Israel successfully shot down a Syrian jet fighter after it flew into Israeli territory early on September 23. Israel has repeatedly made clear it will only intervene in the Syrian civil war if Israeli sovereignty is challenged. The Israel Defense Forces initial report of the incident was posted to its...

The sudden release of 49 Turkish diplomats held by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) since June has raised suggestions that Ankara may be secretly collaborating with ISIS to oppose Syria’s Kurdish population. Writing in the British Independent on September 21, veteran columnist Patrick Cockburn said: Mystery surrounds the...

The Irish soldiers stationed on the Golan Heights, meant to be the main security element of the United Nations force there, had to leave a key weapon behind in Ireland, leaving it much harder for them to defend their international colleagues from the threat of al-Qaeda. The story was reported...

Yesterday, the IDF’s official blog presented an analysis by a senior IDF officer concerning the security challenges facing Israel on its northern border with Lebanon. According to the report, Hezbollah is continuing to affirm its presence in the area, and “for the first time in years, Hezbollah flags can be seen near the...

On the day singers Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga performed together in Tel Aviv, some 300 Hollywood stars and behind-the-lens staff put their name to an ad in The New York Times decrying Hamas’ raison d’être and its actions. We, the undersigned, are saddened by the devastating loss of life...

Newsweek magazine reported today on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) “organised recruiting network,” which is “operating online and through religious study groups” in and around Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city. Although a government official quoted in the report claims that “all necessary actions and precautions are being taken” to...