News Digest — 5/29/26
IDF Spokesperson: More Than 2,500 Terrorists Killed, Hezbollah Fighting A War Of Survival
IDF Spokesperson BG. Effie Defrin on Thursday (28th) said the IDF continues to intensify operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon while working to protect northern communities and address the growing drone threat.
Speaking from northern Israel, Defrin said the IDF’s objective remains “to defend the communities of the north, to push the terrorist threat away, and to severely weaken Hezbollah.”
“We are continuously striking with determination. Our soldiers are operating along the forward Defense Line and eliminating dozens of Hezbollah terrorists every week, “ he stated.
According to Defrin, since the beginning of the ceasefire, the IDF has eliminated “more than 800 terrorists in Lebanon,” in addition to “more than 2,500 terrorists” eliminated since the start of Operation Roaring Lion. ”Hezbollah is battered and wounded and is fighting a war of survival for its continued existence. That is the reality on the ground. Hezbollah is desperate,” he said. Defrin noted that the IDF Chief of Staff instructed the military “to intensify the strikes and deepen the blows against Hezbollah,” while soldiers continue dismantling Hezbollah terror infrastructure in “a consistent and systematic operation.”
Addressing the drone threat, Defrin said the IDF is “constantly formulating responses.”
“The best minds in the IDF and outside the IDF are engaged in this effort and working tirelessly,” he stated.
He said the military is focusing on “three main efforts – detection, intended to provide early warning to our soldiers; improving interception capabilities, and protecting soldiers on the ground.”
Defrin also referred to the death of Staff Sergeant Rotem Yanai, describing her as “a soldier welfare NCO in the Givati Brigade.” ”Rotem worked on behalf of the soldiers out of deep love for our country and belief in the justice of her service,” he said, adding, “I share in her family’s grief. We stand together with them in this difficult time.”
The IDF Spokesperson stressed that Israeli forces continue operating against Hezbollah across Lebanon.
“As we speak, IDF soldiers – conscripts, career personnel, and reservists are targeting Hezbollah across all its operating systems,” he stated.
“In the past 24 hours alone, we struck in Tyre, Beirut, and southern Lebanon in significant support of operating ground forces,” Defrin added.
He also addressed residents of northern Israel directly.
“Residents of the north, the IDF is with you, and operating for you, at all times, both on the front lines and on the home front,” he said.
“There is no force in the world that compares to your spirit – you are demonstrating resilience, responsibility, and strength.”
Defrin added, “We are not stopping for a moment – our soldiers continue to degrade Hezbollah through surprising and bold operations.”
He concluded by saying the IDF “will continue operating with force and determination to protect Israeli civilians and soldiers and remains prepared to return to intense combat against the Iranian terror regime if required.”
Is Hezbollah Preparing A Takeover In Lebanon? – Dr. Jacques Neriah
HezbollahSecretary-General Naim Qassem’s televised address on May 24, 2026 delivered on “Resistance and Liberation Day.” marked a sharp and aggressive escalation in his rhetoric. With the Lebanese government recently declaring Hezbollah’s military apparatus illegal and preparing for direct , independent talks with Israel in Washington, Qassem issued stern warnings to Beirut. He stated that Lebanese authorities “do not have the right to act as they please” and explicitly threatened the state’s stability by declaring: “The people have the right to take to the streets to topple the government” and confront the Israeli-American project targeting the country’s institutions.
Qassem’s speech reflects a leadership that is both cornered and defiant. By threatening to destabilize the Lebanese government from within while doubling down on a permanent war footing with Israel, Hezbollah is signaling that it would risk total domestic political collapse before agreeing to surrender its weapons. (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
(jcfa.org)
Yad Vashem Chooses Germany For First Overseas Education Centers
For the first time in its 73-year history, Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial museum and archive, is establishing education centers outside the Jewish state.
The institution announced in a statement Thursday (28th) that the first centers will be in Germany: one in Munich and a subsidiary in Leipzig.
The conference of European Rabbis, which moved to Munich from London in 2023, said it looked forward to working together with the new center. And Rabbi Zsolt Balla, State Rabbi of Saxony, said the decision to open an extension in Leipzig “sends a strong signal in support of a culture of remembrance, education and the protection of Jewish life.”
The sites will be shaped in consultation with partner organizations in Germany, Yad Vashem added. A brainstorming meeting is tentatively planned for early next year, with programming expected to begin in three years.
“Working together with our German partners, this center will help ensure that the truth of the Holocaust is preserved and passed on to future generations,” said Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan.
Wenzel Michalski, chairman of the Berlin-based Friends of Yad Vashem, participated in talks leading to the decision.
“We’re coming to an era where the witnesses are dying,” Mishalski said. His late father Franz, spoke with many school groups in Germany about his experiences during the Holocaust.
German Education Minister Karen Prien, who has Jewish roots, said that one of the goals of the centers is to help “combat antisemitism across Germany and Europe.” She added that many young people in the country “still know too little about the Shoah.”
“In a world without Holocaust survivors, one needs new ways to tell the story,” said Michalski. “It is the chief obligation and task of Yad Vashem” to ensure that they do.
Israel and Panama Sign Economic Agreement
Israel and Panama signed an economic agreement on Wednesday (27th), further cementing the strategic ties between the two nations.
The accord allows Israeli companies to be integrated in public development projects in Panama, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
“The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Panama and Israel represents another important milestone in the growing strategic relationship between two countries,” Panama’s Ambassador to Israel, Ezra Cohen, told JNS.
“This agreement reflects not only the deep friendship between Panama and Israel, but also a shared vision focused on innovation, technology, economic cooperation, education, security and sustainable development.”
The agreement will open “significant opportunities for collaborations” between the two countries and strengthen the bridge connecting Latin America with Israel’s ecosystem of innovations and entrepreneurship, he added.
The accord, which was worked on over the past 10 months and comes on the heels of the landmark spring visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, was signed in Panama between Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martinez- Acha and Israeli Ambassador to Panama Mati Cohen.
Panama and Israel share historically strong and expanding bilateral ties, rooted in Panama’s vote for the 1947 UN Partition Plan and its recognition of the State of Israel the following year.
As one of Israel’s most steadfast allies in Latin America, Panama frequently votes alongside Israel on international resolutions.
The two countries maintain a Free Trade Agreement, the first between Panama and any Middle Eastern nation.
Panama remains the only country in the region that has never recognized a Palestinian state.
Last year, Panama launched a parliamentary Israel caucus dedicated to deepening cooperation in technology, agriculture, security, and innovation.
IDF Warns Future Iran War Could Hit Israeli Home Front Harder If Missile Issue Excluded From Ceasefire
As negotiations continue on a proposed agreement aimed at ending the conflict with Iran, the IDF is expressing concern that future wars with the Islamic State could inflict heavier damage on Israel”s civilian front, particularly if Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities remain outside the scope of any final agreement, the Jerusalem Post reported.
According to Israeli military assessments, Iran has used and continues developing large, high-speed ballistic missiles.
Israeli officials are concerned that the emerging framework backed by US President Donald Trump is expected to largely or entirely leave the ballistic missile issue unaddressed.
The IDF Home Front Command said it initially prepared for a war lasting between 30 to 60 days.
However, military officials said Israel did not determine when the conflict would begin, escalate, pause, or formally conclude, attributing those decisions to the United States.
According to the report, Trump at one stage imposed a four-week limit on the fighting before later extending it to six weeks.
The report said the extensions occurred without resolving what Israeli officials described as ongoing immediate risks of renewed hostilities following the April 7 ceasefire.
Despite the concerns surrounding the evolving negotiations, the Home Front Command said damage sustained by Israel during the 2026 war was lower than the damage caused during the 12-day war with Iran in June 2025.
Military officials attributed part of the reduced damage to deeper US involvement in the fighting. Simultaneous strikes by Israel and the United States against Iranian targets reduced Tehran’s ability to launch missiles, according to the report.
The report also said that when Iran did launch missiles, more than 60% – and according to some assessments, significantly more – were directed at countries other than Israel.
Israeli officials continue to monitor developments surrounding the proposed agreement as negotiations move forward, with concerns remaining over the ‘exclusion’ of Iran’s missile capabilities from the talks.
Iran’s New ‘Nuclear’ Weapon: What Happens If The U.S. Declines To Fight For The Strait Of Hormuz? – Eric S. Edelman, Reuel Marc Gerecht, and Ray Takeyh
Donald Trump appears on the cusp of an agreement to demilitarize, at least temporarily, the Hormuz Strait. Ancillary to this may be certain Iranian nuclear promises and U.S.sanctions relief. Whatever the actual details of this accord are, no matter whether it later, in part or entirely, falls apart, this agreement flows directly from Tehran dueling Washington to a standstill.
An indisputable truth: A massive bombing campaign by Israel and the United States has allowed Tehran to see the incomparable utility of the Strait of Hormuz as a weapon against the global economy and its primary enemies. A reanimated Islamic regime “that we don’t doubt the senior commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps now think that they are winning,” and might even refuse a generous nuclear deal because it’s having so much fun humbling its foes.
If the Islamic Republic can hold Homuz hostage,Tehran will severely wound America’s self-confidence, reputation and capacity. Even if some arrangement can be made to allow commercial traffic to pass without paying tolls, once most of the U.S. armada returns home, the odds of the warships returning aren’t good. The odds of the Islamic Republic demanding tolls later are a near certainty.
The American and Israeli killings of Iran’s leaders precipitated a shift with the regime, elevating those who had grown weary of what they regarded as Ali Khamenei’s nuclear timidity in the face of mounting danger. A series of articles in Javan, a mouthpiece of the Revolutionary Guards, introduced a new doctrine dubbed “offensive deterrence.” The series began by taking a swipe at the martyred supreme leader. “Iran’s previous doctrine was defined in controlling tensions below the level of war, but the 40-day war was the starting point for deterrence through expanding the geography of crisis”
The new Iranian leaders highlighted the geographical weapon that the regime had always boasted about in its propaganda but never attempted to use: the Strait of Hormuz. The world economy’s critical dependence on this route makes this source of income absolutely unsanctionable and transforms the structure of Iran’s political economy from crude oil sales to sustainable transit income. Ali Nikzad, the deputy speaker of Parliament, went so far as to declare, “The Strait of Hormuz is Iran’s atomic bomb.”
Unless the U.S. is leaving the Middle East, a bloody struggle with the Islamic Republic will continue. Iran’s revolutionary elite knows that. Do we?
