Publications

Israel’s swift strike on Iran was marked by precision and maximum surprise. While it has secured significant gains including degrading Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities, Israel must remain focused on its primary objective: delivering a decisive blow to Iran’s critical nuclear infrastructure. To achieve this, Israel should leverage its military campaign—alongside the credible threat of American involvement—to pursue a sustainable diplomatic outcome that denies Iran the capacity to have a nuclear weapon for many years to come.

The Data Analytics Center at INSS provides accurate and up-to-date data on Operation Rising Lion

Three days into the campaign between Israel and Iran, Tehran is approaching a crossroads regarding the continuation of hostilities, a potential exit strategy, and a possible post-conflict arrangement. For now, Iran remains focused on managing the war. However, as the campaign continues and the damage accumulates, Tehran will need to choose between maintaining the current level of confrontation, ending the fighting through a political arrangement, or escalating further—potentially by withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty...

 Since the renewal of fighting in the Gaza Strip, Gaza’s internal front has shown notable signs of change. Feelings of rage, despair, and a growing lack of trust in Hamas’s military and civilian leadership are laying the foundation for an internal uprising that could shake the political balance in the Strip. The slogan “Their lives are not worth more than our lives” reflects a fundamental shift in perception and a breaking of the barrier of fear. Demonstrators have been seen raising white flags—a clear symbol of surrender. Signs of...

On June 13, 2025, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion (“Am KeLavi”) targeting Iran’s missile and nuclear program. This interactive map highlights the locations of direct attacks on Iranian territory attributed to Israel, along with Iran’s key military and nuclear facilities. The map is updated regularly and as accurately as possible, based on open-source intelligence assessments and media reports.

During Israel’s ongoing war, the Arab peace states—especially Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates—have expressed deep mistrust, frustration, and even bewilderment over Israel’s conduct. These sentiments have recently intensified and appear to have reached a peak. While these countries acknowledge Israel’s military achievements and recognize that they could have a positive impact on the Middle East, they are also profoundly disturbed by what they perceive as Israel’s rigid, one-dimensional militaristic approach—namely, the...

Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China has promoted a series of global initiatives—the first of which was the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), followed in recent years by the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI). These initiatives, alongside the concept of a “community with a shared future for mankind,” are part of a broader strategy to reshape China’s international environment and advance a Chinese vision for the global order. For Israel, it is...

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published two alarming reports regarding Iran’s nuclear program. One report addresses Iran’s past activities at sites not declared to the IAEA, for which Tehran has failed to provide satisfactory explanations. The second report concerns the current status of the program and indicates an acceleration in the accumulation of highly enriched uranium, enabling Iran to enrich to military grade for 10 nuclear bombs within days. Both reports are expected to be discussed at the upcoming IAEA Board...

This policy paper outlines the recommended strategy for ending the war in the Gaza Strip while fully achieving its objectives and improving Israel’s long-term strategic posture. The majority of the principles and proposed course of action presented in this document align with the Egyptian–Arab proposal for ending the war, which was presented in April 2025 and has not been discussed by the Israeli government. It is proposed that the principles of this plan serve as a basis for negotiations  As part of these negotiations, the following...

In his book The Hi-Tech Army and the Cavalry Army: How Israel Abandoned the Ground Forces (Hebrew, 2024), written mostly before the war in Gaza, Brig. Gen. (res.) Guy Hazut sharply criticizes the steadily declining importance and chronic neglect of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground forces over recent decades. He critiques the division of the IDF into an elite “hi-tech army,” relying on the air force, precision-guided munitions, and special forces, on the one hand, and, on the other, the supposedly outdated “cavalry army”—the...