Defense, military, and security reporting routed into the Defense & Security desk.
Israel reportedly sent an Iron Dome battery and IDF personnel to the United Arab Emirates in the opening phase of the war with Iran, marking the first known deployment of the system to another country during active combat. The reported move points to deepening military coordination between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi as Iranian missile and drone attacks expanded across the region.
Israel and the United States are set to begin formal talks next month on a new defense aid framework that would gradually reduce direct American military financing and move toward ending it by 2038. The emerging model is expected to cut annual weapons funding while expanding joint development of advanced defense systems.
Israel’s Defense Ministry has placed new orders worth about $200 million with Elbit Systems for advanced airborne munitions, expanding a wartime procurement drive aimed at strengthening domestic production and reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.
"The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman issued a warning to residents of southern Lebanon not to approach the Litani River area, Wadi Salqani and Salouqi, and not to move south of the Yellow Line during the ceasefire period. The statement said Israeli forces remain deployed in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah activity and listed villages to which return is currently barred
Israel is preparing to resume intense combat throughout Gaza at the start of next month after Hamas reaffirmed its refusal to demilitarize the Strip and disarm, according to a report by Channel 14’s Hallel Bitton Rosen.
The IDF and Defense Ministry are preparing to procure 12,000 Israeli-made FPV assault drones in a new tender aimed at adapting to the rapid expansion of drone warfare against Hamas and Hezbollah. The move reflects growing concern over the battlefield impact of low-cost attack drones and the need for a more secure domestic supply chain.
U.S. Central Command says the guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) is operating in the Arabian Sea as U.S. forces enforce the naval blockade on ships attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports. CENTCOM says 21 vessels have complied with U.S. instructions to turn back and return to Iran since the blockade began.
Canada’s Coast Guard is set to begin routine test flights this summer of the Hermes 900 Starliner UAV made by Israel’s Elbit Systems. The drone was originally acquired by Canada’s Transport Ministry in 2020 and was recently transferred to the Coast Guard as part of a government restructuring under Prime Minister Mark Carney aimed at consolidating surveillance assets and helping meet NATO spending targets.
Israel-based ParaZero has received a new follow-on order from an unnamed defense customer for its DefendAir counter-drone system, as demand rises for non-kinetic air defense tools. The company said the purchase includes personal net launchers, deployable net pods, and a training package combining live exercises and simulation.
Israeli special forces landed on the Christopheni Ridge in southern Lebanon minutes before the ceasefire came into force, in an operation approved by the IDF chief of staff. The military said troops are now established in the area and remain on immediate alert to remove threats between the border and the line defined under the ceasefire understandings.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday that Israeli forces will continue to hold every area cleared in southern Lebanon during the current ceasefire, while warning that key war objectives against Hezbollah remain unfinished. He said Israel is committed to disarming Hezbollah through military or diplomatic means and may resume operations if necessary.
The Israeli military said it has used its advanced Ro’em artillery battery in operations against Hezbollah targets for the first time. The system is designed to improve rate of fire, precision and mobility while reducing physical strain on crews.
