IDF unveils upgraded Lavi Hummer (Jeep)

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-900976

IDF unveils upgraded Hummer, featuring 'first of its kind' turbo system

“There are some minor differences in appearance, but the real change is on the inside,” unit commander, Maj. A. said to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, while operating the Lavi in real time.

The IDF's 810th Mountain Brigade has acquired a new version of the Lavi Hummer for operational use, after significant upgrades, the army announced on Sunday.

The new Lavi features increased horsepower, torque, and a new turbo system, the army said. Due to these upgrades, the new version is capable of carrying a heavier load.

The idea of replacing old Hummers wasn't born from the latest war with Hezbollah, the IDF said, though the renewed conflict accelerated its rollout.

Moreover, the new version of the Lavi has already been integrated into operations in Syria and Lebanon.

The IDF's Lavi Hummer in an undated photograph (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Turbo system, reinforced brakes combine to create a 'first of its kind' system

“There are some minor differences in appearance, but the real change is on the inside,” unit commander, Maj. A. said to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, while operating the Lavi in real time.

“The engine is different, a turbo system that did not exist in previous models has been incorporated, alongside upgraded cooling and reinforced brakes. In addition, a new steering and ventilation system was installed, as well as LED lighting that replaced the incandescent lights.”

“Perhaps more than anything, the most significant leap forward is the turbo system,” the commander added, immediately clarifying that it is the first of its kind and exclusive to the new model.

Maj. A also highlighted the upgrade to the Lavi's ability to handle the climate in which the brigade often operates.

“As altitude increases, the percentage of oxygen in the air drops, and just as it becomes harder for people to breathe, the same is true for the engine," Maj. A said to the unit.

"This system addresses that precise need and helps it draw in air far more efficiently.”

“You carry out missions, climbing the mountain just as we are doing now,” Maj. A. explained, “and reach unusual altitudes over challenging terrain."

"When you see how it manages to operate accurately and continuously, that is the real achievement.”

The new Lavi changes how missions are carried out, not their goals.

“In the end, it is the same activity,” he emphasized. “Whether it involves transporting soldiers, evacuating wounded personnel or providing logistical supplies to outposts, the difference lies in its capabilities and the confidence it provides. Thanks to those, we are able to do, and dare, much more.”

“In the past, reaching the summit of Mount Hermon would take me several minutes. Today, it takes less time,” he said. “That may sound like a small change, but in an operational sector, every minute can be critical, and it can often mean the difference between a successful operation and an unsuccessful one.”

To Maj. A, the new Lavi models signal trust in the brigade's work.

“Very few people in the military remember what it is like to receive a new Humvee,” he said to the Spokesperson's Unit.

“To me, it is proof that our work is appreciated. They understand that we are doing something important here, and they trust us to lead complex missions, just like other mobility units.”

“I hope that a year from now, we will double the number of vehicles in the IDF and in the unit, and that the older ones will retire with dignity,” he joked.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-900976

Israel to establish 3 communities in Northern Gaza?

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429385

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-901000

Smotrich: We are prepared to establish three communities in northern Gaza

During a visit to Sderot, the Finance Minister revealed that plans are in place to create three Jewish communities in the northern Gaza Strip and are ready for execution pending PM's authorization.

Smotrich (R) in SderotSpokesperson

At the conclusion of a meeting between Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi on Monday, the former announced that the Defense Ministry's Settlement Authority, led by him, has concluded staff work to establish three communities in the northern sector of the Gaza Strip, and that it is possible to begin executing the plan immediately upon receiving political approval from the Prime Minister.

"The Settlement Authority in the Defense Ministry, led by me, has completed the staff work, and we are ready to establish three communities immediately, the moment we get the green light from the Prime Minister. I call on the Prime Minister: grant the approval, let's finish the mission and restore true security for the residents of the south," Smotrich said.

He added that "the IDF is currently holding nearly 70% of the territory in the Gaza Strip. We have to complete the conquest of the remaining territory, defeat Hamas, and establish a strip of Jewish communities that will serve as a security belt for Sderot and the Gaza envelope communities. Wherever there is no settlement, there is no security. We are not returning to the pre-October 7th reality."

Mayor Davidi added, "Finance Minister, thank you for all you do for the Gaza envelope. I was also one of those who called you and said, 'Bezalel, fight,' so that we wouldn't stop fighting until we remove the threat from Sderot and the envelope. That is the minimum needed for the residents of the area to live securely."

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429385

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that plans to establish three Israeli settlements in the northern Gaza Strip had been completed and were awaiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s green light before implementation could begin.

Smotrich called on Netanyahu to allow for the advancement and said that implementation could “begin immediately” afterwards.

He made the announcement at the end of a meeting held on Monday evening in the South with Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi.

The conservative minister is the head of the Settlements Administration, a Defense Ministry body established in 2023 that manages matters relating to settlements and advances construction and housing in the West Bank.

“The Settlement Administration, under my leadership in the Defense Ministry, has completed its staff work, and we are ready to establish three settlements immediately once we receive the green light from the prime minister,” Smotrich said.

“I call on the prime minister: give the approval – let us complete the mission, and restore real security to the residents of the South.”

Smotrich also stated that the IDF currently holds nearly 70% of the Gaza Strip’s territory.

“We need to complete the conquest of the remaining area, defeat Hamas, and establish a belt of Jewish settlements that will serve as a security buffer for Sderot and the Gaza border communities,” he said.

“Where there is no settlement, there is no security. We are not going back to the reality of before October 7,” Smotrich added.

Smotrich’s Monday trip to southern Israel was part of a wider visit to the new neighborhoods being constructed in Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the Gaza border communities devastated by Hamas during the October 7 massacre.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-901000

Romania Buys Air Defense System From Rafael

https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-900779

Romania buys Israeli air defense system in Rafael’s biggest deal ever

The deal is the largest contract in Rafael’s history and the second-largest defense deal in Israeli defense-industry history

     Rafael SPYDER Air Defense System

Romania’s Ministry of National Defense has finalized a landmark agreement with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for the acquisition of SPYDER short‑ and very‑short‑range air‑defense systems.

The deal is the largest contract in Rafael’s history and the second-largest defense deal in Israeli defense-industry history, following the sale of the Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany for $3.5 billion.

The initial order is part of the first phase of a strategic framework valued at more than €2 billion and positions SPYDER as a central component of Romania’s SHORAD (Short Range Air Defense)-VSHORAD (Very Short Range Air Defense) modernization effort.

According to the Romanian Ministry of National Defense, the first subsequent contract covers one integrated SHORAD-VSHORAD system, three VSHORAD systems, one SHORAD system, and dedicated training and simulation infrastructure.

The deal includes launchers, interceptors, radar systems, training arrays, and logistical support, with initial operational capability planned within 36 months.

Rafael's Spyder air defense system (credit: RAFAEL ADVANCED SYSTEMS)

Full package

Deliveries of the first two VSHORAD systems are scheduled within three years, with operator training to begin ahead of acceptance activities. The broader framework agreement, concluded in July 2025, provides for six integrated SHORAD-VSHORAD systems, six SHORAD systems, six VSHORAD systems, and associated ammunition, training, and logistical support.

The SPYDER system is a mobile, quick‑reaction air‑defense solution designed to protect against a wide spectrum of aerial threats. It can intercept aircraft, drones, and UAVs, helicopters, and precision‑guided munitions, and counter‑tactical ballistic missile capability.

The SPYDER Family of short- to long-range mobile, quick-reaction, combat-proven Air Defense Systems includes the SPYDER SR, SPYDER MR, SPYDER LR, SPYDER ER, and the SPYDER All-in-One.

It is built around the Python‑5 and the Derby missiles, which are adapted from air‑to‑air use for ground launch and are designed to counter aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and precision‑guided munitions.

The system uses an electro-optical observation payload and wireless data link communication and can engage multiple threats simultaneously up to 160 kilometers away in all weather conditions.

The EL/M 2106 radar is manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries-IAI, a subsidiary of Elta, and can track up to 500 targets simultaneously in all weather conditions while on the move.

Its modular architecture allows for both stationary and mobile deployment, and its rapid response time is intended to provide effective protection of strategic assets in complex air environments.

Popular air defense system

Rafael was selected through a restricted tender aimed at supplying Romania with a large number of SPYDER batteries. Romanian officials emphasized that the procurement aligns with NATO requirements and is intended to strengthen defenses against a spectrum of aerial threats, including drones and cruise missiles.

“The agreement with Romania is a strategic one that demonstrates Rafael's technological leadership and enduring excellence in the field of air defense. We thank the Government of Romania for choosing the SPYDER system and welcome Romania's entry into the community of nations that have chosen Rafael's system to protect their citizens,” said Rafael chairman of the board, Prof. Yuval Steinitz.

“As a leader in defense innovation, we will continue to contribute to the security of our partners through the development of the most advanced technologies and productive industrial collaborations,” he added.

Over the past three decades, Rafael has supplied Romania with advanced systems in the field of tactical missiles (SPIKE), electro-optics, and communications across all branches of the country's armed forces, the air, land, and naval forces, alongside additional operational capabilities.

SPYDER has been operational for more than fifteen years and is said to be used by several militaries around the world, including the Czech Republic, which became the first NATO member to deploy it, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Kenya and Singapore.

Romania’s acquisition was approved by Parliament in accordance with national legislation and conducted as a competitive restricted tender. The SHORAD-VSHORAD procurement program aims to equip the Romanian Armed Forces with modern systems capable of countering current and emerging aerial threats while integrating into NATO’s broader defense network.

The contract with Romania further anchors the Israeli system within NATO. Last week, Switzerland began talks with Israeli air defense manufacturers for a second air defense system. Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post understands that the Israeli system being looked at is Rafael's David’s Sling.

Finland purchased David’s Sling after joining NATO, signing a deal worth more than €300 million. Central European states have also moved toward Israeli systems, with the Czech Republic receiving the Spyder medium‑range system, Slovakia selecting the Barak MX, and Romania is reportedly in negotiations to also acquire the Iron Dome, which would make it the first European country to deploy Israel’s famous short‑range interceptor.

https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-900779

Warning: Muslims Cutting Themselves to Celebrate Ashura Festival

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15931877/Muslims-blood-cut-knives-Islamic-festival.html

Muslims are left drenched in blood as they cut themselves with knives to mark Islamic festival

Muslims were pictured drenched in blood as they slashed, whipped and cut themselves with sharp blades to mark an Islamic festival. 

The holiday, known as the holy Day of Ashura, is celebrated by Shi'ite Muslims, and mourns the death of Imam Hussein on the battlefield in the seventh century.

The gory ceremony, which sees males of all ages cut themselves across the scalp or whip themselves with blades attached to chains, is meant to commemorate Imam Hussein's violent end. 

In Iraq, pilgrims converged on the holy city of Karbala, which was the site of the battle and is home to a shrine to Hussein, and were pictured wearing white clothes stained by bright red patches of blood from their wounds.

In Baghdad, thousands marched through the streets, including some who slashed their heads with razors and performed other forms of self-flagellation in a show of grief to mark the occasion.

Muslims also gathered in Iran, Lebanon and other parts of the world for the annual commemoration. 

Ashura this year comes after a war between predominantly Shi'ite Iran and the United States and Israel, who launched strikes on the country on February 28, killing senior officials, including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Shiite men bleed from self-inflicted wounds after cutting their heads with swords during a procession to mark Ashura 

Shi'ite men bleed from self-inflicted wounds after cutting their heads with swords during a procession to mark festival of Ashoura, on the tenth day of Muharram, in Basra, Iraq, June 26 

Muslims were pictured drenched in blood as they slashed, whipped and cut themselves with sharp blades to mark the Islamic festival of Ashura

The holiday is celebrated by Shi'ite Muslims and mourns the death of Imam Hussein on the battlefield in the 7th Century

The 86-year-old Khamenei was not just Iran's top political leader but also had a final say on all religious matters and was revered by millions of Shiites worldwide.

In Lebanon, where a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah is in place, thousands of black-clad mourners gathered in Beirut's southern suburbs at a shrine to Hezbollah's former longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a series of massive Israeli strikes in 2024.

Women clutched photographs of sons and brothers killed in the war — many of them fighting for Hezbollah — while others held photographs of Nasrallah or Iran's Khamenei, who was killed in February in an attack by the US and Israel.

Many of them sobbed. 

Expressions of grief for the death of Imam Hussein are traditional during Ashura, but many of the mourners were also grieving more personal losses.

In the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, which is usually a major centre to commemorate Ashoura, dozens of people gathered near the main square, much of which was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes over the past weeks, with some of them inflicting head injuries on themselves to express their mourning. 

The practice is widely opposed by many Shiites, including Hezbollah.

 Earlier on Friday, state media and Associated Press journalists on the ground reported two Israeli airstrikes on the nearby village of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa. It was not immediately clear if the strike inflicted any casualties.

A man bleeds from a ceremonial head wound as he strikes his head during Ashura amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, Friday, June 26, 2026

The gory ceremony is meant to commemorate Imam Hussein's violent end

Ashura this year comes after a war between predominantly Shiite Iran and the United States and Israel, who launched strikes on the country on February 28,

Shiite Muslims re-enact the seventh century battle of Karbala during activities marking the holy day of Ashoura, the annual Shiite Muslim commemoration marking the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 26, 2026

A Lebanese Shiite uses a razor to make a ceremonial cut to a man's head during Ashoura when Shiites commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, Friday, June 26, 2026

To Shi'ites, the killing of Hussein holds deep religious and historical resonance

To Shi'ites, who make up the second-largest branch of Islam after the Sunni majority, the killing of Hussein holds deep religious and historical resonance and plays a key role in shaping identity.

Hezbollah's leader Naim Kassem said in a speech Friday that Ashura is being repeated by the US and Israel, adding that his group and its supporters were subjected to a 'war of elimination.'

'America and Israel also wanted to eliminate Iran by removing the regime and controlling the country,' Kassem said. 'The memorandum of understanding is a declaration of defeat for America and Israel,' Kassem said of the deal reached this month between Washington and Tehran.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15931877/Muslims-blood-cut-knives-Islamic-festival.html

 A Shi'ite boy is held still as a gash is cut into his head as part of an Ashura ceremony

Even small children participate in the ceremony 

Muslims whip and cut themselves with chains and knives during the ceremonies

Shi'ite Muslims gash their heads with blades as they commemorate Ashura 

Shi'ite Muslims believe that cutting themselves on the Day of Ashura is a way of cleansing away sin 

Imam Hussein died in battle 1,300 years ago

Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims

A Shi'ite Muslim man

Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims bleed after hitting their foreheads with swords and beating themselves

An Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim bleeds as gashes himself during a ceremony marking Ashura, the holiest day on the Shi'ite Muslim calendar