Sam Halpern

Sam is a breaking news desk manager at The Jerusalem Post where he has worked since June 2023. He is a James Madison University alumnus where he graduated cum-laude with a degree in English and minors in Creative Writing and Environmental Studies.

Iranian-made Shahed-136 'Kamikaze' drone flies over the sky of Kermanshah, Iran on March 7, 2024.

FBI warns Iran may launch drone attacks on US West Coast in response to war - report

San Jose, California. December 18, 2022.

'Don't mess with Iran': Two Jewish men beaten in San Jose after speaking Hebrew

A United Arab Emirates plane stands on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport, in Dubai on November 6, 2025.

Iraq shoots down drones near Bagdad airport, Qatar intercepts missile


US intel report: Large-scale military assault unlikely to topple Iran regime - The Washington Post

The National Intelligence Council report was completed a week before the start of the war, which broke out last Saturday.

A man waves a giant Iranian flag during a rally marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Tehran on February 11, 2026.

Iranian officers abandon posts, conscripted troops amid US and Israeli strikes - report

The soldiers who spoke with the outlet reported that since the killing of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, confusion has erupted within the Iranian military.

Flags of Israel and Iran painted on a cracked concrete wall with soldier shadow.

Five IDF soldiers badly wounded by anti-tank fire near Lebanon border

The military added that, in the same incident, three other Givati soldiers were lightly wounded.

 IDF soldiers seen operating in northern Israel, near the Lebanese border, September 18, 2024

Trump: No deal with Iran, US will only accept regime's ‘unconditional surrender’

Trump asserted that following Iran’s surrender, the US and its allies would “work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger."

US President Donald Trump takes questions from the media during a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office of the White House on March 03, 2026 in Washington, DC.

IDF launches 15th wave of strikes on Iranian regime, targets infrastructure in Tehran and Isfahan

The IDF noted that it had struck infrastructure belonging to the Islamic regime in Tehran and Isfahan.

An Israel Air Force fighter jet on the way to strike targets in Iran on March 4, 2026.

Iranian air force jet crashes during training exercise, pilot killed

One pilot is dead and another injured after an Iranian air force jet crashed during a training exercise in the Nowbaran district.

An Iranian F-4 Phantom takes off on September 16, 2009.

Anti-Hamas Gaza militia leader says group readying for next phase after dismantling tunnels

“The first phase is that we are depriving Hamas of one of its most important means: the tunnels," Duhine told N12 News.

Ghassan Duhine and members of the Abu Shabab anti-Hamas Gaza militia.

Preparing for new Iran war, Israel escalates Lebanon strikes to cripple Hezbollah

According to Maariv, since the start of February, the IDF has killed 12 Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad terrorists in the country.

Flames and smoke errupt from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the southern Lebanese village of Tair Filsay on November 19, 2025.

Herzog's camp questions Netanyahu’s role in Trump's 'he should be ashamed' comments

On Thursday, in comments to the press, Trump said that Netanyahu should receive a pardon for corruption charges and that Herzog should be "ashamed of himself" for not granting one.

President Isaac Herzog attends a ceremony marking the Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat in the Ben Shemen Forest, on February 2, 2026.

FM Sa'ar to represent Israel at Trump's Washington Board of Peace summit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially accepted the US president's invitation to join the Board of Peace in January.

Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa'ar attends a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem December 2, 2025.