Friday Features – August 15, 2025

The regime in Tehran is in “strategic distress,” facing an “existential choice” between diplomacy and defiance as it faces a water crisis, the threat of new Western sanctions, and a wave of mysterious daily explosions and fires at strategic sites. Will it survive? Visit JewishNewsWire.com 24/7 to catch-up and keep-up.

Beyond these history-shaping headlines, there are many fascinating, in-depth stories you may have missed. Let’s take a look at three.

1. Israel: A Largely Self-Funded, High-Return U.S. Strategic Asset

Source: The Ettinger Report, by Yoram Ettinger

“Israel is the largest American aircraft carrier in the world. It cannot be sunk; does not carry even one American soldier; and is located in a critical region for American national security.” So said then U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig, some 40 years ago.

General Haig was on to something – The U.S. had just begun selling Israel F-15s and F-16s. Today, Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger calls Israel “The Battle-Tested Laboratory and Showroom of the U.S. Defense and Aerospace Industries.”

How does Israel’s use of U.S. jets benefit America? Obviously, Israel furthers U.S. interests in the region (e.g. paving the way for U.S. B-2 bombers to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities). But “under the hood,” Israeli ground-breaking improvements have yielded mega-billions of dollars worth of research and development, enhancing U.S. technical superiority in the world, increasing U.S. exports, and expanding the U.S. employment base.
What happened to those F-16s? Israel’s F-16s have undergone hundreds of Israeli-designed upgrades including improvements to the engine, cockpit, fire control, avionics, wings, payload capacity and fuel tanks, effectively modernizing and extending the plane’s operational life. All of these improvements have been shared with the U.S.
Saving the F-35 – finally showing what it can do: The initial stage of the F-35 was replete with mechanical and technological glitches, which cast severe doubt about its viability. Elon Musk famously mocked it. But Israel has saved and validated America’s $2.1 trillion investment in the program.
Improving the F-35’s range: Israel’s success in extending the range of its F-35I Adir stealth jets by adding drop tanks and conformal fuel tanks (without compromising the stealth profile), and successfully deploying them for bombing Iran, has convinced the U.S. Air Force to increase the range of its own fleet.
More F-35 improvements shared with the U.S.: Israel has modified command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I); electronic warfare and weapons integration; as well as integrating new AI algorithms, and predictive maintenance and counter measures. What does all this mean? Victory.
U.S. already taking notes: Pentagon officials have acknowledged that Israel’s experience provides valuable insights into sustaining F-35 operations during high-intensity conflicts, particularly in the Pacific theatre, where the U.S. military anticipates operating F-35s across vast distances with limited logistical support.
Pioneering a sophisticated integration strategy: Israel has combined F-35I stealth capabilities with F-15I strike power, creating a force multiplication effect that exceeds the capabilities of either platform alone. This leverages fifth-generation intelligence gathering with fourth-generation firepower. The F-35I serves as an airborne sensor network, providing 360-degree situational awareness and threat warnings to conventional fighters operating in adjacent areas. This multi-platform doctrine has been validated through thousands of combat sorties across Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran.

Read the full story here, here, here and here. Ettinger’s bottom line: Israel is immensely grateful for receiving a few hundred advanced U.S. military systems, which are critical to its survival. However, this is not a one-way-street, but a mutually beneficial interaction.

2. Outgoing CENTCOM Chief Michael Erik Kurilla: General, Diplomat and True Friend of the Jewish People

Source: Israel Hayom, by Itay Ilnai

On August 1, Gen. Kurilla made his 40th and final visit to Israel as Commander of all U.S. military forces in the Middle East. He stood, for the first time, in front of the Western Wall. With great emotion, the General let be known: “My mother always told me that for my support of Israel, G-d will repay me.”

“Erik, I need your help”: It was April 8, 2024. Then IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi learned of Iran’s plans to strike Israel with hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles. His immediate response was to pick-up the phone and call his close friend. Subordinates address him as “General”; colleagues privately call him “The Gorilla” (for his imposing size) – only his closest friends dare call him “Erik.”
Co-Chief of Staff: Three days later, the General participated in the Chief of Staff Forum meeting at the Kirya (Israel’s Pentagon), where organizers positioned a chair for him at the head table beside Halevi. Together, these two generals orchestrated the brilliant international defense operation that almost entirely neutralized what history would record as “Iran’s first missile night.”
Israel at center of CENTCOM’s umbrella: Through unwavering determination and exceptional interpersonal abilities, Kurilla mobilized chiefs of staff across Middle Eastern nations to construct cooperative frameworks that generated regional power beneath an American protective umbrella. He consistently positioned Israel at this umbrella’s center, directly alongside him, insisting that Israeli representatives attend every meeting and participate in all briefings.
Diplomatic advocacy for Israel: As someone answering directly to the president, Kurilla was able to influence President Biden whenever Israel required assistance. Consequently, Kurilla emerged as the pivotal figure who moderated the Biden administration’s resistance to the operation in Rafah and the Lebanon campaign – two critical war milestones. Kurilla was also central to the persuasion campaign that encouraged President Trump to authorize bombing of Iranian nuclear installations, the culmination of Kurilla’s CENTCOM leadership (see also, the NYPost and Politico).
“He genuinely cares” about Israel: Kurilla’s commitment to supporting Israel served CENTCOM interests in confronting Iran and its regional proxies, while establishing American dominance throughout the Middle East. Nevertheless, his inexhaustible dedication to preserving Israeli security stemmed equally from personal connections established with senior IDF leadership, and emotions stirred during his numerous visits.
On a personal level: The Tel Aviv hotel where Kurilla regularly stayed also housed evacuees from Kiryat Shmona. He made it his practice to sit with them, inquire about their welfare, and offer encouragement. Throughout his Israeli tours, he visited dozens of IDF units, not merely to understand their capabilities, but to engage officers and soldiers at eye level.

Read the full story. Perhaps one day, General Kurilla will be regarded on the level of Orde Charles Wingate, the British officer who helped shape Israel’s pre-state military. Many Israeli towns have streets or squares named for Wingate. At age 59, Kurilla still has an unwritten future.

3. Egypt’s El-Sisi Needs Israeli Gas to Survive

Source: Globes, by Dean Shmuel Elmas

“Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses,” Golda Meir said in 1973. “He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil!”

At the time, the Jewish state had to get ahead with its ingenuity and moxie. That all changed about 15 years ago with what seemed a miracle: the discoveries of the Tamar, Karish and Leviathan natural gas fields off Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

Israel retains the brains. But now also has vital natural resources, and has even turned the tables on Arab countries. The Leviathan partners have just inked a deal to sell 130 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Egypt for $35 billion.

What exactly does Israel have? A lot. The Tamar and Leviathan fields have estimated reserves of 35.73 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Within just a few years of discovery, the fields produced over 27 billion cubic meters in 2024, with 14.27 consumed domestically and the rest exported, mostly to Egypt and Jordan.
Energy Independence: Natural gas now provides over 70% of Israel’s electricity generation. Its proven gas reserves represent approximately 36.7 times current annual consumption, providing security for several decades.
A new source of revenue: Israel has created a wealth fund – called the Citizens of Israel Fund – to accrue the revenues collected from the gas partnerships. In the coming decade alone, the fund is expected to bring in between $19 and $23 billion. These are just the revenues for the wealth fund, while the state also benefits from the gas reserves through regular levies on natural resources, as well as from the profits of the gas field partners.
So, doesn’t Egypt have its own gas? Yes and no. The potential of Egypt’s gas reserves is large. But it has failed in its management of local energy resources. Already today, the Egyptian gas economy is almost entirely dependent on gas from Israel. The largest Arab country in the region, the one that until recently suggested that it could again become an enemy, is closing a deal that drastically increases its dependence on Israeli gas.
Lesser of two evils: El-Sisi and his people prefer criticism of the relationship with Israel, than being in danger of a coup because their citizens don’t have electricity during the harsh heat of the summer.

Read the full story. To make things even more interesting, Israel has granted an exploration license in its waters to SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy company. This is the first time a Muslim country has been a direct partner in Israel’s energy production.