News Digest — 10/9/26
Israel Assesses Fighting With Iran Could Resume within Weeks
Israeli defense officials assess that renewed fighting with Iran could begin within weeks, with Israel raising its military readiness for a possible Iranian attack and considering offensive action if preparations for another attack are detected, Hillel Biton Rosen reported Thursday (8th).
The assessment emerged from a series of security discussions held Thursday (8th) as officials reviewed recent developments involving Iran and statements by US President Donald Trump.
Israel has increased its level of alertness and is preparing for several scenarios that could lead to another military confrontation in the near future.
Defense officials are preparing for the possibility that Iran could initiate an attack, requiring Israel to respond on the defensive.
At the same time, Israel is considering offensive action if it determines concrete indications that Iran is preparing to strike.
Under that scenario, Israel could act before the planned Iranian attack is carried out in an effort to thwart the threat, according to the assessments.
Military action in cooperation with the United States is also under consideration.
One scenario being examined would have Israel take the lead in a joint military operation.
The assessments came as Trump said, “We will not attack Iran before the elections in November.”
Israel’s security preparations are also taking place as the country approaches a politically complicated period toward the end of the month.
Defense officials nevertheless assess that a significant security development could require immediate military action regardless of Israel’s domestic political timetable.
No decision to launch military action was reported. Officials continue to consider the available options while maintaining what was described as a very high level of readiness for renewed fighting.
Israel has further increased its alert and preparedness based on the latest assessments, with the defense establishment now preparing for the possibility that another round of fighting with Iran could begin earlier than previously expected.
Israel Opens Its First National Pavilion At Morocco Air Show
Israel opened its first national pavilion at the Moroccan Marrakech Airshow, making its first official participation in the defense exhibition since normalizing ties with Morocco, the Defense Ministry announced Thursday (8th).
The opening of the pavilion in Morocco came after Israel had been excluded from multiple defense exhibitions in Europe.
The ministry’s International Defense Cooperation Directorate known as SIBAT, led a delegation of eight Israeli defense companies presenting combat-tested technologies, including loitering munitions, AI-based robotic systems, autonomous navigation capabilities for unmanned aircraft, laser-guided systems for FPV drones and satellite communications.
Major firms, including Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, also displayed air, land, naval, space,intelligence and cyber capabilities.
SIBAT head BG (ret.) Yair Yulas called Israel’s participation an important milestone for the Defense Ministry and Israel’s defense industry,” as well as a “platform for expanding international defense cooperation and building long-term partnerships.”
Morocco normalized relations with Israel in December 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
Last month, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, in New York, a day after the sixth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, to deepen bilateral ties.
At the meeting, hosted by US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, the ministers agreed to appoint ambassadors, upgrade their diplomatic missions to full embassies, increase direct flights and hold high-level visits in the coming months.
They also agreed to finalize investment and tax agreements by year’s end, according to the Foreign Ministry.
“The friendship between the Moroccan and Jewish peoples has deep roots and a rich history,” Sa’ar said at the time. “The declaration we signed today outlines practical ways to upgrade ties between Israel and Morocco for the benefit of both peoples, and we will work to implement it.”
Israel’s presence in the Marrakech Airshow stood in sharp contrast to its exclusion from several other recent international defense exhibitions.
In June, the Defense Ministry said French authorities barred Israel from establishing a national pavilion or sending government representatives to Eurosatory in Paris, one of the world’s leading defense exhibitions, while allowing Israeli firms to exhibit only air defense systems and banning the display of offensive weapons.
Wooden barriers were subsequently erected around Israeli defense ministry booths by event organizers, despite the companies allegedly complying with the French restrictions.
French authorities also initially banned Israeli defense firms from exhibiting at the 2024 Eurosatory, before later reversing the decision.
Similarly, Israeli defense companies were not permitted to participate in the Netherlands’ NEDS exhibition held annually in Rotterdam and focused largely on the naval sector.
Arkansas-Made Iron Dome Interceptors Israel Bound For Oct. 7 Anniversary
The first Iron Dome Tamir interceptors manufactured at an Arkansas plant are bound for Israel, a new US supply source for the defense system on the third anniversary of Oct. 7.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican whose father is the US ambassador to Israel, joined American and Israeli officials at the Raytheon-Rafael Protection Systems manufacturing facility in East Canden, Ark., to celebrate the delivery
“Today is even more special to me, because my own parents are some of those who the Iron Dome protects, along with 250,000 other American citizens who call Israel home,” Sanders said.
“Her father and mother, Janet Huckabee, live in Jerusalem, where the US embassy is based. The elder Huckabee is also a former Arkansas governor.
“They spent most of last summer huddled in a bunker,” Huckabee Sanders said. “They saw what Hamas and Iranian missiles would do if not taken out, and they’re alive today because of the Iron Dome.”
The $63 million factory opened in November 2025 and is expected to create up to 60 jobs, the governor’s office said.
The company plans to increase production to supply US and international customers.
The plant will also manufacture SkyHunter, the American version of Tamir, for the US Marine Corps medium-range intercept capability.
Moshe Patel, director of the Israeli Missile Defense Organization, said the Iron Dome had carried out more than 12,000 successful operational interceptions in Israel.
“Israeli technology, American production, one sacred mission to protect life,” he said.
Herzog Presents Award To Rescuers On Flydubai Flight
President Isaac Herzog presented the Presidential Medal of Civilian Heroism at the President’s Residence on Thursday (8th) to six Israelis who acted during the incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, subduing the attacker and helping save the lives of the 174 passengers on board.
The six recipients are Or Bardilov, Yaniv Hayoun, Dr. Shota Musayev, Tali Manes, Zvika Manes and Asaf Rajuan.
Addressing the six at the ceremony, Herzog said, “I have the privilege and honor of hosting you here at the President’s Residence, honoring the extraordinary civilian heroism embodied in your actions, and witnessing one of the most chilling aviation stories known to humanity in general and Israeli society in particular.”
Herzog described this as an incident in which there was no time to prepare or plan a response.
“A story in which there was no time to think, formulate a plan, consult or prepare. A story written without orders and without a briefing. Without ranks and without prior coordination. A story whose fate was decided in a moment,” he said.
In his speech, the president described how the medal recipients acted as the plane lost control and altitude.
“At great altitude , in an aircraft that had lost control and was rapidly losing altitude, in freefall, amid seconds of chaos and fear, the lives of 174 passengers hung in the balance – and who knows how many more people on the ground,” Herzog said.
The president highlighted Tali Manes’ role in noticing what was happening and calling for help, as well as Yaniv Hayoun, Zvika Manes, OrBardilov and Asaf Bajuan, who rushed toward the attacker, subdued him and helped restore control of the aircraft.
He also praised Dr. Shota Musayev, who assisted in subduing the attacker and provided the injured pilot with lifesaving medical treatment.
“You are the six who prevented a major aviation disaster – a disaster that could have changed the face of the State of Israel and the Middle East,” the president said.
Herzog also praised the Indian pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar. Who, he said, fought the attacker despite being seriously wounded and managed to open the cockpit door.
The president wished him a full recovery and announced that he intends to award him the Presidential Medal of Civilian Heroism as well, following the committee’s recommendation.
He also thanked the replacement pilots and other passengers who assisted during the incident, noting that their story would be studied in the future.
Alongside the words of praise, Herzog stressed that the acts of heroism do not eliminate the need for a full investigation into the incident.
“The civilian heroism and resourcefulness demonstrated by the heroes here cannot absolve us of the duty to get full answers. Everyone, all of us, deserve clear and satisfactory answers,” he said.
The president went on to focus on the solidarity displayed by the passengers who confronted the danger together.
“You did not stop to ask one another, ‘Which side are you on?’ ‘Who are you going to vote for in the election?’ ‘Where do you come from?’ Or “What is your worldview?’ For a moment you did not look for what separated you, because at the moment when the plane was in the air and lives hung in the balance, all the disagreements became meaningless.
“Only one thing remained: the person beside you. Your responsibility toward him. Your duty to save him. The sacred mutual responsibility we share.”
“On behalf of the State of Israel, on behalf of the passengers of Flydubai flight 1073 whose lives you saved, and on behalf of everyone who believes in the power of mutual responsibility – I salute you,” Herzog concluded.
“For your courage. For your resourcefulness. For your determination. And for something so simple, so human and so profoundly Israeli: at the moment when you had to choose – you chose life.”
Too Many Still Believe The Lies Of Hamas – Andrew Roberts
As the Red Army closed in on Auschwitz, the Nazis blew up the crematoria to hide the atrocities they had committed. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas did the opposite. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar ordered his fighters to film their killing and broadcast it to spread terror. With GoPro cameras strapped to their chests, they filmed themselves gleefully slaughtering, burning and raping Israeli civilians, young and old, and uploaded the footage in real time.
In three decades writing about war, I have rarely encountered an atrocity documented in such detail. The October 7 Parliamentary Commission Report which I chaired, and the evidence that underpins it, runs to more than 300 pages. Yet the same organization that broadcast its own atrocities in real time began denying the specifics within hours. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya told the BBC that Hamas never targeted women and children, and called footage of terrified families Israel’s invention.
The same men now lead Hamas’ negotiations, and their assurances sit at the heart of the diplomatic process. A movement instructed to showcase mass murder, not conceal it, cannot expect its word to be trusted – least of all on disarmament. Disarmament cannot depend on assurances. It must be verified: inspectors must have access to every depot and tunnel, a timetable must be published, and each missed checkpoint must trigger consequences, not renewed negotiations.
Hamas leaders have vowed to repeat Oct. 7 “again and again” until Israel is destroyed. Those are not the words of a movement reconciled to peace, but of one waiting for its next opportunity. Peace does not require trusting Hamas; it requires ensuring Hamas no longer has the means to break it.
The writer , a member of the House of Lords, is a British historian. (Telegraph-UK)
