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Articles by Ron Crissy
A tank, decades-old clues and one final breakthrough: how Israel brought Yehuda Katz home
Forty-four years passed from the last time Yehuda Katz was seen inside his Israeli tank during the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in Lebanon until his remains were finally returned to Israel last week. Over the decades, investigators sifted through testimony and intelligence reports, questioned Palestinians and repeatedly revisited possible locations. The remains of Zachary Baumel, who disappeared in the same 1982 battle, were returned to Israel in 2019.
How Israeli politicians keep turning political stunts into diplomatic disasters
The smashing of a monument Tuesday in the Palestinian village of Madama by lawmaker Zvi Sukkot is only the latest in a long series of statements, actions and policy decisions by members of Israel’s current governing coalition that have triggered diplomatic and public-relations crises abroad. Sukkot entered the village on a tour secured by the IDF and Border Police and took part in destroying the monument.
Hamas survived Israel’s military assault and is now fighting for a political comeback
Nearly three years after the war began, after much of Hamas’ senior leadership was killed, its military wing was severely weakened and large parts of its infrastructure were destroyed, the reality in the Gaza Strip underscores the gap between military achievement and political defeat. The IDF has inflicted unprecedented damage on Hamas, but without an Israeli government plan for the “day after,” Israel has not succeeded in replacing it.
From 'comprehensive peace' to 'provocation of war': Israel-Turkey tensions rise in Syria
Less than a month has passed since Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa declared his desire to reach a security agreement with Israel “that will pave the way for comprehensive peace,” and not even two weeks since reports emerged of a U.S.-Syrian-Israeli agreement to remove nuclear material from the country. Yet in recent days, tensions between the sides have risen.
IDF orders criminal probes into Hind Rajab and Rafah paramedic killings, clears WCK strike
The IDF said Wednesday that military prosecutors have ordered criminal investigations into two high-profile Gaza incidents, including the deaths of Hind Rajab and two Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics and the killing of 15 Palestinians in Rafah, while deciding not to open criminal probes in three other cases involving aid workers and medical organizations.
He fought alongside Yehuda Katz in Battle of Sultan Yacoub: 'I prayed for this moment for 44 years'
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit officially confirmed Tuesday evening that the remains of Master Sgt. Yehuda Yekutiel Katz, who fell in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub nearly 44 years ago, had been brought to Israel. The IDF called the recovery of the remains “closure,” saying it joins previous operations in which Master Sgt. Zachary Baumel was returned to Israel in 2019 and Master Sgt. Tzvika Feldman in 2025.
Last missing IDF soldier from 1982 Lebanon War battle returned to Israel after 44 years
The IDF confirmed Tuesday that the remains of Staff Sgt. Yehuda Yekutiel Katz, who had been missing since the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in the First Lebanon War, were returned to Israel and formally identified, 44 years after he fell in combat. Katz, an Armored Corps soldier, was killed in the battle on June 11, 1982, and had remained officially listed as missing ever since.
IDF strikes Hamas commanders in Gaza port; Palestinian media reports 6 killed, 10 wounded
The IDF said Tuesday it carried out an airstrike against several Hamas commanders in the Shati area near Gaza City’s port, saying they were planning attacks against Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip. According to the military, the Hamas commanders were targeted from the air “to remove the threat” to IDF forces. The IDF said measures were taken before the strike to reduce harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance.
Israel strikes Syrian military airfield after Turkish delegation visit, drawing rare US rebuke
Israel carried out an unusual strike deep inside Syria overnight, targeting the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in the eastern Idlib countryside after a reported visit by a Turkish military delegation to the site, according to Syrian and regional reports.
IDF finds remains of last soldier missing from 1982 Lebanon battle
The IDF has located the remains of Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, the last soldier missing from the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub, bringing closure to one of the most painful unresolved cases from the First Lebanon War. Katz’s remains were located recently, and IDF representatives informed his family of the findings. Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz (Photo: Courtesy of the family) Katz was one of six IDF soldiers left behind on the battlefield after the June 11, 1982, clash with Syrian forces.
Five Thai workers wounded by old munition near Lebanon border
Five Thai migrant workers were wounded Tuesday morning when an old unexploded munition detonated in an open area near Metula, an Israeli town along the Lebanese border, authorities said. Police officers were dispatched to the scene, and bomb disposal specialists were making their way to the area. Security forces at the scene (Photo: Israel Police) Police urged the public not to touch shrapnel, interceptor fragments or other remnants of munitions that may be found in the area.
'Could no longer bear the pain and loss': reservist dies by suicide after Gaza war service
Master Sgt. (res.) Uriel Molto Getahon, 24, from Karmiel, died by suicide Thursday while not on active duty. “The heart aches for his family. For the void that opened in an instant and for the lives that from that moment will never be the same,” wrote the brother of his friend, Staff Sgt. Avraham Ovgan, a soldier in the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion who fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip in February 2024. “Uriel is a painful reminder that not every wound is visible from the outside.
Israel tested over 100 countermeasures, but Hezbollah FPV drones still threaten troops in Lebanon
An IDF officer and two soldiers were seriously wounded overnight Friday when an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah struck a force operating in southern Lebanon, highlighting what has become one of the most persistent threats facing Israeli troops in the area. The drone struck at around 2:30 a.m. near a Yahalom combat engineering force operating as part of the Commando Brigade combat team in the Ali Taher Ridge area.
136 graves, five map fragments: how IDF found fallen soldier’s burial place after 78 years
The breakthrough did not come from a DNA test or a newly discovered official document. It came from five fragments of an old cemetery map, scattered archival records and a sequence of seven names that investigators eventually realized held the key.
‘I was a slave’: Inside decades of workplace abuse allegations against Sara Netanyahu
From personal assistants and house managers to cooks, cleaners and maintenance workers at the prime minister’s residences, former employees have for more than 25 years filed lawsuits, affidavits and complaints describing what they alleged was humiliating and abusive treatment by Sara Netanyahu. Some of the cases ended with court judgments and compensation. Others were settled, dismissed or never resulted in factual findings.
From 20 points to 15: Why Israel is saying no to Trump’s latest Gaza peace plan
Against the backdrop of the approaching Knesset election, media outlets around the world are extensively covering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement Sunday that Israel rejects the Gaza Board of Peace’s 15-point document. “It is a rare public rupture with Mr. Trump, with whom Mr. Netanyahu has conducted a dizzying and sometimes unpredictable partnership,” The New York Times wrote.
Iran’s Israeli spy network: dozens recruited for espionage, sabotage and assassination plots
Nearly two years after the first major Iranian espionage case was exposed in Israel, dozens of Israeli citizens have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out missions for Iranian operatives, including surveillance, sabotage and assassination plots.
Everything depends on Trump: US calls the shots as Israel is sidelined in Iran war
Four months have passed since Operation Roaring Lion ended after 40 days of intense fighting. At the time, after a series of Israeli strikes in Iran, the killing of senior officials and attacks on nuclear and missile infrastructure, a ceasefire was declared — one that was described from the outset as temporary and fragile. It has since been violated repeatedly, Iranian threats have not disappeared and the confrontation between Washington and Tehran has flared again. CNN reported overnight that Gen.
Trump calls Iranian leadership ‘unbelievably duplicitous’ as talks stall
Despite announcing that negotiations would resume Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Iran’s leadership of being “unbelievably duplicitous,” claiming Tehran had requested meetings only to publicly deny that talks were taking place. “Iranian Leadership is unbelievably duplicitous!” Trump wrote.
From Israel to the US: Iran turns water systems into a weapon of cyberwar
The Middle East is one of the driest regions on Earth. Oil and natural gas may be abundant, but the resource most essential to human survival is frequently in short supply: water. Across the Arabian Peninsula, countries rely heavily on desalinated seawater and, in some areas, groundwater drawn from rapidly depleting aquifers.
Jordan foils Iranian missile attack as US launches new wave of strikes
Jordan’s armed forces said Thursday that they had foiled an attempt to target the kingdom with five missiles launched from Iran, according to the state-run Petra news agency. Jordanian officials said all five missiles were successfully intercepted. The attack reportedly targeted U.S. forces stationed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a key military installation in the kingdom.
Trump threatens Iran after six days of calm: "It’s our turn to hit them"
After carrying out its latest wave of strikes on Iran six days ago, overnight between last Thursday and Friday, the United States and the region have experienced a period of relative calm. That changed overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, when Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired a barrage of missiles at U.S. forces in Jordan.
The interceptor crisis behind the Iran war pause — and the risk to Israel
With the war against Iran now effectively on hold, partly amid Pentagon warnings over dwindling interceptor stocks, the West is being forced to confront a problem it largely ignored for decades. Israel could also be affected, despite its substantial domestic production capacity.
Israel’s Gaza revenge list: ‘No Nukhba terrorist is safe’
Less than two weeks after the October 7 massacre, Israel made a clear decision: eliminate everyone involved. As ynet first reported at the time, the Shin Bet established a command center known as NILI — an acronym for the Hebrew phrase “The Eternal One of Israel Will Not Lie” — bringing together intelligence and operational personnel with a single mission: track down and kill every Hamas operative who participated in the assault and returned to Gaza.
The scenarios that could draw Israel into war with Iran, and the one that may keep it out
As U.S. President Donald Trump considers a “massive attack, bigger than ever before” against Iran, and Western intelligence agencies assess that the Islamic Republic may strike Israel first, Jerusalem is confronting one central question: Will Israel be drawn into the conflict, or can it remain outside the fighting? “The Islamic Republic of Iran, we’re doing extremely well,” Trump said Thursday evening. “They would like to do something, but I say they’re not ready yet. They need more of the same.
US masses forces across Middle East as Rubio warns Iran’s price will rise nightly | Interactive map
The United States is rapidly expanding its military presence across the Middle East as its campaign against Iran intensifies, deploying aircraft carriers, fighter squadrons, bombers, surveillance aircraft, special operations forces and additional medical personnel while warning that the cost to Tehran will continue to rise every night.
Iran answers Trump as US tells Israel heavy bombers will return to Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump continued threatening to intensify attacks on Iran, while Tehran responded in kind. Hours after Trump said that every attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz would lead to the destruction of “a bridge or power plant, including in Tehran,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said: “If we cannot sell oil, no one will sell oil.” Israel has also stepped up its preparations for a possible escalation.
US attacks Iran, Tehran claims it destroyed Bahrain’s main AI hub
Clashes between the United States and Iran continued Friday night, with the U.S. military announcing a new wave of strikes on Iran — the seventh consecutive night of American attacks across the Islamic Republic. The U.S. statement said the strikes were intended to “continue degrading Iran’s military capabilities.” Iranian media later reported explosions and attacks in several parts of the country.
IDF detains Israelis after spending day across Syrian border
Several Israeli civilians crossed the border into Syria near Majdal Shams on Thursday and were later located and returned to Israel, the IDF said Friday. According to the military, troops operating in the area searched for the civilians in order to bring them back safely. They were found near the border earlier Friday evening, detained and transferred to Israel Police for further handling.
Vessel hijacked off Yemen as satellite images show Iranian missile hit US Patriot battery
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that a vessel was hijacked this morning (Friday) while transiting the Gulf of Aden, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of the port of Al Mukalla in eastern Yemen. Security sources said armed attackers boarded the chemical tanker ASANA, which was carrying chemical products and was reportedly bound for Bosaso, Somalia.
US attacks Iran for 5th consecutive night, but Trump not ready to send in ground troops
The US military announced Wednesday night that it had launched another wave of strikes in Iran — the fifth consecutive night it has bombed targets in the country. As in previous rounds of strikes, officials said the objective was to degrade Iran’s military capabilities to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran reported explosions in several locations, including the port city of Bandar Abbas, which lies on the Strait of Hormuz, Ahvaz in the country’s southwest and Chabahar in the southeast.
US renews naval blockade and attacks military targets in Iran 'to destroy emerging threats'
After days of exchanges of fire in the Persian Gulf between Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the U.S. military, the renewed blockade of Iranian ports announced Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump is set to take effect Tuesday at 11 p.m. local time. Less than an hour before the blockade was set to resume, Iran reported explosions in Ahvaz in the country’s southwest.
US deploys autonomous ‘suicide boats’ in combat for first time in Iran strike
The United States used unmanned attack boats in combat for the first time this week, sending three long-range vessels toward the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas in an effort to weaken Tehran’s ability to target commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels, known as Corsair, can travel more than 1,600 kilometers at speeds of about 65 kilometers per hour and carry payloads weighing up to 450 kilograms.
US planes cleared Iraq’s skies and nearly exposed Israel’s opening strike on Iran, IDF general says
“The moment our aircraft took off toward Iran, U.S. planes routinely stationed in Iraq unexpectedly landed at their bases, clearing the skies,” recalled retired Brig. Gen. R., who commanded the control center in the Israeli Air Force’s underground command post on the night of the strikes during Operation Rising Lion.
US ends Iran strikes as Tehran keeps firing; oil prices surge, Gulf base damage revealed
Iran continued launching missiles and drones at U.S. military bases across the Middle East on Monday morning, even after Washington announced that it had completed its latest wave of strikes against targets across Iran. Air-raid sirens sounded in Bahrain shortly before 9 a.m. Israel time, the third alert there overnight. Iran said its retaliation also targeted American facilities in Kuwait and Oman, as well as Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan. Jordan said its air defenses intercepted four missiles.
US strikes Iran again; Tehran targets Gulf bases and Jordan as Israel braces for wider escalation
U.S. forces launched a new wave of strikes against targets across Iran early Monday as fighting over freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz intensified, prompting Tehran to fire missiles and drones at American military bases across the Middle East. U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said dozens of targets were struck with precision weapons in an operation intended to reduce Iran’s ability to attack vessels passing through the strait, one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
Satellite images show Iran rebuilding suspected nuclear weapons site
Researchers identify extensive repairs and stronger defenses at Taleghan 2, a facility inside the Parchin military complex previously linked to nuclear weapons research, despite Iran’s commitment to freeze its nuclear program during negotiations with Washington CNN published exclusive satellite images Friday showing that Iran is rebuilding Taleghan 2, a suspected nuclear weapons research facility inside the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran, despite an agreement with the United...
Satellite images show Iran rebuilding suspected nuclear weapons site
CNN published exclusive satellite images Friday showing that Iran is rebuilding Taleghan 2, a suspected nuclear weapons research facility inside the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran, despite an agreement with the United States requiring it to maintain the status quo across its nuclear program.
I thought I knew cruise ships; Then I stepped aboard the world’s largest one
If you had told me a week ago that it was possible to spend five days on a ship and still leave feeling like I hadn’t managed to see everything, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But that is exactly how I felt when I stepped off the Legend of the Seas in Rome. There is a moment, even before passing through security, when you realize that everything you thought you knew about cruise ships is no longer really relevant. It happens on the road to the port in Malaga.
Israel failing to crack down on prostitution clients and brothels
Outgoing State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman published a report Tuesday on prostitution and human trafficking for sexual exploitation, pointing to deep gaps in the implementation of Israel’s law banning the purchase of prostitution services and warning of possible under-enforcement. Six years after the law took effect, Englman wrote, “the enforcement actions taken are insufficient, even though they are essential to reducing the phenomenon.
Night fire, accusations and threats: ceasefire holds despite US-Iran strikes
After overnight U.S. military strikes on targets near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps accused Washington on Saturday morning of violating its commitments. Iran said IRGC naval forces attacked U.S. military positions in the area in response. Shortly afterward, Bahrain said it had come under attack Saturday morning by drones launched from Iran.
US struck Iranian missile and radar sites in response to Hormuz shipping attack
Explosions were heard Friday evening in the area of the port city of Sirik in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, and shortly afterward the U.S. military said it was behind the strikes. Minutes earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a veiled warning toward Tehran, which had attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz the previous day using drones.
‘No concessions’: Entebbe files reveal drama behind one of Israel’s most daring rescue operations
"Before we continue, I have an announcement," Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin told ministers during a Cabinet meeting. "An Air France aircraft has apparently been hijacked." Fifty years have passed since June 27, 1976. The Israel State Archives, under the Prime Minister's Office, released, for the first time on Friday, the classified protocols from Cabinet meetings, Security Cabinet discussions and the special ministerial team established to manage the crisis.
'Soldier missing from tank': 20 years later, IDF logs reveal Gilad Shalit abduction minute-by-minute
Twenty years after the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, newly released operational logs from the Israel Defense Forces Archive at the Ministry of Defense reconstruct in precise chronological detail the morning of June 25, 2006, when a Hamas cross-border attack near Kerem Shalom escalated into one of the most consequential security incidents in Israel’s modern history.
Iran seals uranium stockpiles, complicating US transfer plans
Amid the ceasefire, Iran has in recent weeks sharply increased efforts to seal its enriched uranium stockpile by deliberately collapsing tunnels and bombing entrances with mines, according to a CNN report Saturday citing five sources familiar with U.S. intelligence. The report said this makes reaching the hundreds of kilograms of uranium extremely difficult, dangerous and time consuming.
Tensions persist as US-Iran agreement nears and drones target Israel and Hormuz shipping
CENTCOM, the U.S. Central Command, said overnight between Friday and Saturday Israeli time that it had intercepted several drones launched by Iran toward the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s Iran ceasefire is starting to look like a countdown to war
More than two months have passed since U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, and although relative calm has largely prevailed, sporadic exchanges of fire — particularly over the past week — have repeatedly threatened to spiral into a full-scale war. Between U.S. strikes, Trump has continued to issue threats against Iran's clerical leadership, while Tehran has responded with warnings directed at Washington, Israel and Gulf states.
IDF confirms Ramat David Airbase hit by Iranian missile fire
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Wednesday afternoon that the Ramat David Airbase was damaged in the Iranian missile attack two days ago. The military is investigating whether the damage was caused by a direct hit. No injuries were reported. An analysis of satellite images published Tuesday by the company Soar had already indicated that a hangar at the air base was damaged during the recent escalation with Iran.
Prison overload forced Shin Bet to cut West Bank arrests, free Gazans deemed 'security risks'
Israel failed to prepare for the long-term detention of thousands of security prisoners arrested after the October 7 attack and during the war in Gaza, despite prior warnings of a national prison crisis, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said in a report published Tuesday.
Possible damage seen at Israeli air base after Iran missile barrage | Watch
Satellite images published online by the company Soar suggest that a hangar at the Israeli Air Force’s Ramat David base, near Migdal HaEmek, may have been damaged during the latest escalation with Iran. The low-resolution image, taken Monday and presented in comparison with a photo from June 5, appears to show a mark at the location of the hangar.
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