Souad Mekhennet is a multi-award-winning author, journalist, and Distinguished Fellow at Vanderbilt University, where her research focuses on terrorism and de-radicalization. Her honors include a News & Documentary Emmy Award, the Nannen Prize, the Ludwig Börne Prize, and the Daniel Pearl Award. She was part of the Washington Post team named Pulitzer Prize finalists, and her work has been recognized with a Royal Wissam from King Mohammed VI of Morocco and the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s International Leadership Award. According to the Wiesenthal Center, she is the only person of Muslim descent worldwide to have played a pivotal role in solving the case of a most-wanted Nazi war criminal. For more than two decades, she has covered jihadist networks and state-sponsored terrorism for The Washington Post, The New York Times, and television, breaking major stories internationally. Her four books include I Was Told to Come Alone and The Eternal Nazi, which she co-authored. She publishes in English- and German-language outlets.

Prof. Boaz Ganor is the president of Reichman University and the founder of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT). Prof. Ganor served as the executive director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism and as dean of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy.On 2019, he spend his sabbatical from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy and served as a Visiting Fellow, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Australia, an Adjunct Professor, Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security, Charles Stuart University, Australia and as the Aaron and Cecile Goldman Visiting Israeli Professor and Israel Institute Fellow, Georgetown University, USA in 2020.Prof. Boaz Ganor previously served for five years as Dean and ten years as Deputy Dean of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy. Prof. Ganor serves as the Founding President of the International Academic Counter-Terrorism Community (ICTAC), an international association of academic institutions, experts, and researchers in fields related to the study of terrorism and counter-terrorism.Prof. Ganor previously held positions at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, the Hoover Institution (Koret Distinguished Visiting Fellow), the Monterey Institute of International Studies, MIPT (The National Memorial for the Prevention of Terrorism), Hebrew University and Bar Ilan University. He was also a member of the International Advisory Team of the Manhattan Institute (CTCT) to the New York Police Department (NYPD). Prof. Ganor is a member of the International Advisory Council of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies (IDSS), Nanyang Technological University, The Republic of Singapore. He is also a co-founder of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR), a partnership between the University of Pennsylvania, USA; the Interdisciplinary Center, Israel; King’s College, London; and the Regional Center on Conflict Prevention (RCCP), Jordan.Since 2014, Prof. Ganor has been a Member of the Executive Committee of the Academic Advisory to the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy (ISGAP),Prof. Ganor has given briefings and/or testimonies to the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), the Australian Parliament, the United States Congress, the US Army, the FBI, the US Department of Homeland Security, as well as numerous intelligence, security and police services throughout the world. He has given hundreds of guest lectures at top universities and research centers throughout the world including at Columbia University, Syracuse University, Georgetown University, the Wilson Center, RAND and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.In 2001, Prof. Ganor was appointed as a Member of the Advisory Committee of the Israel National Security Council on Counter-Terrorism, and he has previously served as a Member of the Israeli Delegation to the Trilateral (American-Palestinian-Israeli) Committee for Monitoring Incitement to Violence and Terror. Prof. Ganor also advised the Israeli Delegation for Peace Negotiations with Jordan on Transportation Safety, the Israeli Counter-Terrorism Coordinator at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. In 1995, he was a consultant to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his book “Fighting Terrorism – How democracies can defeat domestic and international terrorism”.Prof. Ganor has published numerous articles on terrorism and counter-terrorism. His book, “The Counter-Terrorism Puzzle – A Guide for Decision Makers” (Transaction Publishers, 2005), is used as a text book in universities worldwide and his book: “Global Alert: Modern terrorism rationality and the challenge to the democratic world” was published by Columbia University Press in 2015. His upcoming book: “Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy – From Origins to Present” will be published as well by Columbia University Press in 2021. He has published several articles in “Studies in Conflict and Terrorism”, “Terrorism and Political Violence”, “Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflicts”, Orbis and the International Law Studies. He is also the editor of “Countering Suicide Terrorism” (2001) and “Post-Modern Terrorism” (2006). He is the co-editor of “ISC 2005 – Security, Terrorism and Privacy in Information Society” (2005), “Trends in International Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism” (2007), “Hypermedia Seduction for Terrorist Recruiting” (2007), “Terrorism Informatics – Knowledge Management and Data Mining for Homeland Security” (2008), and “The Global Impact of Terrorism” (2008). Prof. Ganor is a Member of the editorial board of Springer Intelligence & Security Informatics (ISI) journal. Prof. Ganor has contributed book chapters for many publications, including to Oxford University Press, Routledge, Springer, and the U.S. Institute for Peace.Prof. Ganor chairs ICT’s International Conferences: World Summit on Counter-Terrorism, and co-directed several research projects for NATO and the Ministry of Public Security. Prof. Ganor is a frequent media and television commentator and has appeared on the BBC, CNN, CBS, ABC, the New York Times, the Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, the Jerusalem Post, Haaretz and many other Israeli and international publications.

Prof. Uriel Reichman was born in Tel Aviv in 1942 to Gerda and Alfred, refugees who fled from Nazi Germany to the Land of Israel.

Prof. Reichman served in the paratroopers of the Israel Defense Forces from 1960 to1963, earning the rank of lieutenant. As a commander in the IDF Reserves, he fought in the Six Day War, War of Attrition and Yom Kippur War. After his brother, Gad, fell in battle in the Yom Kippur War, he was transferred to a non-combat unit and served as the president of a military land tribunal, with the rank of major.

Prof. Reichman received both LL.B. and LL.M. (1967) degrees with honors from the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He earned his doctoral degree in law (J.S.D.) at the University of Chicago Law School (1975). He went on to serve as a lecturer, senior lecturer and tenured professor at the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University. In addition, he was a visiting professor and researcher at American and German universities. His academic publications, which have been published in Israel and the U.S., dealt with property law.

From 1985 to 1990, he served as the dean of the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University. In 1990, he founded (and led until 1995) the Ramot Mishpat Law School; the first private college of its kind in Israel which was not subsidized by the government.

In 1994, Prof. Reichman founded Reichman University (IDC) in Herzliya, the first non-profit private institution of higher education in Israel. He has served as its president from its establishment to date, with the exception of only one year (2006). From a small college with only 240 students operating in the barracks of a former military base, Reichman University has developed into one of the leading academic institutions in Israel under his leadership. Some 2,000 from its 8,000 students come from abroad, from 87 different countries, making Reichman University a truly international institution of higher education. Reichman University is today internationally recognized, has active collaboration with over 60 leading universities worldwide, and consists of eight schools which provide undergraduate and graduate programs as well as international conferences that attract experts from around the globe, such as The Herzliya Conference.

In the mid-1980s, Prof. Reichman initiated and led the team which formulated a proposal for an Israeli constitution. The proposal (1987) included reforms such as the direct election of the prime minister, constituent elections, a Bill of Rights, and a new definition of the relations between religion and state. He subsequently chaired the Movement for a Constitution in Israel and led the campaign to have the proposed constitution accepted and implemented. As a result, the Knesset passed legislation in 1992 that turned part of the proposed constitution into Basic Laws.

After the Yom Kippur War, Prof. Reichman had joined Prof. Rubinstein to establish the Shinui Movement for Change. In 2005, he rose to the challenge that then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon presented to him and became the newly established Kadima Party’s candidate for Minister of Education. Prof. Reichman was elected and became a member of Israel’s Knesset (Parliament). After the elections, when then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave the education portfolio to one of the parties that was Kadima’s partner in the governing coalition, Prof. Reichman resigned from the Knesset and turned down an offer to become Minister of Justice. He returned to Reichman University since his only interest was trying to help the country face its educational challenges, not to pursue a political career. Upon his return, Prof. Reichman was reelected Reichman University’s president.

In 2010, Prof. Reichman was awarded an honorary doctorate by Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf, Germany. Prof. Reichman has served on the board of directors of the First International Bank and Bank Hapoalim. He also has chaired the Israel Bar Association’s Committee for Human Rights, headed and served as a member of several public committees, and proposed reforms in the real-estate laws and in the professions of real-estate surveying and brokerage.

Prof. Reichman Currently serving as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Reichman University. He is married to architect Nira Reichman and has three children and five grandchildren.

In April 2018, the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University in the United States awarded Prof. Reichman the Robert and JoAnn Bendetson Public Diplomacy Award. The award committee stated that it had chosen to honor Prof. Reichman for the “extraordinary leadership he demonstrated in establishing and building Reichman University, emblematic of the spirit of the award.”

In 2025, Prof. Reichman received the Lifetime Achievement Award at The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference. According to the award committee, the recognition reflected the belief “in the power of the individual to effect change and in the lasting impact of vision, conviction, and public service.”

In July 2026, President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog announced that Prof. Uriel Reichman would receive the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, the country’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the State of Israel, Israeli society, and academia.

Prof. Reichman was married to architect Nira Reichman, z”l, his second wife. He is the father of two daughters, Ronit and Anat, and of Gadi Slade. He has five grandchildren.

Mr. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Davis is a Vice President of Reichman University and Head of the Raphael Recanati International School for the past 23 years. He is a Member of the Advisory Board of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, and is a retired Lieutenant Colonel (Res) in the IDF. Mr. Davis served as a lone soldier in a reconnaissance unit of the Paratroopers’ Brigade, that was commanded by former Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz. This unit executed many behind-the-lines missions, including a mission on the Syrian-Iraqi border during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He served as a reservist paratrooper during the first Lebanon war. He was an IDF Spokesperson during the first and second intifada and the 2nd Lebanon war. He also served as the public affairs commander for the joint USA-Israel military exercises. Mr. Davis was an active participant in the rescue of Ethiopian Jewry during “Operation Solomon”. In 1978 he served as an emissary of the Prime Minister’s office in the Former Soviet Union, visiting Stalingrad, Moscow and Uzbekistan, while meeting Jewish activists. He also served as emissary for the Jewish Agency for Israel in Cape Town, Boston, and Rome. In his role he continues to contribute to the deepening of the connection between Israel and the Diaspora. Born in England and raised in the United States, Mr. Davis was educated at Columbia University, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University. Mr. Davis is married with four children and 10 grandchildren. He lives in Kochav Yair, a community located in the Sharon region. His hobby is mountain biking.

Mr. Aimen Dean is the Managing Director of Five Dimensions Consultants in Dubai, a company that conducts in-depth terror financing research for international financial institutions and governments. A native of Saudi Arabia, Dean had a rigorous childhood education in Islamic studies: memorizing the Quran and learning the principles of shari’a, Islamic history, and Arab tribal genealogy.

In 1994, Dean left Saudi Arabia to join jihadist fighters in Bosnia, before continuing on to other fronts in Afghanistan, the Caucasus, and Philippines. In 1997 he joined al-Qaeda, taking an oath of allegiance in the presence of Osama Bin Laden. Al-Qaeda leveraged his advanced theological knowledge to preach to members in training camps and his public speaking skills to recruit and fundraise during trips to Britain and various Gulf countries.

Al-Qaeda’s 1998 terror attack on two US embassies in East Africa rattled Dean. After long soul-searching, he secretly defected to the British government and worked undercover for eight years passing information to UK intelligence, including on radical Islamist activities in Europe. In 2006 his cover was compromised by a book published in the US. He left undercover work to become a consultant for HSBC Group’s Financial Crime, Fraud and Risk department, offering insights on terrorism, terror financing, and Middle East affairs.

Dean’s unusual story was the subject of a recent BBC documentary. His work with the Program on Extremism at George Washington University focuses on terrorism financing and how young people are radicalized, both in the Middle East and in Western societies.

Mr. Aimen Dean authored an autobiography titled “Nine Lives: My Time as MI6 Spy Inside Al-Qaeda.”

Yariv Fisher, 46, is the Mayor of Herzliya, where he has lived his entire life. He is married with five children and has been actively involved in public life in Herzliya since the age of 25. Over the course of his career, Fisher has held numerous leadership roles in the city’s administration, including Chairman of the Herzliya Tourism Development Corporation and Chairman of the Audit Committee. In addition to his public service, Fisher is an accomplished entrepreneur, having founded two international companies in the fintech and tourism sectors.

Fisher’s public service career spans over two decades. In 2000, he co-founded the youth movement “Israel Aheret,” which participated in the national elections. In 2003, he was elected to the Herzliya City Council, representing the youth party “The Dawn and the Greens,” where he served as Chairman of the Committee for the Promotion of the Status of the Child, Chairman of the Tourism Committee, and led the Young Adults and Business Owners Forum in Herzliya. In 2008, he was re-elected to the City Council under the “Herzliya Sheli” party, led by Yael German. During this term, Fisher served as Chairman of the Herzliya Tourism Development Corporation and held positions on the Finance, Audit, and Planning and Building committees.

Following Yael German’s election to the Knesset in 2012, Fisher continued to serve on the council, representing the “The Best for Herzliya” party. He became the only opposition member to the religious coalition led by Mayor Moshe Fadlon, serving as Chairman of the Opposition, Chairman of the Audit Committee, and a member of the Planning and Building Committee. In 2018, Fisher was elected to the City Council under the “Yesh Atid” party, where he continued his work as Chairman of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Planning and Building Committee and the Tenders Committee.

Throughout his career, Fisher has led numerous initiatives, including preventing the misuse of public funds, removing polluting concrete factories from the Galil Yam area and Herzliya Pituach, and initiating the development of the beachfront promenade and the restoration of the Apollonia cliff. He has also played a key role in upgrading the marina’s infrastructure and promoting a master plan to encourage the construction of new hotels in the city. Fisher has been a strong advocate for affordable housing, particularly in advancing housing projects for young couples in Herzliya’s Galil Yam neighborhood.

As Mayor of Herzliya, Yariv Fisher continues to focus on the city’s development, ensuring that Herzliya remains a progressive, sustainable, and thriving city.

Last updated: 13 August 2026

A naturalized American citizen, Dr. Gorka was born in the UK, and originally acted as National Security debate advisor to Candidate Trump, 2015-2016. Then he served in the first Trump Administration as Strategist to the President.

Previously, he held the Major General Horner Chair of Military Theory, Marine Corps University, and was Associate Dean for Congressional Affairs and Relations to the Special Operations Community at National Defense University, Fort McNair.

In 2020, he was appointed by President Trump to the Pentagon’s National Security Education Board. He is the author of the NY Times bestseller Defeating Jihad, as well as Why We Fight, and most recently, The War for America’s Soul. Dr. Gorka is a recipient of the DoD Joint Civilian Service Commendation, awarded by the US Special Operations Command, for his work in Counterterrorism.

Dr. Gorka is married to Katie Gorka, also a Presidential Appointee in the first Trump Administration in the Department of Homeland Security where she eventually served as Press Secretary for US Customs and Border Protection.

Last updated: 13 August 2026

Mr. Brian Michael Jenkins is a former senior adviser to the president of the RAND Corporation and author of numerous books, reports, and articles on terrorism-related topics, including Will Terrorists Go Nuclear? (2008, Prometheus Books). He formerly served as chair of the Political Science Department at the RAND Corporation. On the occasion of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, Jenkins initiated a RAND effort to take stock of America’s policy reactions and give thoughtful consideration to future strategy. That effort is presented in The Long Shadow of 9/11: America’s Response to Terrorism (Brian Michael Jenkins and John Paul Godges, eds., 2011).

Commissioned in the infantry, Jenkins became a paratrooper and a captain in the Green Berets. He is a decorated combat veteran, having served in the Seventh Special Forces Group in the Dominican Republic and with the Fifth Special Forces Group in Vietnam. He returned to Vietnam as a member of the Long Range Planning Task Group and received the Department of the Army’s highest award for his service.

In 1996, President Clinton appointed Jenkins to the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. From 1999 to 2000, he served as adviser to the National Commission on Terrorism and in 2000 was appointed to the U.S. Comptroller General’s Advisory Board. He is a research associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute, where he directs the continuing research on protecting surface transportation against terrorist attacks. Mr. Brian Jenkins’ research focuses on peacekeeping and stability operations as well as terrorism.

In terms of previous positions, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Special Forces, with deployments in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam. He has also held the role of Deputy Chairman at Kroll Associates and was a member of the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. Additionally, he served as an adviser to the National Commission on Terrorism and as a special adviser to the International Chamber of Commerce. Furthermore, he was a board member of ICC Commercial Crime Services and a member of the U.S. Comptroller General’s advisory board.

Last updated: 13 August 2026

Col. (Res.) Adv. Lior Lotan is the Head of the Sheleg Chair for Crisis Management and Research at Reichman University and is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in crisis negotiation within the security domain, with extensive hands-on experience in managing complex scenarios such as hostage crises, kidnappings, and barricade incidents.

Col. (Res.) Lotan served as the National Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons in the Prime Minister’s Office, acted as a special envoy for negotiations in highly sensitive arenas, and was a member of national-level strategic advisory teams.

During his military service, he specialized in special operations and counterterrorism missions.

In addition to his security and academic work, Col. (Res.)  Lotan is active in the business sector, leading ventures in the fields of cyber, green energy, and defense. He serves as a director on the boards of Israeli companies and as an advisor to organizations worldwide.

Previously, Col. (Res.) Lotan was the Director of the Institute for Counterterrorism at Reichman University and a member of the Board of Trustees at Sapir College.

Col. (Res.) Lotan holds both an LL.B. and an LL.M. in Law from Bar-Ilan University. He lectures in the graduate program at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University.

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Dmitry (Dima) Adamsky is a full professor at the School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy and the Head of the BA Honors Track in Strategic Studies at the Reichman University, Israel. He has previously been affiliated with Harvard and Columbia Universities, the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies, and the Center for Eastern European Studies at the University of Zurich. He is a visiting professor and researcher at the Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. For more than twenty years, Prof. Adamsky has been exploring matters pertaining to international security as a civil servant, university professor, and government consultant on both sides of the Atlantic. He has published on military innovations, strategic culture, nuclear strategy, and U.S., Russian, and Israeli national security in Foreign Affairs, Security Studies, Journal of Strategic Studies, Survival, IFRI Notes, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Russian Analytical Digest, Intelligence and National Security, Defense and Security Studies, Washington Quarterly, Slavic Military Studies, Problems of Post-Communism, and Cold War History. His books Operation Kavkaz: the Soviet Intervention and the Israeli Intelligence Failure in the War of Attrition (Maarachot, 2006) and The Culture of Military Innovation (Stanford UP, 2010) earned the annual prizes for the best academic works on Israeli security. His book Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy: Religion, Politics and Strategy (Stanford UP, 2019) won the 2020 ISA best book award in the category of religion and International Relations. He has co-edited with Kjell Inge Bjerga, Contemporary Military Innovations: Between Anticipation and Adaptation (Routledge, 2012), and with Alex Mintz, How Do Leaders Make Decisions? Evidence from the East and West (Emerald Publishing, 2019). His latest book is The Russian Way of Deterrence: Strategic Culture, Coercion and War (Stanford UP, 2023). His forthcoming book The New Commissars (Cambridge UP) explores militarization of politics and politization of military in Russia. Prior to his academic career, in his positions in the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the IDF, Prof. Adamsky has carried out intelligence analysis and strategic policy planning. In the latter capacity, he served as assistant secretary of the committee charged with formulating Israel’s national security concept.

Last updated: 13 August 2026

Ms. Lucy Aharish is an Israeli news presenter, journalist, and television host. Born in 1981 in Dimona, Israel, Aharish studied Political Science and Theater at Hebrew University and Journalism at the Koteret School of Journalism in Tel Aviv. Aharish is the first Arab to present the news on prime time television in Israel. She hosted the prime time news show on I24news channel in English for three years, was a showrunner for English and Arabic channels.

Today she is hosting a daily news talk show on Reshet Broadcast Channel 13.

For three years, Aharish has served as the co-founder and head anchor of DemocratTV, a crowdfunded, independent, social media platform that became the biggest crowdfunding project in Israel.

Aharish is best known for promoting pluralism and interdenominational openness in Israel’s public agenda. In 2015, she was awarded one of Israel&’s highest honors and was elected to light a torch at the national ceremony for Israel’s Independence Day on Mount Herzl, the theme of which was pioneering groundbreaking Israelis. Aharish also received the OMETZ (courage) award in October 2015 for her fight against racism in Israeli society.

Last updated: 13 August 2026

Mrs. Lorena Atiyas-Lvovsky is the Deputy Director of Research at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University, Herzliya. In this position, she leads various large-scale projects for private, public, and governmental organizations and facilitates ICT’s cooperation with academic, security, and governmental bodies.

In addition, Mrs. Atiyas-Lvovsky is also an adjunct faculty member in the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy at Reichman University, teaching courses on Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Security Studies.

Mrs. Lorena Atiyas-Lvovsky also leads a variety of terrorism, security, and Middle East courses in schools throughout Israel.

Mrs. Atiyas-Lvovsky is the Head of the Ragonis Scholarships Decision Committee, an annual scholarship promoting research in Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security. She is also an Editorial Board Member of The International Counter-Terrorism Review (ICTR), a leading peer-reviewed academic journal for young professionals addressing international issues pertaining to Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism.

Prior to her current position at the ICT, Mrs. Atiyas-Lvovsky served as a Project Manager and Public Relations Manager.

Mrs. Atiyas Lvovsky graduated (Cum Laude) from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy’s Master of Arts in Government with a Specialization in Counter-Terrorism & Homeland Security. Mrs. Atiyas Lvovsky is currently completing her doctoral studies on “The Battle for Perception”: The Influence Strategy of Terrorist Organizations and Its Impact on Media Coverage.

Mrs. Atiyas-Lvovsky fields of research are terrorism & democracies, radicalization processes and de-radicalization programs, influence operations, terrorism financing and Iran-Hezbollah worldwide network, in particular in Latin America. She has published numerous articles on Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism.

Fields of Expertise

• Terrorism & Democracies
• Terrorist actors including the Independent Actor Terrorism (“lone wolves”)
• Influence Operations & Psy-ops
• Terrorism Financing
• Iran-Hezbollah worldwide network
• Far-right extremism
• Radicalization processes, De-radicalization programs and Building Public Resilience

Last updated: 13 August 2026

Dr. Azani currently serves as the Acting Director of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) and the Head of the BA and MA Specialization in Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University.

He is a Colonel (Res.) in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with operational, research, and academic experience in counter-terrorism in the regional and international arenas. He previously served as the Deputy Executive Director of ICT.

As part of his position at ICT, Dr. Azani maintains working relations and advises both private and government entities on counter-terrorism issues. Dr. Azani lectures at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University and additional security and organizational establishments in Israel and abroad. He testifies on the subject of Hezbollah in front of the United States House of Representatives’ Committee on International Affairs as well as the European Parliament.

Eitan Azani obtained his B.A. in Economy, Political Science and Geography at Bar Ilan University, Israel and his M.A. (with honors) in the Security and Strategy Studies Program of Tel-Aviv University. Dr. Azani’s Ph.D. dissertation for the Hebrew University, Jerusalem was on “The Development of Revolutionary Islamic Movements: A Case Study of Hezbollah.

Dr. Azani is the author of Hezbollah: The Story of the Party of God – From Revolution to Institutionalization, praised as “a detailed study by a true scholar-practitioner, … should be required reading for anyone interested in really understanding this complex political, social and militant organization.” He is also the author of many scholarly articles and edited volumes – including: The Hybrid Terrorist Organization: Hezbollah as a Case Study, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, pp. 899-916(36), 2013 & Hezbollah’s Strategy of “Walking on the Edge“: Between Political Game and Political Violence, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, pp. 741-759(19), November 2012.

Last updated: 13 August 2026

Amir Bar Shalom is a Research Fellow at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University and serves as a military analyst for IDF Radio. He is currently the military analyst for the news website Times of Israel and appears on the early news edition on Channel 12 Israel. Amir also serves as a major in the IDF reserves.

Previously, Amir Bar Shalom was positioned as the head of the military desk of Channel 1 IBA TV and served as the political correspondent for IPBC, where he was also the anchor of the channel’s main news edition. He was a journalist, commentator, and news presenter at Channel 11 KAN NEWS and Channel 1 Israeli TV, formerly anchoring “Good Morning Israel,” the Israeli main weekend news edition Yoman, the main evening news edition Mabat, and the daily news summary Hadshot Hayom on KAN News. Amir has covered security and defense events in Israel and overseas since 2000, including ongoing coverage of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Ministry of Defense, Shin Bet (Shabak), Mossad, and other security-related agencies. His reporting has included daily updates, live broadcasts, and participation in classified operations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. He served as the chief broadcaster during the Gaza disengagement operation and the Second Lebanon War, and as a special mission correspondent in Europe covering ISIS terror attacks.

Amir Bar Shalom specializes in security and military analysis, focusing in recent years on the Iranian nuclear project, the hostile activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and Tehran’s growing influence on geostrategic issues.

He holds a B.L. in Law from the Academic College of Kiryat Ono and a B.A. in Political Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is also a graduate of the journalism course at Israel Television, Channel 1.

Amir completed his military service in the Givati Brigade of the IDF, serving as a combat soldier and officer. He was an instructor at the Officers School, later serving as a Rifle Company Commander in the Shaked Battalion, Givati Brigade, and continues to serve in the reserves with the rank of Major.

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Last updated: 13 August 2026