More
EN
Newsletter
More
Newsletter
EN
Support JNS
Yaakov Lappin

Yaakov Lappin

Yaakov Lappin is an Israel-based military affairs correspondent and analyst. He is the in-house analyst at the Miryam Institute; a research associate at the Alma Research and Education Center; and a research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. He is a frequent guest commentator on international television news networks, including Sky News and i24 News. Lappin is the author of Virtual Caliphate: Exposing the Islamist State on the Internet. Follow him at: www.patreon.com/yaakovlappin.

An Israeli soldier examines anti-tank ordnance seized from Hezbollah's Radwan Force in Southern Lebanon, Dec. 28, 2024. Credit: IDF.
Analysis
Hezbollah’s Radwan Force and the risk of northern infiltration
Despite significant degradation, Israeli observers warn that Hezbollah retains the capability for localized cross-border raids.
Mar. 19, 2026
Yaakov Lappin
Ali Larijani
Analysis
Ali Larijani, Iran’s ‘de facto ruler,’ eliminated in IAF strike
Mar. 18, 2026
Yaakov Lappin
Israel Defense Forces troops from the 91st Division conduct ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in Southern Lebanon, March 15, 2026. Credit: IDF.
Analysis
‘Only IDF presence in Lebanon can defend northern Israel’
Mar. 17, 2026
Yaakov Lappin
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (second from left) and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant near the border with Lebanon, March 16, 2023. Photo by David Cohen/Flash90.
Analysis
The dilemma of a preventive Israeli strike on Hezbollah
As the Iran-backed terror army provokes Israel on the border and builds its arsenal, experts assess that Iranian pressure, and the domestic crises in Lebanon and Israel, are emboldening its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Aug. 2, 2023
Yaakov Lappin
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi attends a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 18, 2023. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
Analysis
IDF now must wait and see if reservists fulfill no-show threat
10,000 IDF and 1,142 IAF personnel declared prior to the passing of a key judicial reform bill that if it became law they would stop reporting for duty.
Jul. 25, 2023
Yaakov Lappin
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi addresses the Herzliya Conference, May 23, 2023. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.
Analysis
IDF chief takes a firmer line on no-show reservists
However, without some form of stabilization of Israel’s political situation, the question is whether it will be enough.
Jul. 20, 2023
Yaakov Lappin
A Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle departs for a training mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range in the U.S., Jan. 27, 2011. Photo by Senior Airman Brett Clashman/U.S. Air Force via Wikimedia Commons.
Features
Israeli-Saudi security cooperation ‘would be Iran’s nightmare’
Despite the absence of formal normalization, Riyadh and Jerusalem are ripe for greater cooperation, observers say.
Jul. 19, 2023
Yaakov Lappin
Israel concludes its first successful trial of ground-based laser interception system 4 on April 14, 2022. Credit: Courtesy of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
Analysis
Laser air defenses coming to Israeli border communities soon
After nearly two decades in development, Israel’s Iron Beam laser defense system is scheduled to become operational within the next year and a half.
Jul. 18, 2023
Yaakov Lappin
The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Photo by Bernard Gagnon via Wikimedia Commons.
Features
A decade into the shadow war in Syria, Israel still disrupting Tehran’s takeover efforts
But Iran and Hezbollah are still highly active in Syria—and elsewhere.
Jul. 17, 2023
Yaakov Lappin
Hassan Nasrallah
Analysis
Hezbollah, seeing division in Israel, launches calculated provocation
Likely with Iranian encouragement, Nasrallah seeks to humiliate Israel, but with each new match he lights, the chance of a conflagration increases.
Jul. 13, 2023
Yaakov Lappin
Terrorists attend the funeral in Jenin of comrades who were killed during an Israeli military operation, July 5, 2023. Photo by Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90.
Analysis
As PA forces enter Jenin, Israel watches cautiously
Hundreds of terrorist gunmen fled the city last week; still, major questions remain over its fate and that of the Palestinian Authority.
Jul. 11, 2023
Yaakov Lappin
Load More