Qatar and Saudi Arabia, two Gulf countries that do not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel, have purchased hundreds of millions of dollars in advanced Israeli-made defense technology for their military air forces, according to a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing documents and photographs. The investigation revealed that aircraft belonging to the Qatari royal family are protected by Israeli-manufactured missile defense systems.

According to the report, Israel has sold highly sophisticated military hardware to both Qatar and Saudi Arabia, including advanced missile defense mechanisms designed to protect the Qatari royal family, alongside critical components for modern fighter jets. Israel’s leading defense contractors, Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), have reportedly supplied missile defense systems and specialized military helmets for advanced F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and Qatar in transactions valued at hundreds of millions of shekels.

The defense trade has been conducted in strict secrecy, despite the fact that both Gulf monarchies declined to join the Abraham Accords—which normalized diplomatic relations between Tel Aviv and several Arab nations—and continue to maintain no formal diplomatic representation with Israel.

Israeli technology on the Qatari Emir’s aircraft

According to specific details disclosed by Haaretz, when the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, paid an official visit to Iran last year, his private jet was protected by an air defense system developed by Israel-based Elbit Systems. Photographs captured during the Emir’s landing in Algeria in March 2024 also showed the Elbit-manufactured defense system mounted beneath the aircraft’s fuselage.

The Qatari royal fleet comprises a total of 11 aircraft, including two Boeing 747s and one Airbus A340-500. The report states that all of these aircraft have been equipped with Elbit’s commercial C-MUSIC system, known in Israel as “Magen Rakia” (Sky Shield).

The C-MUSIC system is designed to immediately detect the launch of heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles targeting the aircraft. Upon detection, it emits a specialized infrared beam that disrupts the missile’s tracking capabilities and prevents it from locking on. The system is particularly effective at protecting aircraft against shoulder-fired missiles, also known as man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS).

The precise financial value of the air defense contract with Qatar has not been officially disclosed. However, based on comparable past contracts signed with European nations and NATO, the total cost of the shipment is estimated to exceed $200 million.

Israeli-made parts in F-15 fighter jets

The report further noted that Elbit and other Israeli defense firms have not only provided protection for the royal family’s fleet but have also manufactured critical components for the F-15 fighter jets purchased by Qatar from the US.

Contracts signed between the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) and aerospace manufacturer Boeing indicate that Israeli companies were awarded subcontracts valued between $150 million and $250 million to supply advanced parts and subsystems for the Qatari F-15 fleet. The entities receiving these subcontracting bids include Elbit’s US subsidiary, Elbit America, Cyclone, and Collins Elbit Vision Systems, which is a joint venture with global defense giant RTX.

Foremost among the equipment supplied by Israeli arms manufacturers to the Doha administration is the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), an advanced helmet that projects vital flight and targeting data directly onto the pilot’s visor. Elbit has also reportedly supplied AN/AVS-9 night vision goggles for Qatari F-15 pilots.

Other Israel-based companies supplying equipment under Qatar’s F-15 modernization program include Israel Aerospace Industries, TAT Technologies, and Beth-El Industries.

Similar systems delivered to Saudi Arabia

US State Department documents and military archive photographs indicate that a similar shipment of equipment was delivered to Saudi Arabia.

According to the documents, the Riyadh administration received 462 advanced JHMCS combat helmets and an equal number of AN/AVS-9 night vision goggles manufactured by Israeli companies for integration into the F-15 fighter jets operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research have released a rapid assessment report on building damage in southern Lebanon.

According to Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper, the study relied on satellite imagery and geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI) technologies to assess externally visible damage to buildings along the southern border between October 23, 2025, and April 29, 2026.

The report found that a total of 11,095 buildings had been completely destroyed in the areas surveyed. Based on an assumed average apartment size of 150 square metres, these destroyed structures are estimated to correspond theoretically to 17,891 housing units.

The volume of debris generated in the region is estimated at 3,107,756 cubic metres.

In addition to the buildings that were completely destroyed, the assessment identified partial damage to 2,242 buildings and minor damage to 9,311 others.

At the housing-unit level, the report estimates that alongside the approximately 17,891 units that were completely destroyed, around 5,219 homes sustained partial damage and 18,282 suffered minor damage.

The report stressed that these housing figures are not based on direct field surveys but on mathematical modelling using average floor-space assumptions and therefore constitute theoretical estimates.

Preliminary cost of building damage estimated at $1.38 billion

The report calculated reconstruction costs using a standard benchmark value of $450 per square metre. On that basis, the total preliminary cost of building damage was estimated at $1.384 billion.

Geographically, Nabatieh Governorate accounted for the largest share of the damage, estimated at $1.053 billion, while losses in South Governorate were assessed at $331 million.

At the district level, preliminary costs were estimated at $688 million in Bint Jbeil, $333 million in Marjayoun, $315 million in Tyre, $32 million in Nabatieh district and $16 million in Sidon.

The report emphasised that these figures cover only external physical damage to buildings and do not represent the final cost of reconstruction or the total economic losses caused by the war.

In Bint Jbeil district, the highest levels of destruction were recorded in Aitaroun, where 1,658 buildings were destroyed, followed by Bint Jbeil city with 1,076, Ayta al-Shaab with 539, Beit Lif with 371, Yaroun with 242 and Ainata with 227.

In Marjayoun district, 969 destroyed buildings were recorded in Mais al-Jabal, 824 in Taybeh, 285 in Houla, 199 in Markaba, 184 in Blida and 174 in Deir Siryan.

In Nabatieh district, 71 buildings were destroyed in Yahmar al-Shaqif, 69 in Zoutar al-Sharqiya and 37 in Kfar Sir. In Tyre district, 370 buildings were completely destroyed in Burj al-Shamali, 216 in Naqoura, 162 in Abbassiyeh, 80 in Tyre city and 65 in al-Mansouri. In Sidon district, destruction was concentrated mainly in Zirariyeh, where 65 buildings were destroyed, and Arzi, where 62 buildings were levelled.

The report also outlined significant limitations that prevent the findings from being treated as a definitive final assessment.

The study did not cover entire administrative districts but was limited to areas where clear satellite imagery was available.

As a result, the area south of the Litani River constituted the main focus, while only limited data from areas north of the river were included. Some municipalities were fully surveyed, while only selected sections of others could be examined.

For example, all cadastral zones in Bint Jbeil district were surveyed. In Tyre district, 74 of 75 cadastral areas were fully covered, while one was only partially included.

In Marjayoun, 17 of 33 areas were fully surveyed and 21 partially covered. In Nabatieh, only four of 52 areas were fully analysed, while 15 were partially examined. In Sidon, none of the 77 areas underwent a complete survey, with only five areas partially included in the assessment.

The report listed several additional limitations:

Critical infrastructure damage, including roads, bridges, electricity networks, water systems and telecommunications facilities, was not assessed.

Damage to underground shelters, basements and non-visible interior sections of buildings could not be detected.

No clear distinction could be made between residential, commercial and industrial structures.

Buildings with minor damage were excluded from debris-volume and cost calculations.

Structural density, shadows and narrow streets introduced potential margins of error in satellite analysis.

No field visits or on-site inspections were conducted to verify the findings. The assessment was carried out entirely through desk-based analysis of satellite imagery.

Given the scale of destruction and confidence in the methodology employed, no on-site verification procedures were undertaken in cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces or the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS).

UNDP said the findings should be regarded as preliminary planning data and that the scope of the assessment would be expanded as additional satellite imagery and field information become available.

Officials noted that once excluded categories and infrastructure losses are taken into account, the true cost of the destruction in southern Lebanon is likely to be significantly higher than the estimates contained in the report.

Assessments that efforts to restrain Israel in Lebanon are being shaped less in Beirut or Tel Aviv than in closed-door talks between Iranian and American negotiators resurfaced ahead of negotiations in the Swiss town of Bürgenstock.

Unlike the current approach adopted by the Lebanese government, Iran continues to pursue a strategy of leveraging its influence on the ground to secure diplomatic gains.

The Lebanese government, meanwhile, remains committed to a separate negotiating track that critics say facilitates concessions to Israel at the negotiating table in Washington that could not be achieved on the battlefield.

US Vice President JD Vance, who arrived in Switzerland to participate in the latest round of talks, confirmed that efforts to make the ceasefire in Lebanon permanent would be among the negotiations’ top priorities.

According to CNN, citing a diplomatic source familiar with the matter, the US and Iranian delegations agreed to convene an emergency session on the situation in Lebanon as the first item of discussion, placing the issue at the top of the agenda.

US says it faces difficulties over Israeli withdrawal

According to diplomatic sources cited by Al-Akhbar newspaper, US officials informed the Iranian side that Washington had made intensive efforts to persuade the Israeli government to complete a full withdrawal from Lebanon but had encountered significant difficulties in the process.

US officials requested Iranian support in facilitating Hezbollah’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon as part of efforts to enable an Israeli pullout.

The Iranian delegation responded that Hezbollah was an internal Lebanese matter. While indicating that Tehran did not oppose an agreement by the Lebanese authorities on a timetable providing for a rapid Israeli withdrawal, the delegation outlined what it viewed as its own area of responsibility.

Iranian representatives said both Tehran and Washington had committed to implementing measures aimed at ending the war across the region, including in Lebanon, and argued that the United States should exert pressure on Israel not only to uphold a ceasefire but also to withdraw quickly.

Iran reiterates Lebanon condition for final agreement

An Iranian official also told CNN that ending the conflict in Lebanon was the most important item on the Iranian delegation’s agenda.

During the talks, Vice President Vance said Washington would continue working toward peace between Lebanon and Israel and expressed hope that the temporary ceasefire could be transformed into a permanent agreement capable of delivering long-term stability.

Speaking before the session, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran would not begin negotiations on a final agreement with Washington unless the war in Lebanon was halted, as stipulated in the US-Iran memorandum of understanding.

In a post on X, Baghaei wrote: “It is not possible to move to the negotiation stage for a final agreement unless these provisions are implemented, foremost among them the first clause, which calls for ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.”

Military and diplomatic developments ahead of the Bürgenstock talks threatened to undermine the understanding reached between the parties. Following Israeli attacks in Lebanon and what Iran described as an escalation of military tensions in violation of the US-Iran agreement, Tehran announced that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz to traffic.

In a statement, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said the closure of the strait was only the first step in a series of measures planned by Tehran. Iran’s Foreign Ministry subsequently announced the suspension of the Geneva negotiations with the United States.

Following those developments, reports indicated that Washington intervened and increased pressure on Israel, leading Israeli military commanders to issue definitive orders for a complete halt to military operations in southern Lebanon for the second time within 24 hours.

Israeli media reports said the decision was not taken solely on Tel Aviv’s own initiative and that military operations were curtailed as a result of intense US pressure following Iran’s move in the Strait of Hormuz.