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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.

Members of the group of ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza are seen moored at the small island of Koufonisi, south of the island of Crete, on Sept. 26, 2025. Photo by Eleftherios Elis/AFP via Getty Images.
Israel News
‘Whoever violates Gaza security blockade is violating international law’
Former Israeli Navy commander Eliezer Marom told JNS that Italian and Spanish warships are likely accompanying the large flotilla heading for Gaza for search-and-rescue purposes.
Sept. 30, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
Brothers D. and N. at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva, September 2025. Credit: Courtesy.
Feature
How a real ‘big brother’ became a wounded IDF lone soldier’s lifeline
After his younger brother was shot at point-blank range by a terrorist in Gaza, a former lone soldier drew on his “Ach Gadol” training to navigate the crisis.
Sept. 28, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
IDF tanks and troops operating in Gaza City, Sept. 16, 2025. Credit: IDF.
Analysis
‘Historically, the losing side leaves the battlefield’
Experts from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security argue in a webinar that Israel must achieve a “knockout” by expelling Hamas from Gaza.
Sept. 17, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
Israel Defense Forces soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, September 2025. Credit: IDF.
Analysis
IDF launches ‘main phase’ of Gaza City operation
Military officials detail a gradual, multi-division maneuver, estimating that 2,000 to 3,000 terrorists remain in Gaza City and 40% of civilians have been evacuated.
Sept. 16, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
This image is from a May 28, 2025, Defense Ministry statement about the deployment of tactical lasers during the war. Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
Analysis
Israeli air defense lasers could soon be placed near critical sites
“The biggest challenge with UAVs is detection, identification and classification,” expert Tal Inbar told JNS.
Sept. 14, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
Then-Jerusalem police chief Yoram Halevi attends a recognition day for Israeli police at the Knesset on February 05, 2018. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90.
Analysis
‘Very talented officer': Yoram Halevi appointed next head of COGAT
The appointment of a former police commander as the new head of COGAT has exposed a deep-seated debate over the role of the unit.
Sept. 12, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
Defense Minister Israel Katz, the PM's Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu's chief of staff Tzachi Braverman and acting Shin Bet head "Mem" oversee the operation in Qatar at the Shin Bet's command center, September 9, 2025. Credit: Shin Bet.
Analysis
Hamas’s leadership abroad ‘was blocking compromise’
Former Mossad official tells JNS Israeli strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha are aimed at breaking the deadlock in hostage negotiations and sending a powerful signal to Qatar.
Sept. 9, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
The Ofek 19 military reconnaissance satellite lifts off from central Israel aboard a Shavit rocket, marking a milestone in Israel’s defense and space capabilities, Sept. 2, 2025. Credit: DDR&D Multimedia/Israel Ministry of Defense.
Analysis
‘Modern warfare extends into space’
Israel has successfully launched the Ofek 19, an advanced radar observation satellite, which can observe enemy targets at a high resolution.
Sept. 5, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
IDF in Gaza
Israel News
‘Our troops are operating on the outskirts of Gaza City’
The IDF aims to dismantle Hamas’s last stronghold.
Sept. 4, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
IDF soldiers operate in the Mount Dov area of southern Lebanon on September 3, 2025. Credit: IDF.
Analysis
IDF action in Lebanon allows northern Israeli residents to return
As some 76% of northerners return home, a new security reality is taking shape, defined by the IDF’s proactive “forward defense” doctrine.
Sept. 4, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
IDF soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip, Aug. 1, 2025. Credit: IDF.
Analysis
‘20 square kilometers of Gaza City left to seize’
While the IDF prepares for a final assault on Gaza City, former defense officials tell JNS that only a military takeover of Hamas’s last stronghold can achieve a decisive victory.
Sept. 3, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
A photojournalist takes a picture of smoke after an Israeli air strike on Yemen's Houthi-held capital Sanaa on August 24, 2025. Photo by Mohammed Huwais/ AFP via Getty Images.
Analysis
Israeli strike on Houthi military leaders ‘reflects intelligence infiltration’
Dramatic decapitation attack in Yemen comes days after Israel struck a fuel depot that appears to be tied to the Houthi missile industry.
Aug. 28, 2025
Yaakov Lappin
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