News Digest — 8/31/26
Iran Fires Missiles At US Forces In Jordan, Eight Intercepted
The Jordanian Armed Forces said they intercepted eight missiles that entered the country’s airspace Monday (31st), after local media reported hearing explosions near the city of Aqaba.
Iran launched an attack on US Forces in Jordan, a US source familiar with the situation confirmed to Fox News on Monday (31st). The source added that nearly all the missiles had been intercepted by US air defenses.
“US forces in Jordan are under missile attack. The Iranians are launching a variety of different missiles at US bases in response to US strikes on Larak Island,” Fox News Trey Yingst confirmed on Monday (31st).
The Iranian attacks followed US strikes on Larak Island in southern Iran. The US struck Iranian missile launchers after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces were seen preparing to fire towards the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (30th).
“According to US intelligence the Iranians were planning to launch rockets with sea mines attached, to redeploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz,” Yingst added.
Iran state broadcaster Press TV reported that Iran had launched missiles at US ships in the Strait of Hormuz early on Monday morning (31st).
The IRGC said it had carried out attacks on two US military bases in Jordan in response to “the US-Israeli enemy’s attack on Larak Island,” in a statement on Monday morning (31st).
According to the statement, the IRGC “targeted the technical and maintenance infrastructure and the locations where enemy fighter jets are stationed at the two US air bases in Jordan using ballistic missiles.”
Citing the IRGC statement, the Iranian state media IRIB reported that the attack “destroyed” the bases and “caused heavy damage,” contrary to reports from US officials.
Hezbollah Said To Rebuff Lebanese Overtures To Withdraw From Strategic Ridge In South
The Hezbollah terror group has so far rejected overtures by the Lebanese government to pull its forces out of the contested Ali Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon, according to a Saturday (29th) report.
The Nidal Al-Watan reported that President Joseph Aoun’s efforts, aided by parliament speaker and Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri, to persuade the terror group to withdraw and hand over the territory to the Lebanese Army, had been refused.
Unnamed sources warned this intransigence could lead the Israeli military to escalate and widen its campaign against Hezbollah, adding that Israel appeared unwilling to make further concessions until Lebanon takes more concrete steps to disarm the terrorist organization.
The sources also said the confrontation has stalled efforts to schedule a new round of US-backed negotiations between Jerusalem and Beirut in Rome, which has hosted multiple rounds of talks in recent months, with the report suggesting that international support for Lebanon’s army could be undermined if Hezbollah still holds the Ali Taher Ridge the next time negotiations convene.
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the broader Middle East conflict in March by launching rockets at Israel in support of its sponsor Iran, which had come under attack by a US-Israel air campaign. Israel responded to the Hezbollah attacks with a heavy air campaign and ground invasion.
Despite the ceasefire declared in Lebanon in April, fighting has persisted, but to a lesser extent. Israeli forces continued to operate inside a self-declared “security zone.” which runs around six miles deep inside Lebanese territory along the border.
Israel has increased attacks on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in recent days— particularly in the Natatieh area where the Ali Taher Ridge is located— while the terror group has targeted troops operating in the area. On Saturday (29th), Lebanese media reported an Israeli strike in the southern town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, on which the Israel Defense Forces did not immediately comment.
The Ali Taher Ridge, where Hezbollah has a major underground facility, has been the site of ongoing fighting and Israeli strikes. The IDF believes some Hezbollah fighters remain holed up in the underground passages beneath the ridge and has vowed to “not allow Hezbollah terrorists to exit the underground tunnel network or move in the area.”
In June, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement committing Lebanon to restoring sovereignty over its territory through the “verified disarmament of non-state armed groups,” which would in turn enable a progressive Israeli withdrawal. The State of Lebanon, along with Israel and the US, signed the agreement, but Hezbollah and its allies are opposed to it.
Israel has so far pulled forces out of three pilot zones into which the Lebanese Army entered, but has said it will not carry out any further withdrawals before Hezbollah is disarmed.
Greece To Buy $3.6 Billion Israeli Air Defense Network
Greece is moving ahead with a $3.6 billion air defense network built around Israeli technology, combining systems designed to intercept ballistic missiles, rockets, aircraft and drones while replacing much of Athens’ aging Russian-made arsenal.
The agreement for the “Achilles Shield” is expected to be signed with Israel’s Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv following three years of discussions.
The project will link several Israeli weapons systems through a single command-and -control network.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems will supply David’s Sling designed to intercept heavy rockets and ballistic missiles, along with SPYDER systems for defense against UAVs and drones.
Israel Aerospace Industries will provide its Barak MX system to counter aircraft and missile threats.
The different components will be connected through A-I-powered command-and -control software that will assess incoming threats and coordinate the appropriate response.
Greece’s existing Patriot batteries will also be incorporated into the network, creating a layered air defense system.
Achilles Shield will allow Greece to phase out much of its Russian-built air defense equipment, including S-300 and Tor-MI systems, which have become increasingly difficult to maintain.
Greek companies are expected to carry out at least 25% of the project, representing more than 700 million euros in work.
The agreement also includes transfers of source code aimed at allowing Greece to retain national operational control over the system.
The deal is nearing completion as Israel and Greece assess the security implications of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. Achilles Shield itself predates that pact, having been under discussion for three years.
Both Israel and Greece regard the Mecca agreement as a direct security threat, though for different reasons. Israel is concerned that the pact’s NATO-style collective defense provision could limit its military freedom of action.
Greece is concerned that Turkey’s ambitions could be strengthened by Saudi financial resources and Pakistani strategic depth.
The agreement would move Greece’s planned air defense modernization into the implementation stage while expanding its defense cooperation with Israel.
Finland, Israel “Quietly” Extend Defense Agreement For 10 Years
Finland and Israel have extended a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for defense cooperation over the next decade that will include research and development (R&D) , cooperation, and procurement of defense equipment.
Finland’s public broadcaster YLE reported that the MoU was approved by Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen in early 2024, despite strong criticism due to the ongoing war in Gaza. The agreement, set to last till 2034, was not made public until the report by YLE.
According to the report, the MoU was drawn up in 2013, but with its validity about to expire, Helsinki proposed to Israel that the protocol be extended in early 2024. Finland proposed extending the agreement to 10 years rather than the previous five years, to which MG, (res,) Amir Baram, director general of Israel’s defense Minister, agreed.
“On behalf of the MoU, I thereby accept the extension in the form suggested by the Finnish side, for ten years. We appreciate our fruitful cooperation and wish for mutual projects and activities,” read a letter sent by the MoU to YLE.
Major Israeli companies already have subsidiaries in Finland, as well as significant cooperation with local Finnish firms.
Defense & Tech understands that while Finnish purchases from Israeli defense industries may have been just a few million dollars a few years ago , they currently total hundreds of millions of dollars a year and are continuing to rise.
The largest single acquisition was the David’s Sling air defense system, purchased in 2023 for $16 million. Rafael also provided the Finnish Army with Spike anti-tank missiles in 2022 for 213 million euros. The third largest purchase was the Gabriel anti-ship missiles bought by the navy in 2018 priced at 62 million euros.
There are currently some 20 defense projects ongoing between the two countries.
The MoU was likely signed during the visit of the Commander of the Finnish Defense Forces, General Janne Jakkola, who visited Israel from August 3-6th. According to a press release by the Finnish armed forces, Jakkola and his Israeli counterparts discussed the evolving security environment as well as multli-layered air defenses.
“We are moving towards a capability in which Finland will no longer rely on angle, point-by-point solutions, but, instead, build a multi-layered, networked and scaled air defense system. The aim is to be able to respond to both rapid and wide-scale air and missile threats,” Jakkola was quoted as saying.
Hakkanen was quoted by YLE as defending the extension of the MoU as standard practice, saying that it was “not some dramatic new policy” as it was part of the implementation of existing air-defense and procurement agreements.
As part of the MoU the countries agreed on the establishment of a joint coordination group for Finland and Israel, which meets once a year to discuss bilateral defense ties.
In May, the Defense Ministry’s International Defense Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) led a delegation of 32 Israeli defense companies to the second Finnish-Defense Industry Seminar.
The delegation to the seminar was held in the capital, Helsinki, and led by SIBAT Director BG (res.) Yair Kulas.
It spanned the full spectrum of Israel’s defense industry, specialized across a wide range of domains, with particular focus on air defense, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS technologies, and border protection, alongside autonomous systems, advanced munitions, C2 and communications, electro-optical solutions, HLS and cyber intelligence.
It included seven new defense tech start-ups under the ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D)’s Mafat for Start-ups (MFS) program, along with larger defense companies, such as Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Elbit Systems Tomer, UVision, Xtend, TSG, and Aeronautics.
Some 30 Finnish defense companies also attended the seminar, which was co-organized with the Finnish Ministry of Defense and the Finnish Defense and Aerospace Industries Association (IPIA)
Finland, which recently joined NATO, is facing a menacing Russian neighbor and has suffered drone incursions both from Ukraine and Russia. The country shares 1,340 kilometers of border with Russia and is considered a key northern flank against Moscow.
Deluded Western Activists Must Stop Shouting Over Actual Palestinians Like Me – Nicole Lampert
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is a Palestinian from Gaza who has lost 33 members of his immediate and extended family in the war. He was once groomed by Hamas, but he has no love for the Keffiyeh- sporting, resistance spouting “pro-Palestine” movement – members of which, he says, know little about Gaza itself. “There is this huge gap between the many people in Gaza who have experienced the consequences of Hamas’ terrorism, violence and jihadism, and the resistance narrative being pushed,” says Alkhatib, 36.
“Those in the West, whether they are Muslims or so-called allies who are still cheering on the resistance narrative, at best seek to sideline Hamas and pretend that it is not a significant contributor to the situation. At worst, this has led to a horrendous, unprecedented normalization of Hamas, an Islamo-fascist, jihadi organization that, ironically, had been losing an immense amount of legitimacy and support in Gaza well before October 7.
Alkhatib, who has written a book called Hamas and Its Two Million Hostages, sees Hamas not as the victors who have managed so well to turn the world against the Israelis, but as a terror group that holds its own people hostage. He said October 7 was “a horrendous decision made by a small number of jihadis in Gaza tunnels” and that Hamas has “dragged the people along for a suicidal adventure.”
He adds, “Essentially you have Western support for Islamist groups. And within this Western coalition, you have an unholy alliance of Islamists and supposedly social justice warriors – who ostensibly care about women’s rights, equality, and immigrants rights, and a whole host of social causes – directly or indirectly singing the praises of a jihadist terrorist organization.”
“What the people in Gaza want is to be emancipated from Hamas, from the shackles of the resistance narrative that for the last 20 years has seen billions of dollars wasted and lives lost for absolutely nothing…Hamas is a deeply irrational actor in pursuit of a deeply irrational agenda – the destruction of the State of Israel.. What I find grotesque is how many in the West are still waving their flags.”
