Special to WorldTribune.com TEL AVIV — Hamas and its Palestinian militia allies have enhanced long-range rocket strikes against Israel. Officials said Hamas and Islamic Jihad rocket strikes have reached unprecedented ranges. They said rockets fired from the Gaza Strip have flown more than 100 kilometers, a 33 percent increase from the last mini-war in 2012. […]
Special to WorldTribune.com JERUSALEM — Israel, amid efforts to restrict prisoner exchanges, faces the prospect of another massive release of Palestinian insurgents. Israeli sources said the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was examining Hamas demands for the release of at least hundreds of Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners. The sources said Hamas relayed its […]
Special to WorldTribune.com TEL AVIV — Israel was said to have suspended a major missile defense program. Officials said the Defense Ministry has shelved plans to accelerate development of the David’s Sling missile defense system. The officials said the ministry and military were not sustaining the program, also financed by the United States, amid deep […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States, amid its rapprochement with Iran, plans to lead a defense seminar with the Gulf Cooperation Council. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was scheduled to leave Washington on May 12 to participate in the U.S.-GCC defense ministers parley in the Saudi city of Jedda. Officials said Hagel would […]
Special to WorldTribune.com TEL AVIV — Israel has received its first U.S.-origin advanced air transport. The Israel Air Force welcomed the arrival of the C-130J at the Nevatim air base on April 9. This marked the first such aircraft out of an Israeli order of three Super Hercules, manufactured by Lockheed Martin. “We see the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States has sent its top military representative to Israel, amid a growing rift between the two nations. President Barack Obama has sent Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey to Israel to review military and defense cooperation. Officials said the president and his aides have been angered by […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States, amid unprecedented criticism of Israel’s defense minister, has awarded a contract for the Middle East ally’s planned Joint Strike Fighter fleet. The Defense Department has awarded a $65.2 million contract to Lockheed Martin to develop the F-35A for the Israel Air Force. Under the contract, L-M would […]
Special to WorldTribune.com TEL AVIV — Israel has reported the interception of a ship loaded with Iranian missiles for the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said naval commandos stopped, boarded and searched a cargo vessel in the Red Sea that contained missiles for the Gaza Strip. The military said the ship, flying the flag […]
Special to WorldTribune.com JERUSALEM — Israel is said to have rejected a U.S. security regime in the West Bank as part of the establishment of a Palestinian state over the next year. Israeli sources said Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon dismissed a plan by U.S. Gen. John Allen that envisioned an interim Israeli military presence in […]
Special to WorldTribune.com TEL AVIV — Israel’s military, amid daily attacks from the Gaza Strip, has resumed targeting suspected Palestinian rocket commanders. On Feb. 9, the Israel Air Force targeted a leading Palestinian rocket commander in the Gaza Strip. The commander, said to have been seriously injured, was identified as Abdullah Al Kharti, a member […]