News Digest — 7/13/26
IDF To Remain In Lebanon If Hezbollah Refuses To Leave Pilot Zones, Ambassador Leiter Says
Ambassador to the United StatesYechiel Leiter said that the IDF will only withdraw from Lebanon if Hezbollah is removed from pilot zones in the country’s south, during an interview with CBS’ Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” broadcast on Sunday (12th).
“If Hezbollah is going to stay there, we haven’t accomplished anything, and that’s why they are called pilot zones,” said Leiter. “If it works, then we continue to withdraw. If it doesn’t work, then we stay where we are.”
Leiter, one of the lead representatives on the matter in Washington, stressed that the withdrawal plan is not delayed and that the framework hinges on the Lebanese Armed Forces being “receptive” to the pilot zones.
“Hezbollah has no business in Lebanon,” he said. “As a matter of fact, Israel and Lebanon are on the same page. We want Hezbollah out for our security and for their sovereignty. We can withdraw the moment that Hezbollah is dismantled.”
Leiter referred to himself as “leading the negotiations on Israel’s behalf with Lebanon,” saying he knows “a thing or two about the trilateral agreement.”
He emphasized Israel’s refusal to return to a situation where the country is threatened by an Iranian terror proxy on its border firing rockets and planning attacks, “like Hamas did on October 7.”
He added that talks between Israel and Lebanon are set to continue in Rome, noting that his attendance will depend on plans for the funeral of the late US Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on Saturday (11th)following health complications.
When asked about the relationship between the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Israel’s negotiations with Lebanon, Leiter responded that the Islamic regime has “no business” in the region.
“What the agreement with Lebanon does is completely remove Iran from the paradigm,” said Leiter. “Iran is not to be involved in Lebanon.”
He noted that US President Donald Trump “has been consistent” throughout the war with Iran, saying that Israel will join the Americans in their current campaign against the Islamic Republic if requested to do so.
“We’re a partner, we’re an ally,” he said. “If the United States calls on us to join in kinetic activity against Iran, we’re going to be there for the United States.”
Leiter pushed back against claims of an Israeli “I told you so” attitude toward the US following criticism of the MoU, saying that it’s “not the nature of our relationship.”
“We express our opinion,” said Leiter. “We saw flaws, but we also expressed hope that it would work.”
“If we have Iran that’s denuclearized, not building ballistic missiles, not supporting proxies around the region, just not being a menacing, mayhem-spreading regime, then we will have accomplished it without kinetic activity,” he added. “We have doubts about the possibility of that actually working, but all we do is express our opinion.”
Herzog Heartbroken By Lindsey Graham’s Death: ‘I Will Miss Him’
President Isaac Herzog on Sunday (12th) paid tribute to the late US Senator Lindsey Graham in a video statement from the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
“I was deeply shocked and heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of a great American patriot, a true friend of Israel, and a dear friend of mine, US Senator Lindsey Graham,” Herzog said.
The President described Graham as a “beacon of moral clarity” who brought “an exceptional sense of justice, truth, and loyalty to his decades of public service.”
“He was a maverick in world affairs, and one of Israel’s greatest friends and allies in the United States of America, who maintained his steadfast and unwavering support for the people of Israel, especially at our most difficult and painful moments,” Herzog stated.
He added that Graham understood “the profound importance of the US-Israel partnership” and “tirelessly advocated for our shared values and shared interests.”
“The people of Israel will always remember and always cherish his exceptional friendship,” Herzog continued. “On a personal note, Lindsey was a dear friend, whom I met with many times, and I will miss him dearly.”
Concluding his statement, Herzog said, “On behalf of the State of Israel, I send my deepest condolences to Senator Graham’s family and friends at this devastating moment. May he rest in peace, and may his memory be a blessing.”
Israeli Startup Raises $36 Million To Build World’s First ‘Iron Dome For Drone Swarms’
Skapion, an Israel defense tech company developing a Native Counter Swarm system for the next generation of unmanned aerial threats, announced Thursday (9th) that it raised $36 million during its Seed round.
The round was co-led by UP Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from early backers Fusion VC, Stratos Ventures, TBD VC and qFund.
The announcement comes as drones and one-way attack UAVs continue to have a significant impact on the battlefield. What emerged as an improvised military tactic used first by the Islamic State in Syria and later by Ukraine has made its way back to the Middle East as Hezbollah continues to field cheap fiber-optic drones, hitting IDF troops and platforms.
Skapion is developing a mobile, end-to-end system designed not only to detect but also to engage and neutralize drones and UAVs at swarm scale. At the same time, the system can operate independently in communications-limited and environmentally challenging conditions (conditions frequently exploited by swarm drones), alongside maneuvering forces, fixed installations, and critical infrastructure.
While past interceptors could detect and neutralize more expensive, distinct aerial threats, Skapion’s system is built for mass onslaught, lower cost attacks.
According to IDO Bae-On, Skapion’s co-founder and CEO, “the question is no longer whether a single drone can be detected or hit. The question is whether modern militaries can neutralize swarms at the speed, scale and cost required by today’s battlefield.
Garnering $36 million, the round helped accelerate development, expand the engineering organization and keep building the team required to solve one of the most urgent defense challenges of the coming decade,” he added.
The company argues that since 2022, low-cost UAVs have moved from a “specialized tactical capability to a structural air-defense challenge for military forces, bases and critical infrastructure.” Used at volume, these platforms impose an asymmetric burden and force defenders to use expensive interceptors against cheaper and more numerous threats like swarms. By doing that, hostile forces like Hezbollah have exposed a gap in systems not built for large-scale simultaneous engagements.
With troops facing imminent FPV and fiber optic drone threats on a daily basis in Lebanon, Israeli defense tech companies have announced new C-UAS platforms. Nevertheless, many of those technologies cannot handle drone swarms. Used at high volume, these expendable drones are able to bypass many systems.”The Iron Dome changed the calculus for rockets and missiles. Skapion is doing the same for drone swarms. The threat has evolved from single, expensive projectiles to cheap drones attacking in numbers, and defense needs to evolve with it,” said Ben Marcus, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, UP Partners.
Skapion’s founding team is made up of former Israeli Air Force officers, who specialize in defense, including Founding Architect and co-founder BG Pini Yungman, who acted as General Manager of Rafael’s Air and Missile Defense Systems division and President and CEO of TSG Group. Yungman is deeply rooted in Israel’s defense ecosystem and is recognized for his contributions to the David’s Sling and Iron Dome Programs.
The team is rounded out by Gal Goren, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), who is a multi-disciplinary engineering leader with experience developing complex technology systems. Zafrir Yoeli previously Co-founded Enlight Renewable Energy, and Yaron Karp is a veteran defense entrepreneur.
Established in late 2025, Skapion has several dozen employees, including senior engineering, defense, aerospace, robotics, autonomy, and deep-tech talent.
The $36 million raised in the round will support hiring, engineering development, system validation alongside government, defense and partner management in Israel, the United States and allied markets.
Skapion is headquartered in Washington, DC, with a research and development center in Ramat Gan, Israel.
In A Dangerous Region, Israel Remain’s America’s Most Reliable Partner – Pinchas Cohen And Avner Golov
Is Israel a strategic asset or a liability? As America recalibrates its global posture to prioritize partners rather than friends who required U.S. protection, Israel serves as the ultimate “model ally,” in the words of the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy. In fact, Israel is the only partner that delivers a huge return on investment with no American “boots on the ground.”
Israeli innovations and battle-proven technologies are force multipliers for the U.S. military, allowing the Pentagon to skip costly R&D cycles and adapt to modern warfare in real-time. Joint developments – most notably in multi-layered air defense – serves as the blueprint for protecting U.S. forces globally. Every time Israeli forces deploy battle-proven technologies – be it F-35 fighter jets or an Arrow missile defense system – the feedback loop to the Pentagon is immediate.
Since 90% of U.S. security assistance to Israel is immediately reinvested into the American defense industrial base, supporting hi-tech jobs from California to Alabama, this assistance acts as a massive stimulus for the American defense industry, returning some $15 billion annually to the U.S. economy.
Pinchas Cohen is Chairman of the Israeli defense organization MND Israel, where Dr. Avner Golov is Vice President of Research and Alliances.
German Parliament Advances Bill Criminalizing Denial Of Israel’s Right To Exist
The German parliament on Friday (10th) advanced a landmark bill criminalizing the denial of Israel’s right to exist and making it punishable by up to five years in prison.
The historic legislation, which was passed by Germany’s upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, comes amid an 83% increase in antisemitism in Germany since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
The initiative, which was introduced by the German western state of Hesse, would impose penalties of up to five years in prison or a fine for statements made publicly that deny Israel’s existence or urge its destruction if they encourage “a willingness to commit acts of antisemitic violence or arbitrary acts.”
The bill is opposed by civil rights groups and free speech advocates who say it endangers freedom of expression guaranteed by Germany’s Constitution, and is supported by the German Justice Minister, the State of Israel and the German Jewish community leaders as a necessary legal tool to fight the burst of antisemitism in the country.
Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Proser welcomed the parliamentary decision on Friday (10th).
“The signal is clear: Those who deny Israel’s right to exist and spread antisemitic incitement will not get away with it unpunished,” he wrote on X.
“I fervently hope that the German Bundesstag will take up the decision and promptly enact the necessary amendment to the Criminal Code.”
The proposed legislation is expected to be examined by the lower house of parliament after the summer recess.
The “Nakba” Exhibit At The Canadian Museum Of Human Rights Is A Disinformation Campaign – Irwin Cotler And Joe Oliver
The “Palestine Uprooted” exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg demonstrates how a one-sided portrayal that advances an anti-Zionist political agenda can exacerbate burgeoning antisemitism and undermine the safety of the Canadian Jewish community.
Culture Minister Marc Miller called it an “error in curation” that “should be rectified.” Misinformation and disinformation must not be used to propagandize a political, ideological, theological or partisan agenda. We should acknowledge Palestinian suffering, but it is also necessary to understand who caused it and who is perpetrating it and why.
Prior to Israel’s independence, incoming prime minister David Ben-Gurion urged Arabs to stay. His comments were consistent with Israel’s Declaration of Independence, which called on the Arab inhabitants to participate in the building of the state on the basis of full and equal “citizenship.” Nevertheless, up to 750,000 fled, in part, at the urging of Arab leaders and fear of war, with the promise that they could return as soon as Israel was defeated. This evacuation would not have occurred had five Arab countries not declared war on Israel and then attacked it.
Yet 150,000 Arabs remained after the war and their descendants today constitute a Palestinian minority of over two million Israeli citizens. That contrasts with 3,500-4,000 Jews currently living in Arab countries. Nearly 950,000 Jews were driven out from Arab countries they had lived in for two millennia, starting in 1947. So Jews also suffered a “Nakba, which the UN never recognized.” Neither catastrophe was caused by the creation of the State of Israel, but rather by Arab hostility to its creation.
No group’s refusal to recognize Israel has been more intense than that of the Palestinian leaders, with tragic consequences. On numerous occasions, Israel was prepared to sign a peace agreement with the Palestinian authorities but was repeatedly rejected.
Irvin Cotler is a former Canadian Minister of Justice. Joe Oliver is a former Minister of Natural Resources and Finance. (National Post – Canada)
