יום חמישי, כ׳ תשרי תשפ״זThursday, October 1, 2026
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By Barry Rubin
Pretending there’s no elephant in the world doesn’t protect anyone from getting trampled.
Syrian rebels have claimed that they wounded Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s top deputy in the bombing of a Syrian army convoy, but Hizbullah immediately denied it. A Lebanese newspaper reported that rebels said Naim Qassem was with senior army officers loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad when the explosion hit the convoy on the Damascus-Beirut […]
Obama’s policy is Saudi policy. That is where the irrational push to create a Palestinian state comes from, and that is where the handcuffs on the IDF are forged.
In the version of events provided by Argo, it wasn't radical Islamists who stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, but the Iranian people as a whole.
The joint Israeli-American Arrow anti-missile system scored its first successful trial at a would-be Israeli target over the Mediterranean Sea Monday morning. The experiment tested the launch system but did not include a dummy missile target. One of the potential targets for the Arrow is the Iranian Shihab missile. The Arrow 3 interceptor was successfully […]
United Nations nuclear watchdogs said Thursday that Iran has installed next-generation centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear plant, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu quickly responded that it has come closer to his “red line.” The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it saw the centrifuges earlier this month, adding that “this is the first time that […]
By Daniel Pipes
You expressed having had "genuine concerns" about Hagel prior to your White House meeting with him; now is the moment for you to follow the dictates of your conscience.
First it was Barbie dolls. Then it was the Simpsons, another Western “evil.” Now, Iran defends itself against the wicked East and bans Buddha statues.
If the Mullahs can simply buy a usable and tested bomb design from North Korea, they could transform their status into a nuclear weapons state overnight.
Iran is waiting for the United States to flee from Afghanistan in order to take control of it and its resources.
Only if sanctions are backed by "credible military threat" will there be a chance that Iran will peacefully halt its nuclear program, Netanyahu said.
By Barry Rubin
If they could have pressed a button and Israel would have disappeared, almost none of them would have hesitated.
By Barry Rubin
Obama's State of the Union address touted an American return to world leadership, but concealed the failure of Obama's policies, especially in the Middle East.
Hezbollah is preparing for the next conflict with Israel.
The real villain is the Iranian regime, which has colonized Syria and is colonizing Lebanon in its attempt to squeeze out U.S. influence in the Middle East.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Europe for failing to combat terrorists. Of course we wasn't referring to Hezbollah.
Early in his first term Obama tried to similarly link Israeli peace efforts and U.S. action on Iran's nuclear program.
The Emergency Committee for Israel released a new web ad highlighting Chuch Hagel's confused response about U.S. policy on Iran.
By Barry Rubin
Hagel's brain is the mass market version of Kerry's and Kerry's is the collector's edition of Obama.
It is important to Assad to promote the narrative that his ‘legitimate’ regime is under attack by outsiders like Israel.
By Barry Rubin
The left has sided with the reactionaries and against their comrades in other countries because they hate their own countries’ systems more.
By Barry Rubin
Once the rebels start consolidating rule, as happened in Egypt, there will be increasing examples radical Islamist control which the West will ignore.
President Obama, one could easily accuse the US of not knowing what is in their best interests. After all, they re-elected you, didn't they?
If Schumer buys Hagel's transformation so will a majority of senators.
Turkey is now not only openly hostile to the Jewish State, but also to the Jewish people.
By Daniel Pipes
The time is well overdue to respond to IRGC atrocities with the language of force that Iranian leaders only understand.
The burden is now on Senator Hagel to persuade the Senate, the American people, and the leaders of Iran that he is fully supportive of the President's commitment to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
By Barry Rubin
Smart people can make bad judgments; regular people with common sense often make bad judgments less often. But stupid, arrogant people with terrible ideas are a disaster.
By Daniel Pipes
The 25-minute show was the most hare-brained and loony of my 35 years going on television.
By Barry Rubin
The current voluntary, but not inevitable, decline of the United States places many US allies at risk.
The first day of a US military strike on Iran will result in a massive 30,000 casualties of American soldiers, according to Iran’s Former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
Although the wider regional implications of Assad's pending collapse remain unknown, the fall of the Alawite regime will undoubtedly strike a major blow to Iran.
By Amin Farouk
The genie will be let out according to the strategic needs of Sunni Islam.
She concluded her starvation protest after the Iranian dictatorship acceded to her main demand
In an attempt to meet the demands for online entertainment starved since the official censoring of YouTube in 2009, Iran’s government has created an “acceptable” version of the video site, filled with government-approved content.
By J. E. Dyer
One of the key lessons from a career in Naval Intelligence is that if you can imagine it, someone is trying to do it.
On Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton released the following press statement: The United States and the international community remain committed to maintaining pressure on the Iranian regime until it fully addresses concerns about its nuclear program. That’s why today I am pleased to announce that China, India, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Sri […]
By J. E. Dyer
Missile tests popping up all over Asia should be seen in this light. Everyone’s arming up, starting with Russia
Steadily, Israel is strengthening its plans for ballistic missile defense, most visibly on the Arrow system and also on Iron Dome, a lower-altitude interceptor that is designed to guard against shorter-range rocket attacks from Lebanon and Gaza.
The US Senate approved a massive $631 billion defense bill authorizing new funds for weapons, air and sea craft, and pay raises for military officials.
By JTA
The Obama administration made a last-minute effort to kill the amendment.
By Harold Rhode
Hamas has become a tool for both the Sunni and Shi'ite fundamentalists to use in their battle not only against the non-Muslim world, but against each other.
Israel's final decision concerning what to do about a nuclear Iran will depend on answers to certain core psychological questions. Is the Iranian adversary rational, valuing national survival more highly than any other preference, or combination of preferences? Or, on even a single occasion, is this enemy more apt to prove itself irrational, thereby choosing to value certain preferences more highly than the country's indispensable physical security?
We doubt anyone outside of the Palestinian street really believes the stream of Hamas hyperbole that it emerged from Operation Pillar Of Defense in a better position than before. Of course, we have come to expect this sort of fantasy-based spin from much of the Arab world. Indeed, all reports prior to the cease-fire indicated that Hamas’s military capacity had been severely degraded and its ability to shoot rockets at Israel largely neutralized, at least for now. And Hamas lost some of its top military commanders.
This alarming news came after the publication of the latest IAEA report that was unusually outspoken about the development of a nuclear weapon by Iran.
By Matt Barber
At times, complicated issues are most clearly understood in simple terms. Speaking before the Knesset in 2006, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (who at the time was the opposition leader) captured, in two brief sentences, that which lies at the heart of the ongoing, centuries-old Arab-Israeli conflict: “The truth is that if Israel were to put down its arms, there would be no more Israel. If the Arabs were to put down their arms, there would be no more war.”
By J. E. Dyer
Morsi has assumed dictatorial powers in Egypt. Courageous Egyptians are protesting that move, but Morsi has less compunction than Mubarak did, and we can expect the protests to be dealt with effectively. Those of us who said Morsi was an Islamist extremist who would quickly reestablish authoritarianism in Egypt – with a sharia flavor – were right. There’s a new Pharaoh in town.
When Bibi Netanyahu addressed the U.N. and challenged the world to take a tough stance on Iran, his call to draw a red line met with comments on his artistic ability and mixed reviews on his political insights. One can argue that the Europeans take the threat of Iran seriously. The European Union imposed its toughest sanctions on […]
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius outraged Tehran by placing the onus of “heavy responsibility” for the recent war between Israel and Gaza terrorists on Iran.
Iran’s Fars news agency is alleging that emir of Qatar, King Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani helped Israel kill Hamas terror leaders by placing tracking devices throughout the region.
I can’t see any way to complete the operation against Hamas without a ground invasion.
By Jewish Press Staff Reporter
Late last night The Jewish Press attended a phone briefing with IDF Spokesperson Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich. This is a transcript of the conference, with some of the figures updated.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will soon issue a report showing that Iranian nuclear centrifuges are dramatically increasing their production, according to a report by the AFP.
By Barry Rubin
The most important foreign policy effort President Barack Obama will be making over the next year is negotiating with Iran. The terms of the U.S. offer are clear: if Iran agrees not to build nuclear weapons, it will be allowed to enrich a certain amount of uranium, supposedly for purposes of generating nuclear energy (which Iran doesn’t need) and other benefits, supposedly under strict safeguards.
As rocket barrages assault southern Israel, Iran launched its own air operations Monday, in the form of massive air defense drills.
President Obama on Friday renewed America's 33-year-old state of emergency against Iran.
By Barry Rubin
Over and over again I’ve written about what President Barack Obama should do. Now the voters have given him a whole new chance. He could take it and change his policy. I don't believe he will do that but let me lay out both what he's been wrong and what he should do, just in case Obama is seeking a different approach.
The Jerusalem Post's Gil Hoffman told this college audience that Iran is the issue Israelis care most about. He also told them that war is the last approach Israel wants to take.
By Jacob Kamaras and Alina Dain Sharon
Capping a race that on a national level was largely defined by the economy but in the Jewish community turned into an extended debate over which candidate would steer the best course for U.S.-Israel relations, President Barack Obama defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Tuesday to earn a second term.
There it is: four more years of Barack Obama. What does it mean for Israel? The bilateral talks with Iran run by Valerie Jarrett will continue. One can hope for the best, but it is very unlikely that an agreement will be reached that will include the effective dismantling of Iran’s bomb-building capability. It’s not at all comforting to think that Israel’s security will be in the hands of Jarrett, Obama’s Chicago fixer. One can speculate what Romney might have done differently, but that is not an option now.
Despite the verbal confrontation between Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, Israeli and Iranian officials participated this week in secret talks in Brussels, Belgium, on dismantling both countries' arsenals of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
"If Israel is attacked" is a phrase heard often by mostly well-meaning politicians from both American parties when they are out on the campaign trail, or even while holding office, to express their intent to come to the aid of the Jewish state. But as anyone who both follows current events and has any semblance of logic knows, not only is the phrase trite, but it reveals a certain unfamiliarity with the Middle East today and is even dangerous as pertains to Iran.
By Barry Rubin
Once upon a time, Arab nationalism ruled the Middle East. Its doctrine saw Arab identity as the key to political success. Some regarded Islam as important; others were secular. Yet there was no doubt that national identity was in charge. All Arabs should unite, said the radical nationalists who ruled in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere, to destroy Israel, expel Western influence, and create a utopian single state in the region. Instead, of course, the period was characterized by battles among the radical Arab states for leadership. The less extreme ones sought survival through a combination of giving lip service to radical slogans, paying off the stronger regimes, and getting Western help.
While Obama's proposed budget decreased funding for Israeli anti-missile systems, it was Congress which, in the end, nearly doubled the funding.
Yedioth Aharonoth has just published a story that appears so far to be a last-minute, pre-election leak from the Israeli prime minister's office, regarding the presence in Iran of White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett to "assist the U.S. government" in negotiating with a representatives of supreme leader Ali Khamenei. the termination of Iran's nuclear weapons program. […]
An interview with Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak — thinly disguised as “the decision-maker” created a sensation in early August, when he suggested that an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities was imminent. Barak explained that Israel could not depend on an American commitment to destroy the program in the future, even if it were made today. Suddenly, last week, Barak began to sing a different tune.
Saddam fell, the evil regime that he established fell with him and the people of Iraq could finally breathe freely.
A massive war game simulation by the Institute for National Security Studies of the IDF’s engagement after a strike on Iran recently took place, illustrating Israel’s increasing preparedness for putting a military end to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
After the Europeans pulled the plug on Iranian satellite transmissions because of the sanctions against Iran, Iranian stations are back on the air. The Iranians have reportedly transferred their transmissions over to a Russian satellite, once again bypassing the sanctions against them. The Wall Street Journal reports that up until October 15, IRIB (Iran's broadcast […]
There’s no question Iran’s corrupt and abusive regime is feeling the bite of tough new sanctions. These sanctions are our only hope short of armed conflict of stopping Iran – the world’s number one sponsor of terror and single greatest threat to the state of Israel – from obtaining nuclear weapons.
It turns out that soon after taking office, President Obama tried to make friends – totally – with the mullahs’ regime in Iran.
Stop the Bomb, a European coalition which works towards the enactment of economic and political sanctions against the Iranian Islamist regime, has criticized the lack of action by the Austrian authorities.
Netanyahu will meet with Hollande at 7 AM, NY time, and will focus mainly on the Iranian nuclear program, two weeks after the European Union imposed additional sanctions against Iran. Netanyahu will most likely find in Hollande a sympathetic ally, as France is one of the leading countries in demanding imposing further sanctions against Iran.
Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Sunday that Iran has in its possession UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) which are far more advanced than the one which the Hezbollah recently sent into Israel.
I've been reading about the airstrikes in Sudan. I first read about it as part of a threat from Khartoum, that they reserve the right to strike Israel back. It was, according to the Sudanese, a foregone conclusion that Israel was responsible. My first reaction was a snicker that combined two thoughts simultaneously, "yeah, like they can reach us" and "sheesh, something explodes and they blame us." I stand by the first response, but retract the second one.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti stood behind Europe’s imposition of sanctions against Iran, saying they are “inflicting pain” against the country which has chosen to continue with its nuclear program rather than put an end to international critique and ostracism. Speaking during a visit to Jerusalem alongside Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Monti said "Israel's security […]
A few months after he had been elected, President Barack Obama attempted to renew on a gradual basis U.S. diplomatic relations with Iran.
A new book shows clearly the parallels between Iran during Carter's regime and today.
On university campuses, students have for the most part remained stalwart supporters of their original candidate, and the debates have merely informed and educated student voters. Still, it appears that many Zionist students are unforgiving of President Obama’s foreign policies, and demand that immediate action be taken in attending to Iran’s nuclear program.
By Barry Rubin
A full analysis of the foreign policy aspects of the third debate between President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Remember that the idea that someone “won” the debate in terms of an outside observer’s standpoint or even based on a poll is misleading. The only important thing is whether either candidate swayed additional voters to his side.
In my last blog, I called attention to a report that the US and Iran had made a secret agreement to end sanctions in return for a halt or pause in uranium enrichment. I suggested that this could be an “October Surprise:” the Obama campaign could claim that the President’s policy of partial sanctions and “tough diplomacy” had forced the Iranians to back down from their march toward nuclear weapons.
By Peter Huessy
The major argument against taking preemptive military action against Iran is the fear that Tehran's retaliatory capability will engulf the Middle East and other regions in serious violence and turmoil, throwing the world's already fragile economy into a deep recession or even an economic depression. This mindset is coupled with a peculiar assumption that absent […]
By Barry Rubin
Are supposed negotiations with Iran the “October Surprise” intended to win the election for President Barack Obama, an Iranian trick for buying time, or both? The answer is both. It’s an incredibly transparent ploy though with the cooperation of the mass media such a gimmick might well have some effect.
Can we expect an October Surprise this year? We may already have one brewing. A former CIA operative calling himself “Reza Khalili” and claiming to have been an agent inside the Iranian Revolutionary Guards organization, who has previously made skeptically-received claims that Iran had already produced 90% enriched uranium, is now saying that the Obama Administration has struck a deal with the Iranian regime that will shortly be announced:
“It’s not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections a National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said following the publication of a New York Times report saying the White House and Iran agreed to hold direct negotiations over its nuclear program after election day.
By Barry Rubin
Perhaps you remember an incredibly sensational story from back in October 2011 that after a brief period in the headlines disappeared completely. The U.S. government arrested an Iranian-American citizen in Texas and charged him with being an agent of the Iranian government who planned at Tehran’s behest to hire a Mexican drug gang to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in a fiery terrorist attack in Washington D.C. It would have been another September 11, albeit on a far smaller scale. Knowing about such an operation should have been a real game-changer for U.S. Middle East policy.
The United States and Israel will conduct their largest-ever joint missile defense exercise this month, making a display of solidarity as the international rift over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program grows.
By Ron Kampeas
WASHINGTON – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made headlines last month with this question: What are the U.S. red lines when it comes to Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons program?
Because of concern for scuttling a major telecommunications deal with Iran, Sweden will oppose any additional sanctions by the European Union against the country, according to a report in Haaretz.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently warned that, “The results of an American or Israeli military strike on Iran could, in my view, prove catastrophic, haunting us for generations in that part of the world.” During Thursday's Vice Presidential debate the statement was read to Vice President Joe Biden and Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan at the start of segment on Iran. What exactly Gates meant by “catastrophic” I’m not sure (Muslim/Middle East resentment towards the U.S.? Lack of access to oil? Increase in global terrorism?), but during the debate, both Biden and debate moderator Martha Raddatz seemed to argue that it meant going to war with Iran.
Vice President Joe Biden recently spoke at two of the largest retirement villages in South Florida, Boca Raton’s Century Village and Tamarac’s Kings Point. Biden, of course, was representing Barack Obama’s bid for reelection in the forthcoming presidential election.
By JTA
Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan clashed over Iran’s nuclear program during their televised debate. Ryan assailed President Obama’s approach to the issue in Thursday night's vice presidential debate at Centre College in Danville, Ky. The Wisconsin congressman accused administration officials of sending "mixed signals" to Iran about U.S. […]
Many are saying that this year will be momentous. They say that this will be the year when the decision whether to attack Iran will be made, that this will be a decisive year in the political arena, and that this year will be an unforgettable one – engraved in history.
Late last week former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated that Washington must make it clear to Israeli leaders that the U.S. must not permit Israel to harm American interests. Previously, Gates had called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an “ungrateful ally.” It would be a serious mistake to slough off these most recent statements as the idle rantings of a retired civil servant.
With the dramatic stroke of a red marker, the “Bibi Bomb” became an instant sensation. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood before world leaders on September 27 at the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, he faced a colossal challenge. Despite the vocal skepticism of those who feel the situation is not as dire as he maintains, Netanyahu has been steadfast in his insistence that Iran is well on its way to stockpiling enough enriched uranium to construct a nuclear bomb.
Danon, 41, deputy speaker of Israel’s Knesset and chairman of World Likud, published his first book last month, Israel: The Will to Prevail (published by Palgrave Macmillan). In it, he outlines his vision for Israel’s future while also reviewing historical, religious, political, legal, and contemporary factors crucial for understanding modern-day Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu announced Tuesday evening that general elections will be held in early 2013. A date was not specified, though the prime minister said the elections would take place “as soon as possible” - possibly as early as mid-January.
Questions abound as the IDF released scant information about the drone which entered Israeli airspace. News agencies add additional minor details but the large questions remain unanswered for the moment. China's Xinhua news service says the unidentified drone flew over settlements and military bases in southern Israel briefly before being brought down by IDF fire over an open unpopulated area. It was spotted entering Israel's airspace from the Mediterranean sea heading from the west to the east. But there is no word on where the UAV originated.
By JTA
He smuggled goods to Syria in the midst of its civil war and to Iran in the face of international sanctions, but Rabbi A.H. is no arms dealer or James Bond. He’s just a guy selling lulavs.
October 2, 2026 
