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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
Erdoğan, Herzog
Israel News
Full normalcy in Turkish-Israeli relations hinges on restrictions on Hamas
Meanwhile, the new Israeli government has an opportunity to boost the partnership with Mediterranean allies Greece and Cyprus.
Dec. 28, 2022
Yaakov Lappin
Yahya al-Sinwar, leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, at a rally in Gaza City marking the 35th anniversary of the Islamist movement, Dec. 14, 2022. Photo by Atia Mohammed/Flash90.
Features
How Hamas is working to create multiple fronts of attack against Israel
The Islamist movement is pleased with its control over territory and people and looks towards its next goal of taking over Judea and Samaria.
Dec. 25, 2022
Yaakov Lappin
A Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet lands at Kubinka Air Base. Credit: Fasttailwind/Shutterstock.
Israel News
Analysis: Possible Tehran purchase of Russia’s Su-35 jet sign of troubling partnership
Russian-Iranian competition in Syria appears to be a thing of the past, and a new Iranian-Hezbollah attempt at entrenchment in southern Syria may have already begun.
Dec. 20, 2022
Yaakov Lappin
A Mahan Air Airbus A300B4-600 lands at Birmingham International Airport, England. Photo by Adrian Pingstone via Wikimedia Commons.
Israel News
The airline that is the ‘main cover’ for Iran’s arms smuggling
A new report by the Alma Center sheds light on how Mahan Air works closely with Quds Force Unit 190 to ‘book’ suspicious flights with fake passenger names to Syria and Lebanon.
Dec. 15, 2022
Yaakov Lappin
Fighters from the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion take a breather after a week-long exercise in extreme weather conditions on the northern Golan Heights, July 21, 2022. Photo by Michael Giladi/Flash90.
Features
How the IDF shifted towards decentralization on the battlefield
The Israeli military’s evolution has seen the battalion-level echelon as the one that receives precise intelligence during combat and uses it to activate fighter jets.
Dec. 14, 2022
Yaakov Lappin
Israeli F-35I Adir jets fly in formation. Photo by 1st Lt. Erik D. Anthony/U.S. Air Force.
Features
Hamas’s shoulder-fired missiles and the far bigger threat to Israeli aircraft from Lebanon
Israeli jets likely have good defenses against such threats but they are not invulnerable.
Dec. 13, 2022
Yaakov Lappin
Paran Brigade fighters in the field, Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
Israel News
The IDF versus drug dealers: How an inter-agency effort is denting the flow of narcotics
Cross-border drug smugglers had a 50% chance of success in 2021, compared with 20% this year; Meanwhile, the IDF’s Paran Brigade remains vigilant against the ISIS threat from Sinai.
Dec. 5, 2022
Yaakov Lappin
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi speaks at a conference of the Gazit Institute in Tel Aviv, Nov. 4, 2022. Photo by Gideon Markowicz/Flash90.
Israel News
IDF identifies ‘as many targets in a month as it did in a year’
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi sheds light on how artificial intelligence led to an intelligence revolution.
Dec. 4, 2022
Yaakov Lappin
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