Israel Archives - Robert Lansing Institute

Drones Over the Balkans: When Capability Meets Narrative

When serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that Serbia would jointly manufacture combat drones with Israel, the move was embedded not in a neutral narrative of defense modernization, but in a broader…

April 16, 2026Israel, Serbia

Conflict Estimates Warfare

Strengthening Iran’s Air Defenses: Strategic Implications of a Secret Russia–Iran Arms Contract

A secret contract between Russia and Iran strengthens Tehran’s air defenses and threatens U.S. influence in the Middle East. A secret agreement has been concluded between Iran and Russia. Under…

February 24, 2026Iran, Israel, Russia, USA

Geopolitics National Security Warfare

Iran Launches Three Home-Built Observation Satellites from Russian Cosmodrome, Deepening Strategic Cooperation

Iran has launched three domestically produced observation satellites into space, using a Russian cosmodrome for the mission.According to official reports from Iran’s state television, this launch marks another significant milestone…

December 30, 2025Iran, Israel, Russia, USA

Geopolitics

Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland: Strategic Calculus and Geopolitical Consequences

On 26 December 2025, Israel became the first United Nations member state to formally recognise the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, marking a historic diplomatic milestone in the…

December 26, 2025Israel, Somaliland

Estimates Geopolitics

Russia, Iran, Israel: Assessing Mohammad Sadr’s Claim that Moscow Shared Iranian Air-Defense Secrets with Israel

On Aug 24–25, 2025, Iranian statesman Seyyed Mohammad Sadr (member, Expediency Discernment Council) publicly alleged that Russia provided Israel with intelligence on the locations of Iran’s air-defense sites during the June 13–24, 2025 Iran–Israel war. No independent…

August 27, 2025Iran, Israel, Russia

Conflict Governance

Borders, Bombs, and Belief: Southern Syria on the Brink

Since July 13, the Sweida province in Syria — an area with about 500,000 inhabitants, mostly of Druze faith — has been engulfed in fierce conflicts between local Druze militias, Bedouin…

July 24, 2025druze, Israel, Syria

Conflict Geopolitics

Russia and Iran After the Escalation with Israel: Strategic Partners, Conditional Allies

Executive Summary Despite years of strategic alignment, Russia did not provide direct military or political support to Iran during its recent confrontation with Israel. This reflects a calculated restraint rooted in Russia’s own geopolitical…

June 19, 2025Iran, Israel, Russia, USA

Conflict Geoeconomics Geopolitics

Escalating Tensions Between Iran and Israel (June 2025): Timing, Scenarios, and Global Implications

Recent weeks have seen a dramatic intensification of tensions between Iran and Israel, marked by tit-for-tat military threats, cyberattacks, and covert operations across the region. With the specter of direct…

June 13, 2025Iran, Israel, USA

Geopolitics National Security

Strategic Withdrawal or Global Recalibration? Trump’s Distance from Ukraine Negotiations and Direct Talks with Hamas

Donald Trump’s decision to distance himself from negotiations surrounding the war in Ukraine—while simultaneously engaging in direct talks with Hamas—marks a major shift in American foreign policy behavior under his…

May 21, 2025Israel, Ukraine, USA

Geopolitics National Security

Shifting Alliances: The Fall of Assad and Iran’s Diminishing Influence in Syria

The overthrow of Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-backed coalition and interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, marked a major regional shift and a significant blow…

March 18, 2025Iran, Israel, Syria

Israel