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The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they unfolded.
Smotrich says NIS 100 million meant for PA to be given to families of terror victims
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich orders the seizure of around NIS 100 million ($26 million) of tax funds meant to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority, saying that the money will be given to the families of terror victims.
Smotrich writes in a post on X that the move is aimed at punishing the PA for payments made to the families of Palestinian terrorists.
“The struggle against terror is not just a military struggle, but also a fight that includes a war against the wild incitement of the Palestinian Authority and the terrorist funds which it directs from its budget to the families of terrorists,” he says.
During the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Israel has withheld from the PA funds earmarked for Gaza from the tax revenue Jerusalem collects on behalf of the PA under the 1993 Oslo Accords.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich halted the transfer in light of what he said was the PA’s support for Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught and its actions against Israel on the international stage, worsening the authority’s already harsh financial crisis.
המאבק בטרור איננו רק מאבק צבאי אלא מאבק משולב הכולל מלחמה בהסתה הפרועה של הרשות הפלסטינית ובכספי הטרור אותם היא מפנה מתקציבה למשפחות מחבלים.
כפי שנהגתי מאז כניסתי לתפקיד, פסקי דין כנגד הרשות הפלסטינית מועברים לעיקול מיידי מהכספים המועברים לרשות הפלסטינית ומועברים לפיצוי משפחות… pic.twitter.com/5NuekdS3vG
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) August 4, 2024
Reuters contributed to this report.
Two men shot dead in northern town, police say
Police say two men were shot dead in the northern town of Baqa al-Gharbiya a short while ago.
Medics who arrived at the scene found the two men with gunshot wounds in a car parked in an open field in the town, police say.
The medics declared them dead, police add.
Police are collecting evidence at the scene and searching for suspects.
PM, security chiefs meet ahead of anticipated Iran, Hezbollah attacks; Israel said considering ‘preventive actions’
Iranians follow a truck carrying the coffins of Hamas terror group leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard, who were killed in an assassination in Tehran, during their funeral ceremony at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in Tehran, Iran, August 1, 2024. (AP Photo/ Vahid Salemi)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convening with security chiefs this evening, as Israel prepares for anticipated attacks by Iran and Hezbollah, but it does not yet have a “definitive picture” of the attacks it will be facing, Channel 12 reports.
It also says Israel’s security establishment is considering the possibility of “preventive actions or attacks” Israel could initiate, “including in Lebanon or perhaps in other places as necessitated.”
Earlier this evening, when asked why Israel was not taking pre-emptive actions, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said, “We are watching our enemies on all fronts and certainly Hezbollah in Lebanon. We have very wide-ranging plans, we have a high readiness to act. Any instruction we get from the political echelon, we will carry out immediately.”
The TV report says that the US is also not certain what to expect from Iran and Hezbollah, but that a US-led international coalition to thwart any attacks has taken shape, and will be directed from CENTCOM in Qatar.
Asked by numerous countries how it will respond to such attacks, and whether it is heading for war, Israel has been saying “very ambiguously” that it is “keeping all its options open,” the report says.
That ambiguous response is one of the reasons why many countries are urging their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately, the report says.
It adds that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is considering visiting the region in the very near future, in light of US concern over a potential regional conflagration.
Channel 12 says the US has been reiterating that it has Israel’s back, and has asked Western nations to convey the message to Iran not to escalate and to warn Tehran that any significant attack will prompt a response.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier today that Iran has told Arab diplomats “it didn’t care if the response triggered a war.”
The Israeli TV report says there are indications that Iran is preparing for more than one round of attack and counterattack, as it seeks to recover from the humiliation of Wednesday morning’s strike in Tehran that killed Hamas terror group leader Ismail Haniyeh. Iran blames Israel for the killing; Israel has not claimed responsibility.
Channel 12 says the indications from Iran are that it will strike more harshly than it did in April, when it launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel in an attack that was almost completely thwarted.
In addition to the dozens of arrests Iran has been making as it tries to establish how Haniyeh was so precisely targeted, Channel 12 says that Hezbollah has been making dozens of arrests, as it investigates Tuesday night’s Israeli strike that killed its military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
IDF targets Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanese village
A Hezbollah operative was struck by fighter jets at a building used by the terror group in the southern Lebanon village of Houla, the IDF says.
The military says the operative was identified by troops of the 869th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit entering the weapons depot, and a short while later, an airstrike was carried out.
Separately, a Hezbollah operative spotted in the Beit Lif area was killed in a drone strike, the IDF says.
The IDF adds that other Hezbollah infrastructure was struck in Ayta ash-Shab.
Hezbollah carried out several rocket attacks on northern Israel today, with impacts reported in Kiryat Shmona, Malkia and the Mount Dov area. There were no injuries.
לפני זמן קצר כוח צה"ל מגדוד 869 זיהה מחבל חיזבאללה נכנס למבנה בשימוש הארגון במרחב חולא, זמן קצר לאחר מכן, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו את המבנה בו פעל המחבל.
כמו כן, מוקדם יותר היום כוח איסוף של פיקוד הצפון זיהה מחבל במרחב בית ליף שבדרום לבנון>> pic.twitter.com/lyIAmgUsO9
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 4, 2024
Britain evacuates families of Beirut embassy staff, urges citizens to leave Lebanon
LONDON — Britain says it withdrew the families of embassy staff in Beirut due to the volatile security situation in Lebanon and reiterated a call for citizens in the country to leave given the risk of escalation in the Middle East.
“We are deeply concerned with the highly volatile security situation in Lebanon,” a foreign office spokesperson says, stating additional consular officials, border force and military personnel had been deployed to the region.
“We have also temporarily withdrawn the families of officials working at the British embassy, Beirut… All British nationals should leave Lebanon now, while commercial routes are still available.”
⚠️ British nationals in Lebanon should leave now while commercial travel is still available.
???? If you are a British national in Lebanon, register for the latest information: https://t.co/yMKMv2ULRn
Families of officials working at the British Embassy Beirut have been… pic.twitter.com/EgtP89FyDi
— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) August 4, 2024
NBC reports Israel gearing up for multi-day attack by Iran, Hezbollah
Israel is preparing for Iran and Hezbollah to launch a multi-day rocket and drone attack in response to the assassination of a top Hezbollah commander and Hamas’s leader last week, an Israeli official tells NBC News.
“They’ll just try to wear us out,” the official says, who adds there is “strong US pressure to reach a ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war.
“Biden wants it to happen during his time in office,” the official states.
Macron, Abdullah II say Middle East escalation must be prevented ‘at all costs’
PARIS, France — France’s Emmanuel Macron and Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday said a military escalation in the Middle East must be avoided “at all costs,” during a telephone call, the French presidency states.
Macron and King Abdullah “expressed their utmost concern” and “underlined the need to avoid a regional military escalation at all costs,” according to the Elysee’s readout of their call.
“They called on all the parties to end the cycle of reprisals, [and] exercise the utmost restraint and responsibility to guarantee the security of the populations.”
Two Israeli kitesurfers stand at 11th and 10th places after their Olympic races
Competitors - including Israel's Gal Zuckerman (right) - perform in race 1 of the women's formula kite kiteboarding event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the Roucas-Blanc Marina in Marseille, August 4, 2024. (Christophe SIMON / AFP)
Israeli kitesurfers Dor Zarka and Gal Zuckerman complete their first four races each at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the women’s Formula Kite event, Zuckerman currently stands in 11th position, while on the men’s side, Zarka is ranked in 10th position following his races. In total, 16 races are slated to be held in the kitesurfing events ahead of Thursday’s medal races.
Meanwhile, in the mixed dinghy sailing event, Israeli duo Nitai Hasson and Noa Lasry are sitting in a solid 6th position following the 5th and 6th races out of 10 overall.
After races 7 and 8 in the men’s dinghy event, Omer Vered Vilenchik is ranked 30th place overall out of 40 competitors, while in the women’s dinghy, Shay Kakon is ranked 24th place overall. Races 9 and 10 — the final preliminary races — are slated for tomorrow.
In all of the sailing events, only the top 10 ranked boats advance to the medal races following the preliminary rounds.
Herzog says hostage deal must be reached quickly; PM: Military pressure will bring captives back
President Isaac Herzog emphasizes the need to reach a deal quickly to return hostages held in Gaza, saying an agreement “is central to our resilience and unity.”
Speaking at the State Memorial Ceremony for Revisionist Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Herzog says Israel is ready to protect itself against “an axis of evil,” referring to Iran’s Axis of Resistance, highlighting Israel’s advanced defense systems and regional allies.
“Another important point: during such challenging times, we must take responsibility for Israeli unity and solidarity. Our national resilience is being tested, and we all feel that internal tensions and polarization are growing, precisely when we can afford it least. I call on public leaders to calm the situation, exercise restraint, refrain from crossing red lines, and protect our social fabric and solidarity,” he says.
“We must not harm the IDF. Based on intelligence reports, I know that our enemies celebrate when they see division among us. This is a strategic gain for them,” he adds, in an apparent reference to right-wing mobs, among them Knesset lawmakers, that invaded two army bases last week over the arrest of soldiers by military police for allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee.
“It is our highest duty to act urgently to bring the hostages home,” he continues. “Our brothers and sisters face daily life-threatening danger, and we must fulfill our obligation to bring them back — the living to their homes, and the fallen to a proper burial in Israel.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also speaks at the ceremony, asserting that “only increasing military pressure on the Hamas murderers will lead to the achievement of all the war’s goals — including the return of all our hostages home, both the living and the dead.”
“Iran and its lackeys seek to surround us with a stranglehold of terror. We are determined to stand against them on every front and in every arena — far and near. Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price,” Netanyahu says.
טכס זכרון לזאב ז'בוטינסקי במלאת 84 שנים למותו בהשתתפות
ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו ונשיא המדינה יצחק הרצוג@netanyahu @Isaac_Herzog pic.twitter.com/vcCgXEqc6D— מוטי אוחנה (@motiohana1) August 4, 2024
Terrorists killed in Tulkarem yesterday behind killing of Israeli soldiers, civilian
People check a car attacked in an IDF airstrike in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, August 3, 2024. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/ AFP)
Among the nine Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives killed in drone strikes in the Tulkarem area of the West Bank yesterday were terrorists behind the killing of an off-duty soldier, a Border Police officer, and an Israeli civilian, the military says.
According to the IDF, Haitham Balidi, a commander in a local wing of Hamas in Tulkarem, was part of a cell that carried out a deadly shooting attack near the West Bank town of Bayt Lid on November 2, killing off-duty IDF reservist Sgt. First Class (res.) Elhanan Klein.
Balidi was also part of the cell that killed Chief Inspector Yitav Lev Halevi, a commander in the police’s elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit, amid a raid in the West Bank town of Dayr al-Ghusun, near Tulkarem, on May 4.
Balidi was behind numerous more attacks, according to the military.
Also among the nine slain gunmen were Jamal Abu Haniyeh and Ali Khalil, members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad who according to the IDF shot dead Israeli civilian Amnon Muchtar in a terror attack in Qalqilya on June 21.
Another gunman killed was Abdul Jabbar al-Sabbagh, who the IDF says was involved in shooting attacks against Israeli towns bordering the green line and settlements, including Bat Hefer, Einav, and Avnei Hefetz.
Israeli cyclist Rotem Gafinovitz finishes 77th out of 93 in Olympic race
Israeli cyclist Rotem Gafinovitz (left) competes in the women's road race at the 2024 Paris Olympics on August 4, 2024. (Olympic Committee of Israel)
Israeli cyclist Rotem Gafinovitz finishes the women’s road race at the 2024 Paris Olympics in 77th place out of 93 riders, with a time of 4:13:42.
While Gafinovitz, 32, spent much of the early part of the race out ahead of the pack, she was later caught by the peloton and fell to the back of the race.
At least 14 riders who began the race do not complete the grueling 158 kilometer course.
The gold is won by the US’s Kristen Faulkner, silver goes to the Netherlands’s Marianne Vos, and bronze to Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky.
Gallant meets with senior defense officials to discuss Iranian threat
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (right) meets with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk and Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva at his office in Tel Aviv, August 4, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is holding a meeting with senior military and defense officials amid heightened tensions over an anticipated Iranian and Hezbollah attack on the country.
The ministry says the meeting is focused on “the security developments, and the various options to exact a price for attempted attacks from Iran and its proxies.”
The meeting is attended by the IDF chief of staff, the director general of the Defense Ministry, the deputy head of the Shin Bet, the heads of the Operations, Intelligence, and Strategic Planning directorates, the head of the Air Force, the head of the Home Front Command, and other officials.
IDF says no changes to instructions for public as possible Iranian attack looms
Israeli air defense systems intercept missiles fired from Iran, in central Israel, April 14, 2024. (AP/Tomer Neuberg)
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says that as of now, there are no changes to emergency instructions for civilians, as rumors swirl regarding the timing of an anticipated Iranian and Hezbollah attack on Israel.
“We are working to provide an adequate warning to prepare for any threat. But until we say otherwise, there are no changes to the Home Front Command guidelines,” Hagari says.
“We will update only when required,” he says.
“Alongside this, we are at a high level of readiness, in defense in the air, at sea, and on the ground. We are readying for any sudden threat,” Hagari continues.
He also stresses that Israel’s air defenses are “not hermetic,” and therefore the public should be vigilant.
WSJ: Iran tells Arab diplomats it doesn’t care if attack on Israel will spark war
Iran has rejected Arab diplomats’ calls for restraint in an anticipated attack on Israel, people familiar with the dialogue tell The Wall Street Journal.
Iran says it doesn’t care if its response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last week in Tehran, which it blames on Israel, will lead to war, the unnamed sources say.
Israel has not admitted involvement in Haniyeh’s assassination.
IDF can now send location-based alerts to phones in case of ‘large-scale’ attacks
This illustration issued by the IDF on August 4, 2024, shows a Cell Broadcast alert on a phone. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF Home Front Command says it has completed trials with a new system to send location-based public warning messages, and it is now operational.
The new system is based on Cell Broadcast, which is a method of sending short messages to multiple phone users in a defined area. Many other countries have similar systems in place.
The Home Front Command says the system will “enable the receipt of a message in large-scale emergency events, such as rocket fire on Israel.”
The alerts will pop up on a user’s phone without needing to install an app or other previous action. It will sound an alarm with an emergency message.
The Home Front Command says the system doesn’t aim to replace its app or the physical sirens, but rather is intended for “surprise large-scale emergencies.”
Report: Transportation Ministry to operate maritime shuttles to bring stranded Israelis home
Transportation Minister Miri Regev has ordered her ministry to operate maritime shuttles from Cyprus to help Israelis stranded abroad return home, amid a series of flight cancelations due to an anticipated Iranian attack, Channel 12 news reports.
This is in addition to the planned use of Hercules military transports to bring Israelis home.
“Israelis who are abroad and are interested in the service are asked to contact the Israeli embassy in the country they are staying, or call the Foreign Ministry hotline. There they will receive the necessary information for registration, departure times, and the port of departure,” the Transportation Ministry says in a statement to the network.
Top US general reportedly to visit Israel Monday to finalize defense plan against Iran
File: In this handout photo, US CENTCOM commander Michael Erik Kurilla meets with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (C) and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in Tel Aviv, July 26, 2023. (Nicole Laskavi/Defense Ministry)
Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), will arrive in Israel tomorrow to complete preparations with the Israel Defense Forces to defend against an anticipated Iranian attack, an Israeli official tells the Walla news site.
Report: Shin Bet prepares underground bunker for leaders in case of war
An underground bunker in Jerusalem where senior leaders can remain for an extended period during a war has been prepared by the Shin Bet security service, the Walla news site reports.
The bunker can sustain hits from a range of existing weaponry, has command and control capabilities, and is connected to the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, the report says.
Viral army chef says he receives comments of ‘free Palestine’ on video of chopping watermelons
Nissim Mizrachi, an army chef who has garnered 50 million views on the TikTok social media app for his videos skillfully chopping watermelons and dancing, says his posts are “spontaneous.”
Mizrachi has posted videos of himself chopping the fruit and then dancing to a sped-up version of “You Spin Me Right Round” (1985) by English pop band Dead or Alive.
He tells Channel 12 news that he understood the symbolism of the fruit to pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters, who have adopted the watermelon as an emblem since it has similar colors to the Palestinian flag, which police have confiscated at demonstrations.
He says he received many comments on his videos of “free Palestine.”
He began posting the videos in the summer, saying, “Whatever comes out I uploaded, that’s what happened,” adding that all his friends and other cooks have loved the posts.
@nissim88
Gallant says Israel ready to defend and respond as it awaits Iranian attack
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks with an officer on a tank at a military base, August 4, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Amid an anticipated Iranian and Hezbollah attack on Israel, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel is “prepared very strongly” and ready to respond quickly.
“We are prepared very strongly in defense, on land, and in the air, and we are ready to move quickly to attack or to respond. We will exact a price from the enemy, as we have been doing in recent days. If it dares to attack us, it will pay a heavy price,” he says during a visit to the IDF’s Ground Technological Division.
Sinwar said to reject Khaled Mashal as new Hamas leader
Khaled Mashal, member of Hamas's political bureau, speaks to Kuwaiti podcaster Ammar Taqi on January 16, 2024 (Video screenshot)
As consultations are ongoing inside Hamas to choose a successor to slain politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, the terror group’s leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar is said to be opposed to the appointment of Khaled Mashaal, one of the two frontrunners to the title.
The Saudi-owned Alhadath news channel reports that Hamas leaders held a meeting yesterday in Qatar, and the message Sinwar conveyed was that he would prefer someone with a stronger relation with the Iranian leadership.
Haniyeh’s successor will be tapped by Hamas’s politburo and by its Shura Council, a secret consultative body comprising religious and political figures.
Pundits believe that the two frontrunners are Mashaal, a founding member of Hamas’s politburo who helmed the terror group between 2004 and 2017, and Khalil al-Hayya, a powerful figure within Hamas who was close to the slain leader.
IDF document shared with northern mayors sets out Hezbollah war scenarios
People wave Hezbollah flags as they accompany the casket of the Lebanese terror group's top military commander Fuad Shukr, during his funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1, 2024. (Ibrahim Amro/AFP)
A document by the Israel Defense Forces detailing the “Updated Scenario” in the event of an all-out war with Hezbollah was recently shared with northern mayors, The Times of Israel has learned.
The document was shared as Israel braces for a threatened response by Iran and Hezbollah to the killings last week of Hezbollah’s military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike in Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a blast in Tehran for which Israel has not claimed responsibility.
In the event of war with Hezbollah, the document envisages a potential three-day power outage in some cities; breakdowns in water supply that could last days; a disconnection of landlines for up to eight hours and cellphone communications for up to 24 hours; and brief local disruptions to radio and internet.
Some 40% of the nation’s workforce may be unable to work for the duration of the conflict, and service providers from outside affected areas may become unavailable throughout, according to the document.
The security establishment, The Times of Israel has learned, assesses that Israel could face an unprecedented attack with hundreds of rockets, carrying warheads ranging from payloads of 50 kilograms — like the one that hit Majdal Shams, killing 12 children at a soccer field — to 10 times that.
Hezbollah would be expected to prioritize targeting IDF facilities, then infrastructure, and then civilian targets, though that could change. It would be expected to aim at targets far to the south of Haifa, including Tel Aviv, possibly forcing the evacuation of large numbers of people to Jerusalem and to the south.
The evacuees would be housed in hotels, some of which are already housing numerous displaced Israelis from the north. If hotels in the Jerusalem area are full up, the evacuees would be accommodated in schools in the city.
Plans are being made for tent cities in the south, including in areas such as Timna, north of Eilat, and Eshkol Park in the Negev. The model for these is similar to that of the tents set up by Arcadi Gaydamak on Nitzanim Beach in 2006, for citizens evacuated from the north during the Second Lebanon War, and in 2007 at Yarkon Park for Sderot residents.
According to senior IDF sources, existing protective measures — notably including safe rooms — are extremely effective against missiles, including those of Hezbollah. Furthermore, according to the sources, the Home Front Command and local authorities are properly prepared for the scenario.
At the same time, “the reality for the other side will be far worse, to put it mildly,” one security official told The Times of Israel.
In the event of a major attack from the north, cities such as Sderot, Ofakim and Netivot would ironically become relatively safe places as regards Hezbollah missile strikes; cities in the south that were targeted in October 2023 would thus become cities of refuge in August 2024.
Yair Maayan, mayor of the southern city of Arad, last week encouraged residents of the north to consider evacuating to his quiet city, “and anybody who wants to, can also stay.”
After rockets fired from Gaza’s Khan Younis, IDF orders evacuation of parts of the city
Following a series of recent rocket attacks on Israel from the southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military is calling on Palestinians in some neighborhoods of Khan Younis to evacuate and head toward the designated “humanitarian zone.”
Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, publishes a list of the zones that need to be evacuated alongside the announcement.
Adraee says that the IDF will “forcefully operate” against terror groups in the Khan Younis area following the rocket attacks.
#عاجل ‼️ إلى السكان المتواجدين في أحياء جورت اللوت، المنارة، معن، قيزان النجار، قيزان ابو رشوان، السلام والحشاش
من جديد تطلق حماس والمنظمات الإرهابية الصواريخ من منطقتكم باتجاه دولة اسرائيل.
جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي سوف يعمل قريبًا بقوة ضد تلك العناصر.
عليكم إخلاء المنطقة بشكل… pic.twitter.com/o2jetXxQpY
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) August 4, 2024
3 suspects in Sde Teiman abuse case released after new evidence presented
Illustrative: This undated photo taken in the winter 2023 and provided by Breaking the Silence, a whistleblower group of former Israeli soldiers, shows blindfolded Palestinians captured in the Gaza Strip in a detention facility on the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel. (Breaking The Silence via AP)
Three soldiers suspected of the sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility have been released from custody.
Prosecutors dropped their demand to extend their remand following new information brought into the case, which relate to the extent of their involvement in the incident.
The Military Police is still investigating those three soldiers.
Another five soldiers remain held over the high-profile abuse case.
White House says Lebanon travel alert, Middle East deployments aimed at defense
WASHINGTON — The United States is telling its citizens to leave Lebanon and is deploying more military might in the Middle East as preventative and defensive measures, Jonathan Finer, White House National Security Council deputy adviser, says.
“Our goal is de-escalation, our goal is deterrence, our goal is defense of Israel,” Finer says in an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Regional tensions have soared following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas terror group’s top leader, in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander from the Hezbollah terror group, which like Hamas is backed by Iran.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Saudi Arabia tells citizens to leave Lebanon ‘immediately’
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia calls on its citizens to leave Lebanon without delay, as regional tensions soar following high-profile killings in Tehran and Beirut blamed on Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The Saudi embassy in Beirut says in a statement posted on social media platform X that it was “following closely the developments in south Lebanon,” near the border with Israel, and “reiterating its call for Saudi nationals to leave Lebanon’s territory immediately.”
IDF strikes Hamas command centers inside two Gaza City schools
A group of Hamas members operating out of two schools in Gaza City were struck by Israeli fighter jets a short while ago, the IDF says.
According to the military, Hamas embedded command and control rooms within the Hassan Salama and Nasr schools in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.
The schools were used by the Hamas operatives as a hideout and as a command room from where attacks on IDF troops and Israel were planned and carried out, the military says.
The IDF says it carried out “many steps” to mitigate harm to civilians in the strike, including using precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.
“The Hamas terror organization systematically violates international law, brutally exploiting civilian institutions and the population as a human shield for terror activity,” the military adds.
In recent months, dozens of airstrikes have been carried out against Hamas sites embedded within schools and other sites used as shelters for civilians, according to the IDF.
Report: Iran plans to carry out retaliatory strike on Israel on Tisha B’Av, August 12-13
File: Air defense fire interceptors during a drone and missile attack by Iran as seen over Jerusalem, April 14, 2024. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
Unnamed Western intelligence sources quoted by the UAE-owned Sky News Arabia indicate that Iran and Hezbollah plan to launch their retaliatory strike against Israel on Tisha B’av, the day of mourning for the destruction of the two Jewish temples, which begins this year at sunset on August 12 and ends on August 13 at nightfall.
The sources indicate that the choice of the day is due to several psychological and tactical considerations. It may aim to revive historical traumas for Jews of destruction and uprooting, thereby amplifying the psychological impact of the attack on Israeli society.
To Muslim audiences receptive to Iran and Hezbollah’s narrative, an attack on Tisha B’Av would signal that Israel is vulnerable to destruction, the way Jews have historically been, the sources add.
A large-scale attack on a day of religious significance may also exploit Israel’s lowered defenses and “increase the state of chaos,” the way Egypt did with its surprise attack on Yom Kippur in 1973, the sources add.
In Amsterdam, Anne Frank statue vandalized with ‘Free Gaza’ graffiti
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A statue of Anne Frank, famous for her diary account of hiding from the Nazis during World War II, has been covered with pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel graffiti, AFP learns.
According to images published on X, the base of the statue was spray-painted with the slogan “Free Gaza,” while the girl’s hands were painted with the same blood-red color.
Police opened an investigation into the most recent defacement, which likely occurred at night from Saturday to Sunday, an Amsterdam police spokesman tells AFP, adding that no suspect had yet been identified.
Anne Frank, who died aged 16 in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945, is an icon of the Dutch Jewish community.
Her diary has become one of the most influential accounts of the Holocaust, which wiped out around three-quarters of the country’s 140,000 Jews during the Nazi German occupation.
The Amsterdam house where the Frank family took refuge for two years before being captured by the Nazis in 1944 — after which they were sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp — has become a museum dedicated to her story.
It is the second time in less than a month that the statue of one of the world’s most recognizable victims of the Holocaust has been targeted, according to television station AT5 and confirmed to AFP by the police source.
AT5 says that the statue in a southern Amsterdam park had been vandalized on July 9, after which the municipality called for increased protection of the site with video surveillance cameras and nighttime lighting.
Only a sick antisemitic freak would spray the word "Gaza" onto a statue of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl murdered by the Nazis.
I swear you are hurting the Palestinian cause with this behaviour!! We will not get a state by intimidating Jews!! We will get a state by making peace. pic.twitter.com/P7wCtorlOL
— John Aziz (@aziz0nomics) July 9, 2024
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Smotrich says committee holds first meeting to examine defense spending
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announces the first meeting of a public committee to examine defense spending convened today, saying it is “impossible to give a blank check to the security system to do more of the same” after the October 7 massacre and the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
“We will investigate in depth where the faults were and how to proceed. Together, with all partners in the committee’s work, we will build Israel’s security for the coming years,” he writes on X.
This May, following an extended fight with the defense establishment, Smotrich announced that he had reached an agreement with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to establish the committee, which was held under the auspices of the National Security Council
Smotrich and Gallant had engaged in a public battle over the defense budget, with the finance minister previously threatening that he would not approve any “strategic and long-term future force build-up” until after the committee published its recommendations, claiming that “doing the same thing over and over again without learning from past mistakes will bring us a disaster.”
נבנה את ביטחון ישראל לשנים הבאות.
היום התכנסה הישיבה הראשונה של הוועדה הציבורית לבחינת תפיסת הביטחון ותקציב הביטחון של מדינת ישראל. ועדה שאני נאבק כבר חצי שנה על הקמתה. אירועי השביעי לאקטובר ומלחמת חרבות ברזל שומטים את הקרקע מתחת להנחות עבודה רבות מאוד שמערכת הביטחון הישראלית… pic.twitter.com/XLCpwrbvIk
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) August 4, 2024
IDF drills Lebanon fighting, including maneuvering in mountains, extracting wounded troops under fire
Troops of the Kfir Brigade carry out a drill in northern Israel, in a handout image issued August 4, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Last week, troops of the IDF’s Kfir Brigade carried out a drill simulating fighting in Lebanon, which the military says is part of its efforts to increase readiness for war amid heightened tensions on the northern border.
The drill included movement in complex terrain, advancing along a “mountainous route,” and using firepower in various scenarios, the IDF says.
The IDF says troops of the infantry brigade also practiced extracting wounded troops under fire, and camouflage.
The drill was the latest in a series carried out by the IDF for a potential war in Lebanon, but the first by a standing army brigade. All the previous drills were conducted by reserve units.
The Kfir Brigade has operated amid the war in the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank, and on the northern border.
Israel has warned it can no longer tolerate Hezbollah’s presence along its border following Hamas’s October 7 atrocities and has warned that should a diplomatic solution not be reached, it will turn to military action to push Hezbollah northward.
Drone flies Israeli flag over Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv, where Ankara’s flag was lowered to mourn Haniyeh
An activist used a drone to fly an Israeli flag on top of the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv yesterday after Ankara lowered its flag to half staff in honor of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran last week.
Posts on social media call the feat a “direct insult to the Turkish people and government” and a “provocation.”
Turkey declared Friday a day of mourning for Haniyeh, who was killed on Wednesday in a blast for which Israel has neither claimed nor denied responsibility.
In an interview with Channel 12 News, Ohad Ben Hamo says he took the drone down after Turkish embassy staff motioned to him with their hands that they would return their flag to the top of the flagpole.
“I was happy I was able to be part of setting that boundary,” he says.
Turkey lowered their embassy flag in #TelAviv to half mast in solidarity with terrorist Ismail Haniyeh.
In response, Israeli citizens flew a drone with an Israeli flag above the Turkish flag. #Turkey is preventing #NATO from defending #Israel. pic.twitter.com/9rHMnBTLkD #Jewish— Jewish News Agency (™) (@JewishNewsUSA) August 4, 2024
Projectile from Lebanon hits factory in Kiryat Shmona; no injuries; sirens did not sound
A projectile launched from Lebanon impacted a factory in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona a short while ago.
Police say officers are at the scene, and there are no injuries.
Sirens did not sound amid the incident.
קרית שמונה איזור תעשייה דרומי מפעל רמים פגיעה ישירה pic.twitter.com/ALJIcMJxHw
— כל החדשות בזמן אמת ???? (@Saher_News_24_7) August 4, 2024
IDF troops at home of West Bank terrorist who killed two in Holon this morning, ahead of potential demolition
IDF troops are operating at the home of the Palestinian terrorist who killed two Israelis in the central city of Holon this morning.
The troops are measuring the home in the West Bank city of Salfit ahead of a potential demolition, according to a military source.
IDF releases photos of unusually large smuggling tunnel uncovered on Gaza-Egypt border last week
Soldiers stand in an unusually large tunnel uncovered by the IDF on the Gaza-Egypt border area, in a photo cleared by publication on August 4, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF has uncovered an unusually large tunnel on the Gaza-Egypt border area, big enough for vehicles to pass through.
According to the military, the tunnel is around 3 meters tall.
It was found along the so-called Philadelphi Route last week, as part of efforts to uncover all of Hamas’s smuggling weapon routes in the area.
The tunnel is being investigated by combat engineers before it will be demolished.
Dozens of tunnels have been found along the Philadelphi Corridor, including at least 25 that crossed into Egypt.
An unusually large tunnel uncovered by the IDF on the Gaza-Egypt border area, in a photo cleared by publication on August 4, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF: Sirens in Snir near border with Lebanon were false alarms
Rocket alert sirens that sounded near the Lebanon border a short while ago were false alarms, the IDF says.
The alerts sounded in the northern community of Snir.
Lebanese report: American MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down over Yemen
Illustrative - In this picture taken on September 27, 2023, a US MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle flies over Kandahar city. (Massoud Hossaini/AFP)
An American MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down over Yemen a short while ago, according to an unsourced Lebanese report.
The pro-Hezbollah Al-Mayadeen outlet says the drone was intercepted over the Houthi-controlled Saada Governate in northern Yemen.
Earlier today, security officials said a suspected missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden in what was likely the first assault by the group since Israeli airstrikes targeted them last month.
The Houthis have offered no explanation for the two-week pause in their attacks on shipping through the Red Sea corridor. The attacks have seen similar slowdowns since the assaults began in November over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Iran-backed Houthis vowed a “military response” to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week in an attack blamed on Israel.
Netanyahu says he’s ready to ‘go a long, long way to free the hostages — while maintaining Israel’s security’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a cabinet meeting at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, January 7, 2024. (Yariv Katz / Pool)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that he is “ready to go a long, long way to release all of our hostages, while maintaining Israel’s security.”
He denies recent reports that he has added demands to the current hostage-ceasefire deal offer on the table, intending to stymie the negotiations.
“We did not add a single demand to the outline. Hamas is the one that demanded the introduction of dozens of changes,” Netanyahu says at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting.
Efforts to secure a deal with Hamas to release the remaining 111 hostages kidnapped on October 7 have been unsuccessful since a weeklong truce in November that saw the release of 105 civilians.
A high-level Israeli delegation reportedly visited Cairo yesterday for indirect talks on the proposal with American and Egyptian negotiators but returned the same day. Several reports indicated that the meeting had not borne progress.
Netanyahu also warns “Iran’s axis of evil” against attacking Israel, vowing, “We will respond and exact a heavy price for any act of aggression against us, from any front.”
His comments come as Israel braces for potential attacks by Iran and Hezbollah in the coming days, amid assessments that assaults could come from several fronts.
Rocket sirens sounding in northern town near Lebanon border
Sirens are sounding in the northern town of Snir, near the border with Lebanon, marking the first alerts in the area since late last night.
Red Alert [13:09:07] – 1 Alert:
• Confrontation Line — Snir#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/PxkkbRyKeh
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) August 4, 2024
Hamas says politburo, secretive Shura Council working to replace Haniyeh
Khaled Mashal, member of Hamas's political bureau, speaks to Kuwaiti podcaster Ammar Taqi on January 16, 2024 (Video screenshot)
Hamas has begun consultations to appoint a new leader following the killing of its politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
In a statement, the terror group announces that its political bureau and its Shura Council have convened urgent meetings to discuss a successor for Haniyeh, as it did when other leaders were “martyred” in the past.
The Shura Council is a secret consultative body composed of officials elected by Hamas members in four chapters: Gaza, the West Bank, the diaspora and prisoners in Israeli jails. Once a mostly religious body, today it also comprises political and socially prominent figures.
Pundits believe that the two frontrunners to replace Haniyeh are Khaled Mashaal, a founding member of Hamas’s politburo who helmed the terror group between 2004 and 2017, and Khalil al-Hayya, a powerful figure within Hamas who was close to the slain leader.
Lebanese media report Israeli airstrike on power station in southern Lebanon town
Lebanese media report that an Israeli airstrike hit a power station at a water utility site in the southern Lebanon town of Taybeh a short while ago.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the incident.
غارة تستهدف محطة الكهرباء في مشروع مياه الطيبة. pic.twitter.com/Mp8o7onw9A
— جريدة الأخبار – Al-Akhbar (@AlakhbarNews) August 4, 2024
Firefighters working to extinguish blaze near Bitzaron sparked by rocket from Gaza
One of the five rockets fired from the Gaza Strip impacted an open area near the town of Bitzaron, sparking a fire.
The Fire and Rescue Service says firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze.
The IDF says another rocket hit the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, causing no injuries.
Hamas praises Holon terror attack, but doesn’t claim responsibility
Hamas praises the perpetrator of this morning’s terror attack in Holon, which killed two Israelis and injured at least two others, but does not claim responsibility for it.
Defining Ammar Rizq Odeh’s deadly assault against civilians as “heroic,” Hamas calls on the “revolutionary youth” in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to escalate attacks against Israelis in response to Israel’s war against the terror group in Gaza and its “extremist Zionist government.”
At least 5 rockets fired from Gaza at Ashdod area; some intercepted; no injuries
A barrage of at least five rockets was fired from the southern Gaza Strip at the Ashdod area in southern Israel.
Some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome and some impacted open areas, causing no injuries.
Sirens had sounded in several towns near Ashdod, for the first time in months.
There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the long-range attack.
مشاهد لإطلاق المقا.ومة بغزة رشقة صاروخية باتجاه عسقلان جنوب فلسطين المحتلة pic.twitter.com/W2GyLZfzzI
— القسطل الإخباري (@AlQastalps) August 4, 2024
October 7 terrorist, reportedly son of slain Hamas commander, killed in Gaza drone strike — IDF
A recent drone strike in central Gaza’s Nuseirat killed Ismail Nofal, reported to be the son of Ayman Nofal, the former commander of Hamas’s Central Gaza Brigade.
The IDF says Nofal was a Hamas terrorist who participated in the October 7 onslaught and was involved in rocket fire on Israel amid the war.
According to Palestinian media, the strike took place on Thursday. His father, Ayman, was killed by Israel in October.
Separately, an overnight strike in Deir al-Balah killed a Hamas operative, the IDF says. “During the attack, secondary explosions were identified which indicated the presence of weapons in the area,” it says.
More than 50 other strikes were carried out in Gaza over the past day, targeting cells of gunmen, buildings used by terror groups, observation posts, and other infrastructure, according to the military.
Fighting also continues in southern Gaza’s Rafah and in the Netzarim Corridor in the Strip’s center.
In Rafah, the IDF says troops killed several gunmen and destroyed sites used by terror groups, and in central Gaza, troops killed several more armed cells and demolished a Hamas weapons depot.
Ismail Ayman Nofal, son of the martyred commander of the Central Battalion of Al-Qassam Brigades Ayman Nofal, has ascended to martyrdom east of Nusseirat camp in the central Gaza strip. pic.twitter.com/GYtSOjZtuJ
— ????????اقرأ???????????? (@IqraBooklover) August 1, 2024
Rocket alert sirens sounding in communities near southern city of Ashdod
Incoming rocket sirens are sounding near the southern coastal city of Ashdod.
The alerts are activated in Gan Yavne, Bitzaron, Hatzor, Azrikam, Sde Uziyahu, and Shtulim.
The sirens were activated due to rocket fire from Gaza.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Red Alert [12:10:01] – 6 Alerts:
• Lakhish — Shtulim, Hatzor, Sdeh Uziahu, Bitzaron, Azrikam, Gan Yavne#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/vJVGaZIGMh
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) August 4, 2024
UK government warns violent disorder ‘won’t be tolerated’ after some 90 protesters arrested
Smoke billows as police officers face off protesters in Liverpool on August 3, 2024, during the 'Enough is Enough' demonstration held in reaction to the fatal stabbings in Southport on July 29.(Peter Powell/AFP)
The UK government warns that violent disorder will “not be tolerated” after police made dozens of arrests at far-right rallies following clashes between protesters and officers.
Unrest linked to disinformation about a mass stabbing that killed three young girls last week spread to multiple towns and cities yesterday as anti-immigration demonstrators faced off against counter-protesters.
About 90 people have been arrested after skirmishes broke out in numerous English cities, including Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Blackpool and Hull, as well as Belfast in Northern Ireland.
In some instances, rioters threw bricks, bottles and flares at police — injuring several officers — looted and burnt shots, while demonstrators were also heard shouting anti-Islamic slurs.
A person throws a chair in Bristol, southern England, on August 3, 2024 during the ‘Enough is Enough’ demonstration held in reaction to the fatal stabbings in Southport on July 29.(Justin Tallis/AFP)
The government’s policing minister, Diana Johnson, tells BBC News that the rioting will “not be tolerated,” and that there will be “penalties and consequences” for the disorder.
The skirmishes marked the fourth day of unrest in several towns and cities following Monday’s frenzied knife attack in Southport, near Liverpool on England’s northwest coast.
Police have blamed the violence on supporters and associated organizations of the English Defence League, an anti-Islam organization founded 15 years ago whose supporters have been linked to soccer hooliganism.
Police have warned of more demonstrations planned for today.
Woman killed in Holon terror stabbing named as Rinat Daniv, 66
The woman killed in a terror stabbing in the central city of Holon this morning has been named as Rinat Daniv, 66, Hebrew media reports.
Her husband Shimon, 69, was seriously injured in the attack, according to the reports.
A man in his 70s has also been pronounced dead in the attack, and at least one other person was injured.
רינה דניב, בת 66, נרצחה בפיגוע הדקירה בחולון@AnnaPines_ pic.twitter.com/hfihoYkFyv
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 4, 2024
Prosecutors seek to extend remand of 5 reservists suspected of abusing Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman
Far-right activists protest against the detention of nine Israeli reserve soldiers suspected of abusing a Hamas terror suspect, at the Sde Teiman military base near Beersheba, July 29, 2024. (Dudu Greenspan/Flash90)
Prosecutors are asking a military court to extend the detentions of five reserve soldiers suspected of the sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility.
The prosecution is seeking to have them remain held until Wednesday, “to carry out further investigative actions.”
The other three suspects will be held for a few more hours “to complete necessary investigative actions,” after which, the prosecution will decide whether to request a longer extension to their remand.
In all, ten soldiers were detained in the case, although prosecutors did not seek to hold two of them in custody, following new evidence in the case.
According to the IDF, the soldiers were suspected of aggravated sodomy (a charge equivalent to rape), causing bodily harm under aggravated circumstances, abuse under aggravated circumstances and conduct unbecoming of a soldier.
At northern beaches, some 70 bags of soft tar collected by staff and volunteers
Tar found at the Bat Yam beach, following an offshore oil spill which polluted most of the Israeli coastline, March 2, 2021. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Some 70 bags of soft tar are collected from several beaches in the north following the discovery of soft tar along the wash line.
Staff from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and volunteers from EcoOcean clean up beaches at the Taninim River Nature Reserve, near Jisr az-Zarka, and at the Dor and Habonim reserves south of Haifa.
In 2021, the authorities closed all beaches from Rosh Hanikra in the north to Ashkelon in the south following what was described at the time as the worst marine oil leak off Israel’s Mediterranean coast in living memory. The tides brought tar from an oil leak traced to a Syrian-owned ship to Israel’s shores, killing sea turtles, birds and fish.
August is a busy month both for beachgoers and for sea turtle hatchlings, which clamber to the surface of their nests and scuttle to the sea, hoping to avoid birds of prey and other dangers along the way.
Report: Jordanian FM set to visit Tehran today
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi is set to visit Tehran today, according to Iranian media.
The semi-official ISNA news agency says Safadi will meet his Iranian counterpart Ali Bagheri amid escalating tensions in the region, as well as Amman-Tehran relations.
Safadi and Bagheri spoke on the phone over the weekend, the Jordanian foreign minister writes on X.
He also said in a meeting with Luxembourg’s foreign minister Xavier Bettel on Thursday that Jordan “will not allow anybody to turn Jordan into a battleground. We have to protect our country.”
Jordan, along with the United States, Britain, and France, helped to intercept the massive barrage of drones Iran fired at Israel on April 13-14.
تلقّى نائب رئيس الوزراء ووزير الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين أيمن الصفدي @AymanHsafadi، اليوم، اتصالاً هاتفياً من القائم بأعمال وزير الخارجية في الجمهورية الإسلامية الإيرانية، علي باقري كني @Bagheri_Kani.
وبحث الوزيران، خلال الاتصال، التصعيد الخطير الذي تشهده المنطقة وسبل خفضه، وحماية… pic.twitter.com/s7UMLwj3cx
— وزارة الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين الأردنية (@ForeignMinistry) August 1, 2024
At scene of terror stabbing where police officer neutralized terrorist, Ben Gvir lauds gun licenses for civilians
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the scene of a fatal terror stabbing in Holon, August 4, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir lauds his office’s recent approval of 150,000 gun licenses, at the scene of a fatal stabbing in the central city of Holon this morning where the terrorist was shot by a police officer.
“I share in the grief of the families and I wish a speedy recovery to the wounded. Our war is not only against Iran but here in the streets,” he tells reporters in Holon.
“That’s exactly why we armed the people of Israel with 150,000 gun licenses in the last eight months. We opened hundreds of civilian security squads and bolstered police forces,” he says.
Two people have been confirmed dead in the attack and at least two others have been taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
Ben Gvir also congratulates the “heroic police officer” who shot and neutralized the terrorist in Holon this morning.
“There could have been a much bigger disaster here,” he says.
Anti-Israel demonstrators march through Sydney holding photos of Haniyeh, giant watermelon flag
Anti-Israel demonstrators march through the streets of Sydney's central business district to condemn the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, recent Israeli strikes on Lebanon and the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, August 4, 2024. (Saeed Khan/AFP)
Anti-Israel demonstrators march through the streets of Sydney, Australia, condemning the assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah terror chiefs last week along with the ongoing war in Gaza.
Protesters walking through Sydney’s busy central business district wave Palestinian flags and hold signs showing Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran last week.
Australia, like the United States, the European Union and several other countries, has designated Hamas a terror group.
They also carry a large Palestinian flag along with a watermelon flag, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism that dates back decades and has seen a resurgence during the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstrators carry a giant watermelon flag as they march through the streets of Sydney to condemn the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, recent Israeli strikes on Lebanon and the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, August 4, 2024. (Saeed Khan/AFP)
Palestinian terrorist who carried out deadly stabbing in Holon shot dead by police — hospital
The Palestinian terrorist who carried out the deadly stabbing attack in Holon has died after being shot by a police officer.
He was brought to Shamir Medical Center in critical condition, where his death was declared a short while ago, hospital officials say.
Man in 70s critically hurt in Holon terror stabbing dies, bringing death toll to two
Security forces at the scene of a terror attack in Holon, August 4, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Another victim of the terror stabbing attack in Holon has died, bringing the death toll to two, according to hospital officials.
The man in his 70s who was critically hurt arrived at Wolfson Medical Center without vital signs, and his death was declared there.
West Bank terrorist who carried out Holon attack didn’t have entry permit to Israel — security source
The terrorist who carried out the stabbing attack in Holon did not have a permit to enter Israel, according to a security source.
He is identified as Amar Odeh, 34, from the West Bank city of Salfit.
The source says he did not have an entry permit to Israel and had no prior security-related offenses.
Update: A Palestinian from the West Bank carried a stabbing terror attaxk in Holon, near Tel Aviv, killing a woman in her 50s’ and wounded 3 other people, including her partner. He was shot and wounded. https://t.co/EMhUCcxeDT pic.twitter.com/SgSgE7Gh9r
— Guy Elster (@guyelster) August 4, 2024
Residents of central Israel report GPS disruptions amid fears of Iran strike
The Waze navigation app shows Tel Aviv motorists as if they were in Beirut on April 4, 2024. (Screenshot/Times of Israel)
Residents of central Israel report disruptions to navigation apps like Google Maps, Waze and other systems that use GPS with some Tel Aviv motorists being shown that they were in Beirut.
GPS disruptions have previously been widely reported in northern Israel or areas close to Gaza, but have been less common in central Israel.
The IDF has previously said it was jamming GPS signals amid the ongoing war with the Palestinian terror group Hamas in the Strip, deadly clashes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Iran’s attack on Israel in April.
The disruptions come as Israel braces for a threatened fresh Iranian attack, in retaliation for the killings of Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh last week.
There was no immediate IDF comment on the disruptions.
France warns citizens to leave Lebanon amid fears of major regional escalation
France has invited its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country due to a risk of military escalation in the Middle East, the French foreign ministry says in a travel advisory.
The French foreign ministry reiterates that it advised French citizens against traveling to Lebanon amid fears of a major escalation in the area and continued cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, which started attacking Israel the day after the October 7 Hamas-launched onslaught on Israel from Gaza.
Woman in her 70s declared dead at scene of Holon terror stabbing — medics
One of the victims of the terror stabbing attack in Holon, a woman in her 70s, has been declared dead at the scene, medics say.
Magen David Adom says it is taking three victims to the nearby Wolfson Medical Center: A man in his 70s in critical condition, a man aged 68 in serious condition, and a 26-year-old in moderate condition.
Police: Suspected terrorist who stabbed four civilians in Holon is a West Bank Palestinian
Medics treat people injured in a suspected terror stabbing in the central city of Holon, August 4, 2024. (Magen David Adom)
The suspected terrorist who stabbed four Israeli civilians in Holon is a West Bank Palestinian, according to police.
He was shot by an officer who arrived at the scene, police say,
Police add that they are scanning the area for possible additional suspects involved in the attack.
Report: Israeli, US officials expect Iran could attack as early as tomorrow
An Israeli Navy corvette patrols along the coast of the northern port city of Haifa on August 3, 2024, amid amid threats by Hezbollah to hit targets deeper in Israel. (Oren Ziv/AFP)
Officials in Washington and Jerusalem expect Iran and its proxies could attack Israel as early as tomorrow, according to the Axios news site, in retaliation for the killings of Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh last week.
Gen. Michael Kurilla, head of the US Central Command, reportedly arrived in the Middle East yesterday, on a planned trip that coincides with defense preparations for a threatened Iranian strike.
The Pentagon said on Friday that it was moving a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintaining an aircraft carrier in the region beefing up the American military presence to help defend Israel and safeguard US troops.
Israel and the US are coordinating a regional and international coalition to thwart potential attacks, as was the case when Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel on April 13-14.
The Iranian retaliation is expected to be similar to that attack, though particularly larger in scope and in coordination with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Four wounded, two critically, in suspected terror stabbing in Holon; assailant shot by security forces
First responders at the scene of a suspected terror stabbing in the central city of Holon, August 4, 2024. (United Hatzalah)
Four people are wounded in the suspected terror stabbing attack in Holon, medics say.
According to Magen David Adom, two victims are critically wounded and another two are listed in moderate-to-serious condition.
The assailant was shot by security forces.
Medics: At least 3 injured in suspected stabbing terror attack in Holon at 2 different locations; gunshots reported
At least three people are wounded in the suspected terror attack in Holon, at two different locations, medics say.
The victims are listed in serious condition, according to initial assessments.
They were reportedly stabbed.
Police say they also received reports of gunfire in the area, and are heading to the scene.
Man in his 80s seriously hurt in suspected stabbing in central city of Holon
Police and medics are responding to reports of a suspected stabbing attack in the central city of Holon.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says its medics are so far treating one man in his 80s who is in serious condition.
IDF: Hezbollah fired some 30 rockets in overnight barrage; jets strike launcher in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah fired some 30 rockets from Lebanon at the Galilee Panhandle late last night, the IDF says, after the terror group took responsibility for the barrage just after midnight.
The IDF says that most of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, though one impacted the northern community of Beit Hillel, and several more landed in open areas.
There were no injuries in the attack.
In response, Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck the launcher used in the attack, in the southern Lebanon town of Marjayoun, along with other Hezbollah infrastructure in the area, the military adds.
The IDF says it also shelled the Odaisseh area with artillery to “remove a threat.”
בהמשך להתרעות שהופעלו במרחב הגליל העליון במהלך הלילה, זוהו כ-30 שיגורים שחצו מלבנון. רובם יורטו על ידי לוחמי ההגנה האווירית. זוהתה נפילה במרחב בית הלל, ומספר שיגורים נפלו בשטחים פתוחים. אין נפגעים>> pic.twitter.com/WO2cpNjRkW
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 4, 2024
Report: Terror groups trying to use Arab Israeli crime groups to carry out nationalistic attacks
Security officials have warned government ministers that terror groups are trying to utilize crime organizations in Israel’s Arab community in order to carry out nationalistic attacks in the Jewish state, casting the proliferation of illegal weapons as a tangible threat to national security, the Haaretz daily reports.
Citing unnamed sources, the outlet says terror groups from abroad have already attempted to direct such attacks, often without the local crime groups knowing they are acting on the terrorists’ behalf.
The report says the security officials who briefed ministers have highlighted the ongoing failure to rein in an unprecedented wave of violent crime in the Arab community, coupled with wartime proliferation and increasing availability of illegal weapons in the community.
“The crime organizations are a strategic threat to national security,” they are said to have warned. “The state is near the point of no return in its ability to deal with the phenomenon.”
IDF soldier critically injured in Rafah fighting yesterday
A soldier with the 401st Armored Brigade’s 9th Battalion was critically injured amid fighting yesterday in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF announces.
The soldier was wounded in a Hamas-claimed sniper attack in the Rafah area.
He was evacuated to receive medical treatment and his family has been updated, the military adds.
Netanyahu said to offer FM Katz defense portfolio instead of Gallant; Katz refused
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, left, and Energy Minister Israel Katz, right, at the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, May 23, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
As part of his reported desire to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Israel Hayom daily reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has checked whether Foreign Minister Israel Katz is interested in the defense portfolio.
The report, which cited unnamed sources in the ruling Likud party and say the overtures were made both directly and via associates in the past two weeks, says Katz replied he isn’t interested in leaving his current position.
Palestinian media claims 9 killed in overnight IDF strikes in Gaza
Palestinian media outlets report several Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip overnight that allegedly caused nine deaths.
A strike in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, allegedly hitting a tent for displaced people near a hospital, caused five deaths and 18 people injured.
Four more fatalities and eight more wounded are reported in an airstrike on a house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Strip.
The reports do not say if those hit in the strikes are civilians or terror operatives.
The IDF doesn’t immediately comment on either strike.
Biden said to tell Netanyahu killing of Haniyeh was poorly timed, could prevent deal and spark regional war
US President Joe Biden, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Adding to previously reported details of the heated Thursday phone call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden, The New York Times reports that the latter said the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran was “poorly timed, coming right at what the Americans hoped would be the endgame” of talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Citing an unnamed US official, the newspaper says Biden argued the operation could spark a regional war. Carrying out the operation in Tehran, Biden reportedly specified, could trigger the wider regional war that he has been trying to avert.
Netanyahu, the report says, denied being the side impeding the negotiations, placing the blame on Hamas, as the premier’s office has been publicly contending.
Hezbollah says it launched ‘dozens’ of rockets at Israel; several impacts reported
Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defense system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel, on August 4, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Lebanon's Hezbollah terror group. (Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Hezbollah says it has launched dozens of Katyusha rockets at Israel.
The Iran-backed terror group says its latest attack, on Moshav Beit Hillel, is in response to Israel’s attacks on Kfar Kela and Deir Siriane in Lebanon which, it claims, injured civilians there.
Many of the projectiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome system.
Israeli local authorities say several impacts were recognized near Beit Hillel. The Ynet news site reports fires broke out in the area.
Biden says he hopes Iran will stand down on response threats, but ‘I don’t know’
Asked by reporters whether Iran will stand down on its intention to take strong military action to avenge the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, US President Joe Biden says: “I hope so. I don’t know.”
The region has been bracing for Iran to make good on threats to respond to the assassination, which it blames on Israel.
IDF intelligence officers were reportedly at IDF HQ on night of October 6, dealing with a Gaza threat unrelated to the Hamas invasion
Then-Commander of the IDF Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva at a conference of the Gazit Institute in Tel Aviv, November 4, 2022. (Gideon Markowicz/Flash90)
IDF intelligence officers were at the army’s Kiriya headquarters on the night of October 6, 2023, hours before the Hamas invasion and massacre, because they had “concrete” intelligence regarding a specific threat from Gaza unrelated to the invasion, Channel 12 news reports.
It says that the officers spent the night at the Kiriya on high alert, and that the specific “significant” incident was dealt with successfully.
The report says it cannot go into further details.
The IDF’s Intelligence Directorate head at the time of the Hamas massacre, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, announced his resignation in April.
On October 17, 2023, Haliva had acknowledged failing to warn of the impending Hamas attack: “The Military Intelligence Directorate, under my command, failed to warn of the terror attack carried out by Hamas,” Haliva said. “We failed in our most important mission, and as the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, I bear full responsibility for the failure.”
The head of the Military Intelligence Research Department, Brig. Gen. Amit Saar, announced in March that he would resign once the military wraps up its internal probes into its blunders.
Canada warns its citizens to avoid all travel to Israel
Canada warns citizens to avoid all travel to Israel, saying the regional armed conflict endangers security.
“The security situation can deteriorate further without warning,” the Canadian government says in a travel advisory issued to raise the risk level for travel to Israel.
“If the armed conflict intensifies, it could impact your ability to depart by commercial means. It may result in travel disruptions, including airspace closures and flight cancellations and diversions,” the travel advisory says.
Contradicting reports about planted bomb, Iran says short-range projectile killed Haniyeh
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say a short-range projectile was behind the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh state TV reports, contradicting several reports that have alleged that the assassination was done via an explosive device planted in the building beforehand.
The televised statement, which reiterates a call for retaliation, says a rocket with a seven-kilogram (about 15-pound) warhead was used to target the residence of Haniyeh in the capital Tehran on Wednesday, adding it caused heavy devastation. It doesn’t share details of the residence’s location.
The statement also accuses the United States of supporting the attack, which Iran blames on Israel.
Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“The action was designed and carried out by the Zionist regime and supported by the US,” says the Guard’s statement. It adds that “the warmongering and terrorist Zionist regime will receive harsh punishment in the suitable time, place and capacity.”
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