same type used in attacks on Israel, such as a deadly October 2024 strike on the Golani Brigade’s training base. They can typically fly 200 to 500 kilometers (125 to 310 miles), enough to reach all of Israel, according to IDF officials. Military analyst Fabian Hinz identified the UAVs as an Iranian drone design, known as the Qasef in the service of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

The capture of the tunnel marked the first time that the IDF had access to fully intact Iranian drones of this kind, providing the military with valuable intelligence, one officer told The Times of Israel.

The drones, in various states of assembly, were placed on display along the tunnel’s concrete walls for journalists on the tour to see.

In addition to the UAVs, the troops found around eight tons of explosive material in the underground site’s rooms, according to the army.

“These are drones that threatened the State of Israel throughout its length and breadth. We came here to deprive Hezbollah of these capabilities,” a squadron commander in the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit told reporters.

On the southern side of the mountain were shafts from which Hezbollah would launch the UAVs at Israel.

“At the end of the tunnel, there are exits, four exits protected by blast doors on rails. They can be opened and allow launching of UAVs at Israel,” the Yahalom officer said.

Military officials described the facility as a sort of UAV “airbase” and factory, saying it was built strategically in Majdal Zoun because of its relative proximity to Israel, but not too close to the border.

“Six kilometers from our territory, and it is also close to the coastline. It also enables launches [of UAVs] in those directions,” the Yahalom officer said.


IDF exposes Hamas terror network based in Turkey
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday revealed intelligence exposing a Hamas terrorist network directed from Turkish soil.

Salam Yaish, Walid Abu Nasser, Majed Ja’aba, Muhammad Mallah and Ayman Sharawna have worked to advance “extensive military activity” in Israel, including in Judea and Samaria, according to the statement.

Their activities include “recruiting operatives to carry out terror attacks and transferring weapons and funds into the region in order to advance military activity,” the army stated.

Turkey, which has hosted a Hamas headquarters since 2012, has given full backing to the Palestinian terror group since its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

According to a 2021 report by The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, Hamas’s headquarters in Istanbul has directed hundreds of terrorist attacks against Israelis and laundered millions of dollars.

“Turkey collaborates with terror organizations on both the ideological and operational levels. Terrorists working on Turkish soil establish infrastructures and plan terror attacks against Israel,” the report stated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month lashed out at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, after the Turkish leader accused Jerusalem of threatening regional stability.


IDF, Shin Bet kill PIJ terrorist who kidnapped minor from kibbutz during October 7 massacre
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced on Sunday that they killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist who participated in the kidnapping of then-12-year-old Yagil Yaakov from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre.

The PIJ terrorist was identified as Zaki Youssef Mahmoud Abu Mustafa. He was killed in a strike in the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to the IDF and Shin Bet.

Yaakov was released from terror captivity in November 2023, as part of the first wave of hostages who were freed.

Mustafa, who was the Nukhba commander of the PIJ’s Khan Yunis Brigade, has played a significant role in attempting to rebuild the terrorist organization’s capabilities, according to the IDF and Shin Bet.

He was additionally responsible for advancing a number of terrorist attacks against Israeli troops operating in Gaza and exploiting Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, attempting to train terrorists at the facility.

In a separate strike, the IDF also killed Hamas Nukhba terrorist Mohammed Osama Abd al-Aziz Saba al-Eish.

Al-Eish, according to the IDF, facilitated the recruitment and also advanced efforts to train new Hamas terrorists.

The IDF emphasized that the strikes were conducted with precision munitions and measures were taken before the strikes to reduce the risk of harm to nearby civilians.


Is there a silver lining to Trump’s deal? | The Brink reacts
In this bonus episode of The Brink, Andrew and Jake unpack the fallout from Donald Trump’s proposed Iran deal and ask whether the United States has just handed a major strategic victory to the Iranian regime.

The conversation explores what went wrong after the 12 Day War, why the original campaign against Iran appeared to lose momentum, and whether a different outcome was possible. We discuss the role of Donald Trump, JD Vance, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the wider network of regional actors shaping events behind the scenes.

Andrew and Jake also examine the future of Israel’s relationship with the United States, the growing tensions between Washington and Jerusalem, and what this means for the balance of power across the Middle East. From Lebanon and Hezbollah to the Gulf states and the Strait of Hormuz, they consider how the region is being reshaped in real time.

Finally, the discussion turns to the Iranian people, the future of the regime, and whether there is still hope for meaningful change despite the setbacks of recent weeks.

Chapters
00:00 Iran Deal and Its Implications
02:28 Debate on the Iran Deal's Silver Linings
09:43 Trump's Role and the Impact on U.S. Strategy
15:29 The Role of Other Countries and Influence on Trump
18:34 Psychological Profiling and Trump's Vulnerabilities
30:53 The Impact on U.S.-Israel Relationship
35:20 Bibi's Leadership and Israel's Challenges
39:29 The Conflict in Lebanon and Its Implications


Mullin says man with IRGC ties tried to enter US with Iranian soccer team
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Sunday said a man with “direct ties” to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted to enter the United States with the Iranian soccer team traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup.

Speaking on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures, Mullin said someone under the guise of being the soccer federation president tried to enter the U.S. with Iran’s soccer team but was not allowed to board the plane on Saturday.

“When we started doing the research on him, he had only been put in place since 2022, and we didn’t allow him to board the plane,” Mullin said of the incident. “The guy trying to get on the plane yesterday had direct ties to IRGC.”

Iran’s soccer team is based in Tijuana, Mexico, and is permitted to travel to the U.S. the day before its scheduled World Cup matches. The country’s soccer federation had wanted its team to fly in two days before its group match against Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday, but the group said the request was turned down despite submitting its preparation schedule for the tournament in advance.

Due to travel restrictions that also require the team to leave the evening after matches, Iran’s soccer team has filed a complaint to FIFA, arguing the restrictions don’t allow players to adapt to the city’s environment.

Mullin said he has had “multiple conversations” with FIFA President Gianni Infantino about the Iran travel restrictions, but did not elaborate on what was discussed.

The travel restrictions are the result of the U.S.-Iran war, which is now at a halt after both sides signed a memorandum of understanding to end the fighting and are engaging in peace negotiations in Switzerland on Sunday. The State Department has vowed to bar anyone with direct ties to the IRGC from entering the country.

The Iranian soccer team is set to travel to Seattle for its match against Egypt later this week.


What’s Really Happening Inside the Elite United Nations Private School?
A new controversy surrounding swastikas, antisemitic messages, racist remarks, homophobic slurs, and other hate speech written throughout dozens of junior school yearbooks at the United Nations International School (UNIS), a private school in New York whose annual tuition averaging $50,000, is just the latest example of the culture being cultivated inside what is considered one of the world’s “most prestigious” international schools.

But, as Secretary General Antonio Guterres would say, the yearbook incident did not happen in a vacuum. In January, swastikas were discovered carved in the school’s locker rooms. The school is also currently facing legal scrutiny with a lawsuit alleging antisemitic conduct against a Jewish teacher. Reports of posters associated with an organization that supports Hamas being placed in the school without consequences. And Jewish parents expressing concern about whether their children are safe, are among the latest controversies surrounding the United Nations International School (UNIS). Taken individually, each incident might be dismissed as an isolated controversy. Taken together, they highlight a troubling culture inside the United Nations International School (UNIS).

The deeper one looks into the school’s curriculum and activities, the more troubling, yet not surprising, the picture becomes: there is a pattern in which students, from a very young age, appear to not just getting exposed to narratives that demonize Jews, Jewish history, and Israel, but also the West, and in particular the United States. The school’s curriculum also shows students being exposed to narratives that frame terrorism as a “human right” while describing terrorist organizations as “resistance movements,” among other troubling subjects. In addition, and probably the most disturbing, publicly available materials highlight students using Nazi-inspired and antisemitic imagery as part of their school projects.

Beginning in the early elementary years, small children, as part of their humanities studies, are introduced to units primarily centered on concepts of advocacy, activism, identity, social justice, and Indigenous populations, where students are defined as global citizens expected to take and create “sustainable action” within their communities, embedding activism as the central theme of the humanities curriculum from an early age, rather than focusing on the traditional subjects most children encounter at that age.

By the time students reach middle school, the curriculum expands beyond these themes to include material that portrays the United States and the broader West in overwhelmingly negative terms, framing them primarily through the lenses of colonialism, oppression, exploitation, and historical injustice. In the first year of middle school, for example, maps and geography is taught through the framing of “the expansion of the United States” and its “impact on Indigenous peoples,” explicitly framing it as Indigenous rights to land versus European colonization.

Another unit focuses on civil rights, focused on U.S. history of segregation, voting rights, and how activist movements such as Black Lives Matter “fight racism” in the United States. The curriculum also includes “Immigration studies,” similarly framing the unit around restrictive U.S. policies and their effects on migrants, while land and resource units such as water access highlight “inequalities in access and distribution.” Overall, these topics are consistently explored through frameworks of power, inequality, and social conflict, particularly in relation to the United States and Western societies.

Across Middle School, Western societies, particularly the United States and Europe, appear repeatedly as central case studies for examining “historical injustices” and “social outcomes” within a comparative and conflict-based framework around refugees, migration policies, and indigenous rights.

In high school, students in their humanities course appear to also be getting introduced into supporting violence and terrorism, disguised as “human rights.” In 10th grade, the curriculum shows how an entire unit is focused on "identity and resistance," learning about how evil the U.S. and the West is, about different "resistance" movements, and the "factors" that "drives them." In addition, another unit is focused in teaching children that nation states in general are the root cause of “injustices, racism and the lack of human rights” of people around the world.


JNS Summit tackles uncertainty in US-Israel ties
Amid great hopes and deep concern for the future of U.S.-Israeli relations, about a thousand people convened on Sunday in Jerusalem for the second annual JNS International Policy Summit, whose opening session spoke of “a new era” in that relationship.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee acknowledged the concerns in his address at the conference, following critical remarks by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Israel’s handling of Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist organization and disagreements regarding the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding.

There is “a high level of anxiety about the relationship between the United States and Israel,” Huckabee said, but there is “an unbreakable bond” between the two nations, he added, noting that Trump has said this repeatedly.

Huckabee received two standing ovations from an audience that another panelist, Knesset member Ohad Tal of the Religious Zionism Party, said was “thirsty” for his words of deep friendship. Still, the conference also reflected the confusion and concerns that its participants felt, along with countless others who hold the U.S.-Israel alliance dear.

JNS Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Tobin opened the panels part of the three-day conference, which is scheduled to feature a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with a succinct question to three panelists specifically about the U.S.-Israeli partnership: “What is going on?”

The question reflected the confusion felt by many after Trump and Vance appeared to dismiss and disparage Israel, mere weeks after the countries’ joint military operation in Iran, which Trump halted last month, appeared to take the partnership to unprecedented heights.
Entire Crowd STUNNED as Melanie Phillips Gives Chilling Warning on Islam!

Israel is About To Teach The ENTIRE World A Lesson!
Israel is facing a moment that could redefine the Middle East—and much of the world is missing what’s really happening.

In this powerful discussion, Richard Kemp and Jonathan Conricus break down Israel’s battle against Hezbollah, the challenges of fighting under international pressure, and why many believe Israel is being judged by a different standard than any other nation. From ceasefire violations and regional threats to the war of public perception, they examine the difficult questions surrounding Israel’s security, military strategy, and future.

As the conflict continues, one question remains: can Israel achieve victory while the world increasingly casts it as the aggressor?


Amb. Huckabee STUNS Jerusalem Crowd “Trump Is Still The Greatest Friend Of Israel!”

Mark Levin GOES OFF on The Far-Right, Iran & Islamic World!

PragerU: Gad Saad: How “Suicidal Empathy” Is Destroying the West | The Brief with Shabbos Kestenbaum
What is “suicidal empathy” and can good intentions actually destroy a civilization?
In this episode of The Brief: Insights From The Inside, host Shabbos Kestenbaum sits down with Professor Gad Saad, evolutionary psychologist and New York Times bestselling author of Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind, to unpack how victimhood culture, open borders, soft-on-crime policies, censorship, and misplaced compassion can produce devastating real-world consequences.

Saad explains why empathy is not inherently bad — but becomes dangerous when it “hyper fires” toward the wrong targets and overrides reason, judgment, and self-preservation. The conversation covers open borders, free speech, Canada’s MAID laws, anti-Semitism, civilizational decline, and whether the West still has the will to correct course.

If you’ve ever asked:
• Why does victimhood culture dominate politics?
• Are open borders a threat to Western civilization?
• Can free speech survive modern censorship?
• Is the West collapsing from within?


Ask Haviv Anything: 125: Did Netanyahu misread Trump? With Ross Douthat
Ross Douthat, author and New York Times columnist, joins the podcast to discuss this fraught moment in the US-Israel relationship. We discuss Netanyahu’s role in shaping Trump’s regime-change gamble in Iran, the limits of American willingness to absorb prolonged pain, how American identification with Israel – and not just hostility or bigotry in some political spaces – makes policy disagreements feel uniquely personal and intense. We also dig into Israel’s failure to explain its wars, especially in Gaza, and the rise of conspiracism on the American right.

Ross comes to the conversation shortly after interviewing Vice President JD Vance on, among other things, the strained state of the US-Israel relationship. He offers some direct advice: Israelis must argue specifics, engage the center-left, and tell their story clearly, or risk losing reasonable supporters they cannot afford to lose.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the MOU and Current Events
01:58 The US-Israel Relationship Post-War
04:22 Public Opinion and Critiques of US-Israel Dynamics
07:08 The Role of Netanyahu and Trump in the War
09:05 Assessing the MOU and Future Negotiations
11:48 Understanding the Iranian Regime and US Strategy
14:31 The Impact of Regional Dynamics on US Decisions
15:55 The Broader Context of Global Protests and Politics
33:21 The Complexity of Anti-Semitism and American Identity
35:29 Evolving Perspectives on the US-Israel Relationship
40:07 The Role of Digital Culture in Shaping Opinions
43:10 War in Gaza: Justification and Consequences
45:51 The Intersection of American Politics and Anti-Semitism
51:36 The Influence of Tucker Carlson and the Right's Shift
59:36 Future of US-Israel Relations and Engagement Strategies




Berlin police detain man after antisemitic assault on Jewish family in Charlottenburg
Berlin Police have arrested a 31-year-old man for an antisemitic attack on several people in Charlottenburg on Saturday.

According to the investigation so far, at approximately 3:15 p.m., the reportedly Arab attacker followed a 47-year-old Jewish man and two children who were accompanying him, shouting antisemitic insults and spitting at them.

When the older man, who was wearing a kippah, confronted him, the younger man allegedly struck him in the face. Several people then rushed to the scene to help, including a 45-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman.

The attacker allegedly directed antisemitic insults and threats at the woman, after which a physical altercation broke out between him and the 45-year-old man.

The Berlin State Criminal Police Office State Security Division is now conducting the investigation.

Antisemitic incidents hit an all-time high in Germany
This comes amid antisemitic incidents hitting an all-time high in Germany, according to the new annual report by antisemitism watchdog RIAS.

In 2025, RIAS recorded 8,725 antisemitic incidents, equating to roughly 24 cases per day.

Across the year, RIAS documented 178 physical attacks and 257 threats. For example, in the city of Kehl, four members of a Jewish community were insulted and spat on outside a Jewish prayer room. In the state of Hesse, a rabbi was shoved in a supermarket in front of his children and had his phone snatched.

In addition, there were four cases of extreme violence, including a terrorist attack at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin.
Florida teen arrested for spraying Jewish pedestrians with unknown liquid from a water gun
A 19-year-old Florida man was arrested after authorities said he sprayed two Jewish pedestrians with liquid from a water gun in northeast Miami-Dade County, in what police are treating as a hate crime.

Amir Ayesh, of Plantation, Florida, is expected to face two felony counts of battery with prejudice, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. The alleged incidents took place on May 9 in the area of Northeast 10th Avenue and 171st Street, in a neighborhood with a large Jewish population.

According to the sheriff’s office, two victims reported that a person in a black vehicle sprayed them with an unknown liquid. Detectives later identified Ayesh as the suspect after reviewing surveillance footage, CBS Miami reported.

An arrest warrant was obtained on June 11, and Ayesh was arrested on June 18 in Plantation by Broward Sheriff’s deputies, with assistance from law enforcement agencies, according to local reports. He was booked into the Broward County Correctional Center and released the following day, according to online records.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said Ayesh is expected to be charged with two counts of battery with prejudice, a hate-crime-related charge under Florida law. As of Friday, the charges had not yet appeared in Broward or Miami-Dade court records, the Miami Herald reported.

Under Florida law, offenses can be reclassified to a more serious degree when they show evidence of prejudice based on protected characteristics, including religion.


Netanyahu honors fallen brother on 50th anniversary of Entebbe mission
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday paid tribute to his brother, Lt. Col. Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu, on the 50th anniversary of his death while leading the daring Entebbe hostage-rescue operation, describing him as a model of courage, moral clarity and devotion to the Jewish state.

Speaking at a memorial ceremony on Mount Herzl attended by family members, government officials, military commanders and veterans of the elite IDF unit, Sayeret Matkal, Netanyahu reflected on the life and legacy of the officer whose name became synonymous with one of Israel’s most celebrated military operations.

“Fifty years have passed since my eldest brother, Yoni, fell in the heroic operation to free the hostages in Entebbe,” Netanyahu said. “There is not a single day that I do not think of you. I remember you with infinite longing, with deep pain, with immense pride.”

Lt. Col. Yoni Netanyahu was 30 years old when he was killed on July 4, 1976, while leading the Sayeret Matkal force during the rescue operation of 102 hostages at Entebbe Airport in Uganda, now known as “Operation Yonatan.”

Netanyahu, joined by his wife, Sara, and sons Yair and Avner, recalled childhood stories that he said foreshadowed his brother’s future leadership. He described Yoni as a seeker of justice, a natural leader and someone who remained calm under pressure even as a child.

He recounted Yoni’s distinguished military service, from the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War to the July 1976 mission in Uganda that rescued more than 100 hostages held by terrorists.

“‘Operation Yonatan’ raised Israel’s stature among the nations, and it proved to the free world that it is both possible and necessary to fight terrorism,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister said his brother embodied qualities that later inspired generations of Israeli soldiers, including “humanity, moral clarity, courage, sound judgment, exceptional composure, a readiness to lead from the front, and a burning love for the people, the land and the state.”





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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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