News Digest — 2/2/26
IDF Chief Eyal Zamir Makes Secret DC Visit, Talks Military Options With US Officials
IDF Chief of Staff LTG. Eyal Zamir made a secret visit to Washington over the weekend. He met with US senior defense officials to present sensitive intelligence, discuss military options against Iran, and seek to influence the diplomatic negotiations between the Trump administration and Tehran.
Zamir said he believed a potential US attack was about two weeks to two months away.
This would mean there is no expectation of an immediate attack despite US President Donald Trump’s threats on January 14 and the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group last week.
On the flip side, the June 2025 attacks on Iran came as a surprise when the Islamic Republic and America were at least publicly still in the middle of intensive negotiations about a potential nuclear deal.
Also, while there is extensive dialogue between the Israeli and American sides, top Israeli officials, and possibly top US military officials, are still in the dark about Trump’s exact intentions.
The picture may also change in mid-February if protesters return to the streets in large numbers to partake in a traditional Islamic 40th-day anniversary to mark the deaths of many of the protesters in late December and January.
During his visit to the United States, Zamir presented recent intelligence that indicated Iran’s progress in rebuilding its military capabilities.
He was especially focused on this issue and, in recent IDF deliberations, on Iran’s increased conventional ballistic-missile production.
Although Iran has not yet returned to the 2,500 -missile level it had reached in June 2025, it is approaching it again after the number was reduced by about half during the 12-day war.
Israel is concerned that the Trump administration may reach a deal with Tehran for freezing uranium enrichment without fully addressing the ballistic missile threat.
This has been a concern of Zamirs since Operation Rising Lion, which wiped out most of Iran’s nuclear program but only about half of the ballistic missile threat.
Having arrived back in Israel, Zamir updated Defense Minister Israel Katz on developments from his US visit during a meeting in Israel on Sunday (1st).
IDF Completes Israeli Inspection Facility Near Rafah Crossing
As part of preparations for the opening of the Rafah Crossing and in accordance with directions from the political echelon, IDF forces have completed the establishment of a dedicated inspection facility named “Regavim”, operated by the defense establishment in an area under IDF control. The compound is part of broader efforts to increase security oversight in the area.
Security forces stationed at the facility will verify the identities of those entering against lists approved by the Israeli security establishment and conduct thorough inspections of luggage.
It was earlier reported that the initial capacity of the crossing will be approximately 200 people per day, and that only Gazans will pass through it. Estimates indicate that the number of those leaving Gaza will be higher than the number entering.
According to the outlined framework, Israel will approve the list of those exiting the Gaza Strip by name. The crossing itself will be operated by Gazans under the supervision of a European Union delegation.
At the exit from the crossing, a technological system remotely controlled by Israeli security officials will be activated, enabling the prevention of passage by anyone who has not received approval, without a physical Israel presence on site.
Entry into Gaza from Egypt will be permitted only for residents who have received prior approval. Here as well, the crossing will be operated by Gazan representatives under European supervision. After entry, those entering will be transported by bus to the Israeli inspection point, where they will undergo identification and physical checks aimed at preventing the smuggling of weapons or unauthorized equipment.
The Rafah Crossing opens on Monday (2nd) after a year of closure, with limited passage.
Syria Says It Dismantled A Hezbollah-Linked Cell After Attacks In Damascus
Syria’s Interior Ministry said Sunday (1st) it dismantled a cell it described as responsible for recent rocket and drone attacks targeting a neighborhood in Damascus, claiming the weapons used originated with Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
In a statement, the ministry said security forces carried out operations against a cell involved in several attacks in the Mazzeh area of the capital and near its military airport. Authorities said the cell was dismantled and its members arrested.
According to the ministry, initial interrogations of those detained indicated links to foreign entities and showed that the rockets, launch platforms and drones used in the attacks traced back to Hezbollah.
Lebanon and Syria share a roughly 205-mile border that has long been considered porous.
Hezbollah fought alongside the forces of former president Bashar Assad during Syria’s civil war and previously controlled areas along the Lebanese-Syrian border. Since Assad was ousted in December 2024 by a coalition of Islamic factions, Syrian authorities say Hezbollah’s supply routes have been cut and multiple attempts to smuggle weapons into Lebanon have been thwarted.
Last month, Syrian authorities said three rockets struck the Mazzeh neighborhood, with one damaging a mosque and another landing near the military airport. No casualties were reported.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said at the time that the mosque was located in an area where senior officials, from the country’s new authorities, reside.
In December, the state-run SANA news agency quoted a military source as saying that three projectiles of unknown origin hit an area near the Mazzeh military airport without causing damage or injuries.
A month earlier, a woman was wounded when a rocket attack struck a home in the same neighborhood. SANA cited a military source as saying the attack was carried out using rockets fired from a mobile launcher.
Saudi Arabia’s Poisonous Campaign Against Jews And The Abraham Accords – Bassam Tawil
In December 2025, Sheikh Salah bin Abdallah bin Humaid, a prominent Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and a member of Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Scholars, delivered a Friday sermon in which he prayed for God to punish “the Jews” and described Israel as a “cruel Zionist entity.”
Saudi Arabia renewed anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric shows that the kingdom is moving away from normalization with Israel in favor of an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar and Turkey.
Hussain Abdul Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation of Defense of Democracies, noted that some Saudi social media accounts “have now emerged as fully fledged anti-Semitic” and that the Trump administration needs “to have a serious talk with the Saudis,
Israeli journalist Amit Segal noted, “Normalization with Saudi Arabia is dead, at least for the foreseeable future. The strategic decision to pursue reconciliation with Israel has been replaced by a wild incitement campaign.”
“Over the past month, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya has been worse than Al-Jazeera in the texts broadcast against any normalization with Israel… Now with the Saudis no longer celebrating the Abraham Accords, they are trying to undermine their foundations of support, from Morocco to the Emirates.”
Global Defense Leaders To Converge In Tel Aviv For Defense Tech Expo 2026
Senior figures from the global defense and security sector are expected to arrive in Israel for Defense Tech Expo 2026, the country’s largest defense and homeland security exhibition, scheduled to open on February 17 at Expo Tel Aviv.
The exhibition organized by the Steir group, is being held for the first time and is positioned as a meeting point for Israeli defense industries, international delegations, senior decision-makers and technology investors. Organizers estimate the investment in the event at approximately 2 million shekels.
According to the organizers, heightened global interest in Israel’s combat-proven defense technologies – combined with growing concerns over geopolitical instability – has driven strong international participation. Dozens of foreign delegations are expected to attend, with several senior figures taking part as speakers and panelists.
Among the prominent guests is Admiral Giampaolo di Paola, former Italian minister of defense and former chairman of the NATO Military Committee. He is scheduled to participate in discussions on strategic threats and military readiness in Europe.
Also attending is Alex Moore, a general partner for defense at the BVC investment fund and a board member at Palantir. Moore will take part in a public conversation alongside Boaz Levy, CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries, and former Israeli Air Force commander Amikam Norkin, focusing on the global arms race and evolving threat landscapes.
From the United Arab Emirates, Dr. Chaouki Kasmi, chief innovation officer at the Technology Innovation institute and president and CEO of EDGE Group, is expected to join a panel on global defense. Tech Trends together with former Rafael CEO Yoav Har-Even, and EDGE Group president Rodrigo Torres, will also attend and participate in a session on international collaboration moderated by Frederic Landau of the Kinetica investment fund.
EDGE Group, a major defense and technology conglomerate headquartered inAbu Dhabi, operates across more than 140 countries and maintains partnerships with international and Israeli defense firms. The participation of its senior leadership is seen by industry observers as a signal of growing interest in expanding cooperation and investment in Israel’s defense technology sector.
Additional international participants include John Isemann, senior manager for international business, at Shield Al; Michael Gale, group CEO of Al Liwan Group (Abu Dhabi), Ishan Shagal, founder and CEO of AMAVIA (Switzerland), and Raul Rikk, head of development at Estonia-based Milrem Robotics and a former senior NATO cyber official.
The conference program, created by a steering committee led by BG. (res.) Ran Kochav, former commander of Israel’s air defense array, will focus on urban warfare, border control, perimeter defense, unmanned systems, robotics, artificial intelligence, weapons systems and homeland security. Live demonstrations by startups and established firms are expected to showcase operational capabilities.
A dedicated closing section titled: “Women on the Frontline of Defense Tech” will feature senior female leaders from the industry, including Vered Halmovitz of Elbit Systems; Michal Nor of Smart Shooter, and Eliora Lubin of 8VC.
The exhibition is sponsored by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Trade Administration at the Ministry of Economy, the Israel Export Institute and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce. Participating companies include Israel Aerospace Industries, IWI, Israel Shipyards, and a range of Israeli and international Defense Tech firms.
Organizers estimate that at least 50 companies will exhibit at the event, alongside military delegations, civil defense bodies, economic stockholders and representatives from NATO and allied countries, positioning Defense Tech Expo as the most extensive defense and HIS exhibition currently held in Israel..
Encyclopedia Britannica Replaces Israel With Palestine
The publishers of the longest-running English-language encyclopedia came under fire recently after they published a map of the Middle East that replaced the State of Israel with “Palestine” and used the name in reference to the contemporary Middle East, using the present tense.
The offending map was uploaded to an entry on “Palestine” under the Encyclopedia Britannica’s children’s site, Britannica Kids.
The entry describes “Palestine” as a “region in the Middle East” that “lies between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.”
A map of the region made no distinction between the Palestinian Authority and areas claimed by the PA in Judea and Samaria, and the Gaza Strip, and with the part of the Levant historically referred to as “Canaan, or Palestine.”
Israel was not displayed on the map, nor was any explanation given to distinguish between historic use of the term “Palestine,” as an alternative term of Roman origin for the Land of Israel/Canaan, and the contemporary Palestinian Authority.
The pro-Israel advocacy group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) penned a letter to the encyclopedia’s publishers, noting a consistent across multiple entries in Britannica Kids “in which Israel is effectively erased from history – both geographically and historically – through the anachronistic and politicized use of terminology,” the group said.
UKLFI highlighted that several Britannica Kid’s entries describe the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea as “Palestine,” including the present tense in doing so – the material omits the existence of the State of Israel altogether.”
UKLFI warned that the encyclopedia’s handling of the subject echoed anti-Israel slogans, including “from the river to the sea.”
Following UKLFI’s complaint and inquiries from the Telegraph newspaper, the map included under the entry for “Palestine” was removed, and the definition of Palestine was amended to note the distinction between the contemporary Palestinian Authority and the use of the term “Palestine” as a synonym for “Canaan.”
