Israel's cutting-edge missile defense called Iron Dome scored an 85 percent success rate in knocking out rockets launched against Israel's southern cities in recent clashes with Gaza.
How can a society remain perpetually ready for war yet uncorrupted by the readiness? It is a question posed by Jonathan Spyer in "The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict," and it's a thoughtful question that highlights the book's composition as equal parts philosophical memoir and strategic analysis.
A newly released State Department cable from November 2009 reveals the Israeli military's growing worries about Iran's nuclear weapons program and Tehran's support for regional terrorists in seeking "Hamastan" and "Hezbollahstan" enclaves.
As Iran continues to develop its weapons arsenal, its leadership in Tehran constantly reminds the international community that it wants to see an end to Israel's existence.
The Treasury Department on Tuesday added two Iranian groups and seven Iranians to its terrorism blacklist for their support of terrorists in Afghanistan and the Middle East under the guise of providing development assistance or social services.
Last week's riots over gasoline rationing in Iran are the latest sign of the Islamist regime's political weakness and vulnerability to economic pressure. Despite the fact that Iran is one of the world's largest crude-oil exporters, gasoline is rationed thanks to a lack of refinery space and massive subsidies for consumers stimulate demand and create shortages. Last month, the Iranian Majlis (Parliament) voted to increase the price of gasoline from approximately 26 cents per gallon to 64 cents per gallon, but that was vetoed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the government on Wednesday imposed rationing and attempted to fix the price at 34 cents per gallon (while on the black market, gasoline is selling at nearly $3.00 per gallon in some parts of the country).
