April 12: Pakistan said trying to get US, Iran back to negotiating table as Washington lays out ‘red lines’

Trump weighing limited strikes on Iran after failed peace talks — WSJ

US President Donald Trump talks to the media on the South Lawn before departing on Marine One at the White House, April 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

US President Donald Trump and his advisers are looking at resuming limited military strikes in Iran in addition to the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a way to break a stalemate in peace talks, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing officials and people familiar with the matter.

Reuters cannot immediately verify the report.

Ex-hostage says he was flooded with hate messages from fellow Israelis after post calling for treating Arabs with respect

Freed hostage Rom Braslavski addresses a rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv calling for the release of the remaining, deceased hostages held by Hamas, November 8, 2025. (Lior Rotstein/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Former Hamas hostage Rom Braslavski says he has been inundated with hate messages from fellow Israelis after he published an Instagram story calling for treating Arabs with mutual respect.

In the post, Braslavski shared how he had noticed elderly Arab construction workers working long hours outside his building and decided to buy them some soda and cigarettes. Braslavski spoke to them in Arabic, which he says caught them off guard, and in addition, said they were confused as to why he was making the gesture.

“Their looks at me — someone wearing a kippah, not hating them, but instead wanting to help and make their day a little better — was of total shock,” Braslavski wrote.

“So I have to ask: Why has helping others become something so unusual? Why should an adult Arab man be so shocked that a Jewish man is concerned about them?”

“Are we a society with that much hatred between Arabs and Jews? I was kidnapped by Arabs, and I wouldn’t say that I’m nuts about them, but we must leave room for humanity amidst all this chaos we live in,” he added.

Hours later, Braslavski published another Instagram story in which he revealed having received countless angry messages that were taking a personal toll on him, and he asked his supporters to come to his defense.

“In recent days the right and left in the State of Israel have decided that I have taken sides and have labeled me as a Kaplanist (anti-government protester). I am neither a Kaplanist nor a Bibist (supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I am a disabled IDF soldier who survived Hamas captivity and I have a message to convey to the whole world — ‘Neither right nor left, but common sense,'” he says, quoting fellow former captive Eli Sharabi.

He laments that the hate messages came from accounts from right-wing Israelis, including many with Likud logos in their profile pictures.

“I wish that all of these keyboard heroes would experience being kidnapped for just one day by (Hamas) Nukhba fighters and then see if they’d still be able to open Facebook and write the nasty messages that they’re sending to a captivity survivor,” Braslavski added.

US military says naval blockade around Iran will begin tomorrow on Trump’s orders

The American military says it will begin to enforce a naval blockade on Iran starting tomorrow, following orders by US President Donald Trump.

In a statement, the US Central Command says its forces “will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, in accordance with the president’s proclamation.”

https://t.co/YAFhMBm7hA

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 12, 2026

“The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM says.

CENTCOM adds that its forces “will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”

Lapid congratulates Peter Magyar on victory over Orban in Hungary’s election

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid congratulates Peter Magyar on his Tisza party’s election victory, as it is projected to win a supermajority and end Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule.

“I hope that under your leadership, the relations between Israel and Hungary will continue to deepen and strengthen,” Lapid writes to Magyar on X. “Best of luck!”

Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu effectively endorsed Orban, saying his rule meant “safety, security, stability.”

Orban concedes defeat in Hungarian election, calls Magyar to congratulate him

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban concedes defeat after a “painful” result in today’s elections put Peter Magyar’s center-right Tisza party on course for a parliamentary supermajority, ending Orban’s 16 years in power.

Magyar says in a Facebook post that Orban has congratulated him on his victory.

Preliminary results, with 53.45% of votes counted, project Magyar’s Tisza party winning 136 seats in Hungary’s 199-member parliament, compared to 56 seats for Orban’s Fidesz.

A teen who was allegedly used by Gofman for influence campaign slams ‘ridiculous’ appointment as new Mossad chief

Ori Elmakayes, who, as a teenager, was allegedly used by Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman for an “influence campaign,” slams the “ridiculous” decision by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee to approve the general’s appointment to head the Mossad spy agency.

“Roman Gofman activated me illegally and immediately afterward disavowed me, abandoned me, and did not stop the ongoing nightmare I went through,” he says in a post on X.

“Someone who abandoned a 17-year-old boy will also abandon Mossad agents,” Elmakayes says.

He adds that Gofman’s appointment “is a real danger to the Mossad and the security of the State of Israel,” and that he will “not stop here and will fight to disqualify his appointment.”

Netanyahu’s military secretary Roman Gofman approved to serve as next Mossad chief

Incoming Mossad Director Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 5, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, currently Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary, will begin his five-year term as Mossad director on June 2, says Netanyahu’s office.

Netanyahu signs Gofman’s official appointment letter.

The announcement comes after the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee headed by former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis gave the green light to Gofman.

Most of the committee’s report dealt with an incident that occurred in 2022 while Gofman was commanding the IDF’s 210th “Bashan” Regional Division in the Golan Heights. He approved the use of a 17-year-old, Ori Elmakayes, for an Arabic-language influence campaign against Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, leading to the teen’s prolonged detention by security authorities after he was accused of publishing classified information.

Gofman has claimed he did not know how old the teenager was, adding that he had ordered that only non-classified information be given to him for publication on social media. Elmakayes was held in detention for 18 months before the charges were dropped, after it emerged that classified information he had published on the internet had been fed to him by intelligence officers in the Israel Defense Forces.

In their joint decision, the three junior members of the committee said that the incident should not keep Gofman from serving as the head of the Mossad, while Grunis, in his separate opinion, recommended that Gofman be disqualified.

Born in Belarus, Gofman moved to Israel in 1990 at age 14 with his family. During his military career, he rose through the IDF Armored Corps, becoming a division commander before moving out of combat roles.

Ghalibaf says Trump’s latest threats will have no effect on Iranians

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says US President Donald Trump’s latest threats will have no effect on the Iranian nation, after Trump said the US Navy would impose a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

“If you fight, we will fight, and if you come forward with logic, we will deal with logic,” Ghalibaf says.

He claims that Iran had very good initiatives to show goodwill in talks with the US in Pakistan yesterday, which he says led to progress in the negotiations.

In apparent coordinated leak, Hebrew TV channels say IDF gearing up for renewed conflict with Iran

In what appears to be a coordinated leak by defense officials, all three major Hebrew TV networks are reporting that the IDF is gearing up for renewed conflict with Iran as the ceasefire talks between the US and the Islamic Republic collapse.

Earlier today, the Ynet news site reported that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed the military to move to a “heightened state of readiness” and to prepare for a resumption of hostilities with Iran.

Channel 12 news reports this evening, without citing any sources, that the IDF is not only gearing up for renewed conflict with Iran, but it is also preparing for a potential Iranian surprise attack on Israel.

The Kan public broadcaster, meanwhile, cites a “senior defense official” as saying that “Israel is interested in renewing the war against Iran,” after the war ended “too early, without sufficient pressure being applied on Iran regarding the nuclear issue and ballistic missiles.”

Channel 13 similarly reports that the IDF’s level of alert has been raised “significantly” and that Zamir instructed the military “to prepare for an immediate resumption of fighting and ordered the initiation of combat readiness procedures.”

The IDF has not commented on the reports, but last week, while visiting southern Lebanon, Zamir said that the military is “prepared to return to combat [in Iran] with full force if required at any given moment.”

Lebanon PM says working to achieve IDF withdrawal, end Israel-Hezbollah war

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says that he is working to stop the war between Israel and Hezbollah and to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops in south Lebanon earlier today.

“We will continue to work to stop this war, to ensure the Israeli withdrawal from all our lands, the return of all the prisoners, to rebuild our destroyed villages and towns, and the safe return of the displaced,” Salam says in a speech on the eve of the anniversary of the start of the country’s 1975-1990 civil war.

“We are continuing our efforts… to negotiate to stop the war,” he adds in the televised address ahead of planned talks on Tuesday in Washington between Lebanese, Israeli, and US officials.

Hungary: Polls show center-right Tisza leading over Orban’s party as voting ends

A woman casts her vote a polling station during the Hungarian parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/ Denes Erdos)

As polls close in Hungary, two newly published opinion polls show that the country’s center-right Tisza party is projected to win today’s elections over Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party.

The opinion polls are released as voting ends at 7 p.m. local time, but they were conducted in the days leading up to the election.

Pollster 21 Research Center publishes data showing that Tisza was backed by 55 percent of voters, as compared to 38% for Fidesz.

Tisza is projected to win 132 mandates in Hungary’s 199-seat parliament in the poll announced on news site Telex.hu.

The second survey, conducted by Median and aired on RTL Klub television, puts Tisza at 135 mandates.

Pakistan trying to get Iran, US back to talks — report

Pakistan is still in touch with both the US and Iran in an attempt to bring them back to the negotiating table, Channel 12 reports.

Saturday’s marathon talks ended without any agreement, and the US team headed home earlier today.

The main gap is the fate of Iran’s nuclear program and whether it can continue enriching uranium, according to the report.

Negotiators tell the outlet that if a compromise can be reached on the nuclear issue, then the other areas of contention — ballistic missiles, the Strait of Hormuz, armed proxies — will fall into place.

Settlers said to attack Palestinian teen with pepper spray in northern West Bank

Palestinian media outlets report that settlers attacked a Palestinian teenager near the village of Burin, south of Nablus, in the northern West Bank, earlier today.

According to the reports, the settlers attacked him with pepper spray, and he was evacuated for medical treatment.

No further details are immediately available.

BREAKING: Israeli settlers brutally assaulted a Palestinian child, Mahmoud al-Zaben, in the village of Burin, beating him and spraying him with pepper spray on his way back home. He has been hospitalized. pic.twitter.com/V75ArQL51f

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) April 12, 2026

Separately, reports say settlers uprooted several olive trees belonging to Palestinians near the village of Marda in the western West Bank.

مستوطنون يقطعون أشجار الزيتون في أقرية مردا قضاء سلفيت. pic.twitter.com/ea7sCac1YR

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 12, 2026

UNIFIL accuses IDF of harming its ‘freedom of movement’ in southern Lebanon

United Nations peacekeepers with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) drive past a Lebanese army outpost in the area of Naqura in southern Lebanon on March 27, 2026. (KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon accuses the IDF of harming its “freedom of movement” in southern Lebanon and damaging its vehicles today.

On two occasions today, UNIFIL says, Israeli troops “rammed UNIFIL vehicles with a Merkava tank, in one case causing significant damage.”

The observer force says that the IDF soldiers “blocked a road in Bayada that is used to access UNIFIL positions.”

“Over the past week, Israeli soldiers have fired ‘warning shots’ in the area, striking and damaging clearly identifiable UNIFIL vehicles. In one case, a ‘warning shot’ landed a meter away from a peacekeeper who had dismounted his vehicle,” the statement says.

UNIFIL says “Israeli soldiers have continually blocked peacekeepers’ movements on this road in recent days, in addition to denials of freedom of movement recorded in other areas.”

The observer force says that earlier this month, IDF troops also destroyed cameras at UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters and “five other positions on the Blue Line from Ras Naqoura to Maroun ar Ras.”

“Yesterday, they also spraypainted the windows of the headquarters’ pedestrian access gate, denying visibility to the external perimeter,” it says.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the claims.

The IDF has previously said it is battling Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and “not against UNIFIL, the Lebanese Armed Forces, or Lebanese civilians.”

“The IDF calls on UNIFIL to avoid presence in combat zones where the IDF has issued warnings to the civilian population to evacuate for their safety,” the military has previously said.

Israel has long argued that the observer force has failed in its mission, doing little to block Hezbollah from building up its forces near the Israeli border over decades.

IRGC: Enemy vessels that make ‘wrong move’ will be trapped in ‘deadly vortex’ in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says that Iranian security forces have the Strait of Hormuz shipping bottleneck under their full control, warning that enemies would be trapped in a “deadly vortex” in the case of any miscalculation.

“All traffic… is under the full control of the armed forces,” the IRGC’s naval command says in a Persian-language post on X after US President Donald Trump ordered a US naval blockade of the Strait.

“The enemy will become trapped in a deadly vortex in the strait if it makes the wrong move,” it adds, posting a video showing vessels in crosshairs.

In a separate statement released by the IRGC’s public relations office, the force’s naval command insists that, “contrary to the false claims of some enemy officials,” the Strait of Hormuz is “open to the harmless passage of civilian vessels in compliance with specific relevant regulations.”

It does not give details on the nature of these rules but adds: “Any military vessels that intend to approach the Strait of Hormuz under any pretext will be considered in violation of the ceasefire and will be dealt with severely.”

In a lengthy declaration on his social media platform, Trump said earlier that his eventual goal was to clear the strait of mines and reopen it to all shipping, but that, in the meantime, Iran must not be allowed to profit from its control of the waterway.

Netanyahu, after visiting buffer zone in Lebanon: ‘There is still more to do, and we are doing it’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with troops in the Israeli-controlled buffer zone in southern Lebanon, on April 12, 2026. (Kobi Gideon/ GPO)

The war in Lebanon is continuing, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a visit to Israeli-controlled territory in southern Lebanon.

“There is still more to do, and we are doing it,” he says.

“We have thwarted the threat of an invasion from Lebanon thanks to this security zone,” says Netanyahu. “We are pushing back the danger of anti-tank fire and also dealing with rockets, but there is still more work to be done.”

Netanyahu was in Lebanon with Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and IDF Northern Command head Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo.

US reveals what its ‘red lines’ were at failed Iran negotiations in Islamabad

Vice President JD Vance arrives for news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, April 12, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

The US lays out what it says were its red lines in negotiations with Iran over the weekend that ended without a deal.

Iran needed to (1) end all uranium enrichment, (2) dismantle all major nuclear enrichment facilities, (3) retrieve highly enriched uranium, (4) accept a broader peace, security, and de-escalation framework that includes regional allies, (5) end funding for terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and (6) fully open the Strait of Hormuz, charging no tolls for passage, reads a statement attributed to a US official sent to querying reporters.

It is unclear how the US plans on maintaining these lines now that it appears to have pulled out of negotiations entirely. US President Donald Trump has announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz aimed at breaking Iran’s control over the channel, but he has not yet announced a return to fighting, as a very fragile two-week ceasefire that began on April 8 appears to hold.

IDF says Hamas terrorists who abducted, held hostages killed in Gaza strike

Hamas terrorist Muhammad Fuad Gasser Sayid is seen with hostage Avinatan Or in captivity in the Gaza Strip during the war, in an image released by the IDF on April 12, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says a strike targeting a cell of Hamas gunmen on Saturday killed a terrorist involved in abducting hostages on October 7, 2023, and two others who held another hostage in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

The strike overnight into Saturday in the central Gaza Strip killed seven people, according to Hamas authorities. The IDF said it had struck an armed cell of Hamas gunmen whose members had “approached the Yellow Line” and planned to carry out an “imminent” attack on Israeli forces stationed in the area.

Following a review of intelligence, the IDF says it can confirm that among those killed in the strike was Ali Sami Muhammad Shakra, a platoon commander in Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force.

The IDF says Shakra invaded Israel during the Hamas October 7 onslaught and took part in the abduction of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alon Ohel, Eliya Cohen, and Or Levy from a roadside bomb shelter near Re’im.

Also killed in the strike were Muhammad Mabhouh, a company commander in Hamas’s Bureij Battalion, and Muhammad Fuad Gasser Sayid, a Hamas platoon commander.

The military says the pair took part in holding hostage Avinatan Or in Hamas captivity during the war. The IDF publishes a photo showing Sayid with Or in a Hamas tunnel.

Other members of Hamas’s Nukhba Force were killed in the strike, “including terrorists who worked to launch rockets toward Israeli territory,” the army adds.

Saudi Arabia summons Iraqi ambassador over drone attacks on kingdom

Saudi Arabia says it has summoned Iraq’s ambassador over what it describes as threats targeting the kingdom and other Gulf states from drones launched from Iraqi territory.

The Saudi foreign ministry says in a statement that it has “emphasized the importance of Iraq dealing responsibly with these threats and attacks.”

Bennett threatens lawsuit against Likud over claims that new party candidate was member of Brothers in Arms

Former premier and 2026 Knesset candidate Naftali Bennett (center) poses with Liran Avisar Ben-Horin (left) and Keren Terner (right), candidates on his 'Bennett 2026' slate. (Naftali Bennett on X)

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s party says it has sent a legal warning ahead of a possible lawsuit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and a pro-Likud news outlet over what it calls defamatory claims that party candidate Keren Terner was a member of the reservist-led Brothers in Arms organization.

“Keren Terner has never been a member of the Brothers in Arms organization and has never been involved in any way in calls for refusal to serve,” says a statement from the Bennett 2026 party.

The statement clarifies that Terner, who previously served as director general in both the transportation and finance ministries, only volunteered with the civilian emergency response hub established by the organization and others following the Hamas-led terror onslaught of October 7, 2023, to “assist tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers, and reservists when state systems collapsed.”

It adds that the hub “did not engage in politics” and “received support from across the political spectrum for its vital work during one of Israel’s most difficult moments.”

The legal warning comes after Likud earlier today assailed Bennett for adding Terner to his electoral slate, accusing him of recruiting a figure from the Brothers in Arms protest movement.

The group played a central role in the mass protests against the government’s 2023 judicial overhaul plans, and Netanyahu’s supporters have repeatedly accused it of encouraging reservists to refuse service by threatening to stop volunteering if the overhaul moved forward.

Trump: We got almost everything we wanted in talks, except on Iran’s nukes; ‘I predict they come back and give us everything’

US President Donald Trump says that “we got just about every point we needed except for the fact that they refuse to give up their nuclear ambition.”

Speaking to Fox Business Channel, Trump says that “they want to have nuclear weapons. They’re not going to have nuclear weapons.”

“They came in like they have the cards, but they don’t have the cards,” he says.

“I predict they come back and give us everything we want,” says Trump. “I don’t want 95 percent. I told them. I want everything.”

On his promise to blockade the Strait of Hormuz to Iranian oil, Trump says that it will happen “in a little while, but it’ll be effective pretty soon.”

“We’re going to clean out the strait,” he says. “They’re not going to be able to use the strait in not too long a distance.”

Iran has one thing that it can do, he acknowledges — mining the strait. “Just a mine, we’ll drop one mine, two mines, ten mines, and that will, if you have a ship that costs a billion dollars, you say, well, you know, I’d prefer not getting whacked by a mine and losing my ship.”

He threatens Iran again, saying “I can take out Iran in one day,” and its energy infrastructure in one hour, but he’d prefer not to make good on that threat.

Trump also touts the US relationship with Israel. “Look at the Israeli relationship. Look at the incredible partnership we have on this. As Bibi Netanyahu said, we’re the big brother, and they’re the small brother. It’s been a very effective team.”

IDF: Around 20 rockets fired by Hezbollah at northern Israel so far today

Children look at a damaged play ground hit the day before by projectiles launched from Lebanon in Nahariya, northern Israel, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Hezbollah has fired some 20 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel today, according to the IDF.

The rockets were either intercepted or struck open areas, and there have been no reports of injuries.

Report: Majority of small vessels used by IRGC to man Strait of Hormuz still operational after weeks of war

This handout photo released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps official website Sepanews on February 17, 2026, shows a rocket being fired during a military exercise by members of the IRGC and navy in the Strait of Hormuz. (SEPAH NEWS / AFP)

More than 60% of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ naval fleet tasked with patrolling the Strait of Hormuz is still intact after six weeks of war with the US and Israel, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The report comes as US President Donald Trump has declared that the US Navy will impose a blockade on the strait following failed ceasefire talks in Pakistan yesterday.

According to the report, the IRGC mans the strait with a fleet of small speedboats and attack craft equipped to guard the key waterway with missiles and mines. These boats are harder to target than the traditional battleships used by the Iranian navy, the report says, as they often evade satellite detection due to their size. The IRGC also stores these boats in “underground pens,” the Journal says, further hampering efforts to locate them.

As a result, US and Israeli strikes against Iran’s naval capabilities mainly targeted its traditional navy rather than the IRGC’s.

Still, the report notes that some IRGC vessels were destroyed in strikes, including the IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, capable of firing antiship and surface-to-air missiles, and the Shahid Bagheri, the IRGC’s largest drone carrier in the Persian Gulf.

But the largely intact fleet of small boats and attack craft should allow the IRGC to continue to control the Strait of Hormuz with ease, including by laying mines down throughout the narrow waterway, the Journal says, with the heavy damage inflicted to Iran’s traditional navy making “relatively little difference” in this area.

IRGC navy warns US destroyer to turn back from Strait of Hormuz in video carried by Iranian media

A video published by Iranian state media shows the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy warning a US Navy missile destroyer to turn back after entering the Strait of Hormuz yesterday.

The US Central Command announced yesterday that two destroyers, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), “transited the Strait of Hormuz and operated in the Arabian Gulf as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.”

“Navy warship 121. This is Sepah (IRGC) Navy station. You must alter course and go back to the Indian Ocean immediately. If you don’t obey my order, you will be targeted,” an IRGC Navy serviceman is heard telling the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.

A servicemember aboard USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. responds by saying that the ship is engaged in “transit passage in accordance with international law.”

The IRGC serviceman responds to the ship, saying he is issuing a “last warning.” The IRGC member also warns nearby ships to keep their distance from any warship in their vicinity, “because I’m ready to open fire on them without any warning.”

???? BREAKING
Footage shows The U.S. destroyers fled the Strait of Hormuz after receiving a warning from Iran’s Navy, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/AyP3L7D06P

— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) April 12, 2026

Iran war cost Israel around $11.5 billion, initial Finance Ministry estimate finds

The war with Iran has cost Israel about NIS 35 billion ($11.5 billion) in budgetary expenses, according to an initial estimate by the Finance Ministry.

The Finance Ministry says that the US-Israel war with Iran incurred high economic costs, including a loss of GDP and an increase in state spending, some of which will only become fully clear in the future.

The bulk of the cost comprises an estimated NIS 22 billion in defense and military spending for the IDF, Defense Ministry, National Security Ministry, and other security organizations. This amount has already been added to the Defense Ministry budget as part of the state budget for 2026, the Finance Ministry says.

The total cost of the government’s compensation plans for direct missile damage, loss of economic output for businesses, and unpaid leave for employees is estimated at NIS 12 billion.

Another NIS 1 billion is being spent on civilian costs, including hospital operations, emergency response, and expenses for the Social Affairs Ministry.

“The functioning of the Finance Ministry and responsible management of the country’s economy were a critical factor in the great operational success,” says Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. “The employees of the Finance Ministry are full partners in the great successes on the front and in our tremendous achievements against Iran.”

Iranian official denies Tehran collapsed talks over nuclear issue but insists on ‘undeniable’ right to nuclear energy

In a response to comments from US officials, including President Donald Trump, that the Islamabad talks collapsed over Iran’s refusal to commit to abandoning a path to a nuclear weapon, an Iranian official says: ″It is false. Iran’s position is clear. Iran is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but it has the right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. This right is undeniable and must be recognized.″

However, Iran is ready to limit its nuclear activities as part of confidence-building measures, the official claims, including enrichment levels.

He does not elaborate on why the talks failed and speaks on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the closed-door discussions.

Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application and obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities.

After debriefing from Vance, Trump says Iran’s refusal to give up nuclear ambitions collapsed Pakistan talks

President Donald Trump talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at UFC 327 at Kaseya Center, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

US President Donald Trump says that he has been debriefed by Vice President JD Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner after they returned from a day of negotiations with senior Iranian officials in Pakistan.

“There is only one thing that matters,” he writes on Truth Social, “IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!”

He indicates that there were some areas of agreement on the nuclear issue, but that Iran would not give up on its ostensible right to enrich uranium.

Trump calls Iran’s leadership “volatile, difficult, unpredictable people,” then in the next sentence says that his three negotiators “became, not surprisingly, very friendly and respectful of Iran’s Representatives, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi, and Ali Bagheri.” Still, he says, the Iranian team was “very unyielding as to the single most important issue,” adding that “IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!”

He also pans Iran for failing to open the Strait of Hormuz, acknowledging that no ship owner would want to chance sailing through the waterway.

“They better begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST!” he writes.

IDF says troops raided hospital in southern Lebanon used by Hezbollah, killed some 20 gunmen

Weapons the military says were captured by troops at Bint Jbeil Governmental Hospital in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo published on April 12, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it raided a hospital in the southern Lebanon town of Bint Jbeil where armed Hezbollah operatives had been holed up, killing some 20 gunmen and seizing weapons in the process.

Last week, troops of the Givati Brigade detected Hezbollah military activity at the Bint Jbeil Governmental Hospital.

The IDF says that in recent days, it identified several terror operatives who had been carrying out surveillance from within the hospital, and who then opened fire on the Israeli troops.

“Within a short time, the troops eliminated the terrorists. In addition, approximately 20 terrorists were targeted and eliminated in the hospital area to remove an immediate threat,” the IDF says.

The military says the soldiers then raided the medical center, where they located a cache of weapons belonging to Hezbollah.

“The Hezbollah terror organization systematically and continuously used the hospital compound and its immediate surroundings for the military purposes of the terror organization, in severe violation of international law,” the IDF says.

The IDF has previously warned that Hezbollah has been making use of medical facilities and ambulances for military purposes.

“Prior to the operation, the IDF clarified to the relevant authorities in Lebanon that all military activities in hospitals in Lebanon must cease, and published these warnings through various means. Despite this, the Hezbollah terrorist organization continued to use the hospital for military activity,” the IDF says.

IDF chief said to instruct military to move to ‘heightened readiness’ for resumed hostilities with Iran

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meets with troops on the outskirts of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, April 9, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has instructed the military to move to a “heightened state of readiness” and to prepare for a resumption of hostilities with Iran, the Ynet news site reports.

The move comes amid the collapse of negotiations between the United States and Iran. US President Donald Trump declared a two-week ceasefire late on April 7, in the hope of achieving a long-term accord.

Citing military officials, Ynet says the IDF is beginning a “combat readiness procedure,” and all units were instructed to maintain high readiness.

Last week, while visiting southern Lebanon, Zamir said that the military is “prepared to return to combat [in Iran] with full force if required at any given moment.”

Trump declares US Navy will begin blockading Strait of Hormuz ‘effective immediately’

US President Donald Trump talks to the media on the South Lawn before departing on Marine One at the White House, April 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

US President Donald Trump says the US Navy will immediately start blockading the Strait of Hormuz and will also intercept by force every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran.

The move follows unsuccessful US-Iranian talks yesterday in Pakistan, where the two parties failed to reach an agreement to end the six-week war in the Middle East.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, claims that the historic talks “went well” for the most part, but “the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not” agreed to by Iran.

“Effective immediately,” he says, the US Navy “will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.”

Trump claims “other countries” will also be involved in his blockade, but does not identify them by name.

He accuses Iran of “world extortion” for saying it had mined the Strait of Hormuz, and repeats his announcement that the US would soon begin de-mining the strait.

“I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” Trump declares.

Echoing the inflammatory language he used in the days leading up to the fragile two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, Trump says: “Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL! Iran knows, better than anyone, how to END this situation which has already devastated their Country.”

Putin offers to mediate ceasefire efforts in call with Iranian counterpart

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call that he is ready to help mediate efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East, the Kremlin says.

“Vladimir Putin emphasized his readiness to further facilitate the search for a political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict, and to mediate efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” the Kremlin says in its readout of the call.

Meanwhile, a European Union spokesman stresses the “essential” need for diplomacy to resolve the war, in a statement on yesterday’s failed US-Iranian talks in Pakistan.

EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni says “we salute Pakistan for its mediation efforts,” and confirms Brussels will contribute to further efforts to reach a settlement in coordination with its partners.

IDF denies Zamir endorsed government’s law on draft exemptions for Haredi men

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir holds a security assessment at the IDF's underground command center at the military's HQ in Tel Aviv, April 7, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF denies claims by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair MK Boaz Bismuth that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir supports the coalition’s proposed law on ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions, saying the military chief “did not express support for any specific conscription bill.”

In a statement, the army says Zamir has instead emphasized the need for a comprehensive legislative solution to address the IDF’s “immediate and urgent needs” surrounding its manpower shortage amid expanding operational demands.

The IDF reiterates Zamir’s warning to the cabinet that mandatory service is set to drop to 30 months starting in January 2027 – a move that, combined with an increased scope of IDF missions, would place an “unreasonable burden” on reservists.

Earlier this month, Zamir said he requested that three laws “that affect the readiness of the IDF and its reserve system be advanced.”

Those include a law extending the mandatory service period to 36 months for men; a law changing how reservists are called up and for how long, given that currently the IDF relies on emergency call-up orders with various limitations; and “a relevant conscription law that will be adapted to the needs of the IDF at the present time.”

Bismuth, citing remarks Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs made at the High Court of Justice, suggested Zamir backs the bill. The coalition is pushing to advance the legislation alongside a service extension bill after the Knesset recess ends on May 10.

The legislation was made necessary by a June 2024 High Court ruling that there was no legal basis for the longstanding exemption of military-age Haredi men from military service and ordered the government to draw up a law to begin drafting them.

Critics have warned the current version of the bill is counterproductive and will enshrine exemptions for full-time Haredi yeshiva students.

The IDF has said it urgently needs 12,000 recruits, mostly in combat, because of the strain that ongoing conflicts have put on reserve forces. Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted.

US dismisses report that Witkoff, Kushner stayed behind in Pakistan to continue talks

White House envoys Jared Kushner, left, and Steve Witkoff, listen as US Vice President JD Vance (not in picture) speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

The White House denies an Al Arabiya report that top US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner stayed behind in Pakistan in order to continue talks with Iran after US Vice President JD Vance headed home.

During a refuel stop at Rammstein Air Base in Germany on the way back from Pakistan, a US official tells the traveling pool that no US negotiators stayed behind in Islamabad, “including Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff or members of the technical teams,” according to the pool reporter.

Saudi state media says seven people put to death after being convicted of drug trafficking

Saudi authorities executed seven people who had been convicted of drug trafficking in a single day, state media says.

The Saudi Press Agency says five Saudis and two Jordanians were found guilty of trafficing amphetamine pills into the kingdom.

“The death penalty was carried out as a discretionary punishment against the perpetrators,” the agency reports, adding that the executions took place on Sunday in the Riyadh region.

Since the beginning of 2026, Riyadh has executed 38 people in drug-related cases, the majority of the 61 executions carried out, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

Foreign nationals make up the majority of those executed this year, totaling 33 people.

In 2025, executions in the kingdom reached a record level for the second consecutive year, with authorities executing 356 people, including 243 in drug-related cases.

The number of executions in 2025 marked the highest in a single year since Amnesty International began documenting death penalty cases in the Gulf kingdom in 1990.

The previous record, 338, was recorded in 2024.

Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug offenses at the end of 2022, after suspending the use of the death penalty in narcotics cases for around three years.

The Arab world’s largest economy is also one of the biggest markets for captagon, an illicit stimulant that was Syria’s largest export under deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, according to the United Nations.

The Gulf kingdom has faced sustained criticism over its use of the death penalty, which rights groups have condemned as excessive and in marked contrast to the country’s efforts to present a modern image to the world.

Activists say Riyadh’s continued embrace of capital punishment undermines the image of a more open, tolerant society that is central to de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s social and economic reform agenda.

Hungary poll turnout hits noon record of 54 percent in closely watched election

A woman casts her vote a polling station during the Hungarian parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Turnout in Hungary’s closely watched parliamentary polls hits a record 54 percent at midday, election authorities said, as voters flocked to participate in a ballot that could end nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule.

The noon turnout is considerably higher than the 40 percent seen in the 2022 election, and AFP journalists report seeing queues of people waiting to vote at numerous polling stations.

IDF says troops killed Hezbollah gunman responsible for killing soldier in south Lebanon last week

Soldiers of the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued by the military on April 12, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says troops killed a Hezbollah gunman responsible for killing Israeli soldier Staff Sgt. Touvel Yosef Lifshiz in southern Lebanon last week.

On Tuesday afternoon, troops of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion exchanged fire with two Hezbollah operatives in a building.

During the gun battle, Lifshiz and one of the Hezbollah gunmen were killed, while the second terror operative managed to hide.

Two days later, the Golani soldiers returned to the site of the battle and identified an armed Hezbollah operative hiding under the rubble inside the building.

“The troops engaged and eliminated the terrorist with close-range fire,” the military says, adding that he was confirmed to be the second gunman.

In addition, the IDF says the soldiers also located the body of the first operative killed in the initial exchange of fire.

Demolitions begin in Be’eri neighborhood ravaged on Oct. 7: ‘The memories remain in my soul’

Demolishing the Gat family home in Kibbutz Be'eri, southern Israel, April 12, 2026. (Courtesy, Kibbutz Be'eri)

Demolitions start in the Olive neighborhood of Kibbutz Be’eri near the Gaza border, one of two neighborhoods worst affected by the Hamas invasion of October 7, 2023.

Terrorists who stormed the kibbutz murdered 102 of the roughly 1,200 residents of the kibbutz and abducted another 30, all of whom were since returned to Israel either dead or alive.

The first house to be bulldozed is the Gat family’s home. Kinneret Gat was murdered next to the house, while her daughter Carmel Gat was abducted to Gaza and later murdered, after 11 months in captivity.

Residents long debated what to do with the houses. Ultimately, kibbutz members felt that demolishing and rebuilding the two neighborhoods, rather than living in a perpetual monument to the devastating attack, was crucial in allowing them to move on.

Eshel Gat, husband of the late Kinneret and father of Carmel, says: “Today I witnessed the demolition of my home, the evacuation of an entire life that was cut short by violence. The memories remain in my soul, I hold on to them every day, but the house is not a symbol or a memorial site. ”

A statement from the Gat family says, “We will remember and commemorate Carmel and Kinneret in ways that symbolize life and not hell.”

The family announces a race on May 15 aimed at commemorating the two women’s lives of “action and love of the country.”

The event will include three relay races, to be run or walked, from Kibbutz Yagur in the Carmel, near Haifa, to Tzemach at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee.

Further information can be found here: https://www.carmel-kinneret.org/

Ramle man, 52, charged with incitement for 2023 posts threatening to poison Justice Minister Levin

Justice Minister Yariv Levin attends a special plenum session in honor of visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A man from Ramle is charged with incitement after he made a series of posts threatening to poison Justice Minister Yariv Levin in early 2023.

Eyal Zaidman, 52, is indicted in the Ramle Magistrate’s Court on four counts of incitement to violence.

Prosecutors in the State Attorney’s Office say Zaidman wrote a series of post on X in February 2023 that targeted Levin amid mass protests sparked the previous month by the justice minister’s announcement of plans to weaken the judiciary.

According to the indictment, Zaidman replied to a photo of the Levin with a threat: “We will poison him soon.”

When another user tagged the Israel Police under his post, Zaidman in response also tagged law enforcement, adding that Levin’s poisoning would be “slow and agonizing.”

“We’ll start with the poisoning and continue by blowing up Channel 14,” he added, referring to the pro-government news outlet.

In a separate post soon afterward, Zaidman said: “I realize that I scared some people with my intention to poison a certain someone. Unfortunately I didn’t find the right poison. Sorry for the scare.”

Prosecutors write that Zaidman’s posts, which circulated widely on X, “encourage acts of violence against the justice minister.”

They add that there was a “tangible possibility that the posts could lead to… an act of violence.”

Court okays cancellation of Netanyahu’s testimony in corruption trial this week

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits at the Tel Aviv District Court ahead of his testimony in the corruption trial against him, October 15, 2025. (Reuven Kastro/POOL)

The Jerusalem District Court agrees to cancel the three hearings that had been scheduled for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his corruption trial, acceding to Netanyahu’s request.

The court asks, however, for an update from Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad regarding the possibility of having the prime minister testify next week.

Hearings in Netanyahu’s trial, along with many other criminal proceedings, were suspended during the war with Iran as the courts were put on an emergency footing.

Following the ceasefire that went into effect last week, Netanyahu requested a further two-week delay to the resumption of his testimony due to the security and diplomatic situation in the wake of the conflict.

The State Attorney’s Office agreed to cancel the prime minister’s testimony this week, but requested that requests for delays next week be re-submitted and evaluated.

The court adopts this position, and tells Hadad to file an update as to whether Netanyahu will be able to testify next week by Thursday.

Nine foreign airlines expected to resume Tel Aviv routes this week

Illustrative: Passengers at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, April 9, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Israel Airports Authority says nine foreign carriers are expected to gradually resume flight services to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport this week.

Today, Israeli-owned Greek airline Bluebird Airways will restart a limited schedule with a daily flight on the Tel Aviv-Athens route. Cypriot airline TUS Airways plans to resume flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Etihad Airways is expected to resume limited flight operations on the Abu Dhabi-Tel Aviv route, in addition to Ethiopian Airways and Smartwings.

China-based Hainan Airlines is expected to resume direct flights between Tel Aviv and Beijing on Thursday. Russian carrier Red Wings, Georgian Airways, and Moldovan airline FlyOne will restart flights to and from Tel Aviv on Friday.

“We are making efforts to expand air activity and return the aviation industry to full operations,” says Transportation Minister Miri Regev. “The return of foreign airlines will allow the Israeli public to once again fly to a wider variety of destinations and increase the supply of flights.”

Advanced negotiations are underway for the return of additional foreign airlines, including Emirati carrier flydubai, the Israel Airports Authority says.

Israel’s airspace was fully reopened last week, following the ceasefire agreement announced early on Wednesday that halted the joint US-Israel military campaign against Iran for two weeks.

Likud takes aim at Bennett for recruiting former civil servant with ties to protest movement

Former premier and 2026 Knesset candidate Naftali Bennett (center) poses with Liran Avisar Ben-Horin (left) and Keren Terner (right), candidates on his 'Bennett 2026' slate. (Naftali Bennett on X)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party assails former premier Naftali Bennett for recruiting the Finance Ministry’s ex-director general Keren Terner to his electoral slate.

“Bennett’s true face was once again exposed today when he added Keren Terner from the Brothers in Arms movement to his party — an organization that encouraged refusal to serve in the IDF, thereby weakening Israel and harming our security,” Likud says in a statement, referring to a reservist-led protest group.

“Just as he did last time, Bennett will again form a government with the left and the Muslim Brotherhood,” Likud continues, referring to Bennett’s 2021-22 government with Yair Lapid, which included left-wing parties as well as Mansour Abbas’s Islamist party Ra’am.

Despite having previously courted Ra’am during coalition negotiations, Netanyahu has since threatened to outlaw the Arab political party, claiming it is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. Abbas has repeatedly denied any connection to the pan-Islamist movement, which spawned Hamas.

Bennett’s party, temporarily called “Bennett 2026,” calls the statement against Terner “a smear campaign by Likud’s poison machine.”

The statement notes that Terner served under Netanyahu as director general in both the transportation and finance ministries.

According to the statement, she volunteered with Brothers in Arms as part of the organization’s civilian emergency response hub following the Hamas-led terror onslaught of October 7, 2023. At the time, Brothers in Arms was among several anti-government organizations that mobilized some 15,000 volunteers to rescue and support fellow citizens as the government scrambled to react.

“In Israel’s most difficult days, when all state systems collapsed, when government ministers fled, Keren Terner stepped up to help Israeli citizens. That’s exactly what Israel has been missing, and we are proud of Keren Terner!” says the statement from Bennett’s party.

The government has repeatedly attacked  Brothers in Arms, attempted to block its members’ military promotions, and sought to restrict their participation in public life, over the group’s central role in the mass protests against the government’s judicial overhaul plans in 2023.

Netanyahu’s supporters often accuse the group of harming state security by threatening to stop volunteering for reserve duty if the government went ahead with its bid to weaken the judiciary.

Ben Gvir says he feels like ‘master’ of Temple Mount as Jordan slams his trip to Jerusalem holy site

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, left, and Rabbi Elisha Wolfson of the Temple Mount Yeshiva at the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 12, 2026. (Credit: Otzma Yehudit)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says he feels like the “master” of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and vows to keep pushing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expand Jewish access there, as Jordan condemns the far-right minister’s visit to the holy site.

The mount is where the two Jewish temples of antiquity once stood, and it currently houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site. It is a regular flashpoint between Israeli security forces and Palestinians.

Under a longstanding status quo, Jews may visit but not pray at the compound, which is administered by the Jordanian Waqf, or Muslim religious endowments authority.

Ben Gvir, who could be seen in footage earlier today praying on the Temple Mount, says in a video from the site that “today, you feel like the master of the house here.”

“I keep pressing the prime minister to do more and more and more things. We must go even further, higher and higher,” Ben Gvir says, standing alongside Rabbi Elisha Wolfson of the Temple Mount Yeshiva, which encourages Jews to ascend and pray at the site.

“What a complete transformation,” Ben Gvir adds. When he first visited the Temple Mount as a teenager, he adds, Palestinians “wouldn’t stop shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and surrounding us,” where “if a Jew so much as muttered something, he would be arrested.”

Wolfson thanks Ben Gvir, whom he credits with “making an enormous historic change” at the site, not only for Jews who pray at the Temple Mount, but “for the people of Israel, who have been waiting 2,000 years.”

Ben Gvir has long called for Jewish prayer rights at the site, and in January, the police, which he oversees, allowed Jewish worshipers to ascend the Temple Mount for the first time with printed prayer sheets handed out by Temple Mount Yeshiva students.

In a statement, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry expresses its “harsh condemnation for the continued, unacceptable raids by the far-right minister, facilitated by the Israeli occupation police,” in the Al-Aqsa compound.

The compound in its entirety is “a place of worship exclusively for Muslims” under the sole jurisdiction of the Waqf, the Jordanian ministry says.

There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office. Previous such visits and statements by Ben Gvir have prompted Netanyahu to announce that there is no change in Israel’s policy of keeping the status quo.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Hezbollah denies link to Syrian cell accused of planning attack on rabbi in Damascus

Syria arrested an alleged Hezbollah cell of 5 operatives who attempted to plant a bomb outside the home of Rabbi Michael Khoury in Damascus's Old City, according to reports on April 11, 2026. (SANA via X)

Hezbollah denies any link to a cell accused by Syrian authorities of planning an attack on a religious figure in Damascus. The target has been identified in Israeli and Arabic media as Rabbi Michael Khoury, though this has not been confirmed.

The Iran-backed Lebanese terror group, which fought in support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad until he was toppled in 2024, claims it has “no activity, no ties and no relationship with any party in Syria, and has no presence on Syrian soil.”

Claims linking Hezbollah to the accused cell were “false and fabricated,” the terror group says, calling on Syrian authorities “to conduct a thorough investigation before making accusations without evidence.”

It blames “the presence of intelligence services” on Syrian soil that it says were “seeking to inflame tensions between Lebanon and Syria.”

Syria’s interior ministry said Saturday that security forces had arrested a woman attempting to plant an explosive device in front of a house belonging to an unnamed religious figure in the Bab Touma area of the Syrian capital. Security forces dismantled the device and arrested five members of the cell, a ministry statement said.

According to initial investigations, the cell was linked to Hezbollah and “its members received specialized military training abroad,” the ministry added.

Magen David Adom Ireland chair says public concert hall canceled event with accounts from Oct. 7

Illustrative: Magen David Adom paramedics arrive at an impact site of a fragment from an Iranian missile strike in central Israel on March 15, 2026. (Magen David Adom)

The chairman of the Magen David Adom ambulance service’s fundraising arm in Ireland accuses the National Concert Hall in Dublin of canceling an event that the group was set to hold there on May 11.

The event was set to feature accounts, delivered by actors, from survivors and first responders from the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, Magen David Adom says.

“The cancellation by the National Concert Hall of MDA Ireland’s scheduled private fund raising event can be properly described as an act of antisemitic censorship,” Alan Shatter says in a statement, adding that the move by the publicly funded institution would add to the “escalating global perception of Ireland as one of the most antisemitic countries in Europe.”

According to Shatter, MDA Ireland started coordinating with the venue in November, finalized the date in early February, “and since then the NCH have canceled it, reinstated it and canceled it again, each cancellation having a spurious basis.”

The National Concert Hall does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Statement by Alan Shatter, Chair of Magen David Adom Ireland*

“ The cancellation by the National Concert Hall of MDA Ireland’s scheduled private fund raising event can be properly described as an act of antisemitic censorship “ says Shatter

“ The National Concert Hall…

— Alan Shatter (@Alan__Shatter) April 12, 2026

Fire from Jerusalem Holy Fire ceremony reaches Beirut, days before Israel-Lebanon peace talks

Orthodox Christian pilgrims hold up candles during the Holy Fire ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Old City of Jerusalem, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

After the annual Holy Fire ceremony took place yesterday in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the flame lit in Jesus’s tomb reached Lebanon the same day, says Lebanon’s presidency.

According to Beirut, the flame was carried by air from Israel to Cyprus, where it was taken on board a Lebanese Army helicopter then flown to Baabda Palace, the official residence of President Joseph Aoun near the capital.

The flame’s journey between the Israeli and Lebanese capitals comes days ahead of direct peace talks in Washington between the two enemy states.

The Holy Fire ceremony, held the day before Orthodox Easter, symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus. A flame, supposedly kindled in some miraculous way in the heart of Jesus’s tomb, is used to light the candles of fervent believers from Orthodox communities.

وصلت إلى لبنان شعلة النور المقدس من قبر السيد المسيح في القدس في طائرة هليكوبتر تابعة للجيش اللبناني حطت في مهبط الطوافات في قصر بعبدا آتية من قبرص التي وصلتها الشعلة جواً من القدس. pic.twitter.com/pvDXKspgnb

— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) April 11, 2026

Noga Erez, the 1st Israeli artist to play Coachella, tells crowd she’s grateful to be there amid war

Noga Erez poses on the cover of Harper's Bazaar Czech Republic March 2026 issue (Courtesy)

Indie artist Noga Erez, performing at California music festival Coachella, shares with the audience some thoughts about reaching the US during the 40-day war with Iran.

“To get us all here took kind of like, forces I didn’t know I had,” says Erez, who wrote on social media about the trials of getting out of Tel Aviv during the war with her partner and musical collaborator Ori Rousso, their toddler daughter and crew.

“I’m so f—-ing grateful to be here,” she says, to the cheers of the crowd.

“I’m just heartbroken and sad because of things that are happening at home and around it,” says Erez. “I just love this music thing so much and right now doing this thing is exactly what I’m doing it for, to put a bunch of strangers together and make them feel like a family, united around something.”

“We’re doing it, this is Coachella, unf—ing believable,” says Erez.

Erez is the first Israeli artist to perform at the festival, a pair of long weekends in the California desert, with 100 acts across eight stages.

Noga Erezミッシー節だなと思ったらちゃんとミッシーと共演してる曲もあるんだ! https://t.co/jfA5vm0uTl pic.twitter.com/wjx5ahGS0y

— shimijimi (@shimijimi) April 12, 2026

Ghalibaf says US failed to gain trust of Iranian delegation at inconclusive Islamabad talks

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, left, shakes hand with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif prior to their meeting, in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 11, 2026 (Pakistan Prime Minister Office via AP)

Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad ​Bagher Ghalibaf says his country’s delegation raised “forward-looking” initiatives during negotiations in Pakistan’s Islamabad, but the US failed to gain the trust of the delegation in the talks that ended this morning without an agreement.

“The US has understood Iran’s logic and principles and it’s time for them to decide whether they can earn our trust or not,” Ghalibaf, who was among Iran’s negotiating team, says in a post on X.

Suspect arrested in 2019 murder of 18-year-old who was discovered dead in ditch

Eviatar Azarzar (Courtesy)

Police say they have arrested a suspect in the murder of 18-year-old Eviatar Azarzar this morning, nearly six years after his corpse was discovered in a ditch near a cemetery.

The suspect is arrested following an apparent breakthrough in the investigation. Additional arrests are expected in the coming days, police add.

Azarzar, from a Jerusalemite family, went missing for three weeks in 2019 before his body was found in a pit in Ramat Hasharon, an affluent city just north of Tel Aviv. His upper torso was riddled with gunshots.

A gag order is still in place on most details of the case, which is being probed by Tel Aviv District police investigators. If not renewed by the court, the order will expire Wednesday.

Suspected Hezbollah drone likely intercepted over Kiryat Shmona after sirens in the area, IDF says

A suspected Hezbollah drone launched from Lebanon was likely intercepted over the Kiryat Shmona area a short while ago, according to the IDF.

Sirens had sounded in the northern city and nearby towns in the Galilee Panhandle.

Hamas delegation to meet with Egyptian mediators in Cairo today, officials say

A delegation from Hamas is set to hold talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo today to address alleged Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire, according to two Hamas officials.

“The delegation will meet Egyptian officials on Sunday morning to discuss halting Israeli violations and implementing the remaining provisions of the first phase of the agreement,” a Hamas official tells AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly.

According to the official, Hamas will emphasize the need for Israel to cease all violations of the truce, dismantle its military positions in Gaza, fully reopen border crossings, increase the flow of travelers, and allow greater volumes of humanitarian aid into the territory.

The group is also expected to press for the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a US-backed body of independent Palestinian technocrats, to enter the enclave and assume its governing responsibilities.

The Hamas delegation will also meet in Cairo with representatives of other Palestinian factions to discuss those issues, the second Hamas official adds.

Ben Gvir prays at Temple Mount in apparent violation of status quo, footage shows

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is seen from the back with his arms open in prayer at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, April 12, 2026. (Screen capture: X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir prayed this morning at the Temple Mount, a regular flashpoint between Israeli forces and Palestinians, footage published by Arabic media shows. The minister does not immediately comment.

The mount in Jerusalem’s Old City is the site of Islam’s third-holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and is where the two Jewish temples of antiquity stood.

Israel conquered the Old City, including the Temple Mount, in the Six Day War of June 1967.

Under a longstanding status quo, Jews may visit but not pray at the compound, which is administered by the Jordanian Waqf, or Muslim religious endowments authority.

Ben Gvir has long called for Jewish prayer rights at the site, and his previous visits have drawn sharp condemnation across the Arab world, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that the status quo with the Jordanian Waqf remains unchanged.

اقتحم وزير الأمن القومي الإسرائيلي، المتطرف إيتمار بن غفير، المسجد الأقصى برفقة مجموعة من المستوطنين، وأدّوا طقوسًا تلمودية داخل باحاته pic.twitter.com/5TtAmZVYTw

— موقع عرب 48 (@arab48website) April 12, 2026

Stav Levaton contributed to this report.

Israeli forces engaged in ‘fierce clashes’ with Hezbollah in its south Lebanon Bint Jbeil stronghold — state media

Lebanon’s official news agency reports “fierce clashes” between the Israeli military and Hezbollah in the southern town of Bint Jbeil.

In recent days, the IDF encircled Bint Jbeil as it works to clear the Hezbollah stronghold of terror operatives and the group’s infrastructure.

The National News Agency reports that Israeli troops “are still trying to infiltrate and take control of the remaining neighborhoods in the city of Bint Jbeil.”

The report adds that the IDF shelled the outskirts of the town and its entrances with artillery.

Lebanese state media: 5 killed in Israeli strike in southern town of Qana; no comment from IDF

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports five people killed and several wounded in an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Qana.

The IDF does not immediately comment.

#بالفيديو | آثار الدمار جراء العدوان الإسرائيلي الذي استهدف بلدة قانا #جنوب_لبنان. #الميادين_لبنان #لبنان pic.twitter.com/0ZkOVUiGV3

— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) April 12, 2026

Netanyahu urges High Court to reject ‘unconstitutional’ attempt to order him to fire Ben Gvir

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, speaks with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir during a vote on the state budget, March 29, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urges justices to reject what he calls an “unconstitutional attempt to dismiss a minister in Israel” in a High Court filing on petitions for the dismissal of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

A nine-justice panel is set to hear the petitions on Wednesday, after a hearing on the matter was postponed due to war with Iran.

“Accepting the petition would indicate that the court is, in practice, assigning itself an active and significant role in the political arena without any legal authority,” Netanyahu’s response to the court reads.

The petitioners are urging the court to order Netanyahu to fire Ben Gvir over what they claim is the minister’s unlawful interference in police investigations, promotions and the policing of protests, which the petitioners say undermine the independence of law enforcement.

The petitions gained the backing of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara last year. She had come to an agreement with Ben Gvir meant to curb his influence over police’s decision making, but it fell through after he consistently violated its terms.

Netanyahu argues that the High Court “has no constitutional right to dismiss a government minister due to the substance of his role, the way he acts within his ministry and in the name of his administrative decisions.”

“The honorable court is asked to respect the government’s sovereignty, to reject the petitions, to cancel the order on the given condition and avoid serious harm to the separation of powers,” the filing reads.

Lebanon state media reports six killed in Israeli strike near Tyre; no comment from IDF

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports at least six people killed in an Israeli strike on Maaroub, near Tyre in Lebanon’s south.

The IDF does not immediately comment.

آثار الدمار في بلدة معروب في صور بعد استهداف الطيران الحربي الاسرائيلي منزلاً مأهولا #عاجلhttps://t.co/SEqECL0sDW pic.twitter.com/tUExY3AcQR

— Cedar News (@cedar_news) April 12, 2026

Saudi Arabia says major oil pipeline back to full capacity after being damaged in Iran war

Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry says it has restored full oil pumping capacity through the East-West pipeline after it was affected by attacks during the Iran war.

The pipeline transfers approximately seven million barrels’ worth of oil per day.

High Court hearing looks at request to find government in contempt over ineffective Haredi draft enforcement

The High Court holds a hearing on the military enlistment of ultra-Orthodox Jews, in Jerusalem, April 12, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A hearing in the High Court of Justice begins on the request by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel for a finding of contempt of court against the government for failing to draw up effective enforcement measures against ultra-Orthodox men who fail to enlist for compulsory military service.

In November 2025, the High Court ordered the government to draw up policies for enforcing enlistment, specifically regarding social and economic sanctions on draft dodgers, by January 4 this year.

When the government failed to do so, the Movement for Quality Government filed a contempt of court request to the court against the government.

A hearing on the request was originally set for March 1, but was postponed because of the war with Iran that started the previous day.

The government is yet to draw up such enforcement policies.

Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg is heading the panel hearing the case, along with justices Daphna Barak Erez, David Mintz, Yael Wilner, and Ofer Grosskopf.

State Prosecutor’s Office accepts Netanyahu’s request to postpone testimony this week

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the courtroom at the District Court in Tel Aviv, before the start of his testimony in the trial against him, October 28, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The State Prosecutor’s Office accepts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to cancel his testimony in his corruption trial this week.

Netanyahu’s request to postpone next week’s testimony as well will be examined separately, the State Prosecutor’s Office says.

The trial was put on hold because of the Iran war that started on February 28. It was set to resume today amid the two-week ceasefire that US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday.

On Friday, Netanyahu’s defense asked that his testimony be postponed “due to classified security and diplomatic reasons,” and said it was prepared to continue hearing the testimony of a prosecution witness.

Bennett announces first two members of his party’s electoral slate

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a conference in Herzliya on November 19, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett announces the first two members of his party slate in the upcoming elections, which are set to take place in October at the latest.

They are Keren Terner, who resigned as director-general of the Finance Ministry in 2021, and Liran Avisar Ben Horin, who resigned as director-general of the Communications Ministry in 2023.

Both resigned amid disagreements with ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, and have since moved to the private sector.

“Keren and Liran are the most professional and experienced women in management in Israel, with a deep love for our land and the citizens of Israel,” says Bennett on X.

The right-wing former premier is running to unseat Netanyahu. Polls regularly show his party, temporarily called Bennett 2026, to be the largest party in the Zionist opposition bloc.

לירן אבישר בן חורין וקרן טרנר, שתיים מהמנכ״ליות המצליחות בישראל, מצטרפות הבוקר לנבחרת התיקון של ישראל, רשימת ״בנט 2026״ לבחירות הקרובות!????????

יוצאים לדרך.
כדי לחזור לנהל את המדינה, צריך בהנהגה את אנשי הניהול והביצוע הכי טובים במדינה.

קרן ולירן הן נשות הניהול המקצועיות והמנוסות… pic.twitter.com/e94qT2bOVF

— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) April 12, 2026

Health Ministry says 7,656 people admitted to hospitals since start of Iran war

Medical staff at Shaare Zedek Medical Center and soldiers transfer patients back to regular wards after the underground department established during the Iran war was closed, in Jerusalem, April 10, 2026. (Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)

The Health Ministry says 7,656 people have been admitted to hospitals since the beginning of the Iran war on February 28.

Of them, 114 are currently hospitalized. Two are in critical condition, 13 are in serious condition, 32 are in moderate condition, and one is in good condition. The casualty figures include soldiers and civilians.

The ministry does not give a breakdown of the causes of injuries. Some were indirect, such as people injured while trying to reach shelters, rather than as a direct result of missile fire.

Soldiers destroyed bomb-making lab in West Bank’s Tulkarem, military says

IDF troops destroyed a bomb-making lab during a raid over the weekend in the West Bank’s Tulkarem camp, the military says.

The IDF says troops raided the site on Friday following “intelligence indications.”

The soldiers found some 200 pipe bombs and other improvised explosive devices made out of fire extinguishers, along with gas cylinders and some 50 kilograms of explosive material, according to the military.

המטענים שהוכנו במעבדה יועדו לפגיעה בכוחות צה"ל הפועלים ביהודה ושומרון ולשימוש בביצוע פיגועים נגד אזרחי מדינת ישראל. המעבדה פעלה בטרם צה״ל החל בפעילות הרציפה במחנות בצפון השומרון.

פעילות כוחות צה״ל במרחב נמשכת יותר משנה, במסגרתה הכוחות מאתרים תחמושת, אמצעי לחימה ומטעני חבלה… pic.twitter.com/vLsV46KmLv

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 12, 2026

Trump shares article saying he could impose naval blockade on Iran if it won’t ‘bend’

US President Donald Trump attends the UFC 327 mixed martial arts event at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on April 11, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson / POOL / AFP)

After US-Iran talks in Islamabad ended with no agreement, US President Donald Trump shares on his Truth Social platform an article suggesting he could impose a naval blockade on Iran if it fails to accept US demands.

The article titled “The Trump card the president holds if Iran won’t bend: a naval blockade,” from pro-Trump outlet Just the News, says the blockade would choke the Iranian economy and pressure Iran’s allies China and India, who rely on Iranian oil exports.

The article says such a move by Trump would “reprise his successful blockade strategy” after a previous naval blockade “brought the Venezuelan economy to its knees” ahead of the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January.

Iran foreign ministry: No one thought a deal could be reached in a single session

A billboard of the US-Iran negotiations is seen near the venue at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Iran’s foreign ministry says no one had held any expectation that talks with the United States could have reached an agreement within one session after the negotiations in Islamabad stalled.

“Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session. No one had such an expectation,” ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

He says Tehran is “confident that contacts between us and Pakistan, as well as our other friends in the region, will continue.”

IDF says it struck a locked and loaded Hezbollah rocket launcher in south Lebanon overnight

Overnight, the Israeli Air Force struck a primed Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon, the military says.

According to the IDF, the launcher in the Jouaiya area was ready for an attack on Israel, and was destroyed before Hezbollah could use it.

לפני ששיגר לעבר מדינת ישראל: צה"ל תקף משגר טילים טעון ומוכן לשיגור בדרום לבנון

צה"ל זיהה במהלך הלילה, משגר רקטות טעון ומוכן לשיגור לעבר מדינת ישראל במרחב ג'ויא שבדרום לבנון.

מיד לאחר הזיהוי, המשגר הותקף והושמד בסגירת מעגל מהירה בטרם שיגר לעבר מדינת ישראל pic.twitter.com/4ieWBfFYUj

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 12, 2026

Polls open in closely watched Hungarian elections that could end Orban’s 16-year rule

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses supporters during his campaign closing rally at Buda Castle in Budapest on April 11, 2026, on the eve of the general election in Hungary. (Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)

Hungarians begin voting in closely watched crunch parliamentary elections that could end nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year stint in power as a self-described “thorn” in the European Union’s side.

Polling booths opened at 6:00 am local time (0400 GMT), according to AFP journalists. They will close at 7:00 pm.

Opinion polls suggest that the party of pro-European conservative Peter Magyar — who has promised a “system change” — is running well ahead of that of Orban.

Pakistan calls on Iran and US to keep the ceasefire after Islamabad talks end without agreement

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar calls on Iran and the United States to keep their commitment to maintain a ceasefire after the countries ended historic, face-to-face talks without an agreement.

“It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire,” Dar says in remarks at the end of the talks, according to a statement released by his office.

Pakistan will continue to play a mediating role and try to facilitate dialogue between Iran and the US in coming days, he says.

Vance leaves Pakistan after impasse in negotiations with Iran

US Vice President JD Vance waves as he boards Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 12, 2026, . (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Vice President JD Vance boards his government plane at 7:08 a.m. local time in Islamabad, departing Pakistan after he said that Iran declined to back down on developing a nuclear weapon, preventing a deal.

That’s according to a reporter traveling with Vance.

The war with Iran started at the end of February and the extensive talks ended after 21 hours. The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 7 for negotiations.

Iran also says Islamabad talks have ended, slams ‘excessive’ US demands

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency says negotiations with the United States in Pakistan have ended without an agreement, confirming what US Vice President JD Vance has said earlier.

The outlet claims Washington’s “excessive demands hindered a common framework.”

Iran’s Press TV says that among the points of contention have been various issues including passage rights through the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran’s nuclear rights.

Vance says US-Iran talks have ended without a deal, negotiators will return to US

US Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, April 12, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

US Vice President JD Vance says negotiations have ended between the US and Iran without a peace deal after the Iranians refused to accept American terms not to develop a nuclear weapon.

Vance tells reporters in Pakistan that US officials are leaving the negotiations with Iran without a deal, planning to return to the United States.

The high-stakes talks ended after 21 hours, Vance says, with the vice president in constant communication with US President Donald Trump and others in the administration.

“But the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance tells reporters. “That is the core goal of the president of the United States. And that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”

Report says 100 ships crossed Hormuz in past month, with many negotiating toll payments to Iran

The Wall Street Journal reports, citing data by Lloyd’s List Intelligence, that 100 ships have crossed the Strait of Hormuz over the past month.

The outlet says, citing unnamed brokers and ship owners, that non-Iranian vessels have been negotiating toll payments with Iranian authorities that can go up to $2 million for a single ship.

Iran says talks with US to continue Sunday despite ‘serious disagreements’ remaining

Iran’s state TV reports that US-Iran talks in Pakistan for a deal to permanently end the war will continue on Sunday, after talks were held until after 3 a.m. local time.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency claims “serious disagreements” remain.

Tehran’s government says the negotiations will continue despite the remaining differences.