Yaakov Lappin
InvestigativeProject
Israel
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Past articles by Yaakov:
The Iranian Weapons Triangle that Drives Tehran's Regional Entrenchment
Three weapons systems form a triangle at the heart of the Islamic Republic's program to entrench itself in the Middle East. Precision-guided missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and surface-to-air missiles are finding their way into increasing → Read More
U.S. Vote on Palestinian Refugees Raises Discomfort in Israel
The United States' vote to abstain earlier this month on a draft United Nations resolution involving Palestinian refugees and their descendants set off discomfort in Israel over Washington's policy regarding one of the most sensitive topics in the → Read More
Allies Step Up Confrontation with Iran as U.S. Looks to Scale Back from the Middle East
In recent months, the United States has sent unmistakable signals that, 20 years after 9/11, the era of its Middle East counter-terrorism mission is drawing to a close. The August withdrawal from Afghanistan marked the end of an era in which → Read More
Hamas's Growing Role in Iran's Scheme to Encircle Israel
A senior Hamas delegation that visited Iran in October and met with Supreme Leader Khamenei is the latest sign of the close partnership between the Sunni Palestinian terror organization and the Shi'ite Islamic Republic. Hamas has an important role in → Read More
Israel's Shadow War Dented Iran's Takeover of Syria, But Only Temporarily
Explosive drones likely launched by Iranian-backed militias last Wednesday night targeted the At-Tanf U.S. airbase in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders. The strike appears to be in retaliation for alleged Israeli strikes on → Read More
Palestinian Islamist Jihad Terrorists Aligning with Hamas's Interests in Gaza – For Now
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror organization is often in the business of "jihad now, not later," an approach that has led to multiple deadly escalations between it and Israel in the Gaza Strip – even when this did not suit the immediate → Read More
How the IDF's Counter-Terrorism Raids Keep the PA Afloat
Recent events in the West Bank have served as a reminder of the fact that there are certain places where the Palestinian Authority cannot move around freely, and that without IDF counter-terrorist operations, Hamas would soon begin threatening the PA's → Read More
Hamas Building a Second Front Against Israel in Lebanon
In recent days, a senior Iranian military commander boasted that his country has built "six armies outside its borders that work for it." The commander attributed the statement to Qassem Soleimani, the late commander of Iran's overseas Quds Force, and → Read More
Iran's New Interest in Nuclear Talks is Nothing to Celebrate
Iran is signaling its willingness to return to talks with the P5+1 countries (the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, plus Germany) over reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement. In light of Iran's large-scale progress on its nuclear → Read More
Hamas Escalates Again as it Plays the Long, Radical Game
Three months after the end of its May conflict with Israel, Hamas has returned to its familiar ways of constant attrition, violent extortion, and "controlled escalation" tactics. Hamas has launched violent border disturbances again and authorized the → Read More
Afghanistan's Fall "is a Message for U.S. Allies"
As the scenes of Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban continue to unfold following the U.S.'s decision to withdraw its 2,500 remaining troops and the ensuing disintegration of the Afghan National Army, the aftershocks from the development continue to ripple → Read More
Russia Signals Displeasure Over Israel's Campaign Against Iranian Axis in Syria
While Israel has been clear about its determination to prevent Iranian military entrenchment in Syria, as well as the trafficking of precision guided missiles (PGMs) to Lebanon through Syria, the Islamic Republic has shown equal determination pursuing → Read More
Hamas's Radical Ideology Runs into the Daily Government Grind
Since taking control of the Gaza strip through a violent coup in 2007 and expelling Fatah, Hamas has tried to be many things – a governing regime, a terrorist organization, an organized army, and an Islamist hardline ideological symbol. These efforts → Read More
Coordination Among IDF Air, Ground Forces Key as Terror Armies Become Better Armed
The chief of staff of the Israeli military, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, often describes the armed Islamist organizations situated on Israel's borders as "terror armies." They target civilians indiscriminately just like other terrorist entities do, yet unlike → Read More
Iran Using Raisi's 'Election' to Pressure U.S. to Re-enter Nuclear Deal
The "election" of hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi last month has raised concerns about future moves that the Islamic Republic's real decision-makers – Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) – may take → Read More
After Guns Go Quiet, Hamas Works with Hizballah, Iran to Learn Lessons for Next War
Over a month after the conflict between Israel and Hamas came to an end, a deceptive calm has taken hold, and a new, fateful learning competition is underway. Hamas, the radical Islamist regime that rules Gaza, is working with its allies in the Shi'ite → Read More
New Report Exposes Shadowy Network of Hizballah's "Weapons Point Man"
A Lebanese businessman with reported close ties to Hizballah's weapons procurement network has established new "business shields" to disguise his activity, a new report released on Tuesday by the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center watchdog → Read More
As Gaza Truce Holds, Preventing Hamas from Re-Arming Takes Center Stage
One of the reasons that Hamas felt emboldened enough to launch a rocket assault on Jerusalem last month – an action that provoked an 11-day intensive armed conflict with Israel – was because of its progress in building up its military-terrorist force. → Read More
"Hamas Achieved Nothing but Ruining Gaza"
As reports surface about a possible Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad continued to target Israeli civilians with rocket attacks, and the Israeli Air Force worked to further degrade the capabilities of the terror factions. → Read More
Zarif Recordings Illustrate the IRGC's Dominance Over Iranian Policy
A recently leaked audio recording featuring Iran's foreign minister lamenting the dominance of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in setting Iranian policies offers the latest evidence of how Iranian hardliners exclude all others in the → Read More