Israel vindicated by Gaza nutrition data after ‘blood libel’ starvation claims, UN envoy says

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said new data showing sharply lower child malnutrition in Gaza undermines wartime accusations that Israel deliberately starved Gazans, calling those claims a "blood libel" fueled by Hamas figures.

The remarks by Ambassador Danny Danon follow a newly published U.N.-backed survey showing acute malnutrition among young children in the Gaza Strip has dropped to levels comparable to or below those recorded prior to the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

"During the war in Gaza, Israel was accused by many countries and by many U.N. officials that we deliberately starved the population in Gaza. That was a blood libel," Danon told Fox News Digital. "When we actually answered those claims and asked our colleagues where they got the data, the answer was that they relied on Hamas reports."

Danon argued that the latest U.N.-backed figures undermine previous starvation claims and said earlier numbers attributed to Hamas were fabricated.

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"For the future, we shouldn't count on a terrorist organization. We are a reliable country, we share data, we share concerns regarding humanitarian issues, and we should not collaborate with terrorists," he said.

The Gaza SMART nutrition survey — coordinated by the UNICEF-led Nutrition Cluster and presented by the State of Palestine Nutrition Cluster on July 22, 2026 — evaluated 1,335 children under age 5, covering regions home to approximately 83% of Gaza's population.

About 17% of the population could not be surveyed due to security and operational constraints.

The survey found acute malnutrition rates between 0.2% and 0.8% using weight-for-height (WHZ) measurements (estimated globally at 0.5%) and 1.3% using mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC).

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PROBES UNRWA OVER ALLEGED EMPLOYMENT OF 1,500 TERRORISTS

Evaluators concluded there was "no widespread acute malnutrition at population level," noting that rates are significantly lower than those in neighboring countries, though lingering challenges like stunting, poor diet diversity and illness remain.

Danon pointed directly to past statements made by senior international officials, including U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher.

During a 2025 BBC interview about border access, Fletcher said 14,000 babies were at risk of dying within 48 hours without immediate nutritional aid. The figure was later clarified as referring to an 11-month projection involving children at risk of severe malnutrition.

"That was false and did not happen. Using starvation and babies to spread blood libels against Israel is outrageous," Danon said of Fletcher's comments.

"We care about babies in Gaza more than those making these allegations against us."

The ambassador emphasized that Israel kept records of food supplies moving into the enclave throughout the conflict.

"In terms of the food coming into Gaza, that was very easy for us to prove because we control the checkpoints and count the number of trucks coming in," Danon explained.

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"We know what they carry. Thus, we know there is no lack of food entering Gaza, and we always ensure sufficient supplies are brought in. Looking at recent reports, the situation is much better than expected, and we are glad for that. We do not want to see famine anywhere in the world, and certainly not in our backyard."

Danon also accused Hamas of hijacking aid distribution networks for financial gain.

"We know for a fact that Hamas took the aid and sold it in the market, taking advantage of the situation with inflated prices," he said. "That is why we are trying to work with NGOs that are not infiltrated by Hamas. We want NGOs to be able to deliver aid and food without Hamas gaining control over it."

IRAN REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR HAMAS AS TRUMP PUSHES TO DISARM TERROR GROUP

Israel withdrew its military and civilian presence from the Gaza Strip in 2005.

The war broke out following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on southern Israel and continued for two years until a ceasefire agreement took effect on Oct. 10, 2025.

Now, the region continues to face military strikes as talks over a proposed 15-point U.S. peace and disarmament plan appear stalled.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the proposal, saying Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas is fully disarmed.

"Unfortunately, Hamas took over and turned it into a terror state," Danon said.

"Our vision remains unchanged: we have no desire to control Gaza. However, for progress to occur, Hamas must disarm and not move weapons from one warehouse to another."

"Regarding the food situation, we see improvement on the ground," Danon concluded. "The prices in the markets in Gaza have gone down dramatically, which serves as the clearest indicator that there is no food shortage."

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Iran installs new war chiefs as Tehran signals ‘prolonged confrontation,’ expert warns

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei formally appointed six senior military commanders Monday, cementing a wartime reshuffle as Tehran rebuilds a command structure impacted by months of U.S. and Israeli strikes.

The appointments, announced by Khamenei’s office and promoted on social media, fill posts across Iran’s armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij paramilitary force, with a counterterrorism expert warning the timing and language of the decrees signal Tehran is preparing for "prolonged confrontation" and not a settlement with Washington.

"Strategically, the announcements made were issued in English, on X, while Iranian and Omani negotiators finalize the coordinates of a proposed shipping route through Hormuz, which is deliberate sequencing," Dr. Omar Mohammed, director of the Antisemitism Research Initiative at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, told Fox News Digital.

"Tehran is establishing its command structure as a fact on the ground before it signs anything."

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Mohammed also pointed to language in the appointment announcements blaming the deaths of predecessors on what Iran called the "Zionist-American enemy."

"That phrase, in formal state documents, codifies the United States as a co-belligerent," Mohammed said.

Khamenei appointed Ali Abdollahi as chief of staff of the armed forces and Kioumars Heydari as his deputy. He also formally named Ahmad Vahidi commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, promoting him to the rank of major general.

Mostafa Izadi was named deputy IRGC commander, Ali Azmaei as commander of the IRGC Navy and Hossein Taeb as commander of the Basij. 

Mohammed said Vahidi was also instructed to maintain readiness for "powerful offensive operations against the enemy," by the Supreme Leader, while Abdollahi was tasked with completing the integration of the General Staff into the Khatam al-Anbiya wartime joint command.

"States exiting a conflict dismantle their wartime command arrangements, but Iran is now institutionalizing its own," Mohammed said. "The decrees here describe a leadership planning for a prolonged confrontation, not a settlement."

Several of the newly appointed commanders have previously faced U.S. or European sanctions or allegations tied to terrorism and violent crackdowns.

Vahidi is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice requested by Argentina over his alleged involvement in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people.

Taeb, a former chief of the IRGC Intelligence Organization and former Basij commander, is on the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions list.

The United States first designated him in 2010 over serious human rights abuses following Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential election.

Heydari was also sanctioned by the United States in 2022 after the Treasury Department said he had publicly acknowledged his forces’ involvement in the violent response to Iran’s November 2019 protests, in which hundreds of protesters were killed. 

The European Union has also sanctioned him.

IRAN’S UNSEEN SUPREME LEADER BECOMES WEAPON IN ESCALATING POWER STRUGGLE, EXPERTS SAY

The reshuffle comes as Iran continues rebuilding its political and military leadership after a series of U.S. and Israeli strikes killed senior figures across the regime.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had served as supreme leader since 1989, was killed in a Feb. 28 strike at the start of the war. Mojtaba Khamenei, was selected as Iran’s new supreme leader in March.

Ali Larijani, then secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a major figure in the country’s security and foreign policy establishment, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij, were killed in strikes on March 17.

The latest appointments come amid continuing questions about Mojtaba Khamenei’s health and public absence.

President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed Monday that he had held a nearly seven-hour meeting with Khamenei, only the second meeting the president has publicly disclosed since the new supreme leader took office, Iran International reported.

Khamenei has not appeared publicly since being selected in March and is believed to have been wounded in the Feb. 28 strike that killed his father.

Pezeshkian said the two discussed economic conditions, sanctions and other domestic challenges and that Khamenei emphasized the need for "unity and cohesion."

The military rebuild, however, has not extended fully into Iran’s sensitive intelligence apparatus, according to Mohammed.

"The IRGC Intelligence Organization and its counterintelligence arm have no announced chiefs, and Iran has no permanent defense or intelligence ministers," the expert said.

"The appointments require assigning responsibility for the counterintelligence failures that enabled the February decapitation.

"Whoever wins that argument — the supreme leader’s circle or the Guard’s institutional leadership — is the actor actually in control."

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Trump bets economic pressure can squeeze Iran as regime’s own failures deepen the pain

President Donald Trump is signaling, at least for now, he is prepared to let mounting economic pressure on Iran do more of the work rather than immediately expand military action against Tehran.

"We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money," Trump told Axios’ Barak Ravid in a phone interview Sunday. Axios reported Aug. 9 that Trump described the U.S. approach as "low-keying it" and said Iran was in severe economic distress and struggling to pay its troops.

Trump has argued that the U.S. naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz has compounded Iran’s financial crisis. His comments come after weeks in which the administration repeatedly raised the possibility of renewed large-scale military action. 

But as the administration increasingly points to Iran’s financial distress as leverage, a more complicated question is emerging: How much of Iran’s economic crisis is the result of U.S. sanctions, the war and blockade — and how much stems from decades of corruption, economic mismanagement and spending decisions by the Islamic Republic itself?

IRAN’S DEEPEST WEAKNESS IS GETTING EXPOSED THROUGH AMERICA’S MAXIMUM PRESSURE CAMPAIGN

Trump reinforced the message on Truth Social Sunday, writing that Iran had shown "51 years of bad behaviour" while sharing a graphic depicting the Iranian rial’s steep decline. The graphic was titled "Iran has NO MONEY" and described the currency as "trash."

The economic pressure is increasingly visible in the daily lives of ordinary Iranians. An investigation published by the Iranian newspaper Jahan-e Sanat last week described supermarket workers encountering customers who allegedly shoplifted basic groceries including bread, cheese and meat, or ate packaged food inside stores because they could no longer afford it. The accounts offered a stark glimpse of the strain on Iranian households as prices rise and purchasing power erodes.

Washington, meanwhile, has intensified its campaign against Tehran’s revenue streams. Under what the Treasury Department calls Economic Fury, the administration has targeted Iran’s oil trade, shadow banking networks, weapons procurement operations, cryptocurrency holdings and sanctions-evasion infrastructure. Treasury said June 10 that the campaign had prevented "tens of billions of dollars" in revenue from being accessible to the Iranian regime and its proxies. On July 29, Treasury said OFAC had sanctioned more than 100 vessels linked to Iran’s shadow fleet since the beginning of 2026.

A Treasury spokesperson told Fox News Digital on background that "Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash."

"Iran’s economy is in freefall, inflation has skyrocketed, and as President Trump said on Sunday, the regime’s ability to pay its troops has been decimated," the spokesperson said.

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A U.S. official told Fox News Digital on background that the administration still views economic pressure as one part of a broader strategy.

"President Trump has always been clear that he will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. While he has been consistent in saying he prefers a diplomatic solution, he continues to retain all options if Iran continues to engage in terrorism and refuses to make a deal," the official said.

"The United States is strangling what’s left of Iran’s economy with one of the most successful naval blockades in history – and Iran would be wise to make a deal. Otherwise, they know what will happen."

Miad Maleki, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former Treasury Department sanctions official, said the pressure has accelerated Iran’s economic decline, but argued that Tehran’s own policies created many of the underlying vulnerabilities.

"Sanctions and the war have accelerated Iran's economic decline, but both are consequences of the regime's own troublemaking; its nuclear brinkmanship, missile and drone attacks on tankers, and support for terror proxies, not causes imposed on an innocent bystander," Maleki told Fox News Digital.

"It's a government's basic responsibility to provide for and serve its nation — this regime has instead served a failed revolutionary ideology that has produced nothing but suffering for ordinary Iranians," he added.

Maleki said the deeper story can be seen over decades, arguing that even when sanctions eased and oil revenues increased, Iran continued directing significant resources toward its security establishment and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

IRAN’S REVOLUTIONARY GUARD SIDELINES PRESIDENT AS MILITARY GRIP EXPANDS

According to Central Bank of Iran national accounts data provided by Maleki to Fox News Digital, Iran’s military share of total government spending rose from 16% in 1993 to 52% by 2006, while education spending fell from 27% to 15%. Spending on health and social affairs also declined as a share of government expenditures, he said.

Maleki pointed to the 2020 budget as another example of the disparity. The IRGC received approximately $6.96 billion, compared with $2.73 billion for Iran’s larger conventional military, known as the Artesh — roughly 2.5 times as much, according to an analysis published by the United States Institute of Peace’s Iran Primer based on figures from Iran’s parliamentary research center.

"The issue is not simply that Iran spends heavily on defense," Maleki said. "It is that an oil-dependent economy repeatedly directed enormous resources toward the military and the IRGC while basic public services and ordinary households were under increasing pressure."

And the official budget captures only part of that spending. Maleki, citing both his experience at the Treasury Department and outside research, said the IRGC benefits from significant commercial and off-budget resources. A 2017 American Enterprise Institute study estimated that the IRGC’s so-called "gray budget" could add another 50% to 100% to its military outlays.

"Ultimately, the responsibility lies not with external pressure but with structural corruption, chronic economic mismanagement, and spending priorities fundamentally detached from ordinary Iranians' needs and the country's genuine economic potential," Maleki said.

That influence extends far beyond military spending. The IRGC has also built a sprawling economic apparatus that gives it control over major sources of revenue and, critics argue, leaves it particularly well positioned to profit from the opaque channels sanctions create.

Its economic arm, Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, became a major force in the Iranian economy after the Iran-Iraq War and expanded across construction, energy and infrastructure. The Treasury Department designated Khatam al-Anbiya in October 2007, describing it as an IRGC engineering arm used to generate income and fund the organization’s operations.

Treasury acknowledged that Iran is increasingly turning to opaque financial channels to circumvent U.S. pressure, but argued that those networks are themselves becoming targets of the campaign.

"The regime is increasingly having to invent new ways to try to evade U.S. sanctions through shadow banking networks, including through exploiting crypto," the Treasury spokesperson said. "Treasury continues to monitor and aggressively dismantle these networks to ensure Iran cannot sustain its campaign of terror and regional destabilization."

On Aug. 7, Treasury announced separate actions against cryptocurrency exchanges it said were being used to finance the IRGC and against international currency networks that it said were moving hundreds of millions of dollars for Iran.

FREED AMERICAN REVEALS BRUTAL IRAN PRISON ORDEAL, WARNS HOSTAGES FACE GREATER DANGER

Morad Tahbaz, an Iranian-American conservationist who spent nearly six years imprisoned in Iran’s Evin Prison before being released with four other Americans in September 2023, said sanctions have effectively created what he described as a lucrative "franchise" for those controlling the channels through which money and goods move.

"They have created a huge franchise for themselves because of these sanctions," Tahbaz told Fox News Digital. "Money can't flow freely to the Iranian government's treasury because of the sanctions. So what happens, everything is like a black market, gray market, illegal smuggling from the oil to everything else coming in and out."

"And of course, the people who are hurt most by all of this are the people of Iran," he added. "They're unfortunately, very unfortunately, taking the brunt of all of these in their daily lives."

Tahbaz said the entrenchment of the IRGC-linked economy may itself complicate efforts to end the confrontation because those profiting from restricted financial channels have an incentive to preserve them.

"They don't want to see the sanctions go away, because they will lose their franchise, if you will," he said. "They will lose their power, their control over the money and everything that goes along with it."

Tahbaz said the economic interests created by the sanctions also help explain some of the internal tensions within Iran. 

"This is the battle going on inside Iran when you hear there is tension within factions," he said. "And I think to see a solution to this war, if you will, we have to look to what's happening in Iran," he said. 

Treasury said it maintains standing authorizations intended to limit sanctions’ effects on ordinary Iranians, including certain humanitarian trade involving agricultural products, medicine and medical devices; noncommercial personal remittances; and communications-related software, hardware and services. OFAC also considers additional requests on a case-by-case basis, the spokesperson said. The authorizations are contained in OFAC regulations and General License 8A.

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Colombia building collapses on camera as earthquake brings death, destruction

A harrowing video showed the collapse of a building after a powerful 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, bringing down buildings across several cities, killing at least 73 as the death toll rapidly rose and others were left trapped in the rubble.

The video shows the building crumbling during the earthquake with onlookers screaming in horror before it ultimately gives way.

Colombia's geological service pegged the magnitude at 7.4 and said the quake struck at a depth of 96 km (60 miles). The U.S. tsunami warning system said there was no tsunami threat.

"The Trump Administration is closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia and President @ABDELAESPRIELLA’s Administration," Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.

EXCLUSIVE: FRANKLIN GRAHAM VISITS EMERGENCY HOSPITAL TREATING VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

"American citizens in Colombia should enroll at http://STEP.State.gov and follow @USEmbassyBogota’s social media accounts for the latest information."

The highest reported death toll was in Pereira, a city in Colombia's coffee-growing region, where Mayor Mauricio Salazar said 18 people had died. In nearby Manizales, Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas said three people were killed.

One person died in Buenaventura, Colombia's main Pacific port, when a building collapsed, trapping several people, Mayor Ligia del Carmen Cordoba said.

MULTIPLE DEATHS REPORTED, DOZENS OF BUILDINGS DAMAGED FOLLOWING MAGNITUDE 7.4 EARTHQUAKE IN WESTERN COLOMBIA

People remained trapped in Cali, one of Colombia's largest cities, after more than two dozen structures collapsed, Mayor Alejandro Eder said. He added that the city had asked authorities in Bogota and Medellin to send disaster teams to support rescue efforts.

WATCH: COLOMBIA EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS FLEE IN TERROR AS DEBRIS FALLS FROM BUILDING:

"At this point, two people have already been rescued alive, one elderly woman and one young girl. There are more people trapped," Eder told Blu Radio. "We have at least 12 critical points and 25 collapsed structures that we are responding to."

The quake's epicenter was near San Jose del Palmar, in Choco, a sparsely populated province on Colombia's Pacific coast. Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi said there were injuries and significant damage in Quibdo, the provincial capital, and warned residents about aftershocks.

Colombia's civil aviation authority said flights were suspended at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura while inspectors checked for structural damage.

The country's disaster agency said the quake, which occurred at 7:34 local time (8:34 ET), was felt in nine departments and all 32 departmental capitals, triggering evacuations and reports of damage.

Reuters witnesses in the Venezuelan border state of Tachira and the central-western city of Barquisimeto reported the quake had been felt there. Venezuela was hit by devastating twin earthquakes in June, which killed more than 6,000 people, mostly on the coast near the capital, Caracas.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Moscow, Kyiv assassins hunt weapons bosses as Ukraine war spills beyond the battlefield

A dangerous new front is emerging in the Russia-Ukraine war as attackers and alleged intelligence operatives increasingly target executives and engineers developing the cutting-edge drone technology that is reshaping the battlefield, industry experts warned Sunday.

The attacks include an Aug. 4 car bombing near Yekaterinburg that critically injured Vladimir Tkachuk, head of Russian drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod, and killed his driver, according to Russian state news agency TASS, The Associated Press reported.

His company produces the "Upyr," or "Ghoul," a first-person-view attack drone used by Russian forces in Ukraine.

'A NEW KIND OF WAR': INSIDE UKRAINE'S HIDDEN FACTORIES MASS-PRODUCING COMBAT DRONES

Days earlier, Andrei Cherezov, head of another Russian drone company, was shot three times in Tula overnight July 28-29 in an apparent assassination attempt, according to Ukrainian outlet Pravda. Authorities have not publicly attributed either attack to Ukraine.

Draganfly CEO Cameron Chell told Fox News Digital that the rise in attacks comes as Russia and Ukraine race for an edge in drone warfare, making the relatively small number of people responsible for developing new technology increasingly important targets.

"When you can't take out all the distributed infrastructure, drone manufacturing leadership becomes the primary target," Chell said.

"These strikes in Russia and Ukraine and Germany on founders, leaders, engineers of defense and, in particular, drone-type companies are down to drones and these companies having such an impact themselves."

UKRAINE’S BATTLEFIELD IS TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE OF NATO

"Because drone technology evolves rapidly — often with significant iterations occurring every 10 to 30 days — targeting a key engineer, founder, or product lead creates immediate operational disruptions on the battlefield."

"Taking out a particular engineer or taking out a particular leader can set a very important weapons program back quite some time and disrupt shipments to the front line," Chell added.

German authorities have also arrested two suspected operatives accused of spying on a Bavarian drone manufacturer for Russian intelligence, while reports this month said the alleged operation included preparations to target company executive Stefan Thumann, according to Germany’s Die Zeit.

The case follows a reported 2024 plot disrupted by U.S. and German intelligence to target Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger.

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Chell said as Ukraine and Russia push toward artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons systems, engineers developing those technologies are more strategically important.

"What we see in the Ukraine-Russia conflict is nobody in the loop — total autonomy is the direction things are going because it moves with more speed and precision," Chell said.

"AI and total autonomy are the big innovations for the next 18 months, so a potential reason we could see more targeted activity against leaders is because Ukrainians have that technology advantage."

"Targeting small drone companies is a relatively easy operation compared to targeting individuals in state-run weapons programs," he said.

"It is a fairly inexpensive, low-risk tactic for intelligence agencies that yields an immediate impact on the battlefield, and that's why we've seen this tactic."

"It is a very interesting turn or tactic that's being played by both sides here."

Chell highlighted how Russia and Ukraine approach such plots differently.

"I wouldn't suggest one side has an advantage over the other in terms of tactics, but psychologically, it has a deeper effect on the Russian side," Chell said.

UKRAINE UNLEASHES MORE THAN 400 DRONES NEAR MOSCOW IN ONE OF WAR'S BIGGEST ATTACKS

"The volume of drone advantage will remain with the Russians for the foreseeable future, but the innovation of drones, tactics, and technology lies with the Ukrainians right now."

"Ukraine faces an existential threat, so they are ready for anything. Their tactics tend to be much more blunt — a direct shooter in a hallway or a car bomb," he added.

"The Russian tactics tend to be much more state-organized, using old Cold War tactics: low-level contacts, extensive intelligence and surveillance ahead of time, and inserting into other countries like Germany," he said.

"The Russians have a long-standing, well-established intelligence infrastructure dating back to World War II and the Cold War."

TRUMP IS PROVING THAT THE WAY TO BETTER OUR MILITARY IS TO SECURE OUR SUPPLY CHAINS

As the drone manufacturing industry takes greater precautions, Chell maintained that threats against companies and individuals in the defense supply chain are receiving increased scrutiny.

"We are very cognizant of it, and we're in contact with the proper authorities to make sure we're taking precautions on both a cyber and physical level to ensure we're at less risk," he said.

"We certainly don't take anything for granted."

"There are training and programs in place to ensure executives have a level of safety, primarily around awareness, cybersecurity, and physical location protection," Chell added before stating that the attacks and attempted assassinations have "heightened the conversation around it."

"We as an industry are taking it with a measured amount more seriously," he said.

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Israel's new $634M German-built 'doomsday' sub gives major boost to Iran deterrence

Israel has taken delivery of its most advanced and expensive submarine from Germany, expanding its fleet amid escalating regional threats, according to reports.

The handover of the INS Drakon is expected to significantly bolster Israel's underwater strike and reconnaissance capabilities, The Algemeiner reported. The warship had been scheduled to be delivered in 2025.

A statement following the submarine's naming ceremony in Kiel in 2024 said the INS Drakon is of the Dolphin AIP class and "equipped with unique systems, including groundbreaking technologies that expand the range of the IDF's capabilities across various arenas." 

Built specifically for the Israeli Navy by Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), the submarine is said to provide a vital sea-based layer of "deterrence and retribution," amid the war with Iran, defense analysts say.

Dr. Ehud Eilam, an Israeli national security expert and former researcher for Israel’s Ministry of Defense, told Fox News Digital that maintaining a continuous undersea presence is paramount for the nation's national survival.

TRUMP ADMIN PITCHES 15-POINT IRAN PEACE PROPOSAL AS PAKISTAN OFFERS TO HOLD TALKS

"Some of them would have to be at sea, on high alert, around the clock, if Iran suddenly attacked Israel in such a way that would cripple the IDF, including its strategic capabilities," Eilam said.

"In such a drastic scenario, Israel’s submarine/s that would be at sea could respond," he added.

"Israel’s other submarines might be in Haifa harbor at the time. They might be attacked and unable to operate. This demonstrates how important it is to always have submarines at sea."

TKMS reportedly handed over the INS Drakon—the sixth Dolphin-class vessel and third modified Dolphin II-class submarine in Israel's fleet—at its shipyard in Kiel, Germany, in late July.

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Measuring more than 70 meters (230 feet) in length with a displacement exceeding 2,000 tons, the vessel is reported to be the largest submarine constructed in Germany since World War II, carrying an estimated price tag of $634 million, according to The Algemeiner.

According to Israeli outlet Ynet , Israel's Dolphin-class fleet also provides the nation with a critical sea-based second-strike capability in its defense program.

"Everything is going according to plan with the new program for Israel," TKMS CEO Oliver Burkhard told Ynet Global.

"That also applies to the handover of the last boat of the previous series, including the homecoming in Israel," he said of the expansive submarine program.

The INS Drakon’s arrival comes as Israel projects increasing military power across distant operational theaters, Eilam said.

TRUMP IS PROVING THAT THE WAY TO BETTER OUR MILITARY IS TO SECURE OUR SUPPLY CHAINS

"Israel has been acquiring submarines for several purposes. One of them is for deterrence and retribution, such as if Iran manages to develop nuclear weapons," Eilam said before adding that "Israel has to be ready."

While submarines on active deployment carry out intelligence and reconnaissance missions across the Mediterranean Sea, their primary objective remains readiness for "doomsday scenarios," Eilam noted.

"Israel’s new submarine is bigger than others, which suggests Israel wants to have more options, such as increasing the range of the submarine's missiles so they can reach every target in Iran, even if the Israeli submarine is in the Mediterranean Sea," Eilam said.

"That way the submarine does not have to get closer to Iran, which requires crossing the Suez Canal, and this could be very risky, if not impossible in some situations," he added. "The other alternative is to bypass all of Africa, which would take a long time."

The new submarine was named INS Drakon (Dragon) — a mythical sea creature symbolizing strength, uniqueness and power — was chosen because it contains the Hebrew letters ד׳, ק׳, ר׳ (Dakar), thus commemorating the legacy of the submarine INS Dakar and its crew, the Ministry of Defense said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Israeli Navy, the Ministry of Defense, TKMS and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.

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Netanyahu rejects Board of Peace's Gaza plan: No 'withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed'

Israel is rejecting a 15-point Gaza proposal put forward by the Board of Peace, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, declaring that Israeli forces will not withdraw from the enclave until Hamas fully gives up its weapons.

"Israel rejects the 15-point Gaza document proposed by the Board of Peace," Netanyahu said at Sunday's Cabinet meeting. "The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed."

Israel remains in discussions with the United States over the disarmament of Hamas but insisted any agreement would have to result in the terror group surrendering its entire arsenal, according to Netanyahu.

"It needs to be genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament," Netanyahu said.

HAMAS SAYS IT WILL DISSOLVE GAZA GOVERNMENT, BUT ISRAEL WARNS GROUP STILL SEEKS HEZBOLLAH-STYLE CONTROL

"When I say Hamas is disarmed, that means the heavy weapons, the less heavy weapons, all the weapons," he added.

Hamas remains committed to a Gaza roadmap agreed with mediators and representatives of the Board of Peace in Cairo 10 days ago, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters.

Hamas expects mediators and the United States to "press Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap," he added.

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Trump had teased a disarmament of the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza as a landmark step toward peace, but there remained skeptics, including Israel's Netanyahu, whose Sunday comments put him at odds with the latest Board of Peace proposal as the Trump administration seeks to move forward with a broader plan for Gaza following the ceasefire reached last year.

Trump said last month that there had been a breakthrough in efforts to advance the peace process and that Hamas had agreed to lay down its weapons. Hamas controlled Gaza for nearly two decades before carrying out the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel that triggered the war.

Israel has continued carrying out strikes in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect last October, while the future disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli forces remain central issues in negotiations over the territory.

Netanyahu made clear Sunday that Israel would resist provisions in U.S.-backed proposals that his government considers unacceptable.

NETANYAHU REJECTS REPORTS OF A RIFT WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, SAYS THE TWO REMAIN ALIGNED ON IRAN

He also reiterated his opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state in either Gaza or the West Bank.

"As long as I am prime minister, there will be no Palestinian state, not in Gaza and not in Judea and Samaria," Netanyahu said. "Neither ‘Fatahstan’ nor ‘Hamastan.’"

The Israeli leader’s rejection of the 15-point proposal underscores the hurdles facing efforts to turn the ceasefire into a lasting settlement, particularly over the sequence of Hamas’ disarmament and an Israeli military withdrawal.

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Netanyahu indicated Israel would continue working with Washington but said the government would hold firm on its security demands, particularly its insistence that Hamas be fully stripped of its weapons before Israeli troops leave their positions in Gaza.

Netanyahu also used his remarks Sunday to address Israeli operations elsewhere in the region, saying the military had recently acted "forcefully" in Lebanon and carried out what he described as "very important activity."

On Iran, Netanyahu said Tehran has refrained from striking Israel because "it knows what a powerful blow we will deal it if it does," while praising Trump and the U.S.-Israel alliance over efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

"I greatly appreciate President Trump," Netanyahu said." He is the greatest of our friends in the White House. I greatly appreciate the historical partnership with the U.S. against Iran's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons.

"And I wish to emphasize once again: With or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. Because the existence of our precious country, the country of all of us, the existence of Israel, is not up for negotiation."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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