News Digest — 5/21/26
Female Soldier Seriously Wounded By Explosive Drone In Southern Lebanon
An Israel Defense Forces female soldier was seriously wounded Wednesday (20th), while a combat officer and two additional soldiers were moderately wounded as a result of an explosive drone impact in southern Lebanon.
Another combat soldier and two additional soldiers were lightly wounded in the same incident. The injured soldiers were evacuated to the hospital and their families were notified.
Earlier on Wednesday (20th), the commander of the 401st Armored Brigade, Colonel Meir Biderman, was seriously wounded, and a reserve combat soldier was moderately wounded after another explosive drone strike in southern Lebanon. A reserve soldier was also lightly wounded in that incident.
Following the incident, Col. (res.) H., who currently serves as the brigade’s chief of staff, will temporarily fill Biderman’s position.
In October 2024, after the death of 401st Brigade commander Colonel Ahsan Daqsa in battle in Jabaliya, Meir Biderman was appointed commander of the brigade.
He assumed the role during an especially difficult period amid intense fighting and led brigade forces in offensive operations in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Biderman took command during challenging moments, when operational realities demanded steady leadership and a frontline presence.
The IDF noted that since assuming command, he has consistently remained alongside the soldiers in the field, closely leading combat operations and strengthening the brigade’s fighting spirit even under fire.
Hezbollah Waging War Of Attrition Against IDF In Lebanon – Yoni Ben Menachem
Officially, a ceasefire remains in effect between the IDF and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. In practice, however, the situation appears very different. The IDF Spokesperson announced on May 13 that since the ceasefire understandings came into force, the Israel Air Force has struck more than 1,100 Hezbollah targets and eliminated over 350 operatives.
Senior Israeli security officials confirm that Hezbollah has shifted to a “war of attrition” against the Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah’s strategy is aimed not only at inflicting casualties on the IDF, but also at undermining the Israeli home front’s sense of security.
Hezbollah’s recent operations indicate a transition from isolated rocket launches and sporadic drone attacks to coordinated and sophisticated strike formations. After an initial strike using an explosive drone or precision fire, rescue, evacuation, and reinforcement forces arriving at the scene are then targeted in subsequent attacks. Simultaneously, Hezbollah has expanded its use of coordinated attack-drone-swarms operating at the same time. (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
(jcfa.org)
PM, Katz On Jordan Border: “Our Enemies Want To Invade, We Reinforce The Defense Line
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz conducted a security tour on Wednesday (20th) along Israel’s eastern border. The visit was attended by the Deputy Chief of Staff, the commander of Division 96, and other senior military officers.
During the visit, Netanyahu and Katz arrived at one of the sector’s main “Waterline Outposts” – an advanced network of positions that recently underwent extensive renovation and upgrades as part of a broader strategic plan to strengthen and expand frontline defense lines. The initiative is intended to prevent weapons smuggling and large-scale infiltration attempts by pro-Iranian militias or terrorist groups.
As part of the tour, the prime minister and defense minister received detailed intelligence and operational briefings on efforts to reinforce border defenses, including the construction of a new physical and technological barrier along the frontier and the deployment of advanced surveillance systems, radar capabilities, and combat equipment. They later held an open discussion with regular and reserve soldiers serving in the sector under complex conditions.
Netanyahu praised the troops operating in the area and told them: “I am very impressed by the work you are doing here. This is extremely important work in defending the eastern border. We take into account that our enemies want to invade the State of Israel, and therefore we rely on you. I was very impressed by the new tools and capabilities, but above all I am impressed by you. I want to strengthen you and tell you that the entire people of Israel trust you. I salute you. – well done.”
Majority Of Lebanese Civilians Want Peace Agreement With Israel, Hezbollah disarmed – Poll
The majority of Lebanese civilians want to see a peace agreement reached with Israel, according to a new poll conducted by the International Information Company in Lebanon, first published by the Lebanese news outlet Al Jadeed on Monday (18th).
The data collected from 2,000 respondents across Lebanese sects and regions between April 28 and May 5, found that Druze showed the highest support for a peace agreement with Israel at 84%, followed by Maronite respondents at 77% and Orthodox Christians at 72%.
While the majority of respondents supported a peace agreement, Lebanon’s Muslim population was less supportive. A slight majority of Sunnis (52%) wanted a deal, while 92% of Shiites said they would oppose such a move.
Despite wanting a peace deal, a slight majority of 59% said they opposed Beirut normalizing ties with Jerusalem. A sweeping majority of Shiites (94%) and Sunnis (74%) said they opposed normalization, while 58% of Maronites, 49% of Orthodox Christians, and 79% of Druze said they would support normalization.
Though normalization remains a divisive issue, the poll noted that it was growing in popularity, with support for such a move standing at only 13.2% in August 2025.
Regarding the theoretical opening of an Israeli embassy in Lebanon, 20.9% of respondents said they would support the move, 11.1% were neutral, and 66.6% opposed it. Only the Druze majority held a positive attitude toward the prospective embassy (70.1%), while 32.3% of Maronites and 31.9% of Orthodox Christians said the same.
Additionally, only 43% of respondents said they would support direct contact between Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Again, Druze (80.7%), Maronites (72.3%), and Orthodox Christians (69.5% were more open to such direct communications, while 92.5% of Shiites and 54.4% of Sunnis were opposed.
Following Beirut’s decision to legislate an arms ban for non-state actors, the respondents were questioned on whether they supported disarming Hezbollah. A slight majority of 58% supported taking away Hezbollah’s military capabilities, while 34% opposed.
A large majority of Shiites (88%) opposed Hezbollah’s disarmament, in addition to 70% of Sunni respondents. Conversely, 89% of Orthodox Christians, 67% of Maronites, and 77% of Druze said they agreed with the need to disarm the Iran-backed terror group.,
Asked who was to blame for the latest round of conflict, which saw Hezbollah break an existing ceasefire on March 2 and attack Israel in response to the assassination of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the blame seemed to be equally distributed, the respondents indicated. Around a third of respondents (32.9%) blamed Israel, while 32.8% blamed Hezbollah, and 12.1% said that everyone bears responsibility.
The Druze majority, at 61%, blamed Hezbollah, as did half of the Orthodox Christians, while 67.7% of Shiites blamed Israel without attributing any blame to Hezbollah. 39% of Sunnis pointed the fault at Hezbollah, and 33% claimed Israel was to blame.
The majority polled did not seem to believe Israel’s return to war against Hezbollah had been due to the Iranian group’s attack on civilian communities, rather, 64.5% said they believed Israel’s ambitions were to seize control over Lebanon’s soil, water, and other resources, and 54.7% said they believe Israel would have attacked Lebanon even if Hezbollah didn’t launch an aerial assault.
Czech FM Vows To Block EU Sanctions Against Israel After Meeting With FM Sa’ar
Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said that his nation will stand with Israel and do everything it can to block European Union sanctions against Israel while speaking at a press conference during Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s solidarity visit to Prague on Wednesday (20th).
“The Czech Republic will stand by Israel from this moment on; we will not allow any more trade sanctions, even if we have to block it as a single country,” Macinka asserted at the joint press conference held with Sa’ar.
He added that the Czech Republic “will certainly not allow any suspension or freezing of Israel’s association agreement with the European Union, either in full or in any part of it.”
“The Czech position on any potential suspension of EU-Israel ties is a clear ‘No,’” Macinka continued. “We will also look for groups on issues where voting requires a qualified majority, so that no further aggressive steps by the European Union will harm the State of Israel.”
Sa’ar also addressed the sanctions and attempts to sever ties with Israel, describing them as “an attempt by certain left-wing governments in Europe to drag the EU into a radical anti-Israel stance.”
“In their radical campaign, these governments are breaking all the rules and working against Europe’s consensus-based policy,” Sa’ar continued, accusing anti-Israel EU members of doing so “in order to win applause from the most radical and terrorist states in our region.”
The same hostile governments, Sa’ar stated, are also harming the EU’s relationship with the U.S., prompting him to ask if Europe’s allies include the Islamic regime in Iran, radical Islam, and Palestinian terrorism.
“I know that this is not the policy of the Czech Republic,” he asserted.
He praised the Czech Republic and some other European governments for maintaining a friendly relationship with Israel, highlighting how important it is for them to understand that “strategic relations with Israel directly benefit Europe – in security, economy, technology, and more.”
Sa’ar called on Israel’s remaining allies in the EU to prevent the organization from being dragged into radical anti-Israel positions that may work against Europe’s interests.
Sea Of Galilee Dig May Reveal Home Of Jesus’ Apostles, Archaeologist Says
Was the home of Jesus’ Apostles uncovered? Archaeological excavations underway since 2016 at the el-Araj site on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee continue to draw attention in the Christian world after new findings strengthened the identification of the site with Bethsaida, the Galilean fishing village mentioned in the New Testament as the hometown of Peter, Andrew and Philip.
EWTN News reported that Prof. Steven Notley, academic director of one of Israel’s most prominent archaeological excavations, visited Washington this month, where he presented findings from the ongoing dig.
The Gospel of John (1:44) describes the town as the home of Peter – the senior among Jesus’ 12 apostles and later regarded as the leading figure of the early Christian community after Jesus’ crucifixion, as well as his younger brother, Andrew. And Philip who were also apostles.
Because of the miracles attributed to Jesus in the area and its association with several of His apostles, the ruins of the city have become a pilgrimage site for Christian visitors, and reports on the excavations have received widespread international media attention.
Notley, who also serves as acting director of the Center for the Study of Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins, lived in Jerusalem with his wife and four children for 16 years and has led groups of students and visitors on tours throughout Israel and the Mediterranean region for more than 35 years.
According to Notley, excavations at the site in 2018 uncovered remains of a Byzantine-era-basilica, while in 2023 archaeologists discovered a first-century house directly beneath its apse, the semicircular recess typically found at the end of churches and classical buildings.
He said the remains correspond with the historical account of Willibald, an eighth-century bishop from Eichstatt, Bavaria, who traveled to the Holy Land in 725 and wrote about a church in Bethsaida built above the home of Saints Peter and Andrew.
Among the discoveries in the basilica was a mosaic uncovered in 2022 bearing the inscription: “Chief of the Apostles and keeper of the keys of heaven.”
Notley told EWTN News that the archaeological team identified a structure beneath the basilica’s apse with first-century pottery. The team also found first century fishing weights, metal objects attached to fishing lines to add weight to bait or hooks, allowing them to be cast farther and sink more quickly.
“We found a wall from a first-century structure beneath the apse,” Notley said. “There’s no sign saying, ‘Peter slept here,’ but archaeologically speaking, it’s hard to get better evidence than this.”
