Israel Deploys AI Agents Across Multiple Fronts

Technologists with the Israeli military’s Matzpen operational data and applications unit work at their stations, at an Israeli Army base in Ramat Gan, Israel. (Reuters)
Technologists with the Israeli military’s Matzpen operational data and applications unit work at their stations, at an Israeli Army base in Ramat Gan, Israel. (Reuters)
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Israel Deploys AI Agents Across Multiple Fronts

Technologists with the Israeli military’s Matzpen operational data and applications unit work at their stations, at an Israeli Army base in Ramat Gan, Israel. (Reuters)
Technologists with the Israeli military’s Matzpen operational data and applications unit work at their stations, at an Israeli Army base in Ramat Gan, Israel. (Reuters)

The Israeli Army has begun deploying “AI agents” to detect missile launchers, generate real-time aerial intelligence and sharpen strike speed and precision across multiple fronts, officials told Haaretz and the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Tuesday.

“The pace, scope and precision of strikes — as well as their overall quality and volume — would not have been possible without human-machine integration and automated tools capable of synchronizing hundreds of actions simultaneously,” an Israeli official told Yedioth Ahronoth.

Such missions, he noted, would have been impossible for the Israeli army just a few years ago, or even months ago.

The senior military official said the army sees the technology as part of its future, with some such agents already in use in undisclosed systems.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s use of artificial intelligence in Operation Roaring Lion is unprecedented.

Integrated into command-and-control systems from the General Staff down, AI is helping the Air Force plan and coordinate strikes in Iran and Lebanon and assist with navigation
The newspaper said in recent weeks, AI has also helped generate real-time situational assessments across multiple theaters — a need underscored by lessons from the failures that led to the October 7 attacks.

One system, known as “Tashan,” is used by the Air Force to identify missile launchers in Iran, Lebanon and Yemen immediately after launches, allowing forces to quickly locate and destroy the source.

Meanwhile, another source told Haaretz on Tuesday that the Israeli military has for the first time confirmed an artificial intelligence infrastructure developed during the war in Gaza is now fully operational in current fighting in Iran and Lebanon.

The system, known internally as the Israeli army’s “Operational Data and AI Factory,” integrates sensor, video, text and audio data into a single real-time operational picture across the military.

A military official told Haaretz that the system is now in use throughout the army. It can process vast amounts of data, including inputs from sensors, as well as video, text and audio.

According to the official, the shift to this AI-based infrastructure creates a comprehensive operational picture of the military's forces, missions and threats – one that is accessible to all branches.

The system is designed to assist with attack planning, targeting and strikes. It also records and transcribes all wireless communications, and compiles real-time data on missile and drone launches and interceptions. This significantly improves both operational and defensive decision-making in a way that was previously unimaginable.

Haaretz has learned that the system is also involved in processing strike plans and targets – confirming for the first time that the infrastructure plays a role in offensive operations, not just defense.

In Lebanon, military sources say, similar capabilities are being used to analyze video feeds from cameras deployed across the sector, identifying people and objects and generating real-time alerts.

Another system, “Lohem” (Fighter), assists commanders – particularly in the Air Force – in planning and synchronizing strikes.

The Israeli army says several AI-based defensive systems are also operational. These include “Rom,” which detects drones and UAVs; “Spatial Control,” which alerts ground forces to rocket and anti-tank fire; and “Tashan,” which identifies launches and impact points and locates the source of fire.

AI has also been integrated into Israel's national alert system, enabling predictions of where interception debris may fall.

The newspaper said a central component of the system is “MapIt,” a platform that displays real-time, three-dimensional operational data to commanders. It has learned that over the past year, the military has developed an additional layer on top of “MapIt,” consolidating all data streams into a single operational map.



Democrats Disagree over Abolishing or Reforming ICE at DNC Meeting

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during a Labor Council meeting as part of the DNC Summer Meeting, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during a Labor Council meeting as part of the DNC Summer Meeting, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
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Democrats Disagree over Abolishing or Reforming ICE at DNC Meeting

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during a Labor Council meeting as part of the DNC Summer Meeting, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during a Labor Council meeting as part of the DNC Summer Meeting, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

Democrats on Saturday approved dueling messages on whether US Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be abolished or reformed, reflecting sharp opposition to President Donald Trump's crackdown but revealing disagreement in the party ahead of the midterms.

The Democratic National Committee, gathered for a summer meeting, also signed off on a raft of policy positions, including one that calls for “concrete reforms” of ICE and another for abolishing the agency that's been at the center of several fatal encounters.

ICE has been at the heart of a progressive rallying cry since 2018 during the first Trump administration, and has been renewed among some in the party after two recent fatal shootings by the agency in July.

Saturday’s vote isn't binding and doesn't set the party's platform, which will be determined at the 2028 convention, but it reflects the party's differing views on a major issue. Candidates and lawmakers will continue to determine their own positions on the issue.

Michele Johnson, a DNC member from Louisiana who proposed the measure to abolish ICE, said it's time for Democrats to take a stand and pointed to the dissolution of ICE's predecessor agency, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, as a precedent.

“I think one of the reasons why people are not trusting the party is because we sound so academic," she said. “We sound focus group tested, we sound poll tested because we’re worried about saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing and not just like, just stand on business, like take a position.”

Not every DNC member was convinced, though. Yvonne Reeves-Chong voted against the measure, saying it would only gain support from a part of the party's base, while drawing “fire” from another group of voters.

“I would strongly suggest we get to the business of winning races so we can make the policies that make a difference,” she said.

DNC Chairman Ken Martin, who's from Minnesota, where Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot amid the immigration crackdown earlier this year, said in an interview that the takeaway is that Democrats find the administration’s handling of immigration, including by US Customs and Border Protection, unacceptable.

“Clearly, the one thing that unites Democrats, regardless of their position on reform versus abolish or whatever other ways to change what’s happening, is people believe that what ICE is doing right now — and CBP and the federal government — should stop,” he said. “There has to be a better way.”

Immigration remained a stronger issue for Trump than the economy or Iran, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released this month, even after three people were killed in encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the span of under a week in July.

Overall, the survey found that only 39% of US adults approve of his performance on immigration, down from 49% at the beginning of his second term.


Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 Returned to Munich after Takeoff Incident

FILE PHOTO: A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplane prepares for landing at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, Vietnam March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kham/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplane prepares for landing at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, Vietnam March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kham/File Photo
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Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 Returned to Munich after Takeoff Incident

FILE PHOTO: A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplane prepares for landing at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, Vietnam March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kham/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplane prepares for landing at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, Vietnam March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kham/File Photo

A Vietnam Airlines flight bound for Hanoi returned to Munich Airport on Saturday following technical problems after takeoff, the airline and airport said.

The Boeing 787 plane circled for more than two hours to burn fuel after reportedly ‌overrunning the runway ‌during takeoff, according to flight-tracking ‌website ⁠Flightradar24.

Video aired by ⁠US-based ABC News showed the jet taking off with a large cloud of dust trailing behind it, Reuters said.

Vietnam Airlines said in a statement the flight had returned to its departure airport after takeoff ⁠due to a "technical issue". It did ‌not provide ‌further details about the problem.

Munich Airport said after ‌landing, the plane was unable to taxi ‌off the north runway under its own power and remained stranded.

That forced the closure of the north runway and a rerouting of ‌air traffic via the south runway, the airport said in ⁠a statement.

Vietnam ⁠Airlines said the flight crew had followed all required procedures and landed safely at Munich Airport.

"The passengers and cabin crew members are safe," the airline said.

Vietnam Airlines said it was coordinating with the relevant authorities and parties to inspect the aircraft and it would provide further updates as soon as the inspection results and specific operational plans were available.


Hurricane Lala Brushes Past Hawaii’s Big Island, Bringing Heavy Rain

 A vehicle drives near a downed utility pole dangling above Mamalahoa Highway during Hurricane Lala near Ocean View, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A vehicle drives near a downed utility pole dangling above Mamalahoa Highway during Hurricane Lala near Ocean View, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
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Hurricane Lala Brushes Past Hawaii’s Big Island, Bringing Heavy Rain

 A vehicle drives near a downed utility pole dangling above Mamalahoa Highway during Hurricane Lala near Ocean View, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A vehicle drives near a downed utility pole dangling above Mamalahoa Highway during Hurricane Lala near Ocean View, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

The eye of Hurricane Lala brushed past the southern part of Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday, as heavy rain and strong winds struck the US Pacific state and officials warned of potentially dangerous flooding.

"Hurricane conditions will persist on the Big Island of Hawaii overnight, with the strongest winds expected in areas of higher terrain," the National Hurricane Center said at 8:00 pm local time (0600 GMT Sunday), warning that the coast would be hit with "large and dangerous waves."

Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane earlier in the day, generating winds of up to 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour).

The hurricane approached Hawaii County, which covers the Big Island, and a tropical storm warning was in place for the state's seven other major islands: Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau.

Lala came within 30 miles southwest of South Point on Big Island in the afternoon but did not make landfall.

The hurricane is moving toward the northwest and the general motion is expected to continue overnight, NHC officials said.

"A gradual westward turn with an increase in forward speed is expected on Sunday, as the core of the storm remains south of the smaller main Hawaiian Islands and the easternmost Northwestern Hawaiian Islands through the early part of next week," they added.

Lala is expected to bring 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm) of rain to the Big Island, with totals possibly reaching 25 inches.

Heavy rainfall "will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," officials said.

Power outages were reported for more than 20,000 customers in Hawaii Saturday afternoon, with weather officials confirming "damaging winds and heavy rain" were spreading across the Big Island famed for surfing and tourism.

Swells generated by Lala would build through the weekend and are likely to cause "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

"It's a serious storm," Governor Josh Green said, proclaiming a state of emergency to ensure Hawaii and its counties "have sufficient resources to clear debris, secure infrastructure, and take other measures to prepare."

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said Friday his administration had spent days preparing for the storm, and urged residents to be ready.

The state was last hit by a "major" hurricane -- meaning Category 3, 4, or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale -- in 1992, when Hurricane Iniki caused at least six deaths and billions of dollars in damage.

Hawaii was menaced by Hurricane Fausto last month, before the storm weakened and skirted north of the island chain.

- El Nino -

The storm comes as a powerful El Nino has formed in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Temperatures are already so high that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now predicts a 69 percent chance of a "historic event that would exceed the strength of previous El Nino events dating back to 1950" when it peaks between October and December.

El Nino, a natural climate pattern when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become unusually warm, tends to promote hurricane activity in the Pacific while suppressing it in the Atlantic.

Human-caused climate change can amplify El Nino's impacts because a warmer ocean and atmosphere increase the availability of energy and moisture for extreme weather events, such as heat waves and heavy rainfall.

Hawaii's emergency management agency recommended residents clear gutters and drains and move valuables off the ground, seal gaps in doors and remove tree limbs that threaten their properties.