News Digest — 5/13/26
On Northern Border: Non-Commissioned Officer And Soldier Wounded By Explosive Drone Strike
The IDF announced Tuesday evening (12th) that an IDF non-commissioned officer was moderately wounded and a reserve soldier was lightly wounded as a result of an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah toward Israeli territory near the Lebanon border.
The wounded were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment and their families were notified.
The IDF described the incident, along with additional explosive drones launched throughout the evening toward forces operating in southern Lebanon, as “another violation of the ceasefire understandings by the Hezbollah terrorist organization.” Some of the threats were intercepted by Israel’s air defense systems.
At the same time, the IDF said that over the past twenty-four hours, the Israeli Air Force, operating under the direction of the 146th Division, eliminated around 15 terrorists who were operating near Israeli forces and posed an immediate threat.
In addition, several launchers in southern Lebanon aimed at Israeli territory were destroyed. During a ground operation by the 401st Brigade in the Rashaf area, troops located a weapons depot containing Kalashnikov rifles, explosive devices, and rockets.
Hezbollah Leader Vows To Never Surrender, Calls For Lebanon To Withdraw From Negotiations
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem announced that the terrorist group would not surrender and called for an end to the direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in a written message to Hezbollah terrorists on Tuesday (12th).
Qassem asserted the terror group’s commitment to remaining on the battlefield, saying Lebanon would not return to the state of affairs that existed before March 2.
Claiming that Israel and the US seek to annex Lebanon as part of “Greater Israel,” Qassem added that “no matter how great the sacrifices, they are less than the cost of surrender.”
Qassem also claimed that the current direct negotiations that led to the ceasefire beginning on April 16 and which is scheduled to continue this week, “only benefits Israel and involves free concessions from the Lebanese government.” He called for indirect negotiations “where the power is in the hands of the Lebanese negotiator” instead.
Expressing gratitude to Iran, Qassem stated that the US-Iran agreement, which included a ceasefire in Lebanon, was one of the strongest cards Hezbollah had in stopping Israel’s aggression.
Qassem specified that Lebanon’s authorities hold responsibility for negotiating Lebanon’s sovereign aims, and Hezbollah was willing to cooperate to reach their five goals: stopping Israeli attacks, removal of the IDF presence in Lebanon and deployment of the Lebanese Army in the south Litani River area, freeing prisoners, returning all displaced people to their homes, and reconstruction.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has urged the United States to put pressure on Israel to cease military operations in southern Lebanon, the presidency said on Monday (11th), as the death toll from Israeli attacks rose.
Aoun, in a meeting with US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, “stressed… the necessity of pressure on Israel to halt fire and military operations, and the destruction and bulldozing of buildings.” the presidency said.
Aoun and Issa also reviewed “developments related” to a third round of talks due in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli government representatives, the presidency said.
IDF To Establish Haredi-Manned Suicide Drone Factory, Aiming To Counter Hezbollah Threat – Report
The IDF is establishing a factory that will produce first-person view (FPV) “suicide” drones, intended to employ approximately 200 haredi (ultra-orthodox) soldiers, Army Radio reported Tuesday (12th).
The military has so far purchased FPV drones from an Israeli company, some of whose products are manufactured in China, the report noted.
However, these cost thousands of shekels per drone, and thus, the military is seeking to produce them internally within the IDF’s Technology and Logistics Directorate, Army Radio reported.
The first haredi recruits will join the factory in June after undergoing a technician training course. They will serve as drone assemblers, the report said.
The factory will then be able to supply the military with thousands of drones within two months, and to produce tens of thousands per month in the future, the report stated. FPV drones can be used both for attack, as they are capable of carrying explosives, and for defending against other drones by intercepting them and detonating in a deliberate drone-on-drone crash.
The Army Radio report comes after the IDF has come under heavy attack by FPV drones operated by Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon.
Developing such systems from scratch domestically may take months, by which point, a new threat will likely have developed, and such systems may become redundant. Several Israeli companies have already been producing systems to neutralize hostile drones. Defense and Tech understands that they have been in contact with the IDF and the Defense Ministry in order to field the systems.
While the IDF, Defense Ministry and the ministry’s Defense, Research,and Development Directorate (MAFAT) were told of the threat already hitting the battlefields of Ukraine, it seems that they ignored warnings that the threat would migrate to Israel’s borders.
There were also reports that FPV and fiber optic drones were used by Hamas during the opening wave of the October 7 massacre.
Board Of Peace Backs Expansion Of Israeli Control As Hamas Violates Ceasefire
The US-backed Board Of Peace has given approval to the expansion of Israeli control over the Gaza Strip, in a move signaling the organization’s growing frustration with Hamas’ refusal to accept disarmament.
Israel has in recent weeks expanded the area of the Gaza Strip under its military control, moving beyond the ceasefire’s original “Yellow Line” to a broader “Orange Line” as international efforts to secure Hamas’ disarmament remain stalled.
A senior Western diplomat told Israel Hayom that the move was approved by the US-led Board of Peace after Hamas failed to meet a timetable for laying down its weapons.
The expansion adds some 34 square kilometers, or just over 13 square miles, to Israeli security zones and leaves the IDF in control of roughly 64% of Gaza, according to the report.
“No one fell asleep at the wheel here,” the diplomat said, “Further steps will be taken as long as Hamas continues to violate the understandings.”
Reuters reported last month that Israel had quietly distributed updated Gaza maps to aid groups showing an expanded restricted area marked by an orange line. COGAT, the Israeli military agency handling civilian affairs in the territories, said the boundaries were updated “in accordance with the operational situational assessment” to allow humanitarian work while protecting personnel in a complex battlefield environment.
The Israeli move follows weeks of deadlock over the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire framework.
The Board of Peace plan calls for Hamas to disarm over eight months, permit the destruction of its tunnel network and allow a Palestinian technocratic committee to assume security control, with a full IDF withdrawal only after verification that Gaza is free of weapons.
Hamas has rejected the disarmament framework and demanded changes, accusing the mediators of bias toward Israel.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC, “We are waiting for Mladenov to provide a clear timetable for Israel to fulfill the remaining obligations of Phase 1.
A document obtained by The Times of Israel said the Board of Peace does not intend to hold Israel to the October 2025 truce terms if Hamas fails to accept the disarmament framework. The document said such a refusal would render Israel’s commitments “null and void” after a timeframe determined by the board.
On the ground, Palestinian officials say Israel has carried out engineering work and demolitions along the expanded zone, further reducing the territory under Hamas control.
US Ambassador: ‘Hamas Will Be Disarmed, But I Don’t Know Who Will Do It’
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee acknowledged uncertainty over who would ultimately carry out the task of disarming Hamas on Tuesday (12th), but insisted the Iran-backed terror group in Gaza will eventually be stripped of its weaponry.
“It’s a matter of when, and who will do it,” Huckabee said at the Tel Aviv Conference at Tel Aviv University. “Who’s going to do the actual disarming? I don’t know.”
Huckabee said the proposed International Stabilization Force being discussed for Gaza would not be responsible for disarming Hamas militants.
“That is not so much a military force as it is a monitoring-the-border force,” he said.
“Who is actually going to do the disarming? I don’t know. It could end up that the only entity willing to do it is the IDF,” referring to the Israeli Defense Forces.
The ambassador also confirmed remarks made a day earlier by US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz that Israel deployed an Iron Dome battery and military personnel to the United Arab Emirates during the recent conflict with Iran.
“I’d like to say a word of appreciation for the United Arab Emirates, the first Abraham Accord member,” Huckabee said. “Just look at the benefits Israel just sent them, Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate them.”
According to HUckabee, the conflict with Iran has reinforced security ties between Israel and Gulf states that normalizes relations under the Abraham Accords.
“The Gulf states now understand they will have to make a choice – it is more likely they will be attacked by Iran or Israel,” he said.
“They see that Israel helped them and Iran attacked them, and that Israel is not trying to take over their land and is not sending missiles to them.”
Dr. Yuval Steinitz: Technological Superiority Led To Israeli Victory In Iran War
Dr. Yuval Steinitz, chairman of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, told a Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs briefing on Monday (11th) that “40,000 rockets and missiles were launched at Israel from Lebanon and Gaza alone. Iron Dome intercepted the overwhelming majority of them with a success rate close to 99%.”
Without the Iron Dome, Israel’s major cities would have faced massive civilian casualties, economic paralysis, and severe disruption to daily life and military operations. “There’s no parallel technology in the world,” Steinitz said, describing Iron Dome as the only system capable of intercepting short-and medium-range rockets, mortar shells, and military fire at this scale.
Steinitz described the phases of Israel’s Iran campaign, beginning with the elimination of senior Iranian military leadership. Nearly 40 top commanders from the Revolutionary Guards and the regular Iranian army were killed “in less than 10 seconds. The speed was critical. If it had taken 10 minutes instead of 10 seconds, commanders would have escaped to bunkers and the achievement would have been impossible,”
The second phase focused on achieving air superiority over Iran within 36 hours, allowing the Israeli Air Force to operate freely against nuclear and missile infrastructure while defending Israel against ballistic missile attacks.
“For the first time in history, two countries fought each other directly from distances of 1,000 to 3,000 km… The main factor was scientific and technological superiority,” he said, noting that while Iran rapidly adapted and improved its systems during the war, “we ran even faster, and the end result is very clear… I don’t know a better example of a crystal-clear victory in the modern world than the war between Israel and Iran… The regime was dramatically weakened.”
Regarding the impact of strikes against Iran’s nuclear program, Steinitz said: “We destroyed most of the enrichment sites and almost all of the weaponization infrastructure.” While Iran still possesses enriched uranium stockpiles and the scientific knowledge to enrich further, key components of the nuclear weapons program were severely damaged, including testing facilities, conversion infrastructures, and personnel involved in weaponization.
In his assessment, before the war. Iran could have reached a nuclear weapon within months. “Now, it will take them between two to four years to rebuild everything and produce a real nuclear weapon.” (JNS-X)
(jns.org)
