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.

Two Israel Navy missile ships paid a visit to France earlier this month, where they held extensive drills with the French Navy, the first such event to occur in 59 years. July 2018. Credit: Courtesy of the IDF Spokesperson Unit.
Israel News
Israel’s Navy visits French counterpart for first time in decades, conducts joint drills
The ships conducted joint combat, search and rescue, and medical-treatment exercises, marking the first time that this happened in French waters since 1959. In recent years, the French Navy has visited Israeli naval bases for joint exercises on multiple occasions.
Jul. 22, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
Hamas members take part in a rally marking the Palestinian terror group’s 29th anniversary in Gaza on Dec.16, 2016. Credit: Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.
Feature
A failure at state-building, Hamas sticks to military build-up in Gaza
The very issue that caused Hamas to escalate tensions in the first place—Gaza’s isolation and faltering economy, and Hamas’s desire to change these things—remain in place, meaning that conflict could flare up even more in very little time.
Jul. 20, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
Smoke and fire rise from a location reportedly belonging to Hamas, following an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza town of Rafah on July 14, 2018. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.
Israel News
As Hamas ups the ante in Gaza, Israel loses patience, hitting back
Both sides have stopped short of going to war. Hamas is sticking to short-range fire, and Israel’s airstrikes have destroyed tunnels, command posts and other military targets, but did not target senior Hamas members.
Jul. 14, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft. Credit: U.S. Air Force Photo/Alex R. Loyd.
Israel News
Turkey likely to get F-35 jets, despite inflammatory rhetoric and Islamist pull
Ultimately, the United States will decide. Multiple bills are being debated in Congress designed to challenge and block the sale.
Jul. 10, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
The first four female tank commanders in the Israel Defense Forces pose with Brig. Gen. Guy Hasson, head of the Armored Corps. Credit: IDF Spokesperson Unit.
Israel News
First women tank commanders begin their duties in the IDF
They will conduct critical border-defense missions, though will not belong to brigades that would maneuver deep into enemy territory in case of war.
Jul. 8, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
A photo from the "Capture The Flag" competition hosted by Cisco Systems held at its offices in Netanya on June 19. Credit: IDF Spokesperson.
Feature
IDF’s cyber defenders prepare their responses for the ‘unknown threat’
Whether wireless, wired, or using satellites and phones, the Hoshen Unit is involved in enabling military communications, and its personnel are aware of the fact that Israel’s enemies are keen on being able to shut down the IDF’s networks if they could.
Jul. 4, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
IDF Commando Brigade in training in 2017. Photo courtesy of the IDF.
Feature
‘Steering wheel of the military’: IDF intelligence officers provide rare glimpse into their secret world
Asked to describe what the enemy looks like in 2018, an IDF major notes that a common denominator links them all, whether they are located in Syria, Lebanon or Gaza.
Jul. 2, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
Lt.-Col. Idan Wernick, deputy commander of the Menashe territorial brigade. Credit: Yaakov Lappin.
Israel News
West Bank is unpredictable, though stable for the time being, according to IDF commander
While keeping a lid on terror activities, the Menashe Brigade is also obligated to protect Palestinian civilians, and ensure their economic and agricultural activities. It seeks to strike a delicate balance in the area to help keep the peace.
Jun. 28, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
Israel Defense Forces paratroopers training in Poland. Credit: IDF Spokespersons Unit.
Israel News
Israeli paratroopers say training on Polish soil brought ‘great meaning to every soldier’
The Israel Defense Forces flew a platoon of 40 soldiers and officers to Europe, where together with American troops they parachuted down to the ground from aircraft, and practiced seizing airfields and other targets.
Jun. 20, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
A Hamas bomb explodes during an Israeli raid on a terror cell in the West Bank city of Nablus. Credit: IDF Spokesperson Unit screenshot.
Israel News
‘Bombs would have destroyed buses, cafes,’ says battalion commander who raided Hamas terror cell
The Shin Bet Israeli security service has detected and broken up approximately 250 large-scale terrorist cells since the start of 2018 alone, giving an indication of the scale of violence it has spared Israel’s cities and civilians.
Jun. 19, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
Israeli Air Force F-16I fighter jets. Credit: Maj. Ofer via Wikimedia Commons.
Israel News
Amid F-35 expectations, the F-16 remains the backbone of Israel’s air power
Although the F-35 remains vital in its importance, the IAF still needs to have hundreds of combat aircraft at its disposal, including older F-16 and F-15 jets.
Jun. 18, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
Israeli Navy soldiers seen on IDF ships, off the coast of Gaza, during Operation "Protective Edge" on July 28, 2014. Credit: Edi Israel/FLASH90
Feature
Naval arms race between Israel and Hamas picks up steam
At the Israel Navy Erez Arena Control Center just north of the Gaza Strip, officers and soldiers turn an array of high-tech sensors in the direction of Gaza, aware that any blind spot could end up carrying a heavy price tag for the Israeli civilian communities all around them that they protect.
Jun. 14, 2018
Yaakov Lappin
Load More