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leading up to Lethal Arrow. While the aforementioned ministry demanded that the drill be drastically scaled back or even scrapped altogether, Kochavi argued that the lack of training would leave the IDF unprepared in the event of war.

The IDF had canceled the majority of training exercises this past year due to the coronavirus and a budgetary shortfall, making Lethal Arrow particularly important.

Peace with Lebanon?

Could a peace deal between Israel and Lebanon be in the cards?

This week, Defense Minister Benny Gantz signaled optimism about the prospect of an eventual peace deal between Israel and its neighbor to the north, as the two countries hold rare indirect talks on demarcating their maritime border.

Gantz made the comments while visiting a large-scale military exercise in Israel’s north meant to simulate a war with Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, an Iran proxy sworn to Israel’s destruction that plays a major role in Lebanese politics.

“I also hear positive voices in Lebanon that are even talking about peace with Israel, who are implementing processes with us like shaping the maritime border,” Gantz was quoted as saying in a statement from his office.

His comments come after the daughter of Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said she was open to peace with Israel, albeit under certain conditions.

Gantz’s words came a day before representatives from Israel and Lebanon, which are still technically at war, were set to meet in southern Lebanon for rare talks aimed at resolving a maritime border dispute to allow for oil and gas exploration in the area.

Lebanon has stressed that the talks are strictly technical and are not aimed at normalization with Israel, which has likewise downplayed the significance of the negotiations, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month they could eventually yield a peace agreement.

On Tuesday, the UN’s peacekeeping force held a three-way meeting with Israeli and Lebanese officers about border issues. UNIFIL head Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col said the sides had made progress in de-escalating tensions.

Lebanon and Israel had a shortlived peace agreement in 1983, though it was with a government in Beirut that had been propped up by Israeli forces who invaded Lebanon a year earlier.

Hezbollah, which is a power player in the unstable world of Lebanese politics, has denounced the recent Gulf states’ treaties with Israel, though Lebanon’s prime minister-designate Saad Hariri is backed by Saudi Arabia, which has quietly supported the Gulf’s opening toward Israel.

Rabbis Support Trump

President Donald Trump tweeted his thanks to a group of leading Orthodox rabbis who seemingly endorsed his reelection effort.

Mishpacha, a popular Orthodox weekly, had published last week what appeared to be a public letter by 13 senior rabbis and community leaders calling on their followers to vote for Trump in next week’s election. In the missive, the rabbis wrote of their