The international arrest warrant has sharply reduced Netanyahu’s travel options, leaving ‘Wing of Zion’ occupied with training, inspections and maintenance despite operating costs of about 60 million shekels over three years Itamar Eichner https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2023/01/05/rJ21122N5s/rJ21122N5s_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjxthemhme Sun, 26 Jul 2026 05:55:36 +03:00 What does Israel’s official state aircraft do when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can travel to only a limited number of countries because of the international arrest warrant issued against him? A look at the June, July and August schedule for “Wing of Zion,” the prime minister’s official plane, might lead an outside observer to conclude that it has become a white elephant. The aircraft has barely moved, apart from training flights, inspections and maintenance activity. In August, for example, eight days on the schedule are set aside for what is described as “reduced activity,” effectively meaning no operational flights. Two days are devoted to a squadron outing, two to daytime flights, one abroad and one domestic, and another two to day and night training flights. The June schedule included a state visit to Romania by President Isaac Herzog, who rarely uses Wing of Zion for his own reasons. On June 30, the aircraft was transferred to the Nevatim Air Base for training. In July, no fewer than 16 days were devoted to preparations for an inspection. On July 7, the plane flew overnight to Sofia, Bulgaria, as part of what was defined as an “aircrew training” exercise. On July 12, it was listed as being on an Israel Aerospace Industries break. The July 23 schedule included inspection preparations and an aircrew seminar for Tisha B’Av. On July 28, the aircraft was scheduled for both a daytime and nighttime flight. On July 29, Tu B’Av appears on the schedule, but no activity is planned. Crews remain available for every flight Netanyahu is expected to fly aboard Wing of Zion to Washington to attend the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham and meet President Donald Trump at the White House. Beyond that trip, the prime minister has few destinations available to him. Hungary under former prime minister Viktor Orban had been willing to receive Netanyahu without arresting him, but the government of Peter Magyar has said it will honor the warrant. A possible visit to India was recently discussed but did not take place. An invitation from Argentine President Javier Milei, a close ally of Israel, also remains pending. During October and November, Wing of Zion is expected to be taken out of service for renovations and maintenance, including refurbishment of interior spaces. The managers of the aircraft may have assumed it would be needed less during Israel’s election and government-formation period. Planned presidential trips during those months are expected to be transferred to commercial flights. Wing of Zion is supported by a full operational system that includes flight attendants, catering staff, ground crews and pilots. At least seven or eight full-time flight attendants are employed for the aircraft. They work on relatively few days but must remain available for every flight. Additional reserve attendants are called in when needed. The aircraft also has a dedicated ground crew, while its pilots belong to the Israeli Air Force and carry out other assignments when they are not flying Wing of Zion. Not everyone considers the plane a white elephant. Supporters of the project say it is a strategic asset of the highest importance. They point to Netanyahu’s authorization of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah through the plane’s secure communications system while he was traveling to the United States. Officials involved in the aircraft project say the limited use does not constitute a waste of public money because Israel Aerospace Industries maintains it under a contract whose price was set about a decade ago. “On the contrary, when the plane is not active, it costs the taxpayer less,” they said. “There are relatively low fixed payments and charges based on each flight hour. Its lifespan will also be longer the less it flies. It is preserved better and suffers less wear and tear.” They added that the pilots receive their salaries from the Air Force in any case and perform other missions. “Overall, the plane is essential for every prime minister, and today more and more people understand that this project is important,” the officials said. The Prime Minister’s Office said Wing of Zion is “a strategic asset of the State of Israel” that serves the country’s leaders and guarantees operational continuity and immediate availability at all times. “Its necessity has already been demonstrated in practice, particularly during the war, when it was required to provide a continuous operational, diplomatic and security response,” the office said. “Contrary to the claim, this is not a renovation of the aircraft, but inspections, maintenance work and periodic adjustments carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and the requirements of the Civil Aviation Authority, as an integral part of maintaining the aircraft’s operational and safety readiness.” The office said the Wing of Zion system continues to operate even during periods of limited travel. “The system is operated by professional and limited teams at the scale required to operate the aircraft and maintain its operational readiness,” it said. “This is not excess manpower, but dedicated core teams required under the aircraft’s operational, safety and readiness requirements. All crew members, pilots, flight attendants and maintenance personnel, routinely conduct training, maintain qualifications, carry out maintenance and prepare to ensure that the aircraft is available and ready for operation at all times. Operating costs fall as flights decline The cost of establishing Wing of Zion totaled 364.91 million shekels ($119.64 million). The aircraft began operating in September 2023, with operating costs that year totaling 6.27 million shekels ($2.06 million). In 2024, operating costs reached 34.18 million shekels ($11.21 million). Of that amount, 18.28 million shekels ($5.99 million) went toward fixed payments, 8.55 million shekels ($2.80 million) toward variable payments based on flight activity, and 7.35 million shekels ($2.41 million) toward one-time expenses, including modifications, upgrades and procurement. In 2025, operating costs totaled 18.67 million shekels ($6.12 million), including 13.17 million shekels ($4.32 million) in fixed payments and 5.5 million shekels ($1.80 million) in variable payments based on flight activity. The figures provided also list 9 million shekels ($2.95 million) in one-time payments. Total operating costs between 2023 and 2025 amounted to about 60 million shekels ($19.67 million). Operating costs in 2025 fell by nearly 50% compared with 2024, possibly because Netanyahu flew less following the issuance of the international arrest warrants. During that period, he traveled only to Hungary and made several trips to the United States. message hysdacgsgx Katz held an hourlong meeting with Tal Yinon Dardik, who has been on hunger strike for 20 days after refusing house arrest away from his farm; Dardik denies involvement in nationalist violence Elisha Ben Kimon, Idan Bloemhof https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/25/S1lph9Grze/S1lph9Grze_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hysdacgsgx Sat, 25 Jul 2026 23:41:22 +03:00 Defense Minister Israel Katz met Friday for about an hour with Tal Yinon Dardik, who is suspected of abusing Palestinians and involvement in nationalist crime, in his detention cell. Dardik refused administrative house arrest and other alternatives to detention, insisting that he be allowed to remain only at the farm where he lives. As a result, he is being held in a detention cell and has been on a hunger strike for 20 days in protest. The incidents in which Dardik is suspected of involvement took place in the village of Khirbet Humsa in March, during Operation Roaring Lion. Among other allegations, he is suspected of involvement in tying a Palestinian man by his genitals with a plastic cable tie. Dardik denies taking part in the incidents and says he was not involved in nationalist crime. People close to him say his life is in real danger because of the hunger strike. His detention has prompted intense discussion in West Bank settlements, several letters to the defense minister and a wave of protests directed at Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth. Katz’s visit was considered highly unusual for a defense minister. Officials familiar with the matter said he went to see Dardik to ensure that his medical condition was stable. Human rights activists reported in March that on the night of March 12-13, between 30 and 40 Jewish rioters armed with clubs arrived at Khirbet Humsa, a village made up of a Bedouin shepherding community. Residents alleged that the attackers handcuffed several men and beat them, while international volunteers who tried to protect children were dragged away. They also alleged that hundreds of sheep and other livestock were stolen during the incident. At the end of March, after a gag order on the case was lifted, following an interview published by The New York Times with members of a Palestinian family from the village who described severe abuse, police said that several extremist rioters were suspected of entering the Bedouin community, raiding buildings and forcing residents outside. Police said the suspects handcuffed the residents, violently assaulted them and committed indecent acts against one of the victims. The rioters were also suspected of damaging property and stealing belongings and a large number of sheep. Several residents were injured in the attack, and four required medical treatment, police said. message hk00m3cmrzl Netanyahu is expected to present intelligence on Iran’s rebuilding, oppose Saudi uranium enrichment and F-35 sales to Turkey, demand Hamas and Hezbollah disarmament, and defend Israel’s security positions in Lebanon and Syria Itamar Eichner https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2025/12/30/H1MvLyW4Zl/H1MvLyW4Zl_0_137_3000_1689_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hk00m3cmrzl Sat, 25 Jul 2026 23:34:33 +03:00 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington on Monday and meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, with Iran expected to dominate their talks. Netanyahu will also attend the funeral of late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Israel’s most prominent supporters in Congress. Netanyahu is expected to present Trump with updated Israeli intelligence on Iran’s efforts to rebuild its military and nuclear capabilities, including accelerated activity at Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried facility near the Natanz nuclear complex. The site, also known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is believed to have been constructed beneath roughly 100 meters of rock. Recent reporting has indicated that Israel believes Iran transferred thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into tunnels at the facility, though its precise status and contents remain uncertain. With the war increasingly unpopular in the United States, Netanyahu does not want to be portrayed as pressuring Trump to resume an intensive military campaign against Iran. At the same time, the Israeli prime minister believes the Iranian government could be brought down through a series of coordinated measures, even without a return to full-scale warfare. The two leaders are also expected to discuss the broader security relationship between Washington and Jerusalem. Netanyahu wants to shift the relationship away from a model based primarily on U.S. military aid and toward a wider security partnership. Another central objective of the visit will be repairing relations between Netanyahu and Trump, which Israeli officials believe have deteriorated in recent months following changes in Trump’s approach and several public statements critical of the prime minister. Saudi Arabia will also feature prominently in the talks, including its proposed civilian nuclear program and the possibility of normalization with Israel. Netanyahu is expected to seek assurances that Riyadh will not be permitted to enrich uranium, which Israel fears could set a dangerous precedent and trigger a regional arms race. He will also seek to ensure that any U.S.-backed Saudi nuclear program is conditioned on the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords, without requiring Israel to commit to what Washington or Riyadh might define as a credible path toward Palestinian statehood. Turkey is another likely point of contention. Netanyahu is expected to urge Trump not to approve the sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Ankara and to press Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government to end its increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Israel. Netanyahu will also ask the administration to pressure Turkey to stop hosting Hamas officials, amid repeated criticism from Erdoğan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. On Lebanon, Netanyahu is expected to argue that the IDF should not withdraw completely from southern Lebanon, including from areas Israel regards as essential security zones. The issue follows Trump’s recent meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Israel is prepared to advance a proposed pilot plan in Lebanon but will insist that Hezbollah be disarmed as part of any broader arrangement. Netanyahu is expected to make a similar case for maintaining Israeli security zones in neighboring Syria. In Gaza, Trump wants to see progress on his 20-point plan for the territory. Israel, however, continues to insist that Hamas must be disarmed and argues that reconstruction should not move forward while the terrorist organization retains its military capabilities. West Bank violence will be another sensitive subject, particularly following a series of attacks and confrontations that have raised fears of a broader escalation. Netanyahu is expected to face sharp criticism from Trump and senior administration officials over settler violence against Palestinians and will present measures Israel says it has taken to address the issue. Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister was invited by Trump and would travel without Israeli journalists aboard the official Wing of Zion aircraft. It did not announce when he is expected to return to Israel. message h1pegcgszg The aircraft was recovered by the IDF after falling near the national security minister’s home; no injuries were reported and the circumstances are under investigation Idan Bloemhof https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/19/r100WV2cVGx/r100WV2cVGx_0_0_3000_1689_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1pegcgszg Sat, 25 Jul 2026 22:37:25 +03:00 A drone fell Saturday evening near the home of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in the Givat Ha’avot neighborhood of Kiryat Arba. The drone was not carrying explosives and was collected by the IDF. No injuries were reported, and the circumstances of the incident are under investigation. The incident comes after police and the Shin Bet recently announced the arrest of 29-year-old Nazareth resident Mohammed Awad on suspicion that he tried to join Hamas and advance terrorist activity, including a plot to harm Ben-Gvir. Investigators said Awad worked for a security company in Afula and contacted Hamas in an effort to enlist and obtain resources for terrorist activity. He was also suspected of planning an attack against the minister. Ben-Gvir said at the time that it was the ninth attempt by terrorist organizations to target him. “This is the ninth time terrorist organizations have marked me as a target and tried to harm me,” he said. “I thank the Shin Bet, Israel Police, Israel Prison Service intelligence, the Magen Unit and, above all, God Almighty for preventing the terrorists from harming me and my family.” message b1sqdfmbgx After Maj. Yuval Ezra and Benayahu Melet were killed, the Palestinian gunman and three others were shot dead; 'Prolonged abandonment,' a Havat Gilad resident says; a Palestinian official argues: 'The army does not protect us' Einav Halabi, Idan Bloemhof https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/25/BJxTSgIzBfg/BJxTSgIzBfg_2_0_1279_720_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1sqdfmbgx Sat, 25 Jul 2026 22:11:38 +03:00 “Because You, Lord, set it ablaze with fire, and with fire You will one day rebuild it,” began the message distributed by the David and Ahikam Hikers group, which organizes frequent excursions in Areas A and B of the West Bank. This time, the group planned to hike near the Israeli outpost of Havat Gilad. Participants were instructed to gather Friday at 4:45 a.m. at Mitzpe Yishai, attend morning prayers at the Israeli settlement of Har Bracha at 5 a.m. and begin the hike at 5:30 a.m. The 15-kilometer route was expected to end at about 11 a.m. and pass several sites near Palestinian communities, including Mount Matzok-Arak Burin, Khirbet and Ein Tzur, Rajal al-Arba’in, Sheikh Abu Jud and the pool at Jit, known locally as al-Ain. Israeli civilians seeking to enter such areas, particularly in organized groups that include children, are required to coordinate in advance with the security forces. According to the Israeli military, no such coordination took place. The hikers encountered Palestinians near the village of Tell, southwest of Nablus, and a confrontation developed. Members of Havat Gilad’s civilian security team and a small Israeli military force were called to the scene, but tensions continued to rise. As Israeli children could be heard chanting “revenge,” a Palestinian assailant seized an M16 rifle and opened fire. Havat Gilad security team member Benayahu Mellet and Maj. Yuval Ezra were killed. Four Palestinians, including the gunman, were also shot dead. The incident ignited an already volatile situation in the West Bank. ‘The barrier of fear has completely collapsed’ Tensions across the territory have reached a new peak, with anger rising among both Israelis and Palestinians. “People here are neither silent nor afraid. The barrier of fear has completely collapsed,” said Dr. Jihad Ramadan, a resident of Tell, a former Fatah secretary in the area and the current secretary-general of the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science. Ramadan represents the Palestinian Authority in matters involving UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency. He is also related to the four Palestinians killed in Friday’s confrontation. “This is not a state of anxiety, but of justified anger,” he said. “The settlers raided the village from several directions. They first came from the east, where there were arson attacks, and later tried to enter from the southwest. They carried out a real massacre in front of cameras and the media.” Ramadan alleged that settlers had made additional attempts to enter the village since the incident, accompanied by Israeli troops. His claim could not be independently verified. “They use drones and unmanned aircraft from above to carry out attacks,” he said. “The army does not come to protect us. It comes only when it believes the settlers are in danger. As far as they are concerned, we are invisible.” Ramadan rejected the Israeli description of the incident as a terrorist attack and said Palestinians had not initiated the confrontation. “Our area is classified as Area A,” he said, referring to territory that, under the Oslo Accords, is formally under Palestinian civil and security administration. “Even the army said there had been no coordination. They came to harass people, frighten them and create provocations.” He said one of those killed, Farouk, was a religious figure with no connection to violence. “In the end, the person placed under arrest is the victim, not the person who committed the crime,” Ramadan said. He also disputed reports that Israelis had taken over unfinished structures in the village, saying inhabited homes had been targeted. “This happened right next to my house, about 250 meters from the place where the four young men were killed,” he said. “It is my neighbor’s house. He was sitting safely inside when they tried to bring terror and fear into his living room. But the homeowners and the young people are not running away.” Ramadan accused Israel’s political leadership of fueling the escalation for domestic political reasons. “This is the internal election campaign of Bibi, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. “They are trying to improve their electoral position at the expense of Palestinian blood. They are trying to frighten us, but they will not succeed in entering and breaking the village.” ‘It feels like October 7’ On the Israeli side, Havat Gilad resident Itay Zar described the atmosphere following the deadly confrontation. Zar is the brother of Gilad Zar, after whom the outpost was named. Gilad Zar, a regional security officer, was killed in a Palestinian shooting attack in 2001. “There are very difficult feelings,” Zar said. “For me, it brings back the murder of my brother Gilad and the murder of Raziel, our friend, 10 years ago. And of course, it brings me back to October 7.” He said residents had endured a week of violence before Friday’s clash. “Sixteen family homes and another eight businesses were burned here,” Zar said. “We are living through terrorism. It feels like a war zone, and what we hear is ‘settler violence’ and ‘Jewish terrorism.’ It simply makes me angry.” Moshe Hachmon, chairman of Havat Gilad’s community committee and a close friend of Mellet, expressed similar anger. “In response to last week’s arson, we decided to establish several more points in the area,” Hachmon said. “On Friday morning, I sat with Benayahu because he had taken responsibility for that project. Then he rushed to the incident.” Hachmon described Mellet as a cheerful and generous man who was always willing to help. “Benayahu had just completed a round of reserve duty,” he said. “He was a man of kindness and a person with heart. God takes the very best — the roses.” Lt. Col. A., Mellet’s commander, wrote that his “quiet leadership, dedication and determination always went hand in hand with genuine humility.” “It was no coincidence that he was chosen as the company’s outstanding soldier at the end of his fourth deployment,” the commander wrote. “Benayahu represented everything we hope to see in our soldiers and commanders. In his final moments, Benayahu acted exactly as he had lived — without hesitation, driven by mutual responsibility and the courage that characterized him. He rushed to help others and paid with his life.” Anger directed at military and political leaders Residents also voiced growing anger at Israel’s military and political leadership. Yehuda Shimon, a Havat Gilad resident, said he saw that Shin Bet chief David Zini had visited the scene and urged residents not to take the law into their own hands, but instead to trust the Shin Bet and the Israeli military. “It is exactly what Ronen Bar and Herzi Halevi said before Simchat Torah,” Shimon said, referring to the former Shin Bet chief and former military chief of staff before the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. “It creates an oppressive feeling of déjà vu.” Shimon blamed senior political officials, Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and Zini for what he described as prolonged abandonment. He said a local resident who shot Palestinians from a nearby village about a year earlier had spent a year in prison and under house arrest. “This is all the result of continued lawlessness,” Shimon said. “Both Bluth and Zini allow all of this to happen. We have reached a situation in which a Jew is afraid to shoot an Arab approaching him because he fears going to prison. The result is two Jews being killed.” Shimon also referred to footage of Friday’s confrontation showing the Palestinian assailant seizing the rifle before opening fire. “There is a command atmosphere here,” he said. “You see soldiers afraid to shoot a terrorist. Is this victory? A Palestinian grabs a weapon? How can an Arab even be allowed to touch a Jew’s gun?” “We supposedly have a fully right-wing government. In the end, everyone is responsible, particularly the person at the top.” Shimon said that unless Netanyahu ordered a sweeping military operation in Tell, local residents would conclude that they could rely only on themselves. He also noted that a Palestinian involved in the 2002 suicide bombing at the Park Hotel in Netanya, which killed 30 people during a Passover seder, came from Tell. Outposts established after deadly clash The confrontation began after members of the David and Ahikam Hikers group entered the area near Tell without coordinating the trip with the Israeli military. Ezra, who commanded the small military force sent to separate the Israelis and Palestinians, was killed by the gunfire. Mellet, who was holding the rifle that was seized, was also shot and killed after responding to reports from the hikers about the confrontation. The following day, about 20 settlers entered Tell in broad daylight. Israeli troops later removed them from the village. Two Israeli outposts were established overnight near Tell and two others near Nablus. Some were located in Area B, where the Palestinian Authority holds civil authority while Israel retains overriding security control under the Oslo framework. Since the attack, the Israeli military has arrested more than 70 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank. Eleven were arrested in Tell and about 80 others were questioned. Palestinian media also reported arrests and detentions in nearby villages, including Jalud, south of Nablus. Dozens of masked Israelis rioted in several Palestinian villages following the deadly confrontation, setting fires and throwing stones. Soldier attacked and rifle seized near Susya Later Saturday, Palestinian assailants attacked an off-duty Israeli soldier near Susya in the southern West Bank and seized his weapon. The soldier was struck in the head with a stone and taken in moderate condition to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. The Israeli military initially said the confrontation began with stone-throwing. It later said the incident began with a deliberate attack on the soldier, leading to a physical struggle. The rifle was found near the scene. The suspected assailant was later captured near Yatta, north of Susya. message ry380wgrzg At the Democrats’ Tel Aviv campaign launch, Golan vowed to repeal the judicial overhaul, form a state inquiry into October 7, dismantle armed militias, remove illegal outposts and bar indicted candidates from running for prime minister Moran Azulay https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/25/ByxsTDzHMl/ByxsTDzHMl_0_0_1280_721_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ry380wgrzg Sat, 25 Jul 2026 20:18:24 +03:00 Israel’s Democrats party launched its election campaign Saturday evening with a rally at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, where party leader Yair Golan accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz of fueling instability in the West Bank. Golan referred to a deadly incident near the Palestinian village of Tell in which Maj. Yuval Ezra and Benayahu Mellet were killed. “Netanyahu and draft-dodging minister Katz are turning Judea and Samaria, on the eve of the election, into a powder keg that endangers human life and Israel’s security,” Golan said. “The blood of our soldiers that has been spilled, and will be spilled, is on their hands.” Addressing the crowd, Golan presented the rally as the beginning of a broader political campaign to replace the government. “This is what an awakening looks like,” he said. “This is what a camp looks like when it gets back on its feet, looks reality in the eye and decides to take the wheel. We are much more than a party. We are the great democratic movement that has risen to defend Israel.” Golan said the party must convert the energy of public protest into electoral power. “Protest alone does not replace a government. The ballot box replaces a government,” he said. “Tonight, we are embarking on the most consequential campaign ever fought over Israel’s future.” He accused government supporters of operating what he described as a “poison machine” that would spread lies, incitement and fear during the campaign. “They are doing it for one reason: They are afraid,” he said. Turning again to the previous day’s deadly events in the West Bank, Golan called for a full investigation and said such incidents must be brought to an end. “They did not happen by chance,” he said, accusing Netanyahu and Katz of deliberately turning the territory into a volatile arena ahead of the election. Golan pledged that a government led by his political camp would halt unauthorized Israeli incursions into Palestinian-administered Areas A and B, combat Jewish terrorism, dismantle armed militias associated with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and remove illegal outposts linked to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. “The IDF will return to focusing on defending Israel’s security,” he said. He also promised to bring active fronts of conflict to a close and advance a regional diplomatic and security initiative intended to restore stability. Golan further pledged to repeal legislation passed as part of the government’s judicial overhaul, establish an official state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre and pass a law preventing a person facing criminal charges from running for prime minister. “We will restore security through military strength alongside diplomatic initiative,” Golan said. “We will restore personal safety, protect property and rebuild the rule of law. We will restore hope.” message bjwpdvgrgl Dramatic footage shows the vehicle speeding through the junction, striking a barrier beside two pedestrians and falling from the Halakha Interchange overpass; the driver was hospitalized with a severe head injury Maya Cohen https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/25/H1a9nBfSMx/H1a9nBfSMx_0_0_637_358_0_small.gif https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjwpdvgrgl Sat, 25 Jul 2026 16:25:46 +03:00 A woman in her 50s was seriously injured Saturday morning when her car overturned after plunging from a bridge at the Halakha Interchange in Tel Aviv. Dramatic footage filmed from another vehicle shows the car speeding through the junction before striking the barrier beside two pedestrians. The two are seen stepping into the road in alarm moments before the vehicle falls from the bridge. Neither was injured. The circumstances of the crash remain unclear, and police have opened an investigation. Magen David Adom said the report was received at 6:31 a.m. by its Dan District emergency call center. Paramedics and emergency medical technicians treated the driver at the scene before evacuating her to Ichilov Hospital with a severe head injury. MDA paramedic Elhanan Alon and emergency medical technicians Moti Baer and Yoni Friedman said they arrived to find the vehicle overturned and the woman trapped inside. “We received a report of a car that had overturned after falling from the bridge,” they said. “When we arrived, we saw the vehicle upside down and a woman about 50 years old inside, with reduced consciousness and suffering from a severe head injury. “We began a complex rescue operation that included stabilizing her while providing medical treatment. After she was extracted, we evacuated her in a mobile intensive care unit to the hospital in serious condition.” message skiyhvfsfg Qatar and Oman pressed Tehran to compromise as Trump held back from ordering a major US operation; Israeli officials still see little chance of a lasting agreement, despite another diplomatic opening ahead of Netanyahu’s Washington visit Itamar Eichner https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/06/23/rJQM7R400GMg/rJQM7R400GMg_0_118_3000_1689_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skiyhvfsfg Sat, 25 Jul 2026 16:12:22 +03:00 Israel had assessed that a major American attack on Iran, which U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering, could be launched overnight between Friday and Saturday, prompting dramatic preparations in Israel. As Friday progressed, however, officials in Jerusalem concluded that Trump had decided to hold off and give Tehran another opportunity to make concessions. Behind the scenes, Qatar and Oman applied significant pressure on Iran to soften its position and avert what had appeared to be an almost certain large-scale American operation. Trump said Friday that he had not yet decided whether to order major new strikes. He added that Washington remained in contact with Tehran and that the Iranians were becoming “more and more serious as the days go by.” From Israel’s perspective, the pause amounts to a temporary lifeline for Iran rather than a fundamental change in the broader assessment of the negotiations. Israeli officials believe the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran is effectively dead and see almost no prospect of a permanent agreement requiring Iran to surrender to American demands. Even if Trump has given Iran another opportunity, Israel does not expect the process to produce a lasting agreement. Tehran may nevertheless have succeeded in buying additional time, though Israeli officials believe the reprieve may be brief. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Washington on Monday and meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday. He is also expected to attend the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died earlier this month. The meeting is expected to take place against the backdrop of the renewed diplomatic effort and Israel’s assessment that military escalation remains possible. The United States reported no new strikes on Iran overnight, marking the first pause after 13 consecutive nights of American attacks. message syyz7kmbfx After Oct. 7, the Shin Bet formed a unit to eliminate every terrorist who invaded Israeli communities, raped, murdered, looted and abducted civilians; security officials vow to reach them all despite the ceasefire and limits aimed at protecting civilians Ron Crissy https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/05/11/r1Dg6j1yzx/r1Dg6j1yzx_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/syyz7kmbfx Sat, 25 Jul 2026 11:05:35 +03:00 Less than two weeks after the October 7 massacre, Israel made a clear decision: eliminate everyone involved. As ynet first reported at the time, the Shin Bet established a command center known as NILI — an acronym for the Hebrew phrase “The Eternal One of Israel Will Not Lie” — bringing together intelligence and operational personnel with a single mission: track down and kill every Hamas operative who participated in the assault and returned to Gaza. At the NILI command center, which has operated and continues to operate in close coordination with the IDF, officials began compiling the names and photographs of numerous operatives immediately after the war began. Targeted killings began at the same time, alongside operations against senior figures in Gaza’s terrorist organizations who planned and carried out the massacre. In addition to gathering intelligence and assembling a list of wanted terrorists, security forces continued collecting information through human sources and during ground operations in Gaza. Documents, footage and lists of names recovered from the terrorist organization helped create a broad intelligence picture of those involved in the massacre whom Israel intends to find and eliminate. In recent months, the pace of targeted killings appears to have accelerated, with another name added to the list of those killed every few days. Security officials said the return of all the hostages made it possible to carry out more strike plans. “The fact that we are inside Gaza and that there are no longer hostages there gives us much greater freedom of action,” the officials said. “Conditions in Gaza are now far more favorable. We are collecting intelligence on the ground, and there are no hostages there anymore. That is producing results.” The officials said that while hostages were being held in Gaza, there was greater concern that they could be harmed, prompting Israel to exercise additional caution. “We carried out fewer strikes then and were much more careful,” they said. “We attacked only after confirming that the target was alone, so we could be certain no hostage would be harmed.” An officer in the IDF Southern Command said the target list is intended to disrupt Hamas’ force deployment and military rebuilding. “We identify the processes within the terrorist organization that concern us and locate operatives who are acting beyond the agreed framework, with the aim of stripping Hamas of capabilities,” the officer said. He added that many of those who participated in the October 7 massacre are now involved in rebuilding Hamas’ military strength, after taking part in fighting throughout the war. “Our desire to settle accounts with those who committed the atrocities is therefore aligned with our effort to stop Hamas activities that cannot be tolerated,” he said. Avoiding harm to civilians The security establishment does not use a fixed operational model for carrying out the targeted killings. Each strike is conducted according to conditions on the ground. The dedicated command center closely monitors those marked for elimination and seeks to track nearly every move they make. Some strikes are launched immediately in response to newly emerging intelligence and a unique opportunity in the field. Others are planned in detail days or even longer in advance. “A strike is built around opportunities, but opportunity is not the only factor that determines whether we act,” the Southern Command officer said. “Once we designate someone as a target, we try to ensure that everything comes together: the opportunity created by intelligence surveillance and other considerations that cannot be discussed. There are many terrorists in Gaza, so we first build a target list, then wait for the right opportunity to strike with the greatest possible precision.” On civilian casualties, the officer said intelligence teams seek to minimize harm to uninvolved people while monitoring a target. “That is the IDF’s working assumption — that every strike should be as proportionate as possible,” he said. The officer said the security establishment carries out an extensive process before every strike to avoid harming civilians. “In the end, it depends on the process that must be completed and the level of threat posed by the target,” he said. “If the process concerning possible harm to civilians has been completed and the target is a ticking bomb, we may sometimes strike despite the risk of collateral damage. But that does not happen often because we carry out the strikes with maximum intelligence and operational precision. We do everything necessary, even when it requires more time and resources.” He added that some opportunities to kill targets were passed up, with security officials waiting for a better chance to strike. ‘We will get them all’ Security officials stressed that alongside the importance of eliminating those who participated in the attack on Israel, the abductions and the holding of hostages, killing senior terrorist leaders who devised the plan is also of enormous importance. “Take Izz al-Din al-Haddad and his successor, who was killed 10 days after assuming the position,” the officials said. “There is a continuity here. We are not allowing them to raise their heads. Ultimately, we want everyone there to understand that they are not protected — including the most senior figures who had a role in this.” The teams in the joint command center continue working to locate and eliminate the names still on the list. For the security establishment, the mission has only one objective: find and kill them all. “We will close the circle on every one of them. That is the main thing,” security officials said. Referring to the killing announced a day earlier of Abdullah Jahha, an operative in Hamas’ naval unit, they added: “He participated in the raid and continued throughout the war to carry out his duties and promote terrorist activity in Gaza against IDF forces. That is why he remained a target we never stopped pursuing. In the end, we get them all.” The Southern Command officer said that although the security establishment has extensive information about what occurred during the October 7 massacre, it has continued learning more over time. “The list of terrorists is with us every day, and it overlaps with the same targets now carrying out Hamas’ rehabilitation and force-building efforts,” he said. “This list will not leave us. It remains before us as a moral and ethical obligation to close the circle on every one of them.” He stressed that every strike is supported by a large system operating around the clock. “Even when the intensity of the fighting changes, we remain engaged in the highest-intensity strike effort possible, without a moment of fatigue,” he said. In less than two months, since the beginning of June, Israel has killed 21 terrorists from the list. Eleven participated in abducting Israelis or holding them hostage, while the others took part in the assault on Israel and the massacre. message hktmsc11rfg UNESCO granted World Heritage status to Sebastia and five southern Lebanon fortresses, citing threats tied to the 'Israeli occupation'; Palestinians hailed a national achievement, while Israel accused it of erasing Jewish and Christian history Itamar Eichner https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/06/01/S1zIdT9eMe/S1zIdT9eMe_0_0_3000_1689_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hktmsc11rfg Sat, 25 Jul 2026 04:55:20 +03:00 UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee voted Friday to add the archaeological site of Sebastia in the northern West Bank and five fortresses in the Jabal Amel region of southern Lebanon to both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. The decisions were adopted during the committee’s session in Busan, South Korea, under an emergency procedure, on the grounds that the sites were being affected by the continuing conflicts in the Middle East. Israel strongly opposed the move before the vote. The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem urged committee members to reject the applications, describing them as the “political weaponization of cultural heritage” and an attempt to exploit UNESCO for diplomatic purposes. Sebastia, located about 10 kilometers northwest of Nablus, is widely identified by scholars with ancient Samaria, the capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel. The site contains remains from several periods, including the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras. According to Christian and Muslim tradition, it is also believed to contain the tomb of John the Baptist. The Palestinian application to register Sebastia was first submitted in 2012. Palestinian officials argued that international recognition was necessary to preserve the site, which they said had suffered from neglect and insufficient conservation resources under Israeli control. In its decision, the UNESCO committee said the site had “outstanding universal value” and faced serious threats, including measures connected to the “Israeli occupation,” land expropriation plans, projects that could alter its historic and archaeological character, and restrictions affecting its protection, management and preservation. The Palestinian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry welcomed the decision, calling it “a national achievement in the struggle to protect Palestinian cultural heritage.” Adel Naim Daoud Atiyeh, a member of the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO, said the recognition was “a reward for the steadfastness of Sebastia’s residents, who have protected the site for generations despite the occupation, restrictions and attempts to separate them from their heritage.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry, by contrast, accused the Palestinian delegation of conducting a “hostile and one-sided campaign” at UNESCO. The ministry said the Palestinians had falsely portrayed the site as facing an emergency and argued that the move was intended “to erase Sebastia’s deep and well-documented Jewish and Christian history.” A representative of Israel’s delegation, which participates in the proceedings as an observer, said: “It is shameful that politicization has destroyed UNESCO and turned history into a mockery.” The committee also approved the registration of five fortresses in the Jabal Amel region of southern Lebanon, including Beaufort Castle, as endangered World Heritage sites. UNESCO said the fortresses reflected roughly 900 years of architectural development and combined Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk and local influences. Israel also opposed that decision. Despite Palestinian claims that the Sebastia listing was intended to protect Palestinian cultural heritage, the site has repeatedly been vandalized in the past by Palestinians. In 2022, Palestinians set fire to large parts of the heritage site, damaging antiquities and archaeological remains. Portions of the site were also defaced with Arabic graffiti, apparently including the names of young visitors. message byzbttzhge US officials reportedly detected a credible threat from Iranian proxies against Air Force One, separate from an Israeli warning about a possible assassination plot targeting the president ynet https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/09/BkGx1133mGe/BkGx1133mGe_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byzbttzhge Sat, 25 Jul 2026 04:16:43 +03:00 The decision to switch the Air Force One aircraft used to return US President Donald Trump from a NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month was prompted by a “credible threat” from Iranian proxy forces, The New York Times reported overnight Friday. The report sheds new light on the circumstances surrounding the unusual decision to use the older Air Force One rather than the newly refurbished aircraft donated by Qatar. Just over two weeks ago, at the conclusion of the NATO summit in Ankara, the US Secret Service recommended that Trump leave Turkey aboard the older aircraft as a security precaution amid renewed fighting with Iran. Trump said at the time that the switch was not prompted by security concerns. When asked whether safety considerations had led to the change in flight plans, however, he replied that he was “number one on Iran’s assassination list.” The Wall Street Journal later reported that the aircraft switch came after US officials received Israeli intelligence about a possible plot to assassinate Trump. Some American officials cited in that report said the warning was not considered fully credible. They also expressed concern that Israel may have shared the intelligence in an effort to influence US decision-making and encourage Washington to return to a broader war against Iran. The New York Times reported Friday night that the aircraft was changed after US officials determined that there was a “credible threat to Air Force One from Iranian proxy forces.” According to the report, the nature of the threat helps explain the White House’s decision to return Trump to the older aircraft, which is reportedly equipped with defensive systems, rather than use the Qatari-donated plane that had been rushed into service at Trump’s urging. The intelligence did not indicate that the Qatari aircraft itself was specifically connected to the alleged Iranian proxy plot, the report said. The forces were reportedly planning to target Trump regardless of which plane he used. The Times also said the threat to Air Force One was identified independently by the United States and was separate from the threat raised in the Israeli intelligence warning. The White House declined to comment on the report. In response to questions from the Times, however, a senior administration official pointed to Trump’s references during and after the summit to threats against him and expressed support for the steps taken to protect the president and his delegation. Details of the reported threat were not widely distributed within the administration. Some senior officials were told only that the aircraft switch was prompted by “general concerns” involving Iran. Relevant members of Congress were also not briefed on the threat, according to the report. message h1c3lkwsgl Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, a battery commander in the Artillery Corps’ 411th Battalion, was killed near the village of Tell in the same attack that claimed Havat Gilad alert squad Benayahu Mellet Elisha Ben Kimon https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/24/rkL4ekWHfl/rkL4ekWHfl_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1c3lkwsgl Fri, 24 Jul 2026 15:59:59 +03:00 Maj. Yuval Ezra, a 27-year-old IDF artillery officer, was killed Friday during operations near the West Bank village of Tell, the military announced. Ezra, from the central city of Herzliya, commanded a battery in the Artillery Corps’ 411th Battalion, part of the 282nd Fire Brigade. The military did not immediately provide further details about the circumstances of his death. Ezra was the second Israeli confirmed killed in the violence near Tell, after Havat Gilad alert squad member Benayahu Mellet. The incident began after a group of Israeli hikers entered the area without coordinating the trip with the military, according to security officials. Such visits require advance approval because parts of the route passed through Areas A and B of the West Bank, which are under varying degrees of Palestinian civil and security control. A violent confrontation broke out between the hikers and dozens of Palestinians early Friday. Havat Gilad security personnel and IDF troops were called to the scene, where the confrontation escalated and gunfire erupted. Video from the scene appeared to show an Israeli in civilian clothes kicking a Palestinian who approached him in a threatening manner. The Palestinian then snatched the Israeli’s rifle and opened fire before troops and other armed Israelis returned fire. The military said the gunman was killed immediately after the shooting and that troops recovered the stolen rifle. Israeli security officials said a platoon commander killed two Palestinian terrorists, including the gunman who shot Mellet. Mellet, 32, was a member of Havat Gilad’s alert squad and oversaw agricultural activity at the settlement outpost. A father of two, he had rushed to assist the hikers after hearing that they had come under attack, according to Havat Gilad officials. He is survived by his wife, Esther, and their daughters, Tair Eretz and Adama Ivriya, ages 12 and 13. “With great pain and sorrow, we announce the murder of Benayahu Mellet in a terror attack by vile terrorists while rescuing a group of hikers in the area,” Havat Gilad said in a statement. “Our hearts are with Esther, Tair Eretz and Adama Ivriya, and the entire Mellet family.” The Palestinian Health Ministry said four Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire and four others were wounded, three critically. It was not immediately clear whether the ministry’s toll included the terrorist whom the military said was killed after seizing the rifle. The military has opened an investigation into the confrontation, including gunfire by settlers before troops arrived. Security officials described the scene encountered by military commanders as chaotic and said everyone who discharged a weapon was being examined. message s1tvgaxhmx Shaul spent more than a decade fighting to recover her son Oron’s remains from Hamas captivity in Gaza; she died 18 months after a covert Israeli operation brought him home for burial Israel Moshkovitz, Itamar Eichner https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2025/11/25/BJqiOuX11bl/BJqiOuX11bl_0_816_2408_1356_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s1tvgaxhmx Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:58:36 +03:00 Zehava Shaul, who led a decade-long campaign to recover the remains of her son, IDF soldier Oron Shaul, from Hamas captivity in Gaza, has died after a months-long battle with a serious illness, her family said. She was 71. Shaul will be buried at noon Sunday at the cemetery in Poria Illit, near the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. She will be laid to rest alongside her husband, Herzl, and near the grave of Oron, whose remains were recovered from Gaza and buried in Israel in January 2025, more than 10 years after he was killed in combat. “I have completed my life’s mission,” Shaul told relatives several weeks before her death. Her family asked the public to respect its privacy. “Zehava was a woman of faith, determination and love for others,” the family said in a statement. “For more than a decade, she carried on her shoulders, with inspiring strength, the uncompromising struggle to bring her son Oron home for burial in Israel.” “Her devotion, strength and boundless love touched many hearts and made her a symbol of perseverance, hope and great love,” the family added. “We accompany our mother on her final journey with great pain, but also with gratitude for the path she left behind for us.” President Isaac Herzog described Shaul as a courageous, determined and inspiring mother who dedicated more than a decade to securing her son’s return for burial. “Michal and I had the privilege of accompanying Zehava and the Shaul family over the years, until the painful and shattering moment when Oron was brought to his eternal rest after more than 10 years of waiting, pain and longing,” Herzog said, referring to his wife. “At that moment, we also thought of Herzl, who did not live to see his son return to the soil of his homeland,” he added. “Zehava carried that pain on her shoulders with unimaginable courage and never stopped believing, fighting and loving.” Herzog offered condolences to Shaul’s surviving sons, Ofek and Aviram, and to the rest of the family. Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul was killed on July 20, 2014, during fighting in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shijaiyah in the 2014 Gaza war, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge. The armored personnel carrier in which he was traveling was struck by Hamas fire, and the terrorist group seized his remains and held them in Gaza for more than a decade. In August 2014, then-defense minister Moshe Yaalon informed Shaul’s family that Israel knew Hamas was holding his body and was working to recover it. The family continued its public campaign for his return over the following years as defense officials gathered intelligence and sought to determine where the remains were being held. Those efforts intensified after Israeli forces entered Gaza following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza. In January 2025, intelligence led the IDF and Shin Bet security agency to launch a covert operation to recover Shaul’s remains, according to Israeli accounts of the mission. Israeli forces arrested a Hamas member who had guarded the remains for years, and his interrogation revealed their precise location, officials said. A Palestinian operative working with Israel then located the facility and retrieved the body in an operation planned to avoid endangering living hostages being held in Gaza City at the time. The recovery mission began overnight on Jan. 18-19, 2025, hours before a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect. It involved the IDF and Shin Bet, including the navy’s elite Shayetet 13 commando unit, forces from the military’s 162nd Division and military intelligence units. After the remains were returned to Israel, they were formally identified at the national forensic institute and the family was notified, bringing its campaign of more than a decade to an end. Thousands attended Oron Shaul’s funeral on Jan. 20, 2025, at the Poria Illit cemetery, where he was buried near his father. His mother will now be laid to rest beside them. message skzftnesme Footage shows a Palestinian approaching an Israeli in a threatening manner; the Israeli kicks him, after which the man grabs his rifle and opens fire, killing Havat Gilad alert squad member Benayahu Mellet Idan Bloemhof, Elisha Ben Kimon https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/24/rJASA2lrzx/rJASA2lrzx_0_0_360_203_0_small.gif https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skzftnesme Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:19:32 +03:00 Video from a deadly confrontation in the northern West Bank on Friday appeared to show a Palestinian man snatching a rifle from an Israeli in civilian clothes before opening fire, killing a member of a settlement security team. The footage showed Israeli security personnel and settlers confronting Palestinians in the area where a group of Israeli hikers had arrived earlier in the day. During the violent confrontation, an Israeli dressed in civilian clothes appeared to kick a Palestinian man approaching him in a threatening manner and shout at him to move away. The Palestinian then grabbed the Israeli’s rifle and began firing. Security personnel and other armed Israelis at the scene returned fire. Benayahu Mellet, a member of Havat Gilad’s alert squad who oversaw agricultural activity at the settlement outpost, was killed in the shooting. Havat Gilad officials said Mellet, 32, a father of two, had rushed to help the group of hikers near the scene. “How the mighty have fallen,” the community said in a message to residents. “With great pain and sorrow, we announce the murder of Benayahu Mellet in a terror attack by vile terrorists while rescuing a group of hikers in the area.” “Our hearts are with Esther, Tair Eretz and Adama Ivriya, and the entire Mellet family,” the statement added. “We will assist them in every way possible.” Security officials said visits to the area require advance coordination with the military, but the group’s trip had not been coordinated, which they described as a serious concern. According to the officials, the incident began when the group entered Areas A and B of the West Bank, zones placed under varying degrees of Palestinian civil and security control under the Oslo Accords. A violent confrontation broke out early Friday between the hikers and dozens of Palestinians. IDF troops were then dispatched to the scene. When soldiers from the command team of the 411th Battalion’s company commander arrived, the confrontation escalated and gunfire erupted, the officials said. During the clash, a rifle belonging to Benayahu Mellet, a member of the local alert squad, was seized. Mellet was shot and killed. “Gunfire developed between the Palestinians, settlers and soldiers,” the officials said. “A platoon commander opened fire and killed two terrorists. One of them was the terrorist who murdered Mellet.” The officials said the entire incident took place inside the village and that all weapons involved, including those recovered at the scene, were now in the possession of security forces. “The entire incident occurred on the southern side of the village,” they said. “Before the incident, settlers fired into the air, and the IDF is investigating everyone who discharged a weapon, including members of the hiking group.” “When the commanders arrived at the scene, they entered a chaotic situation,” the officials added. “The soldiers and other forces then worked to remove everyone involved, some of whom were children.” The IDF said troops killed the Palestinian gunman immediately after the shooting and recovered the rifle he had seized. “IDF troops eliminated the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack earlier today in the area of the village of Tell,” the military said. “The terrorist was eliminated immediately after carrying out the attack, and IDF troops recovered the stolen weapon.” The Palestinian Health Ministry said four Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire and four others were wounded, three critically. It was not immediately clear whether the reported death toll included the terrorist killed after seizing the rifle Following the shooting, dozens of Israeli settlers entered the Palestinian village of Fara’ata, east of Qalqilya, and threw stones in retaliation for Mellet's killing, according to Palestinian reports. Video from the village appeared to show settlers setting fires. Palestinians reported several people wounded in the violence. Their conditions were not immediately known. IDF cancels leave for troops in West Bank The IDF is preparing for a broad operation across the West Bank and has canceled leave for troops serving there while deploying reinforcements. In response to the attack, the military imposed a full closure on the city of Nablus and curfews on the villages of Burin and Tell. A large-scale security operation is expected to begin in Nablus and across the West Bank, with authorities seeking to question everyone present during the confrontation. Reinforcements were also deployed along Highway 60 to secure Mellet’s funeral at Havat Gilad and prevent further escalation. The shooting followed a series of incidents in recent days that have brought tensions across the West Bank close to a boiling point. Security officials said the recent violence, combined with the summer vacation, the traditional break at Jewish religious seminaries, the publication of Palestinian high school matriculation results and the election campaign, had created an especially volatile atmosphere. Security officials say the West Bank has experienced a sustained escalation since the outset of the war with Iran in late February. They have identified what they describe as Iranian and Turkish efforts to direct attacks, the transfer of funds through Jordan to finance terrorist activity and the emergence of local and semi-military cells in Nablus and Jenin. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has therefore ordered additional forces deployed to the military’s West Bank division, drawing troops away from Gaza and Lebanon. The military currently has 24 battalions operating in the West Bank, including 10 reserve battalions. The deployment comes as the military faces a growing security challenge amid a sharp rise in confrontations in an area containing dozens of unauthorized Israeli outposts and 126 agricultural farms. The government has also approved the establishment of 104 new settlements. Security forces are continuing large-scale operations that officials say are intended to restore law and order, halt the wave of attacks and return calm to the West Bank. message bkowuogrgx Benayahu Mellet, 32, a member of Havat Gilad’s alert squad team, was shot after responding to an attack nearby; Herzog mourns his death as violence surges across the northern West Bank Idan Bloemhof, Elisha Ben Kimon https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/24/H1QF25grMe/H1QF25grMe_0_55_1280_721_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkowuogrgx Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:09:03 +03:00 Benayahu Mellet, a 32-year-old father of two and member of the Havat Gilad alert squad, was identified Friday as the Israeli killed in a shooting attack near the settlement outpost in the northern West Bank. Havat Gilad officials said Mellet, who oversaw agricultural activity at the outpost, rushed to assist a group of Israeli hikers who had been attacked nearby and was shot dead by a Palestinian terrorist. He is survived by his wife, Esther, and their daughters, Tair Eretz and Adama Ivriya, ages 12 and 13. “How the mighty have fallen,” the community said in a message to residents. “With great pain and sorrow, we announce the murder of Benayahu Mellet in a terror attack by vile terrorists while rescuing a group of hikers in the area.” “Our hearts are with Esther, Tair Eretz and Adama Ivriya, and the entire Mellet family,” the statement added. “We will assist them in every way possible.” President Isaac Herzog said his “heart breaks” over Mellet’s killing. “My heart breaks at the news of the murder of Benayahu Mellet, a member of the Chavat Gilad rapid-response security team, in a deadly terror attack in Samaria,” Herzog said, using the biblical name for the northern West Bank. “I send heartfelt condolences to his beloved family, his friends, and the Chavat Gilad community, and I pray for the complete recovery of the wounded,” he said. Herzog praised the security forces for “acting with determination in defense of the citizens of Israel.” “In the face of murderous terror seeking to harm our lives and our security, we must stand united and resolute,” he added. “Terror will not prevail.” Hashomer Yosh, an organization supporting Israeli agricultural activity in the West Bank, described Mellet as a farmer and shepherd who was among the earliest and longest-serving activists operating on hilltops and in open areas over the past two decades. “Benayahu lived and breathed the land of the homeland through devoted agricultural work, shepherding and a direct connection to the open spaces,” the organization said. “He saw agriculture, hiking and knowledge of the land as a way of life and a mission of the highest order, aimed at safeguarding the lands of our people and deepening our roots along every trail and hill,” it added. “His quiet leadership and the determination he displayed in the field will serve as an example to us.” The IDF had reported gunfire Friday morning near Havat Gilad. Israeli hikers later said Palestinians confronted them near a mosque on the outskirts of the village of Tell, prompting members of the outpost’s alert squad to rush to the scene. One of the Palestinians snatched a weapon from a member of the group and fired at the Israelis, wounding three of them, according to the military. Two were initially evacuated in critical and serious condition. The military said the terrorist was killed shortly afterward and troops recovered the stolen weapon. Aviel Mamalia, a senior paramedic with the Magen David Adom ambulance service, said emergency crews arrived with ambulances and bulletproof intensive care vehicles. Mamalia said medics treated a man about 25 years old who had suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body but remained fully conscious. He was taken to meet a military helicopter that airlifted him to a hospital in stable condition. Mamalia later joined a military medical team treating another man who was unconscious and suffering from gunshot wounds. “After prolonged resuscitation efforts, we were forced to pronounce him dead,” he said. The Palestinian Health Ministry said four Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire and four others were wounded at the scene, three of them critically. It was not immediately clear whether the reported death toll included the terrorist whom the IDF said was killed after snatching the weapon. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held a situational assessment after the attack with the head of Central Command and the chief of the Operations Directorate. He ordered a broad deployment of reinforcements to bolster security and apprehend everyone involved, the military said. “IDF troops continue to operate to thwart terrorism in the Samaria area, including in the villages of Beit Furik and Tubas, where a large-scale operation began last night,” the military said. Friday’s attack was the third in the area within 24 hours, and the military’s West Bank division had been on its highest level of alert since Thursday. Itamar Cohen, one of the founders of Israeli agricultural outposts in the West Bank, was stabbed near the settlement of Elon Moreh on Thursday afternoon. The military said a fire had broken out before the stabbing and Cohen had been among those trying to extinguish it. An Israeli civilian shot and killed the two terrorists at the scene. Hours later, another person was wounded in a stabbing attack in the northern West Bank. IDF troops killed the terrorist, the military said. message rk5pbklsfe Israeli accounts say a Palestinian snatched a security guard’s rifle and opened fire after a clash near Nablus; four Palestinians also reported killed; Israeli forces seal off the area Elisha Ben Kimon, Idan Bloemhof https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/24/H1x00xKlrfx/H1x00xKlrfx_0_203_1280_721_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rk5pbklsfe Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:17:16 +03:00 One Israeli was killed and two others were wounded Friday in a shooting near the Palestinian West Bank village of Tell, southwest of Nablus, after a confrontation between a group of Israelis and Palestinians. The IDF said it was investigating the incident as a suspected terrorist attack. According to Israeli accounts, the group was hiking in the area and clashed with Palestinians near a mosque on the outskirts of the village. An armed civilian security coordinator from the nearby settlement outpost of Havat Gilad then arrived at the scene. The Israelis alleged that one of the Palestinians snatched the security coordinator's weapon and opened fire on the Israeli civilians, killing one man and wounding two others. The military initially reported a shooting near Havat Gilad and said the stolen weapon was later recovered. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said paramedics pronounced a man in his 30s dead at the scene. Two other victims were airlifted by military helicopter to hospital, including a man in his 20s in serious condition and another man in his mid-20s in moderate condition. Senior Magen David Adom medic Aviel Mamalia said emergency crews arrived with ambulances and bulletproof intensive care vehicles after receiving reports of a shooting attack near Havat Gilad. "We treated a 25-year-old man who was fully conscious and suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body," Mamalia said. "He was evacuated to a military helicopter in stable condition." Mamalia said medics later joined an IDF medical team treating another victim who was unconscious and had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. "After prolonged resuscitation efforts, we were forced to pronounce him dead," he said. The military said additional forces were being deployed and imposed a security cordon around the village of Tell and at several entrances to the nearby city of Nablus as troops searched for those involved. The IDF said Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held a security assessment following the deadly attack. The assessment included the head of the Central Command and the chief of the military’s Operations Directorate. Zamir ordered a broad deployment of additional troops to strengthen security in the area and directed forces to apprehend all those involved in the attack. The military said troops were continuing counterterrorism operations across the northern West Bank, including in Beit Furik and Tubas, where a large-scale operation began Thursday night. The Palestinian Health Ministry said four Palestinians were killed by IDF fire during the incident and four others were wounded, including three listed in critical condition. The military did not immediately comment on those reports. The shooting was the third violent incident in the area within 24 hours. On Thursday, Itamar Cohen, one of the founders of several Israeli agricultural outposts in the West Bank, was stabbed near the settlement of Elon Moreh. The military said a fire had broken out nearby and Cohen was among those attempting to extinguish it when the attack occurred. An armed civilian shot and killed the two terrorists at the scene. Hours later, another person was wounded in a separate stabbing attack in the northern West Bank before Israeli forces shot and killed the assailant. message r1r2pxxsfe Eti Ringel was 4 when she survived the 1972 Lod Airport attack that killed her mother, while Prof. Abraham Katzir witnessed the shooting that claimed his father; Okamoto’s death has revived memories of bloodshed, fear and loss Nina Fox https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/23/S1fy5xlHMg/S1fy5xlHMg_0_0_1536_865_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1r2pxxsfe Thu, 23 Jul 2026 23:30:57 +03:00 “There is a sense of relief that he is no longer in this world, but I do not feel revenge,” Prof. Abraham Katzir said following the death of Japanese terrorist Kozo Okamoto, who took part in the 1972 massacre at Lod Airport, now Ben Gurion Airport. Katzir’s father, Prof. Aharon Katzir, was among the 24 people murdered in the attack. Another 71 were wounded. Okamoto, a member of the Japanese Red Army, died in Beirut at the age of 78. On May 30, 1972, he arrived at the airport aboard an Air France flight with two other terrorists and opened fire on passengers. He was wounded, captured and sentenced to life imprisonment, but Israel released him in 1985 as part of the Jibril prisoner exchange. He later settled in Lebanon. “Over the years, I did not think about him and I did not hate him,” Abraham Katzir said. “He was simply a fanatic from a cult of fanatics. Such a cult can exist in any culture. He did not know whom he was murdering.” Katzir recalled that during the shiva mourning period, Japan’s ambassador arrived with his wife, both wearing traditional Japanese clothing. “He apologized on behalf of the Japanese people for the murder,” Katzir said. “He said the Japanese people felt shame that one of their own had murdered such a famous and important man. It was impressive.” Katzir said neither he nor his mother bore resentment toward the Japanese people. On the day of the massacre, he and his mother had come to the airport to meet his father, who was returning on an El Al flight after a lecture tour in Europe. “We were behind the glass window outside, and suddenly there were ‘fireworks’ and gunshots,” he recalled. “The window shattered. I was a major in the army at the time, and it took me a second to understand that someone was shooting at me.” “I threw my mother to the floor so she would not raise her head and see what was happening,” he said. “I remember someone running toward us, but I do not know who it was. We survived the shooting, and when it stopped, I ran inside. I was not afraid.” Katzir said the area was empty. “There was no police officer and no soldier,” he said. “I understand that Kozo Okamoto ran as far as the baggage carousel, toward the planes. Later, they caught him, and then we learned who he was.” Before the shooting began, Katzir believed he had seen his father near the baggage carousel. “There was a flight attendant named Rachel who saw my father and told him, ‘Professor, do not stand in line,’” he said. “She moved him past the line, and he waited near the luggage. By terrible chance, he was murdered.” “I do not know whether Kozo killed him or one of the other two terrorists,” Katzir added. “But it does not matter, because he cannot be brought back.” Eti Ringel was only 4 years old when she survived the attack. She had also come to meet her father, who was returning from a visit to his parents in Romania. Her mother was murdered at the airport. “He was not supposed to return that day, but about two weeks later,” Ringel recalled. “He decided to move his flight forward. We came with my mother’s cousin, my grandmother and her sister. I was 4, and my sister was 1.” “I remember that we were standing behind a glass wall,” she said. “There was happy music, and suddenly we heard explosions and noise. There were fragments, smoke and blood. I remember the fear.” “My grandmother lay on top of me and was wounded,” she continued. “For many years, she still had shrapnel in her body. I was covered in blood, and the entire floor was covered in blood.” Ringel said she remembers everything except seeing her mother. “I told everyone that my mother was dead, but they told me she had been wounded,” she said. “My father did not even get to see her.” Since hearing of Okamoto’s death, Ringel said she has been overwhelmed by emotion. “My heart is still pounding,” she said. “It is unsettling. I remember the day I saw him released in the prisoner exchange. They gave me a sedative.” “It was frightening to know he was free and that nobody knew where he was,” she said. “And now I have lived to see the day they announced his death.” The news immediately brought her back to the attack. “I will never forget the fear,” Ringel said. “Even though 54 years have passed, it was one of the most horrific and cruel attacks there ever was.” Because Okamoto was the only member of the terrorist squad to survive the massacre, she said his death brought a measure of closure. “He is where he should have been from the beginning,” she said. “He destroyed entire lives and took my mother from me. I lost everything.” message b1syqyxhzl As Trump threatens an unprecedented attack and Western intelligence warns Tehran may strike Israel first, Jerusalem prepares for scenarios ranging from an Iranian surprise attack and joint US-Israeli action to one outcome that could keep Israel outside the fighting Ron Crissy https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/05/07/ByWUYVqC11e/ByWUYVqC11e_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1syqyxhzl Fri, 24 Jul 2026 01:04:06 +03:00 As U.S. President Donald Trump considers a “massive attack, bigger than ever before” against Iran, and Western intelligence agencies assess that the Islamic Republic may strike Israel first, Jerusalem is confronting one central question: Will Israel be drawn into the conflict, or can it remain outside the fighting? “The Islamic Republic of Iran, we’re doing extremely well,” Trump said Thursday evening. “They would like to do something, but I say they’re not ready yet. They need more of the same. They’re not ready yet. They have some evil intentions.” “We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon,” he continued. “If we did all this that I’m talking about, about your data centers, isn’t that important when they start blowing away communities one by one? We cannot let them ever even think about having a nuclear weapon, and that’s exactly what’s happening.” “They’ll never have a nuclear weapon under the Trump administration,” he said. Trump argued that the issue should have been addressed decades ago by previous U.S. presidents or other countries. “This should have been done for 50 years by other American presidents or other countries. It didn’t have to be us, but it seems that if we don’t do it, nobody else is. But I will, and nobody else has the capability to do it either.” “We built in my first term the greatest military anywhere in the world, and we’re using it a little more than I thought, but that’s all right,” Trump added. Referring to American casualties, he said: “I had a very sad day yesterday. I went to Dover. Four great American patriots killed. That’s 18 in two wars, and one is too many.” “The wars all lasted for years, and we want to get it over with, and we want to do it right,” he continued. “But we have to do what we came to do, and we can’t let these people, very violent people, have what they want, which is nuclear weapons.” Israel, meanwhile, is maintaining maximum readiness ahead of possible escalation over the weekend. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene the inner security cabinet on Friday, followed by a meeting of the broader security cabinet on Sunday. Israeli officials say the region appears to be moving toward escalation as Washington intensifies pressure on Tehran to return to negotiations or face a major attack. Could Iran strike first? Western intelligence agencies assess that Iran may try to draw Israel into the conflict and could even decide to strike first. The assessment is based on Jerusalem’s apparent reluctance to resume war, as well as strains in Israel-US relations that Tehran may seek to exploit. Iran is also believed to be attempting to create a strategic surprise, part of an ongoing effort that was partially exposed on Thursday, while seeking revenge for the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran also views the November U.S. elections as a possible constraint on Washington's response. Israeli officials believe Iranian planners also see direct Israeli involvement as a way to embarrass the U.S. administration and shape international perceptions of the conflict.Defense Minister Israel Katz said after a security consultation with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior defense officials that Israel was preparing for every possibility. “If Iran attacks Israel, it will suffer a crushing blow,” Katz said. Senior Israeli officials assess that Jerusalem would enter the fighting if Iran attacks Israel. In that event, they said, Israel would go “all in” and deliver a severe blow to the Islamic Republic. “We are preparing for escalation because Trump is escalating, and we are waiting to see what he wants and what he decides,” Israeli officials said. “We are at maximum alert and maximum readiness.” Home Front Command instructions remain unchanged, and no order has been issued to open public shelters. The US attacks and Tehran fires at Israel Another scenario is a major American attack that leads Iran to retaliate against Israel. Israeli officials also believe that if Trump follows through on his threat to strike the Houthis, Tehran could choose to attack Israel as part of what it views as its regional deterrence equation. If Washington expands its strikes, Tehran could decide to abandon restraint and resume missile fire toward Israeli territory. “If the Iranians attack us, that is something else,” Israeli officials said. “It is much easier from every perspective, because then you enter the fighting.” A combined US-Israeli attack A joint Israeli-American operation is also possible. The United States could ask Israel to participate, although Washington does not currently appear to be seeking direct Israeli involvement. Trump could nevertheless use the prospect of Israeli participation as leverage against Tehran. Earlier Thursday, he told Axios that Israel “would join in two minutes if I ask them to,” while stressing: “We don’t need anybody.” He also warned that Israeli participation would carry “consequences,” apparently referring to Iranian retaliation. Could Israel stay out of the war? One scenario would leave Israel outside the current confrontation. Under that possibility, the United States would continue attacking Iran, while Tehran would retaliate against Gulf states and Jordan rather than Israel. The fighting would remain within the pattern seen over the past 12 days, and Jerusalem would not enter the exchange of fire. Tensions between Washington and Tehran remain at their highest level in recent months. According to Israeli assessments, the United States has been striking Iranian targets for 12 consecutive nights, while Iran has continued launching attacks toward regional countries and disrupting maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. has also intensified pressure by preventing vessels from entering or leaving Iranian ports, while oil prices have climbed to around $100 per barrel amid fears of a broader regional conflict. Another possibility is that the mutual threats remain part of psychological warfare and that sustained U.S. pressure ultimately pushes Iran back toward negotiations. Iran's Health Ministry said 55 people have been killed and 629 wounded in U.S. strikes since June 27. Until Trump decides whether and when to launch a broader attack, all options remain on the table, from continued threats to a regional escalation that could pull Israel into the fighting. message rkpsyjxsgg Another round or a strategic move? Israel and the US have the ability to strike Iran’s ayatollah regime, but the key question is what they want to achieve and what price they are willing to pay; Trump’s decision could determine the next phase of the campaign Yossi Yehoshua https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/03/02/ByP8PUftbg/ByP8PUftbg_0_259_1280_721_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkpsyjxsgg Thu, 23 Jul 2026 22:24:54 +03:00 Israel is entering an especially tense weekend, with IDF readiness levels and air defense alert increased as the security establishment closely monitors developments and the possibility of renewed escalation with Iran. Several local authorities announced the opening of public shelters, although at this stage the move is largely precautionary rather than a broad civilian directive. Meanwhile, the IDF is preparing for a range of scenarios as the situation remains highly volatile. At the center of the uncertainty is U.S. President Donald Trump, who in recent days has continued to raise the pressure on Iran. With every statement, Trump has increased the stakes, as Washington appears to be weighing its next move. For Israel, the main question is not only whether a strike will happen, but what form it will take, when it will happen and what the desired outcome will be. Recent statements by the U.S. president suggest that the possibility of a significant move is drawing closer. However, Israeli officials also understand that with Trump, nothing is final until the last moment. As of Thursday evening, Trump threatened an operation larger than ‘Roaring Lion’ and said that if necessary, Israel would join. He said the United States could begin without Israel and call on Jerusalem to participate “within minutes” if required. Another scenario that could bring Israel directly into the campaign would be Iranian fire toward Israeli territory. Military and intelligence coordination between U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the IDF is currently described by Israeli officials as excellent, closely resembling the cooperation that preceded ‘Roaring Lion’. The previous campaign significantly improved the ability of the two militaries to operate together, and officials say the level of coordination is now very high. Israel is aware of American plans and is preparing accordingly. But within the defense establishment, officials emphasize that there is one variable that cannot be controlled: Trump himself. “We know he can change the plans at the last minute,” Israeli officials said, pointing to previous instances in which operations that appeared close to execution were altered or halted at the final stage. The central Israeli dilemma is not simply whether to respond to an Iranian attack. It is what the response is supposed to accomplish. Israel does not want another limited confrontation, another cycle lasting several days in which strikes are carried out, missiles are launched, tactical achievements are recorded and statements are issued, only for both sides to eventually return to roughly the same point. After a prolonged period of war, with military forces and the home front under strain and air defense systems heavily used, Israel has little interest in entering another round merely to claim another tactical achievement. The goal is different: not another round, but a change. That is where the issue of infrastructure and energy comes into focus. If a decision is made to launch a significant operation, Israeli officials understand that creating a genuine strategic impact may require more than additional strikes on military targets, missile sites or nuclear facilities. Even damage to nuclear sites alone would not necessarily create the desired outcome. Strikes on Iran’s critical infrastructure and energy systems could create a different kind of pressure. The cost of war Iran is a large country with a complex economy that is already weakened, and its energy infrastructure is central to its ability to function. Significant damage to those systems would not only represent a military achievement. It could affect the economy, industry, production capabilities and the regime’s ability to sustain a prolonged campaign. In that sense, energy could become not only a military target but a strategic pressure point. The meaning would be a shift from a campaign aimed at damaging Iran’s military capabilities to one designed to significantly increase the price the regime pays. But that approach also carries major risks. A strike on strategic infrastructure and energy systems could lead to far wider escalation. Iran could respond forcefully against Israel, U.S. forces and American interests in the region. It could activate its network of proxies and attempt to expand the conflict to additional fronts. Therefore, if Trump decides to act, he will have to determine not only whether to strike, but what outcome he wants to achieve. Is the goal another exchange of blows, or a move that creates a fundamental change in the balance? That is the heart of Israel’s dilemma. Israeli officials understand that a limited strike could inflict serious damage on Iran, but that Tehran could eventually begin rebuilding. It could restore damaged infrastructure, replace lost capabilities and attempt to return to the same trajectory. The real test, therefore, is not only how many targets are destroyed. The question is whether Israel and the United States are prepared to carry out a move that produces a different result. The cost of another confrontation is not only measured in direct military consequences. It includes reserve mobilization, extensive air force operations, the use of expensive interceptors, wear on aircraft and crews, disruption to daily life and resources diverted from other fronts. That is why Israel does not want another campaign merely to achieve another tactical success. If it enters a new operation, officials want a clear purpose and a clear result. This is also the difference between another round and a strategic move. A round can end with a ceasefire. A strategic operation is supposed to change reality even after the aircraft return to their bases. message sygpl0yszg Assessments point to Tehran’s desire to avenge Ali Khamenei’s death, exploit strains between Israel and the US and test Jerusalem’s reluctance to resume war; Katz warns Iran would face a ‘crushing blow’ Nadav Eyal https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/11/S1mne6y4Ml/S1mne6y4Ml_0_0_1280_719_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sygpl0yszg Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:03:07 +03:00 Western intelligence agencies assess that Iran may try to draw Israel into a renewed confrontation and could even choose to strike first. The assessment is based in part on what appears to be Jerusalem’s reluctance to return to war, as well as emerging strains in Israel-U.S. relations that Tehran may seek to exploit. Against the backdrop of preparations for a possible escalation over the weekend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene the inner security cabinet on Friday. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday evening, following a security consultation with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior military officials, that Israel was preparing for every scenario. “We are preparing for every possibility,” Katz said. “If Iran attacks Israel, it will suffer a crushing blow.” Iran has been engaged in an ongoing effort to create a strategic surprise and avenge the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, part of which was exposed Thursday in an unusual Mossad announcement regarding an Iranian attempt to infiltrate terrorists into Israel to assassinate senior officials. The November elections in the United States are viewed in Tehran as a possible constraint on an American response. From Iran’s perspective, Israeli involvement could also embarrass the U.S. administration and shape how the conflict is perceived. Earlier Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios that he was considering a “massive attack, bigger than ever before” against Iran. “I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” Trump said. Trump added that Israel “would join in two minutes if I ask them to,” but stressed that the United States did not need Israeli or allied assistance to launch the operation. “We don’t need anybody,” he said. Trump also said Israeli participation would carry “consequences,” apparently referring to the likelihood that Iran would retaliate by firing missiles at Israel. According to Trump, Tehran wants negotiations but is not yet prepared to reach an agreement. “They haven’t received enough pain yet,” he said. Axios reported that two regional officials familiar with mediation efforts said Iran’s leadership had not accepted the latest U.S. proposal. “We are trying, but the Iranians are not being helpful,” one of them said. For now, the IDF has informed local authorities that Home Front Command instructions remain unchanged and that no order has been issued to open public shelters. Should the instructions change, the military said, the public will be updated through the Home Front Command’s official platforms. message bjn3eaksfe The international body that monitors famine conditions says more than 1.2 million Gazans faced severe food insecurity, while Israel’s COGAT rejects the findings, citing aid deliveries and accusing the report of relying on flawed methodology Einav Halabi https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2025/11/05/rkPXm200Jbl/rkPXm200Jbl_0_0_3000_1689_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjn3eaksfe Thu, 23 Jul 2026 20:00:48 +03:00 A new report by the International IPC initiative, the global body that assesses famine conditions, has sparked renewed controversy over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, with the organization warning of severe food insecurity and Israel rejecting its conclusions. According to the report published Thursday, conditions in Gaza remain “extremely fragile” despite some improvement following the ceasefire that began in October 2025. The IPC said that between April and June, around 1.2 million people in Gaza, roughly 59% of the population assessed, experienced acute food insecurity. The organization projected that the number could rise to more than 1.4 million people by the end of 2026, representing about 67% of the population. The report also warned that approximately 74,200 babies and young children between the ages of six months and five years could suffer from acute malnutrition by April 2027, alongside tens of thousands of pregnant and breastfeeding women. The IPC warned of serious risks if humanitarian aid deliveries are disrupted and called for progress toward a permanent ceasefire and the restoration of livelihoods. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, known as COGAT, strongly rejected the report and accused its authors of political bias. “Israel rejects outright the conclusions and claims presented in the IPC report,” COGAT said. “Time and again, it has been proven that their reports rely on flawed methodology, incomplete sources of information and systematic bias. These findings do not provide a professional or objective basis for assessing the situation in Gaza.” COGAT said the report’s authors did not contact Israeli officials before publication and ignored official data provided by Israel. “This conduct proves that the report is not a professional attempt to assess reality, but rather an attempt to justify a predetermined narrative while ignoring facts, serving Hamas propaganda and defaming the State of Israel,” the statement said. Israeli officials emphasized that a recent comprehensive report based on United Nations and international organization data showed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remained stable and even improved during the ceasefire period. According to COGAT figures, around 1.8 million tons of food have entered Gaza since the ceasefire began, three times the amount defined as necessary by the United Nations World Food Program. Israel said the increased supply led to a 72% decline in food prices in local markets. COGAT also said that more than 70,000 cubic meters of water are being supplied to Gaza every day, exceeding international standards. In the medical sector, Israel said more than 18,000 tons of medical equipment and medication have entered the Strip, allowing hospitals to expand bed capacity by 55%. COGAT concluded by accusing Hamas of being the main obstacle to improving conditions in Gaza. “Those who choose to ignore these facts are diverting attention from the central obstacle to improving the situation: the Hamas terror organization, which continues to seize humanitarian aid, exploit the humanitarian space for military purposes and refuse to disarm,” the statement said. message ryogvhjbfg The Japanese Red Army terrorist was the sole surviving member of the squad that murdered 24 people and wounded 71 in 1972; Israel released him in the 1985 Jibril prisoner exchange AFP https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2022/05/31/HyM4Lhfmdc/HyM4Lhfmdc_1_314_3000_1688_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryogvhjbfg Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:35:16 +03:00 Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese terrorist who took part in the 1972 massacre at Ben Gurion Airport in which 24 people were murdered, has died in Beirut at the age of 78. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine announced his death, saying he died in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, an area controlled by Hezbollah. On May 30, 1972, Okamoto arrived at Lod Airport, now Ben Gurion Airport, aboard an Air France flight with two other members of the Japanese Red Army. After landing, the three terrorists removed Kalashnikov rifles from their luggage, opened fire on crowds of passengers and threw grenades. They murdered 24 people and wounded 71 others. Two of the terrorists were killed during the attack. Okamoto was wounded, captured and arrested, making him the only member of the squad to survive. He was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released by Israel in 1985 after 13 years in prison as part of the Jibril prisoner exchange. He later settled in Lebanon. Although the three attackers belonged to the communist Japanese Red Army terrorist organization, they carried out the massacre on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, with which the group maintained close ties. Japan repeatedly demanded that Lebanon extradite Okamoto, but Beirut refused. Okamoto rarely appeared in public during his years in Lebanon. In May 2022, he made a rare appearance at a ceremony in Beirut marking the 50th anniversary of the massacre. The event was held at a cemetery where numerous Palestinian terrorists are buried, near a memorial honoring four Japanese nationals who had been active in Palestinian organizations. Okamoto arrived wearing a Palestinian flag and a Popular Front slogan around his neck. He appeared frail and was helped toward the memorial by several men. He did not speak during the 30 minute ceremony, but occasionally smiled and waved. message hjtwujyrge Israeli intelligence says Iran’s Intelligence Ministry recruited foreign operatives through criminal proxies to gather intelligence and carry out assassinations inside Israel; the network was exposed through cooperation with agencies abroad Itamar Eichner https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/23/B1wIKikHMl/B1wIKikHMl_0_99_1014_571_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjtwujyrge Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:48:36 +03:00 The Mossad said Thursday that Iran had attempted to infiltrate foreign operatives into Israel to assassinate senior Israeli figures, in an unusual statement detailing what it described as a global terror network directed by Tehran. According to the statement, published by the Prime Minister’s Office on behalf of the Mossad, the plot was uncovered and thwarted through cooperation among Israeli and international intelligence and security services. The Mossad said officers from Iran’s Intelligence Ministry recruited foreign nationals to advance attacks against senior Israeli officials inside Israel. The agency said Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, together with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, has in recent years led a global terror campaign against Israeli and Jewish targets. It added that Tehran has recently intensified efforts to carry out attacks within Israel itself. Advanced counterterrorism capabilities used by the Mossad and Shin Bet, together with close cooperation with intelligence and security agencies worldwide, have led to the disruption of dozens of Iranian attack networks, the statement said. “These operations saved many lives and enabled investigative and legal action against those involved in terrorism,” the Mossad said. Israeli authorities have exposed and thwarted numerous Iranian attempts over the past two years to recruit people inside Israel to carry out missions on Tehran’s behalf. The latest case involved an attempt by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry to infiltrate foreign attackers into Israel to target senior Israeli figures. According to the Mossad, Iran’s method involved recruiting criminal proxy networks, which in turn activated individuals already inside Israel or people capable of entering the country. Their task was first to gather intelligence on the intended target and later to carry out the attack. Cooperation between the Mossad, Shin Bet and intelligence services abroad, along with investigations conducted in several countries, exposed the criminal proxy infrastructure and the Iranian Intelligence Ministry officers directing it, the statement said. A man identified as Tharwat Ozkour, known as “Philip,” who had lived in France, was allegedly responsible for recruiting an operational team of foreign nationals and preparing to infiltrate them into Israel. According to the Mossad, Philip was recruited by two criminal proxies, Baba Mahou-Zadeh Haji Jafan, known as “Babak,” and Mehmet Nedim Yigit, known as “Nedim.” The two men are currently living in Iran under the protection of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, the statement said. They are also known to have links to drug lord Naji Sharifi Zindashti, whom the Mossad described as a criminal figure used for years by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry to promote terrorist operations. Philip traveled to Iran several times to receive instructions, meet his handlers and collect payment for advancing the missions, according to the statement. International investigations uncovered links between Babak and Nedim and their alleged handlers in Iran’s Intelligence Ministry. The officers were identified as Assadollah Behzad Ohsari, Vahid Masoumi, Mohammad-Hossein Zoghi and Hamid Ghasemi. The Mossad said Behzad Ohsari played a central role in Iranian Intelligence Ministry efforts to carry out attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets. It said he was killed during the “Roaring Lion” war. Philip, meanwhile, was expelled from France because of his involvement in planning Iranian-directed terrorist activity, the statement said. Babak and Nedim continue to operate from Iran in efforts to activate terrorist cells and remain of interest to intelligence services worldwide, according to the Mossad. The agency said the case again exposed Iran’s “proxy by proxy” method, designed to distance Tehran from terrorist activity carried out on the ground and shield it from diplomatic and political consequences. “Despite the effort to avoid leaving an Iranian fingerprint, the proxy method repeatedly reveals the negligence of operatives in the field, ultimately exposing their handlers in Iran,” the statement said. The Mossad and Shin Bet said they would continue working with international partners to detect and thwart terrorist and espionage activity against Jewish and Israeli interests in Israel and abroad, and to pursue those involved through legal and security channels. message r18qmi1bzg After Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's announcement that Israelis will be deported a number of  US lawmakers demanded an examination of ties between the two countries; 'We will continue this policy and will not allow Israelis to set foot in Malaysia' ynet https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2022/03/07/BkxqsYtmZc/BkxqsYtmZc_0_76_3000_1688_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r18qmi1bzg Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:39:53 +03:00 Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is insisting that any Israeli citizen found in the country will be deported immediately, and even American pressure did not help change his mind. “We will continue this policy and will not allow Israelis to set foot in Malaysia,” Ibrahim said in an interview with local media. The affair began following social media reports about a joint technology project called “Network School,” a co-living and co-working venture founded by a former senior executive at the crypto company Coinbase. The initiative operates in the Forest City area in the state of Johor in southern Malaysia. Claims spread on social media that some participants in the project were Israeli citizens with dual citizenship who had entered the country using non-Israeli passports. Following Ibrahim’s statement that any Israeli citizen found in Malaysia would be deported, a group of Republican lawmakers demanded a reassessment of Malaysia’s economic and security ties with the United States. However, Ibrahim has now reiterated his position and stressed that pressure from the United States will not change it. According to Ibrahim, “Malaysia is an independent country and we are free to express our views. Therefore, despite the threats, I will firmly defend the rights of Malaysians and the decision made by the Malaysian people to remain steadfast in banning the presence of any Israeli citizen in the country.” The Malaysian prime minister also referred to a meeting he held with Hamas leaders and said he raised the issue in his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. “During our meeting, I told Trump that I had indeed met with a Hamas leader to express condolences to their families, who had suffered from the impact of the bombings and the killing of their women, children and families. There is nothing unusual about that,” according to Ibrahim. Ibrahim stressed that “Malaysia maintains good relations with the United States, but we cannot be cowards and fail to condemn the killing of innocent people in Gaza.” message bywlf9ksfl Parties, neighborhood councils and activist groups demand that Ambassador Zvi Aviner Vapni be removed from a ceremony honoring 6,790 Rotterdam Jews deported in 1942; Dutch Jewish organizations accuse them of ‘hijacking’ Holocaust memory for a political agenda Itamar Eichner https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/23/HJ7VNOkBze/HJ7VNOkBze_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bywlf9ksfl Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:45:32 +03:00 A ceremony commemorating the Jews of Rotterdam who were murdered in the Holocaust has become the focus of a political dispute over the participation of Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Zvi Aviner Vapni. The ambassador was invited to speak at the annual ceremony at Loods 24, the warehouse from which 6,790 Rotterdam Jews were deported to concentration and extermination camps in 1942. His planned appearance, however, has drawn opposition from political parties, neighborhood councils and pro-Palestinian organizations demanding that his invitation be withdrawn. Rotterdam Mayor Carola Schouten said she “understands the concerns” raised by those opposing the ambassador’s participation and announced that she would hold talks with the ceremony’s organizers “to safeguard the dignity of the commemoration as much as possible.” She stressed, however, that the purpose of the ceremony, scheduled for July 30, is to honor the Holocaust victims and the suffering inflicted on them and their families. Schouten stopped short of recommending that organizers rescind the invitation. At the same time, she received a letter from dozens of organizations, including the Rotterdam Palestine Coalition and Een Ander Joods Geluid, or A Different Jewish Voice, urging her to pressure organizers to remove the ambassador from the program. The groups also called on the mayor to boycott the ceremony herself should the ambassador remain involved. They argued that the dispute was not merely about one event, but about whether the principle of “Never Again” is applied universally. Jewish organizations in the Netherlands sharply condemned the effort to exclude a representative of the State of Israel. CIDI, the Netherlands-based Center for Information and Documentation on Israel, accused opponents of exploiting a Holocaust memorial for political purposes. “Politicians believe it is appropriate to hijack a memorial ceremony for the Jews of Rotterdam deported during the Holocaust for the sake of their activism,” the organization said. “They are deliberately choosing polarization. Respect for the Holocaust victims is being pushed aside in favor of their political agenda. It is deeply sad.” CIDI said anti-Israel organizations had mobilized to disrupt a Jewish memorial ceremony solely because a representative of the world’s only Jewish state had been invited by Jewish organizations themselves. “These organizations are once again exploiting and desecrating a Holocaust commemoration,” it said. Other Jewish institutions urged political parties and neighborhood councils to abandon what they described as a divisive course. “Loods 24 must remain a place of remembrance, not exclusion,” they said. “This is not a political choice, but a moral obligation to honor the Holocaust victims without importing the hatred of the present into the ceremony.” The dispute reflects a broader shift in public debate in parts of Europe since the outbreak of the war. While the participation of Israeli representatives in Holocaust memorial ceremonies was once largely regarded as uncontroversial, the presence of an Israeli ambassador at an event honoring Holocaust victims has now triggered political opposition, boycott calls and demands for his removal. For the Jewish community in the Netherlands, the controversy represents a troubling precedent in which political hostility toward Israel is spilling into Holocaust remembrance itself. message rkcsxqjhgg At a Tehran conference titled ‘Fulfilling the Promise of Revenge,’ Jewish community figures invoked Torah passages and demanded the killing of those they blamed for Khamenei’s death, as an Iranian reporter appeared on television carrying a sniper rifle Itamar Eichner, Lior Ben Ari https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/23/BygPuu00Jrzg/BygPuu00Jrzg_0_0_1280_736_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkcsxqjhgg Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:18:26 +03:00 A leader of Iran’s Jewish community called Wednesday for the killing of U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, joining other community representatives who appeared at the Iranian parliament and demanded revenge against Israel. “The murderers of Supreme Leader Khamenei must be killed,” said Rabbi Dr. Hakham Hamami Lalehzar, a senior Jewish community figure. Hamami denounced Israel and called for revenge while citing a verse from the Book of Numbers: “The land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.” Speaking to Iranian media, he said the Torah teaches that spilled blood can be atoned for only through the spilling of the murderer’s blood. He described Khamenei’s killing as “the height of ruthlessness and contempt for human life,” saying it proved that “the enemy has no limits.” According to Hamami, the killing of the leaders responsible for the operation against Khamenei should be described as “blood revenge,” because the term carries “a clearer and more precise meaning” and could be better understood regionally and internationally. “The enemy thought that removing the leader would cause the unity of society to collapse, but the result was the opposite,” he said. “The Iranian people are stronger than ever.” Homayoun Sameh, the Jewish community’s representative in the Iranian parliament, also attacked the West over what he described as its “double standards toward the terrorism of Israel and the United States.” “For years, the Islamic Republic of Iran was accused of supporting terrorism,” Sameh said. “Today, they remain silent in the face of attacks by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iranian commanders, officials and civilians.” The two men participated alongside other Jewish community figures in a conference titled “Fulfilling the Promise of Revenge.” Sameh said that since the Islamic Revolution, the United States and other “imperialist powers,” aided by sympathetic media outlets, had sought to portray Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism. He accused Western governments and international media organizations of ignoring attacks against Iranians. “Over the past year, the Zionist regime and the United States, through terrorist operations, have killed many commanders, officials, political and military figures, as well as innocent Iranian women, children and civilians,” he said. “Despite these crimes, Western governments have not only failed to condemn them, but international media outlets have also remained silent.” Addressing revenge against Israel, Sameh said punishment of those responsible was rooted in religious values. “The issue of revenge and confronting injustice holds an important place in religious values, including in the Torah,” he said. “The Torah emphasizes the principle of justice and punishment in accordance with the crime. This is the same concept expressed by the phrase ‘an eye for an eye.’” He said the Islamic Republic should explain what he described as its legitimate right to retaliate to people around the world, including its enemies. “Everyone must understand that confronting terrorism and punishing those responsible is a demand arising from justice and the rights of nations,” he said. The escalating rhetoric was also reflected on Iranian state television, where a reporter who regularly broadcasts from the Strait of Hormuz appeared on air carrying a sniper rifle and said he was “ready to defend Iranian soil.” The reporter said he held a microphone in one hand for use in the “soft war” and a sniper rifle in the other. “Like me, many others are carrying weapons and have become guardians of the maritime borders of their homeland,” he said. message ry9gb5khfl Attack at a temporary post in Ganim leaves one person lightly wounded, hours after two terrorists seriously wounded a 51-year-old Israeli near Havat Derech Avraham before being killed by an armed civilian Elisha Ben Kimon, Idan Bloemhof https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/23/BkEgZ00Jrzx/BkEgZ00Jrzx_0_301_1600_901_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ry9gb5khfl Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:05:29 +03:00 An Israeli was lightly wounded Thursday in a stabbing attack at Ganim in the northern West Bank, the second such attack in the area within hours, the IDF said. According to an initial military report, a terrorist stabbed the victim at a temporary post established to receive residents at the former settlement. The victim was apparently wounded in the leg. Soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion shot and killed the terrorist. Ganim was evacuated during Israel’s 2005 disengagement. The Cabinet approved a return to the community in December 2025 following a decision promoted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz. Thursday’s attack occurred at a temporary site established there ahead of the arrival of residents. The stabbing came hours after two Palestinian terrorists seriously wounded an Israeli civilian near Havat Derech Avraham, close to Alon Moreh. The earlier attack began as Israeli civilians attempted to extinguish a fire that had broken out near the farm, according to the IDF. During the firefighting effort, the two terrorists stabbed 51-year-old Itamar Cohen, one of the founders of the agricultural farm movement in the West Bank. Another Israeli civilian at the scene opened fire and killed both attackers. Cohen suffered stab wounds to his chest and body. Magen David Adom medics and an IDF medical team treated him at the scene before an Israeli Air Force Unit 669 helicopter evacuated him to a hospital in serious condition. MDA emergency medic Israel Arbus said medical teams had been providing coverage for the firefighting operation when civilians alerted them to the stabbing. “While we were providing medical coverage for the fire, civilians shouted to us that a man had been wounded in a stabbing,” he said. “We immediately ran to the scene and saw a man suffering from stab wounds to his body.” “We provided lifesaving medical treatment, including stopping the bleeding, and together with an IDF medical team evacuated him to the hospital in serious condition.” Firefighters from the Samaria district, local volunteers, community emergency personnel and security forces worked to contain the blaze. Two firefighting aircraft from the Elad Squadron were also deployed after commanders assessed the terrain and weather conditions. The IDF initially said Palestinians from the nearby village of Beit Furik had started the fire, but later corrected its statement and said the cause had not yet been determined. Investigators from Israel Fire and Rescue Services and Israel Police opened a joint investigation into the circumstances of the blaze. Following the attack, IDF troops conducted searches in the Beit Furik area and imposed a temporary cordon on the village. message h1d311fyrge The president said the US-Saudi agreement will allow only non-military nuclear facilities and no uranium enrichment, but approval depends on Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords ynet https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2025/05/08/S1QeP89lgx/S1QeP89lgx_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1d311fyrge Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:00:14 +03:00 President Donald Trump said Thursday that a planned civilian nuclear agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia will move forward only if Riyadh joins the Abraham Accords and normalizes relations with Israel. Trump said the agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia concerns only peaceful nuclear use and will not include uranium enrichment. “The Civil Nuclear Deal being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote. “The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities,” he added. The statement marks a shift from previous discussions surrounding a potential US-Saudi nuclear agreement, which had raised concerns in Israel over whether Riyadh could gain access to uranium enrichment technology. Trump emphasized that the program would be limited to civilian purposes and compared it to nuclear facilities already operating in countries including the United Arab Emirates. The Abraham Accords, brokered during Trump’s first term, led to normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries, including the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco. Saudi Arabia has long been viewed by Washington and Jerusalem as a potential candidate to join the agreements, but talks have been complicated by Riyadh’s demands regarding security guarantees, nuclear cooperation and the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Trump’s announcement came after months of negotiations over a broader US-Saudi package, which included economic cooperation, security ties and nuclear energy development. The Saudi nuclear issue has been closely watched in Israel, where officials have expressed concern that allowing uranium enrichment capabilities in Saudi Arabia could contribute to a regional nuclear race. Trump’s latest statement appeared to rule out such a possibility by explicitly stating that the agreement would not permit enrichment. The White House and Saudi officials have not yet announced additional details regarding the timeline of the agreement or the specific conditions Riyadh would need to meet to join the Abraham Accords. message rkrgwlkrzg The two men arrested for the fire that destroyed 13 houses have been released to restrictive condition; Police investigating claim that fire was caused by cigarette thrown from a car, but about 100 vehicles were driving on the road at that time with their windows open Idan Blumhof https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/20/SJ7HE8wsNfx/SJ7HE8wsNfx_0_60_1280_720_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkrgwlkrzg Thu, 23 Jul 2026 14:47:16 +03:00 The two Palestinians arrested on suspicion of causing the fire at Havat Gilad over the weekend were released Thursday under restrictive conditions. According to one claim, the fire was caused by a cigarette thrown from a moving car. The police investigation found that about 150 vehicles passed along the road at the time, around 100 of them with their windows open. The investigation into the circumstances of the fire, which left 113 residents homeless, is continuing as investigators analyze additional findings obtained from cameras. Police initially said the Palestinians released Thursday had been arrested “on suspicion of involvement in setting the fire,” but minutes later said the suspicion was “involvement in causing the fire.” Police said it was a “clerical error.” The fire at Havat Gilad broke out Saturday and burned 13 homes. During the firefighting efforts, the entire community was evacuated. Residents and the Samaria Regional Council believe it was a deliberate act of arson. After the Palestinians were arrested earlier this week, Havat Gilad said: “We demand that law enforcement authorities exhaust the investigation to the fullest, act decisively and impose the harshest penalties set by law on those responsible for this criminal act. This is terror and this incident must be treated as terror!! The residents of Havat Gilad are now all focused on the rehabilitation efforts, rebuilding and supporting the families who lost their homes. We want to thank the people of Israel for their important support for the residents of the community.” This article includes videos and photos under Section 27A of the Copyright Law. Any copyright holder who believes their work has been used is invited to contact the red email with proof of ownership and clarify whether they would like it removed or credited in the publication. message hjzktd1sfx Prosecutors say Saher Brik posed as a man from Rahat, married the northern Israeli woman and fathered her child; police uncovered his identity after being pulled over for driving with tinted windows Israel Moshkovitz https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/23/SkrXvw1rMl/SkrXvw1rMl_0_115_1280_721_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjzktd1sfx Thu, 23 Jul 2026 14:41:40 +03:00 An Israeli woman from northern Israel discovered that the man she had lived with for more than a year, married and had a child with was allegedly a Gaza resident living in Israel illegally after police stopped him over a traffic violation, according to an indictment filed Thursday. Saher Brik, 29, from Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, is accused of living in Israel unlawfully for years while posing as a young Israeli man from Rahat. Prosecutors say he used the false identity to win the woman’s trust, marry her and build a family with her. The case, filed by attorney Maya Shiloni of the Valleys Prosecution Office, will be heard at the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court. According to the indictment, the woman had no reason to suspect that Brik was using another person’s identity until officers in Migdal HaEmek noticed him driving on a city road in a vehicle with tinted windows. Chief Inspector Taghrid Zidan, head of investigations and intelligence at the Migdal HaEmek police station, said Brik stopped after officers signaled him and provided the name and identification number of a Rahat resident. At first, the details appeared legitimate. A check of the police database, however, showed that the Israeli citizen whose identity he had allegedly used did not have a driver’s license. Brik was taken in for questioning so officers could determine why he was driving without a license. At the station, he was unable to provide further personal details and eventually admitted that he was a Gaza resident, police said. Investigators continued questioning him after discovering his alleged identity. “We asked where exactly he was going, and he told us he was on his way to the hospital to visit his wife, who was undergoing an examination after giving birth,” Zidan said. “We then contacted his wife to question her on suspicion of harboring someone staying illegally in Israel.” According to Zidan, the woman was stunned to learn that the man she had been married to for more than a year was from Gaza. She had recently given birth to their first child. During a search of the couple’s home, officers found a photograph from their wedding night bearing the name of the Israeli citizen Brik was accused of impersonating. “Her family came to the station and was in complete shock when they realized their daughter had married a Gaza resident,” Zidan said. “They were horrified by the thought that she had brought into her home someone who could have placed her at risk of becoming involved in a criminal case.” During a confrontation between the couple, the woman repeatedly referred to Brik by the name of the Israeli man whose identity he had allegedly assumed, refusing to believe that she had married a Gaza resident, Zidan said. Staff Sgt. Maj. Rami al-Assad, an investigator at the Migdal HaEmek station who worked on the case, said the woman broke down in tears during the confrontation. “She is married to him for more than a year, eats with him, drinks with him, and suddenly discovers that she does not know the person she is living with,” he said. “We woke her from a nightmare.” According to al-Assad, the woman thanked investigators for uncovering the alleged deception. “She said that otherwise, we could have continued living this lie, and I could have gone on living with someone without knowing his true identity,” he said. Brik was charged with entering or remaining in Israel illegally, driving without a license, driving without insurance, impersonating another person with intent to defraud, obstructing a police officer and unlawfully tinting the vehicle’s windows. Attorney Sirin Ashkar Rok, who represents Brik on behalf of the Public Defender’s Office, said he was a law-abiding man who had worked honestly to support himself in Israel. “His family is originally from Israel,” she said. “He entered Israeli territory before October 7 and was unable to return to Gaza. Once we receive the investigative materials, we will consider our next steps.” message rjnhjdkrgx 51-year-old victim was seriously wounded and evacuated by a Unit 669 helicopter; troops imposed a temporary cordon on Beit Furik as police and fire investigators examined the cause of the blaze Idan Bloemhof, Elisha Ben Kimon https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/23/B1YRA8kHMl/B1YRA8kHMl_0_0_848_478_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjnhjdkrgx Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:33:46 +03:00 Two Palestinian terrorists stabbed and seriously wounded an Israeli civilian on Thursday while residents were attempting to extinguish a fire near a West Bank farm, the IDF said. According to the military, another Israeli civilian at the scene identified the attack and shot and killed both terrorists. The wounded man, aged 51, suffered stab wounds to his chest and body. He received lifesaving treatment at the scene from Magen David Adom medics and an IDF medical team before being evacuated by an Israeli Air Force Unit 669 helicopter to a hospital in serious condition. MDA emergency medic Israel Arbus said medical crews had been providing coverage for the firefighting operation when civilians alerted them to the attack. “While we were providing medical coverage for the fire, civilians shouted to us that a man had been wounded in a stabbing,” he said. “We immediately ran to the scene and saw a man suffering from stab wounds to his body.” “We provided lifesaving medical treatment, including stopping the bleeding, and together with an IDF medical team evacuated him to the hospital in serious condition.” The fire broke out earlier Thursday near Havat Derech Avraham, close to Alon Moreh. Firefighters from the Samaria area, local volunteers, members of the community emergency response team and security forces worked to contain the flames. The Israel Fire and Rescue Service said crews were dealing with an extensive line of fire and faced difficulty reaching all the burning areas from the ground. Two firefighting aircraft from the Elad Squadron were deployed after commanders assessed the terrain and weather conditions. The IDF initially said Palestinians from Beit Furik had started the fire, but later issued a correction stating that its cause had not yet been established. Fire investigators from Israel Fire and Rescue Services and investigators from Israel Police opened a joint investigation into the circumstances surrounding the blaze. Following the stabbing, IDF troops conducted searches in the Beit Furik area and imposed a temporary cordon on the village. Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan arrived at the scene and described the stabbing as a grave terrorist attack. “This is a serious terrorist incident,” Dagan said. “Time and again, we are witnessing arson attacks and attempted terrorist attacks.” He accused the Palestinian Authority and terrorist organizations of promoting incitement and called on the government to respond “with an iron fist.” “The settlement movement in Samaria is strong, and we will defeat them,” he said. “We expect the government to crush terrorism and those who incite it.” message sy61v8ybfe Justice minister failed to enact much of his original plan, but battles over judicial appointments, the attorney general and court powers have left Israel’s legal system strained, its institutions divided and the next election poised to determine what comes next Tova Zimuky https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/01/02/BkhqG8H4We/BkhqG8H4We_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sy61v8ybfe Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:27:58 +03:00 During Israel’s 2022 election campaign, Likud issued promises on nearly every major public concern: the cost of living, security, governance and free education from birth. Detailed plans were presented, though many were never implemented. One major plan, however, was held back until after the election. It was the plan that would produce one of the deepest ruptures in Israeli society: the judicial overhaul. “It is reasonable that one of the reasons for the massacre was Hamas’ perception of the division within the nation and the military’s readiness,” an IDF spokesperson later said of the circumstances preceding Yahya Sinwar’s decision that the time had come to launch the attack. How it began On January 4, 2023, days after the government was sworn in, newly appointed Justice Minister Yariv Levin held a news conference and announced sweeping changes to the judicial system. He proposed changing the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee, abolishing the reasonableness doctrine, redefining the role of the attorney general, passing an override clause, eliminating the High Court of Justice’s authority to strike down Basic Laws and sharply limiting its power to invalidate ordinary legislation. Levin had spent years developing the plan, but when the moment arrived, he discovered a major flaw: He was not facing an open goal. Critics quickly argued that the program amounted to the systematic destruction of Israel’s governmental checks and balances. They warned that it would concentrate unprecedented power in the hands of the government, which already controls the Knesset, and allow the executive branch to act without effective oversight. Some have argued that Levin acted without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval. The facts point to a more complicated picture. After the 2020 election, Netanyahu offered Levin the Justice Ministry, but Levin declined and accepted the Tourism Ministry instead. The decision surprised many, since Levin had devoted much of his political career to demanding changes in the legal system. The reason, according to this account, was that he had not been given permission at the time to implement his plans. By late 2022, Netanyahu’s corruption trial was already underway, and the restrictions placed on Levin had been lifted. Changing the Judicial Selection Committee “The first issue we will regulate is the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee,” Levin declared on January 4, 2023. “No longer will judges select themselves behind closed doors and without minutes. Instead, the three branches of government will have equal representation on the committee, two public representatives appointed by the justice minister will replace the sectoral representatives of the Israel Bar Association, and full transparency will be ensured through public hearings before the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for candidates to the Supreme Court.” In practice, Levin failed to secure the change he originally wanted. But he also refused to operate under the existing rules, under which the Supreme Court justices on the committee vetoed his two preferred candidates, Dr. Aviad Bakshi and Dr. Rafi Biton. The justices argued that the two legal scholars, neither of whom had previously served as a judge, did not meet the professional standard required for the Supreme Court. As a result, no Supreme Court justice was appointed during Levin’s tenure, and the court is now missing roughly one-third of its full bench. The burden falls first on citizens whose cases are delayed before the court. Levin eventually joined Gideon Sa’ar in passing legislation changing the committee, though the law will take effect only after the next Knesset election, assuming the High Court does not strike it down. The law removes the Israel Bar Association’s representatives and replaces them with an additional coalition representative and an additional opposition representative. It allows Supreme Court justices to be appointed by a regular majority of five of the committee’s nine members, but requires the support of at least one coalition representative and one opposition representative. If no agreement is reached, two seats remain vacant and a year has passed, the coalition and opposition will each draw up a list of three candidates, and the other side will choose one appointee from that list. Appointments to lower courts will also require a five-member majority, including the support of one opposition representative, one coalition representative and one judge. The prolonged stalemate eventually led the High Court to order Levin to convene the committee to select a new chief justice. Knowing that he would lose the vote, Levin refused to attend the meeting. For the first time since Israel’s establishment, a Supreme Court president was chosen whom the justice minister and much of the coalition refuse to recognize. Levin also boycotts Yitzhak Amit in his role as one of the heads of the legal system, and working meetings intended to improve the system’s operations are not taking place. Once again, the principal victims are ordinary Israelis. People close to Levin say he proposed a detailed compromise to fill the Supreme Court vacancies, including accepting Amit as president and appointing another liberal justice in exchange for selecting either Bakshi or Biton. They argue that the Supreme Court justices consistently rejected that offer and that the responsibility for the crisis does not rest with Levin. Levin achieved greater success in appointing magistrates’ and district court judges. These appointments require a simple majority on the committee, which he did not initially possess. Shortly after the war began, he announced that judges would be appointed only by the “full agreement” of all committee members. Under that arrangement, 290 judges were selected, dozens of them Levin’s preferred candidates. In private conversations, judges acknowledge that compromises were required to allow those appointments to proceed. Even so, dozens of judicial positions remain vacant. Levin refuses to convene the committee to fill them, apparently hoping to do so under the new law after the next election. The override clause and striking down laws “No more court hearings on Basic Laws,” Levin promised in January 2023. “No more invalidation of Knesset laws without authorization. Instead, the court will act under the Basic Laws and will not stand above them. Laws may be struck down by the Supreme Court sitting as a full bench and by a special majority. A balanced override clause will be enacted with a majority of 61. On the other hand, the same Knesset will not be able to override a decision if the court struck down the law unanimously.” In practice, the proposed Basic Law: Legislation was never enacted, first because of the mass protests against the overhaul and later because of the war. Even so, the effort created a deterrent effect. The Supreme Court, now largely conservative, appears reluctant to enter into direct confrontation with the political leadership and has exercised great caution in invalidating government decisions, including its refusal to block the appointment of Mossad chief Roman Gofman. One concrete and relatively consensual Levin achievement in this area was the abolition of the Aprofim doctrine, a move intended to restore greater legal certainty to contract law and reduce reliance on expansive judicial interpretation. Abolishing the reasonableness doctrine “No more overturning completely legal government decisions on the pretext that they appear unreasonable to a judge,” Levin said in January 2023. “Instead, the reasonableness doctrine will be abolished and decision-making power returned to those elected to govern. In my words, there is no such thing as the reasonableness doctrine.” The law abolishing the doctrine was advanced by Constitution Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman and passed by the Knesset after last-minute compromise talks with the opposition collapsed. It passed despite strong opposition from then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and despite warnings delivered to the government by the IDF chief of staff and Shin Bet director that the widening social rift was damaging Israel’s deterrence against its enemies. Roughly a year later, the High Court struck down the law by a one-vote majority. Since then, however, the court has largely avoided relying on unreasonableness when ruling against the political leadership. Removing the attorney general and splitting the role “Legal advisers are exactly what their name suggests: advisers, not decision-makers,” Levin said at the same landmark news conference. “They must represent the government, not their own personal views.” After Netanyahu loosened the restraints on Levin amid the lack of progress in his trial, and following repeated clashes with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Levin initiated proceedings to remove her. The High Court canceled the process because it had been specially devised for her and contradicted the existing law. Levin and Rothman are now advancing an alternative: legislation to divide the attorney general’s position. The proposal is intended to sever the professional subordination of legal advisers in government ministries to the attorney general and allow each minister to appoint a legal adviser considered personally loyal to them. One part of the legislation has already been approved. Critics say it dramatically weakens the role and allows the government to interpret the law as it wishes. That legislation is also expected to reach the High Court. The minister of conflict The defining feature of Levin’s tenure has been his consistent preference for confrontation over compromise on his core principles. At nearly every critical juncture, he chose a direct clash over efforts to reach broad agreements. That was true when he refused to convene the Judicial Selection Committee until ordered to do so by the High Court. It was true when he made the unprecedented decision to boycott incoming Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, paralyzing professional working meetings. It was also true in his aggressive and uncompromising campaign against the attorney general. Levin argues that it was the other side that refused to compromise, pointing, for example, to the Supreme Court justices’ refusal to support the appointment of Bakshi or Biton. Instead of moderating his program and building broad support that could have produced lasting achievements, Levin repeatedly adopted a confrontational approach. That strategy may have delivered some results, but it is possible that within months they will prove to have been only temporary. The consequences of this policy went beyond fueling mass protests and deepening the divisions in Israeli society. It also created a legal and political tangle that paralyzed the Justice Ministry’s work and caused direct, tangible harm to citizens waiting for their cases to be resolved. The bottom line After four years of confrontation, Levin believes, with considerable justification, that the coming election will also be a referendum on the judicial overhaul. The central questions will include the composition of the Supreme Court, the appointment of conservative judges throughout the system, the removal of the attorney general and the division of her role. Should Likud form the next government, Levin’s plans are clear: pass additional overhaul legislation, appoint nine new Supreme Court justices, select a new attorney general and deputies, and replace the state attorney and that office’s senior officials. From Levin’s perspective, he has succeeded beyond expectations, even though his progress was sometimes halted by Netanyahu, the war or High Court rulings. He fundamentally changed and sharpened public consciousness regarding the place of the judiciary in Israeli politics and society. He began a counterrevolution against the “constitutional revolution” led by Aharon Barak in the 1980s and 1990s and further hardened the positions of both his supporters and opponents. For his critics, who call him “Levin the destroyer,” his success amounts to the systematic demolition of Israel’s liberal democracy and the politicization of an independent judicial system. On one point, both sides agree: Everything that has happened so far was only the opening act. message s1k4lhysgl Prosecutors say Mohammed Awad blamed the minister for escalating violence in Arab society, contacted Hamas seeking resources and spent two years researching ballistic missiles and explosive mechanisms online Israel Moshkovitz https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/21/ryJla62Vfe/ryJla62Vfe_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s1k4lhysgl Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:31:58 +03:00 A Nazareth man was indicted Thursday for allegedly planning to attack National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir with an attack drone or a remotely controlled guided missile. According to the indictment, Mohammed Awad began focusing on Ben-Gvir after his friend, 25-year-old Tawfik Abu Lashin, was shot dead in Nazareth last year. Awad allegedly viewed Ben-Gvir as responsible for the escalation in violence and crime in Arab society and believed the minister was harming Muslims throughout Israel. Prosecutors said he decided to attack Ben-Gvir in an effort to force him from office. The case was investigated by the Shin Bet and the Northern District Police Major Crimes Unit. According to the indictment, Awad contacted Hamas in March 2026 in an attempt to obtain resources that would help him advance the attack plan, but received no response. “Over the past two years, and in order to advance his activity on behalf of Hamas, the defendant began studying missiles, how they operate and their detonation mechanisms through various online sources,” the indictment said. “The defendant watched videos dealing with the structure of ballistic missiles, the materials they contain and how they operate, as well as videos explaining how to construct an object with a detonation mechanism similar to that of a missile.” Prosecutors said Awad also searched online for information about how a ballistic missile’s detonation mechanism works, how such missiles fly and explode, and which materials cause an explosion when a missile strikes the ground. He allegedly conducted some of the searches while concealing his browsing history in an effort to hide his actions. According to the indictment, Awad knew that Ben-Gvir lived in the Hebron area in the West Bank and considered two possible methods of attack. “The defendant planned to harm him by constructing an attack drone that would follow him and detonate nearby, or by constructing a guided missile with a remote-control mechanism,” prosecutors said. Awad allegedly designed models of both a drone and a missile and searched online for materials from which to construct them. At some point, he concluded that he lacked the necessary means and stopped trying to build the models. Prosecutors said, however, that he continued searching for information and watching videos on the subject. Attorney Nizar Aboud, who represents Awad through the Public Defender’s Office, said his client has complex medical problems and should receive rehabilitative treatment rather than imprisonment. “This is a defendant with complex medical issues,” Aboud said. “His rehabilitative and therapeutic treatment should be prioritized over punishment. This is not a case for imprisonment, but for a treatment framework.” message r1aa7tsvgg Weeknight closures are trapping drivers across the country as infrastructure projects expand, while officials warn the heaviest disruption will come when construction begins on the Tel Aviv metro Sivan Hilaie https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/19/yk14837975/yk14837975_0_123_1890_1064_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1aa7tsvgg Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:45:00 +03:00 It is already past midnight. You are making your way home after a grueling workday that dragged on for far too many hours. Or, in the best-case scenario, after a night out that ran late. Your eyes are half-closed, daydreaming about the moment you will dive between the sheets. “Five more minutes and it happens,” you think happily. Then suddenly, flashing lights appear from the vehicle ahead of you. You brake sharply. A huge traffic jam. You, too, have become part of the new national phenomenon: roadwork carried out at night. And there is so much of it that it feels impossible to avoid. A dead-end road. This is the map of nighttime traffic jams. In recent months, there has been a sharp increase in the scope of infrastructure work on roads across Israel. Many drivers find themselves trapped late at night in traffic jams caused by lane closures and sudden changes in traffic arrangements. The feeling is that the freedom to move at night has shrunk. Not that driving here during the day is especially enjoyable. Infrastructure agencies are doing their best and trying to maneuver between carrying out essential projects, which are important for the transportation future of all of us, and preserving daily life. But because of the almost total ban on work on weekends, their room for maneuver is limited. And the most worrying news: The greatest challenge still lies ahead — the construction of the largest transportation project in Israel’s history, the Tel Aviv metropolitan area metro. 'Less time to sleep' “I work night shifts at least once a week, and every minute of delay means less time to sleep,” said Mor Shemesh, a resident of Gedera. “After I got burned a few times by traffic jams of more than 40 minutes, I realized that Waze almost never warns in advance about the work, and I stopped relying on it. Today I choose longer bypass routes in advance so I don’t risk getting stuck behind a closure on the way home at night. Instead of driving half an hour via Highway 4, I drive through Highway 42, Rehovot and Highway 40 south. It is frustrating and exhausting.” Mor, of course, is not alone. Drivers across the country are dealing with an unusual volume of roadwork, causing lane closures and sometimes full road closures. For example, Netivei Israel is currently carrying out dozens of infrastructure and upgrade projects on major roads — Highways 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, the Ayalon Highway, 40, 65, 70, 71, 77, 85 and 90. The work includes road widening, construction of interchanges, asphalt resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation and drainage and lighting upgrades. NTA, which is building the Green Line and Purple Line of the light rail and preparing for the metro project, also is carrying out dozens of infrastructure projects involving lane closures, night closures and traffic diversions along the Ayalon Highway, Highway 4, Route 461, Derech Hashalom, Derech Namir, Ibn Gabirol Street, Aluf Sadeh Road, Ben-Gurion Road in Ramat Gan and Mesubim Junction. Ayalon Highways is advancing the fast lanes project, the Blue Line bus rapid transit project in Rishon Lezion, Ness Ziona and Rehovot, the start of work on the Brown Line in Be’er Yaakov, Rishon Lezion, Ramla and Lod, the Em Hamoshavot corridor in Petah Tikva, and projects in Beit Shemesh, Or Yehuda and along the Ariel Sharon corridor. Israel Railways is extending platforms along the Ayalon corridor ahead of the new electric trains. Trans-Israel Highway is closing Highway 6 northbound at night between the Iron Interchange and the Ein Tut Interchange. Behind the nighttime nightmare stands a strict law. Under the Hours of Work and Rest Law, only the official in charge of permits at the Labor Ministry is authorized to approve work on Saturdays in emergencies or when severe economic harm is expected if approval is not granted. In practice, such approvals are almost never given today. And so, within this system, there is unequal treatment: Israel Railways receives approval for limited work on Saturdays, while the other infrastructure companies are pushed into weekday nights. In the past, complex projects were routinely carried out on weekends. But in recent years, the Transportation Ministry has led the opposite policy, shifting most work to weekdays and turning the lives of millions of drivers, shift workers and truck drivers into a nightmare of traffic jams. The pressure of deadlines means the work does not begin at midnight. Infrastructure companies are forced to start setting up closures as early as 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., when traffic is still active, and drivers are delayed an average of 15 to 20 minutes just for the placement of barriers. By 5 a.m., the work site must be cleared, meaning the net working hours are very limited. A weekend, by contrast, provides about 30 uninterrupted hours, allowing the engineering continuity needed for materials to dry or bridges to be lifted into place. The result is a domino effect that increases the length and cost of the work: Projects that could have been completed in one weekend are dragged out over months of nighttime closures, and sometimes infrastructure companies are forced to shut down major routes in the middle of the week. The main burden is in three years Uri Keidar, CEO of the Israel Hofsheet movement, criticized the weeknight work. “Infrastructure work on roads and railways must be carried out at the time when the transportation damage to the public is minimal — and that is the weekend," he said. "This is the right professional step and the most economically efficient. Shifting the work to weekdays contradicts the position of professionals. The price is severe harm to the daily lives of millions of citizens and unbearable traffic jams every night. Managing infrastructure in a Western country requires substantive decision-making based on efficiency and the public good, not on other dictates.” The most complicated situation is in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Meital Lehavi, deputy mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and the official responsible for transportation, explained: “We are going through development processes that advanced cities went through back in the 19th century, and there is no magic solution. In Tel Aviv-Jaffa alone, about 1,400 construction sites are operating simultaneously, including about 400 local or metropolitan infrastructure projects. We have reached a situation of congestion almost every hour, even on weekends. We try not to approve more than three closures a week in the same area, and that does not always succeed. The real challenge is still ahead of us: The metro work will lead to the construction of 100 stations, including 20 underground stations in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.” Einat Feldman, NTA’s vice president of traffic, added: “The information we pass on to the authorities is transparent and provided early. We have already presented what will be closed two years from now. We almost never carry out hermetic closures. The metro, like the light rail, will not stop traffic on the main arteries. Without this work, there is no future for the private car.” According to her, the worst is still ahead. “The main burden will be felt in about three years,” she said. 'This is only the prelude' Will the price we are paying today solve the traffic jam problem? Dr. Ilit Oppenheim, director of the Shlomo Shmeltzer Institute for Smart Transportation at Tel Aviv University, has bad news on that front as well. “Expanding roads in and of itself will not solve the congestion problem. Most of the work today is for mass transit — trains, fast lanes, light rail and, in the future, the metro — and that is the right goal. We will not solve traffic jams without moving more people to public transportation,” she said. According to Oppenheim, the harm to the public is very great mainly because not enough attention is paid to what people are going through. “The problem is that when projects are measured, the focus is mainly on budget and timelines, but there is not enough examination of the price the public pays during the work, the lost time in traffic jams, the damage to quality of life and the travel experience,” she said. “We need to start thinking about demand management through more work from home, flexible work hours, use of shared transportation and changes in travel patterns in places where congestion is expected. When the metro work begins, we will understand that what we have experienced until now was only the prelude.” The Transportation Ministry responds: “In recent years, the Transportation Ministry has led an unprecedented infrastructure revolution, including the advancement and implementation of dozens of national projects simultaneously across the country, intended to respond to the significant population growth, reduce traffic congestion and improve road safety. Some of the work is carried out at night, when traffic volume is lower, thereby reducing the impact on the public. Regarding work on Saturday: The work is carried out in accordance with the law, the required permits and professional, safety and operational considerations provided by the Labor Ministry. In cases in which Saturday work is required for safety reasons or operational needs, it is carried out in accordance with all required approvals.” message hy71a00regx The morning of October, Hamas terrorists shot two of Shahar Ben Naim's friends and then he and three others tried to hide, but help did not arrive; 'He was a conqueror, full of love and light,' his sister shared, 'I'm angry - everyone fell asleep on guard' Nina Fox https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/21/SklKKNzTNMe/SklKKNzTNMe_118_430_651_367_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hy71a00regx Thu, 23 Jul 2026 03:38:25 +03:00 Shahar Ben Naim, a father of three, went with Lior Asulin, Hanan Yablonka, Hila Klein and Mercedes Amar, to the Nova music festival on October 7. None of them came back. For about two hours, Shahar hid in an orchard near Mefalsim Junction after two of his friends had been shot, while trying to call for help, updating his mother and sister about what was happening and convinced that rescue forces were on the way. The correspondence with him continued until 9:24 a.m., when it stopped after he was murdered by terrorists. “I miss his hug the most,” his sister Hagit told ynet. “He had this protective arm that I will never get to feel again.” After Hanan Yablonka’s sister told the Daily Mail how her brother was brutally shot in the chest before terrorists dragged him in a pickup truck to Gaza and executed him barbarically with their weapons in a hospital bed, Shahar’s sister detailed for the first time the moments of terror he endured on the morning of October 7 — and released the last recording he sent to his family. On the evening before October 7, Shahar’s mother still had time to visit him at the horse ranch he had built, and asked him not to go to the party. “My mother came to see him,” his sister recalled. “He was celebrating the birthday of the late Lior Asulin with more friends. My mother told Shahar to come eat the holiday meal with us, but he told her they were celebrating a birthday and maybe afterward they would go to the party. Mom told him, ‘Forget the party, what do you need a party for? You already celebrated.’ He told her, ‘You’re right, I won’t go. We’ll continue at my place in Tel Aviv.’” Later that evening, Hanan arrived at Shahar’s ranch and they continued celebrating with friends, including Hila Klein and Mercedes Amar, who had bought tickets to the Nova festival. Apparently in a last-minute decision, they chose to join Hila and Mercedes and drive to the festival, which was held near Kibbutz Re’im in the Gaza border area. The five got into Hanan’s car, and at about 3 a.m. arrived at the Nova festival site. At 6:29 a.m., the party was stopped, but the five did not feel that the situation was too dangerous and made their way slowly toward Hanan’s car to drive back to Shahar’s ranch. Still, they managed to leave the festival grounds relatively quickly. “They were among the first to leave the Nova compound. They walked casually,” said his sister Hagit. “Shahar even ran into some friend and told him, ‘Come on, we’re going to the ranch, we’ll continue the party there.’” The final moments of terror The five got into the car and began driving. “Hila was driving, Shahar sat next to her, and Hanan, Lior and Mercedes sat in the back,” Hagit explained. “At Mefalsim Junction they apparently encountered some vehicle and stopped, or their car stopped. Hanan got out of the car to check what had happened, and at that point the terrorists arrived and shot Hanan. Hila hit the gas and kept driving to escape the terrorists who had shot Hanan. Farther along, on the right side of the road, there was another cell of terrorists lying in wait for them — and they shot at them.” “At that point, Lior was hit by a bullet in the back,” Shahar’s sister continued. “Hila, Shahar and Mercedes were still alive. At some point, their car stopped or they stopped it themselves, near an orchard, about a kilometer from where Lior was shot. They called Magen David Adom at 6:57 a.m.. Shahar said they had been shot at and that their friend had been hit, and that he did not know what to do. You can hear Hila or Mercedes saying, ‘Lior, Lior,’ trying to talk to him. The MDA dispatcher tells Shahar: ‘Take a shirt and close the wound,’ and Shahar answers her, ‘You don’t know what condition they are in.’ During the call with MDA, you hear them saying the terrorists are running toward the car, and they flee from there into the orchard. You hear Shachar running and saying, ‘I don’t believe it, they shot my two friends.’” Shahar, Hila and Mercedes hid together, alone, in a clementine orchard about a kilometer from Mefalsim Junction. They tried to call for help, while hearing terrorists on every side, until they were murdered. “They did not understand what was happening. They did not understand that what was happening to them was happening to everyone,” Hagit said, describing the moments of terror. “Shahar thought it was a localized incident. He knew he had called an ambulance and that it would arrive any minute. He thought they were coming to rescue him.” “When Shahar realized there was total chaos, he called my mother at around 8 a.m. I was next to her. He told us, ‘They shot my two friends,’ and said they did not understand what was going on. That there was shooting everywhere and that they were hiding in an orchard. He spoke with us by phone three times, and then he continued texting. He sent us his location. I sent it to the police and they said they would send a patrol car to him. I told him that if there was a body near him, he should hide under the body, because he said Lior and Hanan had been killed. He wrote: ‘I think Yablo, Hanan Yablonka, and Lior are finished.’ We texted with him until 9:24 a.m. Until the terrorist murdered them.” “The thought of their fear there in the orchard does not leave me,” Hagit said in pain. “What fear, what they went through in those moments. They were in the orchard for two and a half hours with shooting all around. What terror to think about what he went through in his final moments.” 'Mom is broken inside, I did not get up from the couch for three months' After long hours in which Shahar did not answer, Hagit and her mother understood that the worst had happened. They went to provide a DNA sample at a police station, and the next morning decided to drive to the location Shahar had sent them to look for him. “We started looking for him in hospitals. On the way to Barzilai Medical Center, a group of volunteers reached the location and told me to pull over with the car and that they would send me a picture to see if it was Shahar," Hagit described. "We received a picture of Shahar from a distance, lying down — and I immediately recognized him. They shot him to make sure he was dead. His face was not intact. My mother and I started screaming in the car and drove to the location. At the checkpoint, they asked where we were going, and we said we were going to pick up my brother. I did not say he was dead. We saw burned cars on the road and all the horrors, and we did not understand where we had arrived. We wanted to take Shachar with us and bring him for burial, but there were more sirens and missiles and even a terrorist cell. We returned to the Shura base, and Shachar’s body was taken for identification and then burial.” “Shahar was incredibly sociable,” Hagit said of her brother. “He had so many friends, he had an amazing, captivating smile and he was the most charismatic, the most handsome. A conversationalist. He would bring friends over all the time and was full of love and light. He loved animals very much. He would always bring abandoned dogs home. He loved horses very much. Before he was murdered, his work was the horse ranch. He was a special person who always gave everyone the feeling that he was their best friend. He was a listening ear and helped people so much. Helping others was an inseparable part of him, and his sticker says, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ He looked everyone in the eye as equals and had friends of every kind.” Since the massacre, Hagit and her mother have struggled to move on. “Shahar was very connected to my mother. My mother and Shahar had an extraordinary bond. Shachar lived in Tel Aviv and she would see him on a daily basis. They were constantly on the phone. Today my mother is 73, and she is not in the best condition. From the outside, you see a strong, smiling woman, but inside she is very broken. She does not sleep at night. She takes sleeping pills, and on a good night she sleeps three hours. She is a nurse by profession. After October 7, she could not function in her role as head nurse, and she resigned. I was in a very difficult state. For three months, I did not get up from the couch and simply wanted to die.” “My anger over what happened comes in waves,” Hagit shared. “I am angry at God, at Shahar, at the state, angry at the army. I do not think there is a single person in the political and security system who is innocent. Where was the army? Where was the head of Military Intelligence? Where was everyone? Everyone fell asleep on guard duty. There is very great anger. Sometimes I am angry at myself: How did I not drive there immediately when he called? There are feelings of guilt.” She said what helps her through the heavy grief is the nonprofit she founded in Shahar’s memory. “Maayan, my friend, asked what would get you up from the sofa, and that is how we established the Or HaShahar HaOleh nonprofit, which supports bereaved families, victims of terror attacks and soldiers through a variety of activities. The work is what keeps me going. The trauma of everything we went through and experienced is so great that you cannot go back to being who you were. It will never be the same again,” Hagit says. “We are a small family as it is. Shahar would bring friends with him to meals and the house was always full of light and joy and his laughter. It is so missing and so deeply felt. The pain is always there and the trauma is with us all the time. I miss his hug the most. He had this protective arm that I will never get to feel again.” “Shachar has three children,” Hagit added. “His eldest, Hof, is 16. They had a very special bond. A few months before he was murdered, Shahar managed to celebrate his bar mitzvah with him and accompany him to the Torah.” message s1nenhc4zx Iranian officials made surprising threats after Trump's said he would strike a power plant for every ship attacked,  and Britain has removed its diplomatic teams from Tehran; Israel believes the coming days will be crucial as it prepares for escalation Itamar Eichner, Lior Ben Ari, Daniel Edelson, Elisha Ben Kimon https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/22/S1upvi04Ge/S1upvi04Ge_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s1nenhc4zx Thu, 23 Jul 2026 01:58:14 +03:00 An unusual barrage of threats from Iran, a British announcement about the evacuation of diplomatic staff and Israeli preparations for the possibility of a significant escalation as early as this weekend: After the stepped-up American threats, including U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that “for every ship attacked in Hormuz, we will destroy a power plant or bridge, including in Tehran,” the Iranians responded with nonstop threats. But an equally important development is Britain’s announcement that it is evacuating its personnel from Iran because of the security situation. Against the backdrop of Israel’s preparations for the possibility of escalation with Iran, the IDF is on alert, refining defensive and offensive procedures and maintaining continuous contact with the Americans in case Trump does choose escalation. A senior Israeli official said the key to developments in the coming days lies with Trump. “Everything depends on him,” the official said. “He is maneuvering between escalation and a temporary ceasefire. On the one hand, he is increasing the threats and signaling a willingness to expand the strikes, but on the other, he is using that as a pressure tool to bring Iran to the negotiating table.” According to the official, Jerusalem is closely monitoring the White House’s decisions and preparing for every scenario. “If Trump decides to intensify the campaign, Israel will also be prepared for the possibility of an Iranian response against its territory. On the other hand, if the American pressure leads to a temporary ceasefire or a renewal of contacts, it may be possible to prevent a broader escalation.” The defense establishment assesses that the coming days will be decisive, and that Trump’s decisions will determine whether the region moves toward a wider confrontation or another attempt to curb the fighting through a diplomatic move. A step up: The heavy bombers return Israel is preparing for the possibility of a significant escalation as early as this weekend, after the United States informed Jerusalem that it intends to expand strikes in Iran and use heavy bombers, for the first time in the current wave of escalation, against targets inside Iran. According to the information relayed to Israel, this would constitute a step up in the American campaign. In Operation Roaring Lion, the United States used strategic bombers that took off from Britain and carried out strikes in Iran, and similar use is now being considered as part of the continued fighting. The assessment in Israel is that one of the main targets could be Pickaxe Mountain, after Trump declared that he intends to strike the site “with great force, and soon.” The defense establishment views close coordination with Washington as an essential component of preparations for a scenario involving an Iranian response. The assessment is that if the American strikes are expanded, Iran could decide to “break the rules” and renew missile fire at Israel. In such a scenario, Israeli officials assess that the IDF would resume striking targets in Iran, in a way that could bring Israel back into the direct cycle of fighting against Iran. Accordingly, the defense establishment is raising its level of alert and preparing for the possibility of rapid developments over the weekend. Against the backdrop of concern about escalation, Netanyahu will convene the full Cabinet on Sunday. Trump: 'The Iranians will be ready for a deal very soon' Hours after Trump’s threatening post, he spoke at a high school in Georgia and addressed the confrontation in the Gulf after 11 consecutive days of exchanges of fire. Those exchanges continued Wednesday evening with reports of Iranian fire toward Jordan and explosions in Iran. “We don’t need the Strait of Hormuz, but we’re doing this because we cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “They are getting hit so hard, and they want to get to a deal. They are not ready yet. But they will be ready very soon.” As noted, the Iranians responded to the threat to destroy bridges and power plants with an unusual barrage of threats of their own. The commander of the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards, Majid Mousavi, threatened that “if our bridges and power plants are attacked, we will cut off the electricity to the allies of the child killers.” The spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Ebrahim Rezaei, also directly addressed the U.S. president’s threat and wrote on X: “Trump’s threat to attack bridges and power plants is in fact an admission of his failure against the Revolutionary Guards navy. He will find himself in an even more miserable situation.” Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said: “If we do not sell oil, no one will sell oil.” President Masoud Pezeshkian said: “Our people will not surrender to threats.” Supreme leader’s adviser Ali Akbar Velayati noted that “Iran has entered a new phase of deterrence,” and Iran’s deputy foreign minister also threatened Europe, saying that making its bases and territory available to the aggressor would turn them into aggressive states. The power plants in Iran’s sights Iran’s Fars news agency mapped the main power plants in the region, in what appeared to be a threat that they could be hit in the event of an American attack on Iranian power plants. Fars wrote that “the deep dependence of major American military bases on the power grids of the host countries has created a strategic network of mutual dependence, and any action against Iran could have broad security consequences for American interests.” It cited “as examples” the al-Taweelah power plant in the United Arab Emirates, which supplies electricity to the American al-Dhafra base; the DEWA power plant in Dubai, which supplies electricity to al-Minhad Air Base; the Ras Laffan power plant in Qatar, which supplies electricity to Al Udeid Air Base; and the Riyadh power plant in Saudi Arabia, whose electricity is used at al-Kharj base. Did Russia help Iran attack CIA sites in the Gulf? Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf led analysts in U.S. intelligence to investigate whether Russia assisted Iran by providing targeting information or advanced drone technology. Four sources familiar with U.S. intelligence told Reuters that the intelligence community has not yet reached firm conclusions regarding possible Russian involvement in the attacks on CIA facilities. However, they noted the effectiveness of the strikes and the apparent precision they demonstrated, along with the broader technical assistance Russia provides Iran, as possible evidence. At least two CIA sites were attacked in March. One was the CIA station in Saudi Arabia, which operates out of the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, and another site was in eastern Iraq. Some of the sources said additional CIA sites were also hit but did not provide details. The strike in Saudi Arabia is believed to have been carried out using two Iranian Shahed drones upgraded by Russia. message b1pr18cegx The southern Lebanese tourism hub suffered extensive destruction during the fighting, but officials say 90% of displaced residents have returned, beaches are reopening and rubble is being cleared, even as shelling remains audible Lior Ben Ari https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/20/B1xGmzOjVGe/B1xGmzOjVGe_0_51_961_540_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1pr18cegx Wed, 22 Jul 2026 23:04:12 +03:00 The southern Lebanese tourism hub suffered extensive destruction during the fighting, but officials say 90% of displaced residents have returned, beaches are reopening and rubble is being cleared, even as shelling remains audible drove many residents away. Before the wars of recent years, Tyre was an important tourist hub in Lebanon, with beaches and sites considered popular destinations, including among residents of southern Lebanon itself. It is also known as a historic city and one of coexistence among different religions. The terrorist organization Hezbollah even exploited that during the months of fighting, believing it had found shelter in the city’s Christian quarter until the IDF issued evacuation warnings. Tyre and its surrounding area were significantly attacked during the war. The city’s recovery process, according to reports, is largely the result of the return of displaced Lebanese residents after the announcement in late June of the framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by the United States. However, security tensions remain in the Tyre district, of which the city is the capital, because of the activity of terrorist elements in the area. Over the weekend, a strike was reported in the village of al-Mansouri, which is part of the sector. In recent days, Lebanese channels and local Tyre groups have published articles and videos from the city’s streets, showing a return to routine. The videos mainly showed the beaches slowly filling up again. A Facebook page affiliated with the city posted photos from the beach in early July and wrote: “Tyre’s beach is coming back to life. An exceptional presence reflects the residents’ clinging to hope and the return of activity after the war.” As part of the city’s return to routine, a large beach cleanup event was held July 12 in the area of the Tyre Coast Nature Reserve. The event was preceded by a social media campaign calling on people to join hands and “welcome summer with a clean beach and a message of environmental and cultural responsibility.” In the presence of officials and volunteers, and after the Lebanese anthem was played and a minute of silence was observed in memory of the Lebanese killed, participants set out to clean the beach and collect trash, “with the aim of preserving the natural treasures that characterize the city of Tyre.” The Tyre Coast Nature Reserve is located on the seafront south of the city itself and is divided into a tourist area that allows swimming and recreation, a protected area, and an area of agriculture and antiquities. The reserve includes a biodiversity of plants and animals. It has a nesting site for sea turtles, a nesting site for birds, protected sand dunes, springs, wells and historic marshes. The nature reserve is also part of the ancient city of Tyre, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. The reserve’s agricultural area is separated from the other two areas by the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp, which is located on the coast. But alongside the landscapes and beaches, videos from the city also show streets destroyed in strikes against the terrorist organization Hezbollah during the war. Announcements by the Tyre municipality in recent days also recall what happened in the city only a few weeks ago, as the municipality has been publishing schedules for clearing the ruins of buildings that were struck and calling on residents of those buildings to be present at the work site during the evacuation “to observe the process.” An article on Tyre recently published in the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported that activity in the city’s streets is increasing day by day, especially on weekends, and that a walk through the city reveals cafes and restaurants that have reopened. The World Cup was also broadcast in recent weeks, although the number of customers remains low. The report also said that dozens “are flocking to the sea in the hope of escaping the security, political and social pressures they have suffered for months.” The newspaper noted that shop owners whose businesses were damaged in strikes are trying to complete renovations quickly in hopes of catching the summer season business before it ends, while hotels remain at low occupancy. The newspaper spoke with local residents who recently returned to the city, including Fatima Suleiman, who said: “Tyre is everything to us. It is our life. Going to the beach is essential, especially for the children, to release energy and ease psychological stress after months of the war’s harsh consequences.” Tyre Deputy Mayor Alwan Sharaf al-Din told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “There are about 50 tents on the beach of the Tyre Coast Nature Reserve, and most of them are fully ready to receive visitors. People began arriving from inside and outside the city after the summer season opened on July 4, but some are afraid of the security situation. The municipality has prepared all the services and is ensuring food safety, parking management and other daily details. We expect to see greater tourist activity after mid-July, if quiet continues in the south.” “Optimism remains cautious, because there are about 15 occupied villages out of 65 villages in the district," he added. Regarding war damage in the city, the deputy mayor said 27 buildings were completely destroyed and additional buildings were partially damaged. He claimed that about 90% of displaced residents have already returned to the city, and work continues to reopen roads and repair water and electricity networks. “Home repairs are underway, but this requires time, and people are waiting for compensation and reconstruction that has been delayed and is linked to the course of negotiations with Israel,” he added. An Al Jazeera report from recent days also said of the city that “children run on the sand and visitors return to the cafes and beach tents. Amid the sound of the waves and the bustle of visitors, the place is trying to overcome the memories of recent months.” “The Tyre municipality sees the reopening of the beach as one of the first steps toward economic recovery after the war,” Al Jazeera also wrote. According to the network, the municipality “took the initiative to clean, rehabilitate and reopen the beach to visitors, relying on its status as the city’s most prominent tourism and economic artery.” Lebanon’s An-Nahar also described the atmosphere on the city’s beaches last week: “From the beach, clouds of smoke can be seen rising from nearby towns. The sounds of airstrikes and explosions reach visitors’ ears almost daily. Children’s laughter mixes with the sounds of shelling, and the summer outing becomes a surreal scene: the sea and the war — an image that sums up the reality of the south today.” message rjvcec0vml Military prosecutors order disciplinary proceedings over March incident near Tayasir; IDF says soldier expressed remorse after probe found he used physical force against the network’s cameraman Elisha Ben Kimon https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/03/28/rJgT5zzHs11e/rJgT5zzHs11e_0_187_608_342_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjvcec0vml Wed, 22 Jul 2026 22:28:57 +03:00 About four months after the incident that sparked an international uproar, in which a soldier put a CNN cameraman in a chokehold while the network was covering an outpost, the IDF spokesperson announced Wednesday that the soldier had received a command reprimand. In the IDF statement, the military said the Military Advocate General’s Corps had ordered that the soldier, who expressed remorse for his actions, be brought before a disciplinary proceeding. The footage published by CNN that sparked an uproar: The Military Police opened an investigation into the incident, which took place in late March near the village of Tayasir. After the investigation was completed, the findings were transferred for review by the Military Advocate General’s Corps. The IDF noted that the investigation found that during the encounter between the soldiers and the broadcast crew in the area, “an IDF force at the scene acted while one of the soldiers used physical force against the cameraman from the media outlet.” After the incident, the IDF decided to suspend all operational activity by the 941st reserve battalion, “Netzah Yisrael,” made up of graduates of Netzah Yehuda. At the same time, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed that he be presented as soon as possible with the main findings of the inquiry being conducted into the incident, along with command recommendations. In addition, the IDF decided to remove the soldier who spoke about “revenge.” The incident occurred while a team from the American broadcaster CNN was covering the illegal takeover by settlers of nearby land. Part of the incident was documented by those present and, according to previous reports, the soldiers acted to stop the journalists from working, aimed weapons at them, and one of them put the cameraman in a chokehold and damaged his equipment. In the exchange that developed between them, the soldiers said that all of the West Bank belongs to the Jews, and that they wanted revenge for the death of Yehuda Sherman, who police said was murdered in a car-ramming attack the previous Saturday. One of the soldiers aimed his weapon directly at them and shouted: “Stop! Sit! Sit!” Later a soldier approached CNN cameraman Cyril Theophilos, choked him and threw him to the ground. Journalists and Palestinians who were in the area were detained by the soldiers. A soldier who identified himself as “Meir” declared that the outpost he was protecting was illegal under Israeli law, “but it will be a legal community, slowly, slowly.” When asked whether he was helping make that happen, he replied: “Of course. I am helping my people.” According to the report at the time, the soldier explained to the journalists how the settlers’ method works: establishing outposts on Palestinian land, relying on protection provided by IDF soldiers or on their nonintervention, and eventually receiving a government order legalizing the outpost. Meir and the soldier who attacked the cameraman described all Palestinians as terrorists and spoke about revenge. “If you had a brother and they killed him, what would you do?” one of them said, referring to Sherman. Asked whether it was legitimate for soldiers to take revenge, he answered: “At the end of the day, if the state does not deal with what those who murdered the boy did, what do you expect us to do?” message b1aldyreme ‘If we cannot sell oil, no one will,’ Iran’s parliament speaker says after Trump threatens a bridge or power plant for every ship attacked in Hormuz; US briefs Israel on plans to expand strikes Itamar Eichner, Lior Ben Ari, Ron Crissy https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/04/25/BJgR5t9611g/BJgR5t9611g_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1aldyreme Wed, 22 Jul 2026 22:51:25 +03:00 U.S. President Donald Trump continued threatening to intensify attacks on Iran, while Tehran responded in kind. Hours after Trump said that every attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz would lead to the destruction of “a bridge or power plant, including in Tehran,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said: “If we cannot sell oil, no one will sell oil.” Israel has also stepped up its preparations for a possible escalation. The United States informed Jerusalem that it intends to expand its attacks in Iran and, for the first time in the current round of fighting, deploy heavy bombers against targets inside the country. The latest round has included 11 consecutive days of exchanges of fire. Britain temporarily withdrew its diplomatic staff from Iran amid the escalation in the war. “The British team has been temporarily withdrawn from the country due to the security situation,” the UK government said. “The British Embassy in Iran continues to operate remotely.” Trump shared a report stating that he had “ordered CENTCOM to open the gates of hell after the deaths of the American soldiers.” Four U.S. service members were killed in Iranian attacks, and their coffins were returned to the United States on Wednesday. “The equation of this war is clear: all or nothing,” Ghalibaf, one of Iran’s negotiators, wrote on X after Trump’s remarks. “If our security is not guaranteed, no infrastructure will be safe. Security in the strait depends on the absence of American forces. We have said many times that conditions in the strait will not return to what they were before the war.” Against the backdrop of a possible escalation, Iranian state television reported that “large numbers of armed civilians are streaming to Abu Musa Island from all provinces to defend the Iranian islands.” “The entire Gulf is under the surveillance and supervision of Iranian forces. Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb are prepared for comprehensive defense. Navigation through the Strait of Hormuz continues to be managed under Iranian arrangements,” the report said. Video footage showed armed men on islands in the Hormuz area. Meanwhile, Axios reported that newly appointed Mossad chief Roman Gofman visited Washington about two weeks ago and met CIA Director John Ratcliffe and senior White House officials. It was Gofman’s first visit to Washington since taking office in June. According to the report, which cited two sources familiar with the details, the talks focused on the war with Iran and its nuclear program. One objective of the visit was to coordinate positions with the White House regarding negotiations with Tehran. The visit took place shortly before tensions intensified in the Strait of Hormuz and fighting resumed. Ratcliffe was reportedly among the most skeptical figures in Trump’s circle regarding the understandings with Iran and had warned in advance that Tehran would interpret the clauses relating to the strait differently. message sjjszdaefe Clip shared by Israeli embassies worldwide was meant to highlight Jewish ties to Sebastia, but officials say it instead reinforces a damaging narrative about the execution of one of Christianity’s most revered saints Itamar Eichner https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/22/HJgbjsM0EGe/HJgbjsM0EGe_1_714_777_438_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjjszdaefe Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:56:00 +03:00 The Foreign Ministry has posted a video on its official X account promoting the narrative that a Jew killed John the Baptist, one of the most important figures in Christianity. According to Christian tradition, John the Baptist is considered the one who heralded the coming of Jesus and baptized him in the waters of the Jordan River — a foundational event in the Christian world that became a ritual practiced by billions of believers over the years. Watch: The video features Sharon Regev, director of the Foreign Ministry’s department for Cultural and Academic Cooperation, who is also a tour guide by profession. It was filmed in Sebastia in Samaria, the capital of the historic Kingdom of Israel. In the video, Regev says: “We are in Sebastia, in a beautiful Byzantine church that, according to tradition, is the burial place of the head of John the Baptist, who prophesied the coming of Jesus. During the Roman period, he became a threat to the royal family, and eventually Herodias, the wife of King Herod Antipas, ordered his beheading. John the Baptist’s head is buried here behind me. His body is buried in another church which is now the Great Mosque in the village of Sebastia.” The video received more than 40,000 views and was shared by all Israeli embassies around the world. It was accompanied by a post that read: "History feels different when you're standing where it happened. Welcome to Sebastia, a place that is more than just an archaeological site. First named Shomron, it was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel. Later it became a central city in Judea and according to Christian tradition, it is the place where John the Baptist was laid to rest. A place where Jewish and Christian history continue to meet." But officials in the Foreign Ministry believe this inadvertently is causing major damage to Israel in the Christian world. It emerged that the video was published without being approved by the ministry’s experts on Christianity, and ministry officials said Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar was also angry about its posting. Despite all this, the video has not yet been removed. “Israeli diplomats are expected to know history, and even more so Christian history. This is a public diplomacy disaster," a foreign ministry official said. "To post on the official channels a video stating that a Jew murdered John the Baptist is foolishness at best and a farce at worst. What is the next stage? A video about Judas Iscariot handing Jesus over to the Romans?” John the Baptist was a Jew who lived in Judea during the Second Temple period and was a relative of Jesus. He is considered a saint, a spiritual teacher and the one who prophesied the coming of Jesus, and his work is described in the New Testament. According to tradition, he baptized people as part of their purification process, hence his name. He baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, in an event considered highly central in Christianity. According to Christian tradition, John the Baptist was executed by beheading by the Jewish ruler Herod Antipas, the son of Herod, king of Judea. According to tradition, the act was carried out at the request of Herodias, Herod’s wife, and her daughter Salome, because John the Baptist had criticized the forbidden marriage of Herod and Herodias. Only a few months ago, Sa’ar appointed diplomat George Deek as special envoy to the Christian world. Deek is an Arab Christian diplomat who is considered successful and well liked, but the Foreign Ministry did not consult him before posting the video. Some in the ministry are wondering what the purpose of posting the video was in the first place, and suggest that the goal may have been to appeal to the right-wing base and show that Sebastia is connected to the Jews. Another Foreign Ministry official wondered how the video made it through the chain of approvals. “Every video that is produced goes through a chain of approvals: the head of the digital division, the deputy director general for public diplomacy, the professional official responsible for the field and usually also the Foreign Ministry director general. Did they all fail to understand the event? It is important that the matter be investigated thoroughly and that those responsible be held accountable,” the official said. The Foreign Ministry said in response: “The video is part of a series of products within the Foreign Ministry’s public diplomacy campaign against the Palestinian Authority’s attempt at UNESCO to appropriate heritage sites, such as Sebastia, and erase the history and Jewish connection to the place. This specific video was intended to present the site’s historical, archaeological and religious importance to the Christian heritage connected to it. “The video describes a familiar and well-known event according to Christian tradition, and it contains no mention of Jews or assignment of collective responsibility to them. Another video in the same series focused on the Jewish heritage of the site. The claims of a disgruntled official from within the system will not change the fact that the video was received very positively and was highly successful among target audiences around the world. The Foreign Ministry, through the special envoy to the Christian world and the ministry’s professional officials, is committed to presenting historical and religious issues accurately and with the required sensitivity, as part of the State of Israel’s ongoing public diplomacy activity around the world.” message rji3ooa4zx Iranian foreign minister says he escaped through the wreckage after the attack that killed Ali Khamenei, admits an intelligence breach remains and describes Tehran’s effort to deepen tensions between Israel and the US ynet https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/02/28/rJ1Gx8xFWe/rJ1Gx8xFWe_0_85_1125_634_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rji3ooa4zx Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:31:08 +03:00 Nearly five months after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening strike of Operation Roaring Lion, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has described the attack and explained how he has avoided assassination attempts since then. In an interview with an Iranian journalist cited by The Guardian, Araghchi said he had still not met Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, but argued that his appointment sent “a very important message to the world that there will be no change in the regime’s policies and ideals.” Araghchi said he had always doubted that negotiations with the United States would produce results, but maintained that diplomacy was necessary “even if there was only a 10% chance of success,” in part to demonstrate that Iran had pursued a diplomatic path. “No one will be able to say it was our fault,” he said. Araghchi claimed Iran offered the United States a deal over its nuclear program during the latest round of talks in Geneva, but said Oman’s foreign minister told him the following day that the atmosphere in Washington had suddenly become more confrontational. ‘Everything collapsed on us, but the enemy failed’ Discussing Ali Khamenei’s assassination, Araghchi said Israel had intelligence about senior-level meetings. “This may indicate a security gap that probably still exists. It must be fixed,” he said. Immediately after the strike, Araghchi reported to Khamenei’s deputy chief of staff. “The third explosion was almost next to our building. The section housing the chief of staff’s office was hit directly, and the left side of the building was completely destroyed,” he said. “We were on the other side of the building, and after the explosion, the ceiling, the walls and everything collapsed on us. We made our way out through the beams, planks and pieces of wood, hearing calls for help. Water was pouring from the ceiling. Everything was destroyed. Eventually we got out, and I saw that different parts of the compound had been targeted.” Araghchi said officials remained cut off from one another for three days after the attack. “We tried to find out who was alive and who had been killed,” he said. “The enemy thought it could paralyze us by targeting the leadership, but it failed.” According to Araghchi, Iran had prepared for such an attack and had already drawn up a plan to close the Strait of Hormuz. The code name for that scenario, he said, was “Code 110,” a reference to the article of Iran’s Constitution defining the supreme leader’s powers. Efforts to deepen the US-Israel crisis Araghchi claimed the United States decided to attack because it believed Iran’s government had been weakened by strikes on its proxies and by domestic protests. He added that regional governments had advised U.S. President Donald Trump not to go to war. “Iran is different. Its foundation is a civilization thousands of years old, combined with Shiite thought and beliefs about martyrdom. When those come together, they create something that cannot easily be defeated,” he said. Araghchi said Iran had warned neighboring countries that any attack would be met with strikes on regional targets. “If Israel hits our nuclear facilities, we will hit theirs. Our missiles cannot reach America, so we will strike their bases, which unfortunately are located in your countries,” he said. “If they hit our oil facilities, we will make sure that no one in the region can sell oil.” He added that Iran was working to intensify divisions between the United States and Israel. “Sometimes there are conflicts between objectives and positions that can be exploited,” he said, without providing further details. Summing up Iran’s approach to diplomacy and war, Araghchi said: “We do not fight unless the price of not fighting is higher than the cost of fighting.” message rjolmu0vme Trump administration signs 30-year deal granting Saudi Arabia a civilian nuclear program and opening the door to uranium enrichment, without requiring strict IAEA oversight; experts warn UAE, Turkey and Egypt may follow Riyadh’s lead ynet https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/22/HyRL5vAEfl/HyRL5vAEfl_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjolmu0vme Wed, 22 Jul 2026 23:42:38 +03:00 The United States formally signed its agreement with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, under which Washington will help Riyadh develop a civilian nuclear program without requiring it to normalize relations with Israel, as originally proposed by the Biden administration. The deal also does not require Saudi Arabia to accept the “gold standard” of strict international oversight intended to prevent a civilian nuclear program from being used to develop nuclear weapons in the future. Negotiations between the United States and Saudi Arabia over a civilian nuclear program have continued for years. During the Biden administration, the assistance was proposed as part of a broader package conditioned on Saudi normalization with Israel. With normalization talks deadlocked, however, the Trump administration removed that condition after continuing the nuclear negotiations with Riyadh last year. According to reports, a draft agreement was completed as early as October 2025, but the deal was not advanced toward final signature because of the war with Iran and concerns over opposition in Congress. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday night that President Donald Trump gave final approval for the signing last week. According to reports in the U.S. media, the agreement will remain in force for 30 years and allow American companies to help Saudi Arabia develop a civilian nuclear program, including nuclear power plants that CBS said would be operated by U.S. firms. The agreement has raised concern among nuclear nonproliferation experts and in Israel because it gives Riyadh a potential path toward enriching uranium on Saudi soil. Under the agreement, Saudi Arabia and the United States will conduct a two-year study as the project advances to determine whether it would be economically viable to establish a uranium enrichment facility in the kingdom rather than rely on shipments of enriched uranium from the United States under strict supervision. The Journal reported that if the study concludes enrichment in Saudi Arabia is economically justified, U.S. companies would develop the facility under a secret arrangement known as a “black box,” designed to prevent Saudi Arabia from gaining access to sensitive enrichment technology. The newspaper also reported that if Washington opposes establishing the facility after the study, Saudi Arabia would be barred from pursuing domestic enrichment or receiving assistance from another country, but only for 10 years. Trump administration officials have argued that U.S. involvement in the Saudi program would ensure enriched uranium is not diverted for military purposes and that Saudi Arabia would not be able to reprocess spent reactor fuel to extract plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can be used as fissile material in a nuclear weapon. Nonproliferation experts, however, have warned that the agreement could create a loophole allowing Saudi Arabia to develop a nuclear weapon in the future. Some have raised the possibility that Riyadh could one day nationalize an enrichment facility built under the agreement, forcing the United States to decide whether to attack it. Saudi Arabia has refused to commit to renouncing uranium enrichment. The concern is heightened by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s previous warning that the kingdom would develop a nuclear weapon if Iran did so. The terms are also seen as problematic in the context of Iran because they undercut the Trump administration’s demand that Tehran completely abandon uranium enrichment on its territory under any future nuclear agreement. The Saudi deal also reportedly does not require Riyadh to sign the International Atomic Energy Agency’s strict Additional Protocol. The United Arab Emirates agreed to that protocol as part of its 2009 civilian nuclear agreement with the United States, which has since been considered the “gold standard” for such cooperation agreements. CNN reported Wednesday evening that Saudi opposition to the IAEA’s stricter inspections was allegedly driven by concern that inspectors could be allowed to enter the holy city of Mecca or royal palaces. The U.S.-Saudi agreement reportedly includes oversight measures similar to those in the Additional Protocol, but without the provisions that raised concern in Riyadh. The Trump administration insists those safeguards will be sufficient, but anonymous officials told CNN that the agreement limits the types of inspections that can be applied to the Saudi program, a provision expected to generate opposition in Congress. Although the administration must submit the agreement to lawmakers in Washington for review, even fierce opposition would be unlikely to stop it. The Journal reported that a two-thirds majority would be required to override a Trump veto of any congressional resolution seeking to block the deal. Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter but argues that it needs a civilian nuclear program as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s broader effort to diversify the country’s energy sources. Riyadh says nuclear power would allow it to consume less oil domestically, increase exports and operate artificial intelligence data centers. Experts fear the agreement could set a dangerous precedent and encourage other countries to demand similarly lenient terms that could also offer them a potential path to a bomb. “Where Saudi Arabia goes, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Egypt will follow,” Henry Sokolski, executive director of the U.S.-based Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, told the Journal. “The idea that this agreement will lead to a happy ending is delusional.” Israel has also expressed concern about the agreement, particularly disappointment over the Trump administration’s decision to abandon the normalization condition. Senior Israeli officials familiar with the issue have acknowledged in closed discussions that the development is negative for Israel. They said removing the normalization requirement reduces the leverage Israel held over Saudi Arabia and reflects a further erosion of Jerusalem’s standing with the Trump administration. The officials said the move joins a series of U.S. decisions viewed in Jerusalem as problematic, including efforts to advance the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and Washington’s willingness, in negotiations with Iran, to set aside issues Israel regards as red lines, including Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its continued support for terrorist organizations and militias across the Middle East. message byzfjpcnfg Military publishes a ‘terror team’ of 12 players, coaches and referees portrayed in Western and Arab media as innocent athletes, saying some served Hamas and Islamic Jihad and took part in the October 7 massacre Elisha Ben Kimon https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/22/BkS24DC4ze/BkS24DC4ze_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byzfjpcnfg Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:21:57 +03:00 The IDF revealed Wednesday that leading figures in Gaza’s soccer community, including players, coaches and referees, were in fact active terrorists in organizations operating in the Strip. Some were presented around the world as prominent athletes, and their deaths were portrayed in many countries as evidence that Israel had deliberately targeted Palestinian sports. Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Abu Al-Atta was a terrorist in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization while also playing for several soccer clubs in Gaza, including Ittihad Al-Shuja’iyya, Al-Tuffah and Al-Ahli Gaza. After his death, sympathetic reports about him appeared in Reuters, ESPN and the Qatari television network Al Jazeera. The reports portrayed him solely as an innocent soccer player, but in June 2026, Islamic Jihad’s military wing published his name and photograph and identified him as a platoon commander in the organization. Another terrorist who played soccer was Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Abu Al-Atta, who played as a defender for several clubs in Gaza, including Ittihad Al-Shuja’iyya, Al-Tuffah and Al-Ahli Gaza. After his death, sympathetic reports about him were also published in Western and Arab media. Those reports presented him as a soccer figure, but in June 2026, Islamic Jihad’s military wing published his name and photograph and identified him as a platoon commander. The IDF also revealed the case of a terrorist who served as a senior soccer referee. Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab was an international FIFA assistant referee who officiated in international matches, including at the West Asian Football Championship. After his death, the Asian Football Confederation issued a statement of condolence, and a French lawmaker even called for a minute of silence in his memory. Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab was presented as an innocent referee, but was in fact a terrorist in Islamic Jihad’s Central Camps Brigade. The full list of Gaza soccer figures who, according to the IDF, were also terrorists: Mohammed Mohammed Hassan Barakat, a soccer player and terrorist in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre Mahmoud Kamal Mohammad Ali Al-Rifi, a soccer player and company commander in Hamas’ Aerial Array Mohammed Mansour, a soccer player and coach who served as deputy commander of Hamas’ Nuseirat Battalion and infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Abu Al-Atta, a soccer player and platoon commander in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization Abdullah Riyadh Abdullah Khattab, a soccer player and terrorist in Islamic Jihad’s anti-tank array Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab, an international FIFA referee and terrorist in Islamic Jihad’s Central Camps Brigade Ali Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Kurd, a soccer player and coach who served as an Islamic Jihad platoon commander in Rafah Mohammad Emad Ata Hussouna, a soccer player and terrorist in Hamas’ military wing who infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre Tariq Ziad Hussein Al-Hour, a soccer player and terrorist in Hamas’ military wing Mohammed Ziad Hussein Al-Hour, a soccer player and platoon commander in Hamas’ Nuseirat Battalion Mahmoud Osama Al-Jazzar, a soccer player and combat operative in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization Mohammad Nidal Mohammed Al-Hawajri, a soccer player and combat commander in Hamas’ Nuseirat Battalion “In recent weeks, false claims have been circulated alleging that the IDF deliberately targeted innocent Palestinian soccer players throughout the war,” the IDF said. “In light of these claims, the IDF is now revealing the identities of Palestinian soccer players, referees, and coaches who were presented as athletes and innocent civilians, but who in fact served as terrorists in the military wings of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, and were struck and eliminated by the IDF during the war. “Following an intelligence assessment, the IDF can now disclose these terrorists’ organizational affiliations and operational roles. In many cases, they were portrayed internationally only as players, with no mention of their affiliation with terrorist organizations. “The false campaign portraying the IDF as deliberately targeting members of the soccer community, which was created as part of a broader effort promoted by various actors against the State of Israel, accompanies other false narratives advanced throughout the war. “In those campaigns, Palestinian terrorists struck and eliminated by the IDF were presented as journalists, humanitarian aid workers, and other civilian professionals, while their involvement in terrorist activity was deliberately concealed in order to promote false claims that they had been targeted because of their civilian professions. “The IDF will continue to expose cases of this nature in order to present the full facts and refute claims that do not reflect reality.” message hkqq280vmg Nearly three years after the massacre, government says legislation was not completed because of Knesset ‘time constraints’ and argues judges should not rule while the inquiry remains a central election dispute Netael Bandel https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/04/23/rk0KO4waZl/rk0KO4waZl_0_0_1280_720_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkqq280vmg Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:47:21 +03:00 The government formally notified the Supreme Court, that it had not completed legislation to establish a commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7 massacre, and asked the court “not to intervene” in the matter. In the government’s filing Wednesday to the High Court, it wrote that “unfortunately, due to the constraints of the Knesset’s schedule, the Knesset was unable to complete the legislative process for the bill in its second and third readings before it went into the election recess.” The government’s notice concerns a petition demanding that the High Court order the government to establish a state commission of inquiry. The High Court has so far refrained from issuing a ruling because the government said it was advancing a new law for a special commission of inquiry into the massacre. The government’s notice to the High Court also stated that “the manner of investigating the events that are the subject of these petitions lies at the heart of a political dispute between the parties running in the elections. Under these circumstances, it is not appropriate for this honorable court to be required to decide this issue or intervene in it at this stage. In this context, it has been held that precisely at this time, on the eve of elections, it is proper for the court as well to act with restraint and caution. This is a politically sensitive period, and the court must carefully examine the possible implications of its ruling on public sentiment.” In the government’s response to the High Court at the beginning of the year, the possibility that the court would order the establishment of a state inquiry into the massacre was described as “an unprecedented extreme act.” It also stated that “there is no legal basis for making the conditional order absolute, and this honorable court must dismiss the petitions outright.” According to the government, “the establishment of the state-national commission of inquiry and the determination of its composition will be carried out by broad agreement, or alternatively in an equitable manner between coalition and opposition members. The state-national commission of inquiry that will be established will include experts from the fields of security, academia and law, bereaved parents will serve as observers, and the powers of the state-national commission of inquiry will be full in accordance with the Commissions of Inquiry Law, all in a manner that will ensure broad public trust from across the political spectrum.” 'Unprecedented contempt for the court' The October Council, which petitioned for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, responded angrily to the government’s notice to the High Court. “The Israeli government exposed the truth today: For months, it asked the court for time, when its only goal was to deceive everyone and never investigate. While bereaved families, the hostages and victims of the massacre waited for the truth, the government planned to blind them and the entire country in the belief that time would make people forget the greatest disaster in the history of the state,” the council said in a statement. "This is unprecedented contempt for the court, the rule of law and the Israeli public. We expect the court to respond with the full severity of the law and personally accuse Prime Minister Netanyahu and his representatives of contempt of court. The investigation, the truth and the repair will come. No one will manage to escape them. We will make sure of that.” message rjsiwsa4zl After nearly two weeks of relentless exchanges, US president raises the stakes and says any missile, rocket or drone attack on a vessel will trigger the destruction of infrastructure in Iran, including in Tehran Lior Ben Ari https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/08/SyR04V2Qze/SyR04V2Qze_1_0_1672_941_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjsiwsa4zl Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:41:48 +03:00 U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his threats against Iran on Wednesday, announcing that from now on, every Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a U.S. strike on a bridge or power plant in the Islamic Republic. “From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The warning came amid growing assessments in the United States and abroad that Trump intends to escalate the campaign against Iran in the coming days. The United States carried out strikes in Iran overnight for the 11th consecutive night, with the campaign so far focused on degrading Tehran’s ability to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Reopening the strategic waterway, a critical artery for the global oil economy, has become one of Trump’s main objectives. Trump also threatened Tuesday to strike the underground nuclear site Iran is developing at Pickaxe Mountain. According to reports, Israeli intelligence believes the Iranian regime transferred thousands of centrifuges and some uranium enriched to 60% there after its main nuclear facilities were bombed during last year’s 12-day war. Iran, meanwhile, has continued launching missiles and drones at countries across the Gulf. On Wednesday morning, Iran launched another missile attack toward Jordan. Four missiles were intercepted near the city of Aqaba, close to Eilat, where residents heard explosions. Jordanian authorities said two additional missiles fell in open areas “in remote and uninhabited locations, without causing casualties or material damage.” Jordan also intercepted four Iranian drones on Wednesday and has emerged as one of the main targets of Iranian attacks during the current escalation. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency later advised airlines not to operate in Jordanian airspace. An alert was also sounded in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam, though authorities later lifted the warning and did not say what had occurred. Sirens were also heard in Bahrain. Iranian authorities say 53 people have been killed in U.S. strikes in the country since June 27. Iranian officials have continued to issue defiant statements, with military spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi claiming that the regime was still producing new missiles. “During the 40 days of war and the broken promise after the signing of the memorandum of understanding, our missile production never stopped,” he said. message b1u17hcvfg Alert cites grenade and stun-grenade attacks on homes, vehicles and businesses linked to a feud between the Jarushi and Mosli crime organizations, urging Americans to stay vigilant in Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Herzliya Itamar Eichner https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/14/SJztc73QNMx/SJztc73QNMx_0_0_1280_721_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1u17hcvfg Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:28:22 +03:00 The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem issued an unusual security warning to Americans in Israel, saying it was closely monitoring reports of a sharp rise in violence linked to rival organized crime groups. The warning was not prompted by missiles from Iran or drones from Lebanon, but by an escalating feud between the Mosli and Jarushi crime organizations, which in recent days has included grenade attacks on homes and businesses, including branches of the Japanika sushi restaurant chain. The embassy said the attacks appeared to target businesses and residences connected to those involved in the feud, primarily in Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Herzliya. “Reported attacks have included the throwing of hand grenades or stun grenades at private residences, vehicles or businesses, often by an assailant riding a motorcycle,” the notice said. The embassy said Israel Police had responded with enforcement operations aimed at disrupting violent crime organizations and arresting senior figures believed to be responsible for the attacks. Americans in central Israel were advised to remain alert near commercial areas in Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Herzliya, particularly during the evening and overnight hours. They were also urged to avoid areas where police activity or roadblocks were visible, follow instructions from local law enforcement, immediately report suspicious activity or objects, review personal security plans and remain aware of their surroundings. The embassy further recommended keeping in contact with relatives and friends and ensuring that travel documents were valid and readily accessible. Grenade attacks target homes and businesses The warning comes amid a series of grenade attacks against private homes and businesses, including several Japanika branches, as part of the conflict between the Mosli and Jarushi organizations. Police have deployed both uniformed and undercover officers near the restaurants, including nighttime patrols and covert teams intended to identify suspects and prevent additional attacks. Investigators believe the sushi chain may have become a target in the feud. Its owner, businessman Barak Abramov, is not suspected of any wrongdoing. A fragmentation grenade was thrown into the courtyard of a residential building in central Ramat Hasharon earlier this week, while another grenade was thrown near a building in Tel Aviv’s Kochav Hatzafon neighborhood. Police suspect the intended target in Tel Aviv is connected to the Jarushi family and its conflict with the Mosli family. A grenade was also thrown at his home last week, when he was reportedly outside the country. Despite the wave of violence, police on Sunday agreed to release alleged crime organization head Yossi Mosli to five days of house arrest following his detention. Mosli was arrested with three other suspects, Muriel Dadon, Dor Cohen and Yitzhak Rodef Shalom. They were also released by agreement to five days of house arrest. The arrests followed a grenade explosion in Tel Aviv’s Tzahala neighborhood. Police said they were investigating whether a resident of the area was connected to the Jarushi family. During an earlier court hearing in Mosli’s case, a police representative described the feud as a conflict between two powerful organizations with extensive operational capabilities. “They have resources, power and capability,” the representative said, adding that more than 10 incidents had been recorded within roughly one week. “These are not isolated or minor incidents. They range from arson to grenade attacks and gunfire at different addresses,” he said. “This is not about one specific address, but incidents across the country. We are on high alert because of these events.” message hkxskbcnzx Authorities allocated 21 million shekels ($6.3 million) for the pilot despite unanimous wildlife authority opposition and warnings that the plan may require primary legislation Ilana Curiel https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2023/08/10/B1m96swfhh/B1m96swfhh_0_53_1000_563_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkxskbcnzx Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:33:56 +03:00 Excavation work began Wednesday on moats intended to hold crocodiles around a high-security wing at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, despite legal questions and strong objections from environmental and wildlife professionals. Ketziot Prison is located within the Ramat Negev Regional Council, which sent an inspector to examine the work. A council official said the trench was being dug inside the prison around one of its special wings and would extend for about 170 meters. “It cannot be seen from outside the prison,” the official said. “No one knows whether crocodiles will actually be placed there, but preparations are being made.” The Public Security Ministry confirmed that construction had begun on channels designed for crocodiles. The work follows Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman’s decision last week to classify the Nile crocodile as a “cultivated wild animal,” despite opposition from professional officials in her ministry. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s office said the decision had cleared the way for the project. “Anyone who thought this was a gimmick was wrong,” his office said. “Following Minister Idit Silman’s signature and the official classification of the Nile crocodile as a cultivated wild animal, allowing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to establish the crocodile prison, the pilot has officially begun in a wing at Ketziot.” According to the ministry, the Israel Prison Service has prepared a detailed plan covering the maintenance, supervision and housing of the crocodiles. Prison officers have also received training on guarding the site and handling the animals. The ministry said 21 million shekels ($6.3 million) had been allocated to build the channels. “The Israel Prison Service welcomes the move, which will ease the burden on prison officers guarding Nukhba terrorists,” the statement said, referring to members of Hamas’ elite force involved in the October 7 massacre. “Anyone who murdered, massacred and raped and behaved like an animal deserves to be guarded by an animal just like them.” Israel currently has only a small number of Nile crocodiles at the Hamat Gader wildlife site. More than 200 are kept at the Crocoloco crocodile farm in the Arava desert, but the farm said no one had contacted it about supplying animals for prison security. The Nature and Parks Authority council held a special meeting Tuesday to discuss the use of crocodiles by the prison service. All those present opposed the proposal. The project has generated controversy since Silman announced the new classification last Thursday. She acted against the position of her ministry’s legal adviser and the professional opinion of the Nature and Parks Authority. Experts have warned that there is no precedent or professional basis for using crocodiles to secure prisons and that the proposal may conflict with existing law. The Nature and Parks Authority said such wildlife could legally be held only for education, research or public information. “We are supposed to protect them, not have them protect us,” officials told Ben-Gvir and Silman. “That is not the spirit of the law.” The request to classify the Nile crocodile as a cultivated wild animal was intended to create a legal route for the plan. Crocodiles had previously received that classification so they could be bred commercially for their skins. That policy was later abandoned after repeated problems, including crocodile escapes and fears that the animals could enter the wild and endanger the public. Former Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan ended the classification following a recommendation from the Nature and Parks Authority’s advisory body. Silman’s decision effectively revived a dormant provision of the Wildlife Protection Law, but added a new category in practice: a cultivated wild animal used for security purposes. Under her declaration, the animals could be held by a security body after the environmental protection minister approved the security need. Legal experts argue that such a significant change may require primary legislation rather than a ministerial regulation. message h17vjxaefl Investigators said the victims, who include foreign minors visiting Israel, reported that the suspect attempted to touch them inappropriately beneath their swimwear while they were in the water Maya Cohen https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/22/SJQnky0EMl/SJQnky0EMl_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h17vjxaefl Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:24:09 +03:00 Israeli police arrested a 20-year-old Palestinian man from Hebron on Monday suspected of committing indecent acts against two minors and a young woman while they were swimming at Charles Clore Beach in Tel Aviv. According to police, the suspect was unlawfully present in Israel. The incident was reported Monday evening after beachgoers and a lifeguard alerted authorities. Investigators said the victims, who include foreign minors visiting Israel, reported that the suspect attempted to touch them inappropriately beneath their swimwear while they were in the water. Officers from the Lev Tel Aviv police station arrived swiftly at the scene, apprehended the suspect, and transferred him for questioning. Following his interrogation, the suspect was remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in court later today for a detention hearing. message sjor81aefe Senior Israeli officials warn the moves weaken Jerusalem’s leverage in Washington, erode regional red lines and signal declining influence over US policy Itamar Eichner https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2026/07/22/S1WA61AVGg/S1WA61AVGg_0_0_850_479_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjor81aefe Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:52:13 +03:00 Israeli officials are closely and anxiously following advanced talks between U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and Saudi Arabia over a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement that, according to reports, is no longer tied to normalization between Riyadh and Jerusalem. The change marks a sharp departure from the policy pursued by the Biden administration, which treated nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia as part of a broader package that would include Saudi recognition of Israel. In Jerusalem, the decision is being viewed as a strategic setback and a sign that the White House is giving less weight to Israeli concerns and interests. Israel has not publicly criticized the agreement. However, senior Israeli officials familiar with the matter have privately acknowledged that the development is negative for Jerusalem. They said removing the normalization requirement reduces Israel’s leverage over Saudi Arabia and reflects a further erosion of its influence with the Trump administration. The officials described the move as part of a broader series of American policies regarded in Jerusalem as troubling. These include efforts to advance a possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and Washington’s apparent willingness, in negotiations with Iran, to retreat from issues Israel has treated as red lines, including Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its continued support for regional proxy organizations. “An agreement with Israel is not currently on the table,” a senior Israeli official familiar with the issue told ynet. “Yes, this is bad because it reduces our leverage, but it is still not the end of the story.” The official said normalization with Israel could offer Saudi Arabia additional benefits, including assistance in protecting nuclear infrastructure. “If the Americans are the ones building the infrastructure, I assume and hope that control over the reactors, particularly in light of the lessons from Iran, will be effective,” the official said. For now, the official added, the effect on Israel is largely symbolic and political. “Without regional stability and quiet in our arena, including some kind of move involving the Palestinians, there is no chance of normalization,” the official said. “That is why Trump is moving forward. He needs Saudi Arabia for the current regional struggle and wants to show other countries that drawing closer to the United States brings rewards.” Brig. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Nagel, a former acting head of Israel’s National Security Council, expressed firm opposition to any agreement permitting uranium enrichment inside Saudi Arabia. “The bottom line is that any uranium enrichment of any kind on Saudi soil is a mistake, regardless of who carries it out or how it is supervised,” Nagel told ynet. He said he held the same position before the Hamas-led October 7 attack, when Israel reportedly did not oppose Saudi enrichment as part of a possible normalization package. “My position has not changed,” he said. Nagel said Saudi Arabia could legitimately construct nuclear reactors for electricity generation, but should not be granted an independent enrichment capability. Instead, he proposed that nuclear fuel rods be supplied by a foreign country and removed after use as a condition for receiving new ones. “This is also how it is done at Iran’s Bushehr reactor, where the Russians are responsible for supplying the nuclear fuel and removing it after use,” he said. Jeremy Issacharoff, a former senior Israeli diplomat who headed the Foreign Ministry’s strategic affairs division and specializes in nuclear proliferation, described the reported agreement as “extremely dangerous.” He said the development highlighted Israel’s declining ability to influence policy in Washington on issues critical to its national security. “According to the reports, this is a worrying and unprecedented development concerning the prevention of nuclear proliferation in the region,” Issacharoff told ynet. “One can only thank Netanyahu for what appears to be Israel’s loss of influence in Washington on an issue critical to our national security,” he added. Israeli concern centers particularly on the possibility that Saudi Arabia could be permitted to enrich uranium domestically. While enrichment can serve civilian energy purposes, the same technology can bring a country significantly closer to the ability to produce weapons-grade material. Israeli experts fear that granting Riyadh such a capability could encourage other regional powers to demand similar rights, accelerating a nuclear competition across the Middle East. The absence of a normalization requirement also removes what had been one of Israel’s most significant potential diplomatic gains from the agreement. Under the previous framework, Saudi access to advanced U.S. nuclear technology and security guarantees was expected to be linked to formal relations with Israel. Trump’s decision to separate the issues suggests that Washington currently places greater value on strengthening ties with Riyadh and securing Saudi cooperation in the region than on preserving normalization as a condition. For Jerusalem, the immediate impact may be largely symbolic. But officials and experts warn that the broader message is more consequential: Israel’s ability to shape major U.S. decisions involving regional security, advanced weapons and nuclear proliferation appears to be weakening. message rjutecpvfx Authorities arrest three main suspects accused of using shell companies, fake invoices and real estate vouchers to move funds and conceal income in Israel and abroad Liran Tamari https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver6/crop_images/2018/12/06/8928202/8928202_0_16_1000_563_0_small.jpg https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjutecpvfx Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:56:00 +03:00 Israeli police and the Israel Tax Authority said Wednesday they had uncovered an alleged international financial crime network accused of laundering money, evading taxes and defrauding the state of about 500 million shekels ($165 million), arresting three main suspects after a yearlong undercover investigation. Authorities dubbed the investigation "Payment Voucher," saying the name reflected the suspects' extensive use of real estate payment vouchers as part of the alleged scheme. The investigation was conducted jointly by the fraud unit of the Jerusalem District Police's major crimes division and investigators from the Tax Authority's Jerusalem and Southern District Income Tax Investigations Office. According to police and tax officials, investigators believe the three principal suspects operated an international economic crime network designed to launder money, evade taxes and deliberately conceal income, causing substantial losses to the state. Investigators allege the suspects established a complex web of fictitious companies and nonprofit organizations in Israel and abroad that was used to launder money for Israeli businesses while also smuggling funds into Israel from overseas. According to authorities, the scheme involved accepting large amounts of cash, issuing fraudulent invoices and concealing the movement of money through bank transfers, real estate payment vouchers and bank accounts belonging to relatives. The investigation remained covert for more than a year before entering its overt phase on July 14, when police raided the homes of 16 suspects and detained several of them for questioning. During the raids, investigators seized dozens of assets they believe were purchased with fraudulently obtained funds or proceeds from concealed income. Authorities said dozens of additional people have since been questioned on suspicion of using the suspects' alleged services to launder money, conceal taxable income or obtain funds through fraud. A court on Wednesday extended the detention of two of the principal suspects, ages 48 and 56, from the communities of Kiryat Ye'arim and Tel Aviv, until Thursday as the investigation continues. The suspects are being investigated on suspicion of fraud, money laundering and tax offenses. No formal indictments have been filed. message