Amir Oren

The IDF was warned three years ago of a problem with additions to anti-tank mines of the sort that killed Cpl. Roie Yisrael Alfi, say Combat Engineering Corps officers.

There is no realistic way to prevent a man who has no criminal record − certainly not a former Border Police officer who once patrolled with the Palestinian Police − from getting up one fine morning and deciding to go crazy and set out on a killing spree.

Watch the great derby of Yisrael Beiteinu in court: Ayalon, the former deputy whose charms ran out vs. Lieberman, the former minister who stumbled, according to the indictment.

In testifying 'against' former FM Avigdor Lieberman, ex-ambassador to Belarus Ze’ev Ben Aryeh describes a spy tale in which nothing is really what it seems.

We must not accept the argument that Zygier's suicide simply couldn't be prevented - and that no warden or mental health professional will be held accountable for failing to act on the ample warning signs.

For now, Lieberman is under stress. The strategy of lowering the flames during his trial in order to get off easy is about to collapse.

Police disclosed the basic details of the probe only on Tuesday, fearing that unsubstantiated connections might be made to the fraud case against the former foreign minister.

The Iranian nuclear issue will be front and center in Hagel's defense-related meetings, along with the changing situation in Syria, and arms sales.

American law enforcement scored a great success by not only capturing the Tsarnaev Brothers, but managing to catch one of the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing alive.

A year after the Six-Day War, U.S. officials enacted a complex role-playing scenario that envisioned the next Arab-Israeli war. As it played itself out, the game anticipated key aspects of the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War.

Government ministers will soon consider handing over many of the army's civil defense duties to the police, but politics will determine if and how the reform plays out.

U.S. Defense Secretary also to visit Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE; on the agenda - Syria, Iran and closer regional cooperation.

Was the tragedy criminal or security-related? A terror attack or an ordinary crime? These are new questions for Americans.

What tipped the balance against preemptive action on Yom Kippur in 1973 was not military information, but rather diplomatic, political and strategic considerations, recently declassified documents suggest.

Document shows that the IDF, especially the Air Force, thought the cabinet would agree to a preemptive strike. But Defense Minister Dayan was against this option unless both intelligence assessments and troop movements warranted it.

'Yicha,' as he was called, was head of the IDF's weapons research and development program; a memoir he published during retirement had him convicted of handing over of secret information without authorization.

The Australian foreign ministry investigation confirms Ben Zygier was facing a 20-year prison sentence for a security-related crime and criticizes the Australian government's handling of the case.

New documents shed light on the decision-making during the vital chapter of the first Lebanon war − in particular the slaughter at the Palestinian Sabra and Chatila refugee camps in September 1982.

The newly released Sabra and Shatila papers tell us nothing new about the military aspect, but do shed a cold light on then-defense minister, Ariel Sharon.

Israel has released information on the death of Prisoner X, but it's a pathologist's report, not a psychologist's report.

A thorough investigation would have had to disqualify someone with Zygier's personality for service in the Mossad. But when a prospect's cultural identity is made more important than the person, the acceptance bar is lowered.

This story is not about Ben Zygier's double identity, it's about how Israel's most sensitive government agencies are not functioning. If indeed the reports are correct, the State of Israel still doesn't control the basics.

According to ABC investigation, the Australian national was recruited by the Mossad. At some point he was incarcerated in the most secure cell in Israel, and, despite being under constant observation, committed suicide.

If Ehud Barak's blatant violation of Israel’s vow of silence - committed when he essentially confirmed Israel's responsibility for the strike in Syria last week- brings no response, then there remains no justification for the existence of the military censor.

According to a CIA report, Israeli intelligence downplayed the risk of an Egyptian attack in 1973 for fear that the U.S. would push Israel toward peace talks.

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch can look forward to a hot summer of political and organizational challenges.

This is Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s opportunity to polish up his public image, which was initially achieved by false claims and has now been justifiably tarnished.

History has taught that ever time there are discussions about cutting service, a war breaks out; in a time of belt-tightening, senior IDF officials are all but threatening mutiny if they're forced to cover the cost of a reduction in mandatory military service from other items in the defense budget.

In order to demonstrate just how dramatic the missed opportunity was at the end of Golda Meir’s time as prime minister - after the Yom Kippur War, no less - here’s a transcript of a secret conversation they had on March 1, 1974.

Former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is not, for all intents and purposes, the only defendant whose trial is being heard in the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, located in the city's Russian Compound.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is coming with a tripartite American-Israeli-Saudi deal, based on the Israeli government's agreement that the supply of ground-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia and the Emirates won't be considered a heightened regional threat.

The Israel Police need hundreds, if not thousands, of officers like Ephraim 'Cremeschnitte;' Ehrlich, an old-school cop, a professional who climbs fences even at the price of not climbing up the ranks.

In order to force the reorganization of the army, one of two things is required: a retired military leader with civic awareness and an esteemed defense pedigree, or a citizen unafraid of disagreements with the military leadership.

Defense spending is the nation's insurance policy and the defense system must streamline departments and scrap costly programs. Like an insurance agent, though, they won't do it themselves. Change must come from outside.

With regard to Iranian nuclear facilities, Obama is unequivocal: This is a global problem requiring American leadership. Israel is indeed under threat, but it is not alone. And woe betides Israel if Netanyahu pursues his goal despite an emphatic 'no' from Washington.

There are many unknowns in the government equation, but one issue has been clarified: Benjamin Netanyahu has not lost his enthusiasm for launching a military operation against Iran’s nuclear installations.

High-ranking intelligence officials' blessing is their curse: Their exposure to secrets is both addicting and corrupting.

A gag order becomes meaningless if those who are gagged don't know that they have been gagged. If no one knows about the order, they could accidentally publish something that has been barred from publication.

Justice Ministry sources are saying, for the sake of balance, that the public service commissioner could conduct an investigation against Barak’s two assistants.

Television personalities head the three biggest parties in Israel today, which together have 65 Knesset members.

The seven bad years with Netanyahu were definitely enough. Unlike Pharaoh, nobody expects to find any fat cows in this dream.

For two generations Americans have been daring to ask themselves - recently more vociferously - whether Israel is an asset or a liability.

The people who tried to oust these individuals discovered that they became boomerangs that landed right back in their faces.

The speed at which the police moves will determine whether, and how many, more cases might be opened against former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Israel doesn't gain time but borrows it at an exorbitant rate, because down the road is a world ever more hostile to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies.

The state comptroller's report on the Boaz Harpaz-Ehud Barak-Gabi Ashkenazi affair was printed last week and is still top secret, though it holds no actual secrets.

In the tragicomedy of the Lieberman case, it is ridiculous to hear the pretexts for the upcoming annulment of the draft indictment.

Combat - offensive and defensive - is the IDF's job. The home front is for the police.

Military action against the hostile organizations and their commanders is correct, but futile, as long as it is detached from the broader context of a national goal.