US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro visted Kibbutz Sasa in the Northern Galilee, home to Plasan factory, in late January to learn about the company's advanced armor technologies, which have saved countless American soldiers' lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel's Plasan factory manufactures armor, which is used in the majority of the US military's armored vehicles. Plasan has been able to surge the production of up-armor kits for Humvees and for mine-resistant vehicles.

As the debate over a possible military strike against Iran continues to grow, Mossad Chief Tamir Pardo met last Thursday in Washington with CIA Director David Petraeus. Petraeus outlined America's red line with regards to the Iranian nuclear menace and said that Israel viewed the Iran threat as "existential." Meanwhile, the US National Director of Intelligence, James Clapper, stressed that the US did not know if Iran would eventually decide to build nuclear weapons.

Israel Air Force chief Ido Nehushtan said Sunday that Israel's aerial superiority in the Middle East is in danger, since neighboring countries are being equipped with increasingly advanced weaponry, which could end up in the hands of terrorists. Nehushtan said that he is very worried by the situation in Syria and said that despite Syria's turmoil, it is still purchasing advanced weapons such as planes and anti-missile aircraft worth billions.

South Korea has offered to buy a significant quantity of Israeli-made weapons and defense systems, including the anti-rocket Iron Dome system, if Israel agrees to purchase South Korean fighter jets. The Israel Air Force is looking to replace its aging fleet of American-made A-4 Skyhawk jets, which are used to train fighter pilots. The two alternatives being considered are the Korean-made T-50 Golden Eagle and Italy's M-346 Master. The defense industries of South Korea and Italy are locked in a fierce competition for the contract, worth approximately $1 billion.

U.S. Chief of Staff General Martin Dempsey said on Friday night that that Israel and the U.S. have a shared understanding of security concerns in the Middle East region. At the end of his first visit to Israel, Dempsey said his conversations with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz helped to "advance a shared understanding of the security situation in the region." Dempsey emphasized that his main contacts during the visit were with his Israeli counterpart, Gantz.

Israeli hackers operating under the name of 'IDF Team' brought down the website of the Arab Bank of Palestine on Thursday morning in retaliation for a web attack on Israel's Anti-Drug Authority website. In a message sent to The Jerusalem Post early Thursday morning, members of the 'IDF Team' said that by 10:00 am Israel time, the Gaza-based Arab Bank of Palestine's website would be disabled, together with the website of the UAE's central bank. A visit to the Arab Bank of Palestine's website confirmed that it was offline.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel was "very far off" from a decision about an attack on Iran over its nuclear program. These statements came ahead of a planned visit this week by U.S. armed forces chief General Martin Dempsey which has triggered speculation of Washington pressing Israel to delay any action against Tehran's nuclear program. When pressed as to whether "very far off" meant weeks or months, Barak said that it was certainly not urgent. Dempsey will be arriving on his first visit here since being appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September.

Israel Air Force aircraft in conjunction with IDF tanks opened fire on a group of Palestinians attempting to place explosive devices near the Gaza Border fence near Beit Hanoun on Wednesday. Palestinian medics said one man was killed in the attack and a second man was critically wounded. Hamas confirmed both men were killed in the incident. It was the first IDF strike in the Gaza Strip since Dec. 30, when an Israeli aircraft killed the leader of an al-Qaida-inspired faction. No Israeli soldiers were injured in the incident.

Israel and the United States have postponed a massive joint defense exercise, which was expected to be carried out in the coming weeks, in order to avoid an escalation with Iran. The drill, codenamed Austere Challenge 12, was supposed to simulate the missiles fired by Iran or other antagonistic states toward Israel. Defense officials revealed that the drill is now scheduled to take place in the summer. Both Israeli and U.S. officials said the exercise would be the largest-ever joint drill by the two countries, involving thousands of U.S. soldiers.

Israel Aerospace Industries will sell weapons systems worth more than $1.1 billion to an Asian country over the next four years. The deal has been signed but the identity of the buyer not yet revealed. Israel's past defense trading partners in Asia have included Singapore, South Korea, India and China. The sale includes IAI aircraft, missiles and intelligence technologies. It is the company's most lucrative deal since the Indian navy bought an aerial defense system for $1.1 billion in 2009.

The Israel Navy will be in charge of protecting Israeli offshore drilling rigs. The IDF General Staff decided several months ago that the flotilla in charge of the navy's missile boats will be responsible for naval patrols between the natural gas fields Tamar, Leviathan and Yam Tethys, including any drilling rigs that might be erected in the future. Navy officers confirmed that the mission will amount to thousands of hours of missile boats' operational hours each year.

The IDF is soon to purchase 2,500 Hummer vehicles, trucks and other equipment from the United States military. If the deal goes through, the reportedly low-mileage Hummers and trucks will arrive in Israel and undergo testing before being stored away in the IDF's emergency warehouses. The IDF said on Thursday that it is gearing up towards a joint missile defense drill with the US. Both nations said the exercise is expected to be the largest of its kind so far. While the maneuver's date is yet to be announced, a senior IDF official said it is to take place within the next few weeks.

The Housing and Construction Ministry has transferred NIS 5 million from the public housing budget and other funds in order to finance security for Jewish enclaves in East Jerusalem. The ministry noted the move was ordered by the Finance Ministry, which said social welfare needs were not harmed by the transfer of funds. Security for the Jewish enclaves in Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem has been provided since the early 1990s by the Housing Ministry, which maintains a large and expensive security force for this purpose under police supervision.

The IDF has recently updated threat scenarios for every major city in Israel -- and for the first time predicted that missiles might hit Jerusalem, even in a relatively minor conflict. The threat scenarios are compiled by the Home Front Command and are based on intelligence collected regarding the enemy's intentions, as well as its capabilities.

The IDF is preparing for the disintegration of President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria and taking steps that include stepping up situation assessment efforts and making necessary adjustments in scenarios for which the army must prepare on the northern front including the rise of Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups and a possible attack in the Golan Heights. In early December, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he expected the Assad regime would collapse within weeks.