Aviv Kohavi

September 19, 2024 | David Daoud, Natalie Ecanow

Israel’s communications attacks push Hezbollah into an uncomfortable corner

Hostilities between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah turned cinematic on September 17 when thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives detonated simultaneously. Hezbollah announced that twelve of...

January 4, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Israel Shifts Tactics in Gaza

Three months into the war in Gaza ,with the defeat of most of the Hamas battalions in northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is preparing for a new phase of fighting. The new phase will focus on...

November 2, 2023 | Seth J. Frantzman |

The key figures leading Israel’s military campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza

Here are the masterminds directing each aspect of the IDF operation

October 26, 2023 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Israel May Tread Carefully With a Two-Front War Threat

Israel has prepared for the possibility of a multi-front war for a decade. Historically, Israel has faced off against threats from the north and south. In 1967 and 1973, it defeated large conventional...

October 20, 2023 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Israel’s Tech Advantage Created Complacency

Hamas’ incursion into Israel shows that technology on its own is no guarantee of victory.

January 26, 2023 | |

Israeli Forces Eliminate Terror Cell Planning Major Attacks

Israeli special forces conducted an unusually complex raid in Jenin on Thursday, eliminating a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) cell suspected of planning major attacks. The Palestinian terrorist group responded by issuing threats of escalation. According to witnesses, the early-morning operation in the West Bank flashpoint town involved a vanguard of undercover commandos who, posing as milk delivery men, closed in on a safe house where a PIJ planning meeting was taking place. The IDF later released drone footage of terrorists attacking Israeli forces from civilian rooftops during the three-hour clash.

January 19, 2023 | Jacob Nagel |

Iran, Iran and Iran: Only one topic should dominate talks with Sullivan and Blinken

The widespread riots in Iran created new turf for the US and Israel to act on, as well as to renew their collaboration. When American officials visit in the coming days, their Israeli counterparts must be singularly focused.

January 16, 2023 | |

Halevi Takes Charge of IDF With An Eye on Iran and Domestic Politics

Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi assumed command of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday, bringing both command experience and an intelligence analyst's caution to a role likely to be tested on multiple fronts against both the regime in Iran and those trying to thrust the IDF into domestic politics.

January 2, 2023 | |

Netanyahu Signals Israel Will Press Syria Strikes

Latest Developments Syria said Israel attacked Damascus International Airport today, briefly putting the site out of service. According to preliminary media reports, the target was a position run by the...

December 14, 2022 | |

Breaking Precedent, Israel Provides Details of Syria Air Strike

Israel’s top general, Aviv Kohavi, revealed today that Israel had exceptionally detailed intelligence about a convoy hit by an airstrike last month while bringing Iranian weapons into Syria. Kohavi did not say explicitly that Israel launched the air strike, yet his description of events matched precisely with reports of an attack on November 8 in the vicinity of Bukamal, near the border between Iraq and Syria. Kohavi said the convoy had 25 trucks, and Israel knew “Truck number eight is the truck with the armaments.” He added, “And you have to send the pilots there, too.” While Israeli leaders have acknowledged the targeting of Iranian weapons shipments, they have rarely telegraphed the Israeli role in specific strikes.

October 27, 2022 | |

More Chaos in the West Bank as Palestinian Authority Loses Grip

On Tuesday, the leader of the new Palestinian terrorist group, Lions’ Den was killed along with four other Palestinian gunmen during a raid by Israeli troops. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) undertook the raid into Nablus as part of Operation Breakwater, which the IDF launched in March following a Palestinian terrorism spree that killed 19 in Israel. The week’s violence shows that the IDF will continue to address the lack of Palestinian Authority (PA) governance of the West Bank with military action.

September 29, 2022 | |

Israeli Operations in West Bank Reflect Shrinking PA Control

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) engaged in a firefight on Wednesday with members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), resulting in four fatalities, three from PIJ and one from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Israeli forces launched the operation in the West Bank town of Jenin to arrest two PIJ men responsible for carrying out a series of shooting attacks against Israelis in recent months. Israeli officials said the pair had planned “more significant attacks in the near future.” The incident points to the troubling trend of increased violence in the West Bank by terrorist groups, which are positioning themselves to assume control of the increasingly lawless Palestinian Authority (PA) when its current president, Mahmoud Abbas, dies or leaves office.

September 15, 2022 | Joe Truzman |

Israel’s Defense Minister Reveals Syrian Military Sites Used to Produce Advanced Weapons for Iran

At a Jerusalem Post conference in New York on Monday, Israel’s Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, revealed a map displaying Syrian arms manufacturing facilities used to produce advanced weapons for Tehran...

September 7, 2022 | |

Israel Thwarts Terror Plots in West Bank, Yet Threats Continue

Israel’s Chief of the General Staff Aviv Kohavi stated on Monday that since late March, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have apprehended approximately 1,500 wanted Palestinians in the West Bank and thwarted “hundreds of attacks.” Kohavi’s statement highlights the significant threat posed by Palestinian terrorist organizations in the territory, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and others.

April 13, 2022 | Jonathan Schanzer |

‘Caught Between a Hammer and an Anvil’

Israel’s in a difficult position when it comes to the war in Ukraine

November 18, 2021 | Jonathan Schanzer |

Book excerpt: ‘Gaza Conflict 2021′ dives into ‘war between wars’

In September of this year, Israel officially came under the area of responsibility of the Pentagon’s Central Command, which covers the wider Middle East. In his new book, “Gaza Conflict 2021,″ Foundation...

November 10, 2021 | Jonathan Schanzer |

A New Threat to Iron Dome

Precision guided munitions will make Israel’s self-defense more challenging and more expensive.

May 13, 2021 | Jonathan Schanzer |

The War Between Wars Heats Up

The hidden hands behind the conflict between Israel and Hamas

February 12, 2021 | Bradley Bowman, Jacob Nagel

Taking a closer look at Israel’s weapons wish list

Eyeing Iran and its terrorist proxies in Syria and Lebanon, Israel’s Cabinet approved on Feb. 7 an Israeli Air Force request to use U.S. foreign military financing and loans to fund approximately $9...

July 11, 2020 | Jacob Nagel, Jonathan Schanzer

Get Ready for a New Type of Israeli War

The focus until now has been on when and where Israel strikes, and not what is being destroyed. But that is now changing.