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 soldiers take part in a military parade during a ceremony marking the country's annual army day in Tehran on April 17, 2024.

Another US destroyer enters Middle East waters as Iran receives 1,000 new drones - report

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he walks to Marine One prior to departure from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, January 27, 2026, as he travels to Iowa.

Trump weighing new, major action against Iran, including regime change - report

Amos Hochstein, Managing Partner, TWG Global speaks onstage during the Semafor World Economy Summit Fall Edition at Gallup HQ on October 16, 2025 in Washington, DC.

'False and ungrateful': Biden envoy Hochstein slams Netanyahu’s claim US embargo killed IDF troops


US deports three former members of Iran's IRGC who entered illegally, DHS says

The DHS named the three Iranians as Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani, and Morteza Nasirikakolaki.

Former IRGC members (L-R) Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani, Morteza Nasirikakolaki

After the ceasefire, the land still burns

After two years of war, Israel is counting the environmental costs – from blackened forests in the North to degraded soil in the South

An employee of Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority inspects a burnt tree following a rocket attack from bordering Lebanon, at the Tel Dan nature reserve in northern Israel in November 2024.

Israel’s freshwater balancing act: The Kinneret under strain

Intensive management has saved the Kinneret from crisis, but rising salinity and ecological change pose growing risks

An aerial view of the Kinneret. To the casual observer, the lake, also known as the Sea of Galilee, appears to be a rare environmental success story in an era of climate uncertainty.

PIJ knowingly fired faulty rockets in Gaza, killing 'a thousand' Palestinians, document reveals

"We are at war. And even if a thousand people are killed by friendly fire, that is the price of war," PIJ's Akram al-Ajouri reportedly said.

A salvo of rockets is fired by Palestinian terrorists from Gaza as an Israeli missile launched from the Iron Dome defence missile system attempts to intercept the rockets, fired from the Gaza Strip, over the city of Netivot in southern Israel on October 8, 2023.

IDF completes demolition of four-kilometer tunnel on Israel-controlled side of Gaza's Yellow Line

The underground tunnel, which was destroyed along with troops from the Yahalom unit, reportedly contained weapons and several rooms.

IDF troops of the 7th Brigade operate in southern Gaza. January 25, 2025.

Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei moves to underground bunker amid fears of US strike - report

According to the Iranian opposition outlet, Masoud Khamenei, the ayatollah’s third son, has taken over management of the supreme leader’s day-to-day responsibilities.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei adjusts his eyeglasses during a press conference after casting his ballot for the parliamentary runoff elections in Tehran on May 10, 2024.

Iranian man pretends to be dead for three days, fearing a regime execution - report

According to the account shared by the IHRDC, the family of the man spent three days looking for their son, who had gone missing, searching hospitals and the Behesht Zahra cemetery.

Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026.

PM Netanyahu accepts Trump's invitation to join Board of Peace, to become founding member

Earlier, Azerbaijan also accepted Trump's invitation to join the Board of Peace, the country’s foreign ministry announced.

US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago club on December 29, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida.

Netanyahu ushered Turkey, Qatar through Gaza's front door, ex-PM Naftali Bennett charges

“Erdogan and the despicable Qatar, the greatest haters of Israel, the most enthusiastic aides of Hamas, are being ushered in through the front door to run Gaza,” Bennett wrote on X/Twitter.

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett attends a conference at the Academic College in Tel Aviv, January 7, 2026.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia lead efforts to influence Trump against US strike in Iran, sources tell 'Post'

Earlier on Thursday, Pakistani outlet Dawn reported that Trump had informed Tehran that the US would not strike the country.

US President Donald Trump seen in the Oval Office in the White House in Washington, DC, US, January 14, 2026