Amir Bohbot
@amirbohbot · Israeli journalists — military, security, Arab affairs
Amir Bohbot is an Israeli journalist.
The decision to insist on destroying the infrastructure on the Ali Taher Ridge is extremely important because it has a significant element in conveying a message to Iran and Hezbollah about Israel's determination to continue (also to the Lebanese government). Also, huge kudos for the execution, and more than a word of praise for Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, who, with a low profile and zero ego, is accumulating operational achievements that will affect the future of the north in particular and the State of Israel in general. It is unclear what the next step is
Translated from HebrewIDF Spokesperson: *The IDF destroyed the underground infrastructure in the Ali Taher Ridge area* IDF forces completed the destruction of the underground routes in the Ali Taher Ridge area after the forces recently gained operational control of the ridge area above and below ground. Today (Thursday), following extensive preparatory activity, forces from the 36th Division destroyed the underground routes in the Ali Taher Ridge area, located in the security zone, in order to finally neutralize the ability of the Hezbollah terrorist organization to plan and carry out, from the infrastructure, terrorist attacks against citizens of the State of Israel and IDF forces. The length of the destroyed terrorist infrastructure is more than two kilometers. Dozens of rockets, missiles and Iranian-made UAVs were found inside the underground infrastructure, as well as machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles and hundreds of mines and explosive charges. As published last week, a central command complex of the Badr Unit was found in the underground infrastructure, containing command rooms, weapons rooms and living quarters that enabled terrorists to manage the fighting and stay there for long periods. This is strategic infrastructure built over two decades, financed and planned by the Iranian terror regime. IDF forces will continue to operate in the security zone in southern Lebanon in order to remove threats and destroy terrorist infrastructure in the area, and will not allow the Hezbollah terrorist organization to harm citizens of the State of Israel. The IDF remains committed to the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.
Translated from HebrewThe Ministry of Finance and the IDF are still in discussions over the defense budget. (As I understand it, there are also disagreements within the General Staff over the way forward) . This is what I was told just now. There is no progress. No procurement deals have been signed. As a result, there is no full force buildup. All this while Israel's enemies are in an arms race. Some kind of make-believe state. Isn't it?
Translated from HebrewWhen Trump says that the war with Iran will end after the midterm elections, he means that if Iran does not get on its knees, he will hit it hard. And I still hear many senior officials claiming that the economic strangulation of Tehran will lead to the collapse of the regime and that only patience is needed.
Translated from Hebrew*Former Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer at the MEAD Conference in Washington, addressing a question about the conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the president of the United Arab Emirates before October 7:* "Did a conversation take place? No. If there had been a conversation, I would have been in it, because one of the tasks assigned to me was expanding the Abraham Accords and strengthening the partnership with the United Arab Emirates. So, in all the conversations that took place between the prime minister and Mohammed bin Zayed, the leader of the Emirates, I was privy to the details or I was on the line during the conversation itself, and this conversation did not take place. And it's not even a matter of the content of the conversation, but rather that I don't think there was a conversation at all. And certainly that was not the content. So I don't know where they got this story from. I think the Emiratis were clear that it didn't happen. We are clear that it didn't happen. So it's essentially fiction. Simply an invented story." *Photo credit: Ben Kalmer*
Translated from HebrewMEAD conference. Washington. Criticism of China, which is watching the problems in the Middle East from the sidelines and is not contributing to stability despite having influence and interests. Criticism of Europe was not lacking at the closed forum.
Translated from HebrewMEAD Conference, Washington. In the closed forum, an analysis was presented of the implications of the Iranian threat for the entire Middle East, alongside the achievements so far against Tehran. The feeling in the room is that the operational achievements and opportunities are beginning to slip away as time passes. In a side conversation yesterday with a senior official, things were said sharply: continuing the economic pressure on Iran and expanding it are the key that will lead the Iranian people into the streets or at least dismantle the extremist regime from within in stages. Such a regime will not be able to survive under such pressure for long. The emerging time estimate? About a year. The conclusion emerging from the closed rooms: do not be tempted to renew the fighting. Wait.
Translated from HebrewMEAD conference in Washington . There is a lot of talk here about attempts to advance new regional processes (with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Syria and others). The bottom line? Apart from the Abraham Accords, which have proven themselves on a large scale, all the other attempts lack a solid foundation. Take an example: moderate Sunni states that were attacked by Iran were simply afraid to retaliate. And this is exactly the critical issue …how will such a state defend an economic interest tomorrow without real deterrence capabilities? Will whoever signs papers with it really run to save it when it comes under fire? That is why Israel carries enormous weight in every regional economic matter: because we are the only ones who know how to stand up for ourselves, defend ourselves and deter whoever needs to be deterred on our own
Translated from HebrewWashington. Mead Conference. The second day will begin shortly. Stay tuned. I will report on the fascinating parts from the closed forums.
Translated from HebrewThe battle over the thousands of soldiers who drop out: the IDF's new plan | Exclusive data
Translated from HebrewWashington. Mead Conference. As things currently look? The Peace Council has no Plan B for the Gaza Strip. If the original plan collapses, the situation could lead to renewed fighting
Translated from HebrewIn the hall at the MEAD conference, around 200 senior officials from around the world are currently sitting and hearing a discussion about the negotiations between Israel and Lebanon from the person conducting them. Outside the hall, no one will hear a word.
Translated from HebrewThe MEAD conference in Washington. Data on the Gaza Strip was presented by one of the officials: 1.2 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes. 370,000 homes were destroyed. Of these, 70000 homes were partially destroyed. In the officials' view, the reconstruction process includes not only the physical reconstruction of homes and infrastructure, but also an educational process to deal with anger, hatred, and ideology
Translated from HebrewWashington. MEAD conference. One of the figures on stage said that from time to time he thinks about the scale of the terrorism that the Iranians run and promote. He claimed that every time he examined terrorist activity, he found Iran involved. Even when he saw Sunni jihadists. He then stressed that if the Iranians knew how much the extremist regime in Tehran invests in external terrorism and transfers money to Sunnis, they would find it hard to believe. An enormous amount flows to terrorism every day while the Iranian street buckles under economic distress.
Translated from HebrewMead Conference. Washington. One of the people who spoke from the main stage said that after 7.10 he examined the protests against Israel on the Berkeley campus, in Manhattan, and in other places, and heard them chanting: From the river to the …, without understanding what they were talking about. Then he thought to himself that the propaganda sounded quite similar in all the places. Then he asked a rhetorical question, that it was seemingly rather strange and that most of it was similar. Then he asked a rhetorical question and hinted: Who is behind it?
Translated from HebrewMEAD conference. Washington, half joke, half reality. You want to know what Trump thinks? Follow him on social media
Translated from HebrewMead Conference 2026. One of the panelists (not Israeli) criticized the fact that the world, including international organizations, watches from the sidelines as processes led by fundamentalists unfold and says: This is not a problem that belongs to us. That panelist said that sooner or later everyone will understand that the “problems” in the Middle East are everyone’s problems. On the other hand, there are moderate Sunni Arab countries seeking contact and trying to lead a strategic process to disperse the fog spread by those extremists
Translated from HebrewNavy Commander Major General Eyal Harel at a naval officers conference: "In the new maritime arena, there is no longer any distant front. To anyone seeking to challenge the State of Israel from the maritime and remote domain, I say from here: Distance will not buy immunity for anyone who seeks to harm us. The Navy was built to bring the strength of the State of Israel and the IDF also to anyone who seeks to challenge it from a distance of thousands of miles. To anyone seeking to change the balance of power in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, I say: We see the actions, monitor them, and prepare for them. The Navy will not accept a reality in which the freedom of action of the State of Israel, or the strategic interests in the national maritime domain, are under threat. We will be there, and everywhere else, openly and covertly, to fulfill our responsibility and mission by any means."
Translated from HebrewOn the sidelines of the MEAD conference in Washington, an operational working group in the field of defense industries convened, with the participation of senior officials from several countries, behind closed doors. #mead2026
Translated from HebrewThe fourth MEAD conference opens today in Washington DC The fourth MEAD conference opens today in Washington DC, and is convening during one of the most sensitive and significant periods since its founding, amid uncertainty surrounding the fighting with Iran and against the backdrop of the ongoing threats in the region. This year's conference brings together representatives from 24 countries. Photo: Itzik Blinitsky
Translated from HebrewThe issue of the “farms” in Judea and Samaria requires very deep thinking regarding everything related to the security and defense concept. The IDF’s closing of the loop after the stabbing attack is commendable, but it is important to analyze the new process before it turns into a “soft underbelly.”
Translated from Hebrewחיזבאללה מקדם (שוב) פעולות גרילה. האתגרים עוד לפני צה״ל : לוחמי צה"ל חיסלו מחבל בהיתקלות פנים מול פנים במרחב הבופור: צה"ל תקף בתגובה
Translated from Hebrew"We all failed, I stopped speaking in exclamation marks": Bahad 1 commander in farewell interview: What the IDF discovered at the start of the war, how to build mental resilience after loss, the female soldiers who put up a fight, the surge in the number of Haredi officers—and the pointed test that determines who is dismissed just before receiving their ranks | Exclusive
Translated from HebrewThe Prime Minister’s Office publishes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s schedule on the morning of October 7 following erroneous reports published recently: 06:29 – The military secretary updates the prime minister for the first time that there is an attack from the Gaza Strip. 06:44 – Second update call with the military secretary. The prime minister asks why nothing had appeared in the intelligence passed to him, asks to check whether extensive reserve mobilization is required and whether it is possible to carry out the elimination of Hamas’s leadership. 07:30 – The prime minister leaves for the Kirya after the prime minister’s convoy has been prepared. During the drive - the prime minister speaks with the defense minister, who updates him that there is no clear situational picture. The prime minister directs that a situation assessment be convened in the bunker under his chairmanship. Around 08:00 the prime minister arrives at the Kirya (according to Shin Bet records, 08:22). 08:40 The defense minister convenes the chief of staff and the Shin Bet chief in order to formulate a situational picture ahead of the discussion with the prime minister. 08:30-09:30 The prime minister requests and receives intelligence updates and ongoing updates from the field from the military secretariat team. 09:47 – The prime minister’s military secretary receives for the first time the situation assessment document held by the Shin Bet chief at 05:15 in the morning. 09:55 – The prime minister conducts a situation assessment in the bunker with the participation of the defense minister, the chief of staff, רמס״ד, the Shin Bet chief, the head of the National Security Council and the head of the Operations Directorate. The prime minister directs the hermetic closure of the border line to prevent hostages from being transferred to Gaza and the continued entry of terrorists, rejects the IDF’s recommendation for partial reserve mobilization and directs full mobilization, and orders the issuing of a war order and preparations for the northern front. At the conclusion of the meeting, the prime minister holds a limited security consultation with the defense minister and the chief of staff.
Translated from HebrewAli Taher Ridge. Is Israel softening the Lebanese government by releasing prisoners?
Translated from Hebrew
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