I just returned from a week-long trip to Israel sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation, which is an arm of the American Israel Pubic Affairs Committee (AIPAC). It was an invaluable experience on many levels--there is nothing like getting your boots on the ground to get a feel for a country: its people and terrain, its strengths and vulnerabilities. Along with the other rmembers of my traveling group (a top notch collection of national security and defense reporters), I got a firsthand look at Israel's borders with Lebanon, Gaza, Jordan and Syria and spent time in the West Bank. I also met with leading Israeli military, intelligence and media figures to get their sense of the various threats Israel is facing; Iran and its nuclear program are obviously at the top of that list. Over the next few days, I'll be blogging about what I saw and heard during my trip. From Hamas and Hezbollah to Iran, and Syria, I'll provide the latest "scoop" out of Israel throughout this week. So be sure to check back.