SAMUEL M. KATZ

The Merkava, or Chariot, was the first tank entirely designed and built by the Israeli Army. The IDF had previously been using a variety of vehicles, acquired from various sources, including in particular the Sherman and Centurion. The Merkava was designed specifically for the type of warfare and opponents that Israel faced. The resulting tank was heavily armoured and packed a powerful 105mm main gun backed up with a digital fire control system and laser range-finder. This title examines the development and deployment of the Merkava, investigating the changing technical aspects of the various marks, creating a useful and comprehensive study of Israel's most formidable tank.

From a New York Times bestselling author and an expert on Middle Eastern conflict comes a riveting biography of Meir Dagan, the legendary Mossad director who transformed Israels intelligence service into a global powerhouse of espionage and counterterrorismrequired reading for those wishing to understand the landscape of the modern Middle East (Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Cry Havoc).Meir Dagan: a visionary covert warfare veteran who revolutionized the art of special operations and espionage. Born in the shadows of the Holocaust, Dagan led a life that personified the modern history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. His tenure as the head of the Mossad marked a transformative era in Israels history, reshaping the agency into a formidable global force. Dagan spent thirty-two years in uniform, and under his eight-year leadership, Mossad orchestrated a series of high-stakes missions, including targeted assassinations, clandestine attempts to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power, and the veiled expansion of Israels collaborations with members of the global intelligence fraternity, notably the CIA. Drawing on unprecedented access to Dagans closest confidants, comrades, and contemporaries, Samuel Katz brings to life the portrait of a spymaster whose influence bolstered Israels security but also altered the geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East. An essential read for anyone captivated by espionage thrillers, historical biographies, or profiles of battlefield courage, The Architect of Espionage provides an insightful glimpse into the mind of one of the most influential spymasters of our era.

The true story of a potentially devastating terrorist plot in New York Cityand the heroes who risked their lives to prevent it. On the morning of July 31, 1997, two young Palestinian men living in Brooklyn, New York, were prepared to sacrifice themselves as martyrs to their bloody cause. Their planto board a subway filled with commuters, wait until the train was traveling through the tunnel under the East River, and then detonate a shrapnel-covered explosive belt they had built in their tenement apartment. The attack would have killed hundreds, possibly even thousands, while sending the cityand the countryinto a state of panic. This is the inspiring, startling, and frightening true story of how the NYPD learned of the impending attack and made a daring predawn raid on the terrorist hideout. The gripping series of events began with an Egyptian immigrant who, learning of the plan, alerted the police. Coordinating an assault with limited resources and manpower, seven brave members of the NYPD moved inreaching the terrorists when they literally had their fingers on the triggersaving countless lives, preventing a disaster that would have paralyzed New York City, and alerting the nation that, in todays world, violence and terror could begin at home.

From the New York Times bestselling coauthors of Under Fire comes the story of the kidnapping and murder of CIA Station Chief William Buckley and the bloody beginning of the CIAs endless war against Islamic radicalism. On April 18, 1983, a van rigged with two thousand pounds of heavy explosives broke through the security perimeter of the American embassy in Lebanon and exploded, killing sixty-three people and decimating intelligence operations throughout the Middle East. Only one man inside the CIA possessed the courage and skills to rebuild the networks destroyed in the blast: William Buckley. Assigned as the new Beirut Station Chief, Buckley arrived in the war-torn city to find a CIA station in tatters and an intelligence playing-field unlike any other in the world; the veteran of the Cold War would now be learning Beirut rules. A field operative at heart, he delved into Beiruts darkest corners, developing new sources and handling assets. Then, on October 23, a US Marine Corps barrack was destroyed in a plot masterminded by a young terrorist named Imad Mughniyeh. But even as President Reagan vowed revenge, Mughniyeh eyed a new target: Buckley. Beirut Rules is the pulse-by-pulse account of Buckleys abduction, torture, and murder at the hands of Hezbollah terrorists. Drawing on never-before-seen US government documents, as well as interviews with Buckleys co-workers, friends, and family, Fred Burton and Samuel M. Katz reveal how the relentless search for Buckley in the wake of his kidnapping ignited a war against terror that continues to shape the Middle East to this day.

A revelatory account of the cloak-and-dagger Israeli campaign to target the finances fueling terror organizations--an effort that became the blueprint for U.S. efforts to combat threats like ISIS and drug cartels. ISIS boasted $2.4 billion of revenue in 2015, yet for too long the global war on terror overlooked financial warfare as an offensive strategy. "Harpoon," the creation of Mossad legend Meir Dagan, directed spies, soldiers, and attorneys to disrupt and destroy money pipelines and financial institutions that paid for the bloodshed perpetrated by Hamas, Hezbollah, and other groups. Written by an attorney who worked with Harpoon and a bestselling journalist, Harpoon offers a gripping story of the Israeli-led effort, now joined by the Americans, to choke off the terrorists oxygen supply, money, via unconventional warfare.

Benghazi, Libya. 9/11/2012. Just over a year after the fall of Gaddafi, and on the eleventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a group of heavily armed Islamic terrorists had their sights set on the U.S. diplomatic and intelligence presence in the city. In the prolonged attack, four Americans died, including the American ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, the Information Officer Sean Smith, and two former Navy SEALs, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, working for the Central Intelligence Agency. Based on confidential eyewitness sources within the intelligence, diplomatic, and military communities, Under Fire is the terrifying account of that night, and of a desperate last stand amid the chaos of rebellion.