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.

Smoke rises from the site of a strike in Tehran on April 1, 2026.

IDF kills Iranian ballistic missile chief, US strike targets key supply bridge in Tehran

Illustrative image of Defense Minister Israel Katz and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem.

Katz to Hezbollah chief Qassem: You won't live to see Israel’s full response to Passover attacks

IDF soldiers are seen operating in southern Lebanon, April 1, 2026

Two soldiers lightly wounded in close-quarters combat that leaves Hezbollah terrorist dead


Iranian cluster munitions cause heavy damage to vehicles, buildings across central Israel

On Thursday, missile fire from Iran left three people lightly wounded in Petah Tikva and Mazkeret Batya.

Damaged caused by shrapnel of an Iranian missile in central Israel, April 3, 2026.

Petition targets newly passed death penalty law, calling it discriminatory, unconstitutional

Rights group asks justices to freeze law immediately; additional petitions are expected.

AERIAL VIEW of Supreme Court in Jerusalem

Knesset approves death penalty for terrorists bill, Netanyahu in favor

The Knesset plenum passed a bill that would legislate the death penalty for terrorists in Israel after final readings on Monday evening.

Knesset approves death penalty for terrorists bill, March 30, 2026.

Israeli air force strikes Hezbollah targets in Beirut for second time on Friday

IDF attacks in Beirut often target the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, long considered a Hezbollah stronghold.

Smoke rises after a reported Israeli airstrike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, March 27, 2026.

Israel strikes Iranian nuclear development facilities, Tehran vows retaliation

The IDF said Friday's strikes also targeted an Iranian Defense Ministry site used for the development and production of advanced explosive devices.

A general view of a heavy water plant in Arak, 320 kms south of Tehran, 26 August 2006.

FM Sa’ar urges UN to designate Hezbollah as terror group, calls Iran global threat

“Iran has transferred to Hezbollah  $1.2 billion since the ceasefire," Sa'ar wrote. "It also plays a direct role in training militants and guiding senior leadership.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar shows photos as he speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Middle East at UN headquarters in New York on February 18, 2026.

Memetic warfare: US, Iran, and Israel battle for meme dominance and social media virality

Governments are capitalizing on how audiences, particularly younger ones, consume information. 

Illustrative image of an Instagram logo appearing on a smartphone screen.

IDF reservist soldier seriously wounded by Hezbollah rocket fire in Lebanon, military says

Additionally, IDF Arabic Spokesperson Col. (res.) Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation warning for Tyre after identifying Hezbollah operatives launching heavy rocket fire within residential areas.

 A plume of smoke and a fragment of concrete rise from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the eastern outskirts of Tyre, in southern Lebanon, on March 24, 2026.

Trump says US had 'very good talks' with Iran to end war, gives five-day deadline

Trump said he instructed the Department of Defense to postpone planned military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media before departing West Palm Beach aboard Air Force One, Florida, US, March 23, 2026

Iranian IRGC, Basij units skipping duty as cracks in Tehran's regime widen, ambassador says

"The edifice of this tyrannical regime is cracking. It has not opened up to wide chasms yet, but that's the direction it's going,” Leiter said.

Israeli ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter speaks to the media at the site of the recent shooting outside the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum on May 22, 2025 in Washington, DC.