Examining the various effects that COVID-19 might have on the Jewish state’s security, Efraim Inbar expresses his concerns about the logistical and economic strains the disease will likely put on the IDF. Militaries, moreover, depend on soldiers acting in unison in ways that are difficult to do while adhering to the social-distancing measures that can counteract the spread of contagion. As for the argument that Israel’s foes suffer from the epidemic as well, and may be less prepared to counter it—Inbar is not reassured:

Last month, the Pentagon announced its withdrawal of Patriot missiles from Saudi Arabia, where they had been positioned in 2019 following a series of Iranian rocket and drone attacks. In nearby Iraq, Tehran has directed over 40 rocket attacks at American targets—which do not have adequate anti-missile systems—over the last twelve months. John Hannah and Jacob Nagel argue that the U.S. should look to Israel for the technology that will defend American servicemen against the Islamic Republic’s arsenal: