August 6: US appealing to both Iran and Israel to keep lid on brewing conflict, Blinken says

US deploys fighter jets to Middle East base to ready for Iran attack

About a dozen F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier have flown to a military base in the Middle East, as part of the Pentagon’s effort to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies and to safeguard US troops, according to a US official.

The F/A-18s and a E-2D Hawkeye surveillance aircraft took off from the carrier in the Gulf of Oman and arrived at the undisclosed base on Monday, the official says.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the increased military presence in the region as officials worry about escalating violence in the Middle East in the wake of the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran, in suspected Israeli strikes. Both groups are backed by Iran.

The Navy jets’ land-based deployment is expected to be temporary, because a squadron of Air Force F-22 fighter jets is enroute to the same base from their home station in Alaska. The roughly dozen F-22s are expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days, says the official.

It’s not clear how long all of the aircraft will remain together at the base, and that may depend on what — if anything — happens in the next few days.

Hezbollah hails Sinwar’s selection as new Hamas leader: ‘Confirms the enemy failed’

CAIRO — Lebanon’s Iran-aligned Hezbollah terror group congratulates Yahya Sinwar on his selection as Hamas’ new leader, saying it “confirms goals that the enemy (Israel) seeks from killing leaders and officials failed in achieving its outcome.”

Jordan, Qatar and Saudis rejecting US requests to join post-war Gaza peacekeeping force — officials

Smoke from an Israeli bombardment billows from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on August 5, 2024. (Bashar Taleb/AFP)

DOHA, Qatar — Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have rebuffed US requests to contribute troops to a post-war peacekeeping force in Gaza, an Arab official and a second source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

The dispatched troops would be seen to be “protecting Israel from the Palestinians,” the Arab official says, explaining the opposition of Amman, Doha and Riyadh to the effort being advanced by the US to secure Gaza after the war.

Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, have expressed willingness to participate in the effort, three officials told The Times of Israel in June. However, they clarified that Cairo and Abu Dhabi have a series of conditions, including that the peacekeeping force be part of an initiative leading to an eventual two-state solution — a framework rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

IDF strikes building in Lebanese village where Hezbollah operatives were spotted

Israeli fighter jets struck a building in southern Lebanon’s Yaroun where several operatives were identified, the IDF says.

According to the IDF, the Hezbollah operatives were spotted by troops of the Golani Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit and a short while later an airstrike was carried out.

Another Hezbollah site in Kafr Kila was also struck, the IDF adds.

Meanwhile, the IDF says that suspected drone alerts that sounded in northern Israel in the past hour were triggered by a “false identification,” meaning not a threat.

מוקדם יותר היום, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו מבנה צבאי בו פעלו מחבלים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה לאחר שזוהו על ידי לוחמי סיירת גולני במרחב יארון. בנוסף, הותקפו תשתיות טרור ששימשו את הארגון במרחב כפר כילא שבדרום לבנון pic.twitter.com/o3ckDH7Ud1

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 6, 2024

US wrestler Amit Elor, daughter of Israeli parents, wins gold in freestyle final

US' Amit Elor celebrates with her national flag after beating Kyrgyzstan's Meerim Zhumanazarova in their women's freestyle wrestling final match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, on August 6, 2024. (Luis Robayo/AFP)

Amit Elor of the United States, the daughter of Israeli parents, wins the gold medal in the women’s 68-kilogram freestyle wrestling final.

Elor, whose parents moved to the United States to train as athletes, defeats Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 in the gold medal contest Tuesday evening to extend a five-year winning streak.

The win makes Elor, 20, the all-time youngest US gold medalist in wrestling.

It also means that she joins a handful of other Jewish wrestlers to win gold medals on the mat.

Károly Kárpáti of Hungary won gold at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin; he was later imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, where he witnessed the murder of gold medalist fencer Attila Petschauer but survived. Henry Wittenberg won gold for the United States in 1948 despite tearing several tendons in an earlier match; he went on to help launch Israel’s Maccabiah Games and coach wrestling at Yeshiva University. An annual US national Jewish high school wrestling tournament bears his name.

Related: Facing family tragedy, online antisemitism, US wrestler Amit Elor vies for gold in Paris

FM calls to ‘swiftly eliminate’ Sinwar, wipe Hamas from ‘face of the earth’

Foreign Minister Israel Katz calls to “swiftly eliminate” Yahya Sinwar, who was appointed by Hamas as the terror group’s new political leader replacing Ismail Haniyeh who was killed in Tehran last week.

“The appointment of arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar as the new leader of Hamas, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, is yet another compelling reason to swiftly eliminate him and wipe this vile organization off the face of the Earth,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz says in a statement on social media site X.

Reservists suspected of serious sexual abuse against Palestinian detainee to stay in custody

IDF reserve soldiers suspected of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee attend a hearing at the Beit Lid military court, August 6, 2024. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The detentions of five reserve soldiers suspected of the serious sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel have been extended until Sunday.

Military prosecutors requested that their detention be extended for the investigation into the high-profile abuse case to continue.

A military court accepted the request, after determining that “the evidence shows a reasonable suspicion that the acts were committed” by the reservists.

The court also stated that additional evidence that strengthen the suspicions against the five soldiers had been presented since the last remand hearing.

In all, 10 soldiers were detained in the case, although prosecutors did not seek to hold five 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.

Harris campaign rejects claims that Shapiro’s faith, support of Israel were factors in VP pick

WASHINGTON — Is it weird that Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz to be her running mate instead of Josh Shapiro?

As soon as the vice president announced today that the Minnesota governor would be her running mate, critics of the choice began suggesting that she sidelined Pennsylvania’s governor because he is Jewish.

“Did Harris reject Shapiro just because progressives don’t like that he was Jewish?” tweeted Alan Dershowitz, the lawyer and gadfly who has said he is a Democrat but has frequently defended Donald Trump.

Maury Litwack, an Orthodox Union executive who focuses on education policy, tweeted, “Democrats: You can be excited about the Walz pick but also be sad that an outright antisemitic campaign was waged against Shapiro. Some soul searching is needed.”

Harris’s campaign pushes back against claims that she caved to the progressive anti-Shapiro campaign that gathered steam over the past week. In a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, an aide to Harris rejects the accusation that Shapiro’s faith or stances on Israel was a consideration.

“Assertions that Vice President Harris did not select Gov. Shapiro based on his religion or views on Israel are absolutely ridiculous and offensive,” the aide says.

“Vice President Harris has an unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, as she reaffirmed last night following the meeting in the Situation Room,” where she and President Joe Biden joined a briefing about Iranian plans to attack Israel, the aide says. “She will always combat antisemitism whenever and wherever she sees it.”

IDF says ‘only place’ for Sinwar is beside assassinated Hamas military chief Deif

The IDF’s top spokesman reacts to the appointment of Yahya Sinwar as the new leader of Hamas.

“There is only one place for Yahya Sinwar, and it is beside Muhammad Deif and the rest of the October 7th terrorists. That is the only place we’re preparing and intending for him,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari tells Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television, referring to the top Hamas military commander who was killed in an Israeli strike last month.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera television, Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan says Sinwar will continue the hostage-for-ceasefire negotiations.

“The problem in negotiations is not the change in Hamas,” he claims, blaming Israel and its ally the United States for the failure to seal a deal.

But he says Hamas “remains steadfast in the battlefield and in politics … The person leading today is the one who led the fighting for more than 305 days and is still steadfast in the field.”

Canadian embassy in Israel to reportedly evacuate families of diplomats

Canada’s embassy in Israel will evacuate the families of diplomats from the country tomorrow, according to Hebrew media reports, amid the growing anticipation of a retaliatory attack by Iran and its proxies.

White House says doesn’t believe Iran and Hezbollah have started attack on Israel

WASHINGTON — White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre says the United States does not believe a retaliatory strike has begun yet from Iran or Hezbollah against Israel.

She tells reporters that US President Joe Biden is trying to deescalate tensions in the region.

Hamas official to AFP: Sinwar’s selection as new leader sends ‘strong message of resistance’

Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, greets his supporters during a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his office in Gaza City, April 13, 2022. (AP Photo/ Adel Hana/ File)

A senior Hamas official tells AFP that Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar’s selection as Hamas’s new political leader sends a “strong message… of resistance” to Israel.

The choice is “a strong message to the occupation (Israel) that Hamas continues its path of resistance,” the official says on condition of anonymity as he’s not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

IDF says gunman shot dead by troops while attempting attack near Jordan Valley settlement

A handout photo shows a rifle that the IDF says was recovered from a Palestinian gunman who attempted to carry out a shooting attack near a settlement in the Jordan Valley, August 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

A Palestinian gunman who attempted to carry out a shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Beka’ot in the Jordan Valley was shot dead by troops, the military says.

According to the IDF, troops of the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit stationed in the area ambushed the armed suspect and killed him.

The troops had been ready to thwart the attack following previous shootings in the area.

A second suspect managed to flee the scene in a car, according to a military source.

No soldiers were hurt in the incident.

IDF cancels planned pilgrimage to Safed grave of mystic rabbi

At the tomb of Rabbi Issac Luria, known as 'The Ari,' in the cemetery of Safed, Israel (photo credit: AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

The IDF Home Front Command has canceled an annual pilgrimage to the grave of 16th century mystic rabbi Isaac ben Solomon Luria Ashkenazi (known in Hebrew as Ha’Ari Hakadosh) in Safed in northern Israel between Thursday and Saturday.

The move was made following a new assessment of the situation, and in coordination with “the relevant bodies,” the IDF says.

The IDF says that there are otherwise no changes to guidelines for Israeli civilians, amid an anticipated Hezbollah and Iranian attack on the country.

US said to charge man with alleged Iran ties over foiled plot potentially targeting Trump

WASHINGTON — A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran has been charged in the US in connection to a foiled assassination plot potentially targeting former president Donald Trump, CNN reports, citing an unsealed indictment and a US official.

FBI investigators believe that Trump and other current and former US government officials were the intended targets of the plot, CNN says, citing the US official.

Rocket intercepted by Iron Dome as Islamic Jihad claims attack from Gaza

Three rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip at the southern towns of Ashkelon and Sderot a short while ago.

The IDF says one was shot down by air defenses, while the other two impacted open areas.

There are no injuries.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.

Rocket warning sirens sound in southern cities of Sderot and Ashkelon

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the southern cities of Ashkelon and Sderot.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Hamas names Sinwar, architect of Oct. 7 slaughter in Israel, as new leader following Haniyeh’s assassination

Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar speaks during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, in Gaza City, April 14, 2023. (Mohammed Abed/AFP)

Hamas officially announces that Yahya Sinwar will be the terror group’s new politburo chief, its highest-ranking figure, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.

Sinwar, who is Hamas’s leader in Gaza, is widely considered the architect of the October 7 invasion and massacre in southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, sparking the ongoing war in Gaza. Hamas avowedly seeks to destroy Israel.

Sinwar has been hiding out in Gaza since the slaughter he planned and orchestrated 10 months ago. The IDF in February published a video, filmed on October 10, said to show him walking through a Gaza tunnel with several of his family members. “The hunt for Sinwar will not stop until we catch him, dead or alive,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a press conference upon releasing the footage.

On August 1, the IDF confirmed that it had killed Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, in an airstrike in southern Gaza last month.

Sinwar was selected by Hamas’s 50-strong Shura Council, a consultative body composed of officials elected by Hamas members in four chapters: Gaza, the West Bank, the diaspora and security prisoners in Israeli jails.

Sinwar “is now the most powerful figure in Hamas, formally too,” notes Palestinian affairs analyst Ohad Hemo on Channel 12. “That was already essentially the case, now it’s official.”

“It’s a show of faith” by the terror group, “whose leadership is rapidly shrinking,” adds Hemo, “and it returns the formal center of Hamas power to Gaza,” whereas in recent years much of the official leadership was overseas — including Haniyeh and Khaled Mashaal.

Hamas’s Gaza Strip leader Yahya Sinwar in a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, October 10, 2023. (IDF Spokesman)

“This is happening precisely when Hamas is in its worst shape ever in Gaza,” says Hemo, as the IDF works to destroy its military and governance capabilities. “It’s a highly significant move” by Hamas, “an expression of faith in the man who has been leading it in Gaza and, if I may so, into the abyss.”

2 US military contractors wounded in attack on Iraqi base that hurt 5 American troops

WASHINGTON — Five US service members and two contractors were injured when two rockets hit a military base in Iraq, US officials say, providing a bit more detail about yesterday’s strike.

The officials say five of those injured are being treated at the al-Asad airbase and two were evacuated, but all seven are in stable condition. They do not provide details on who was evacuated.

Israel’s envoys abroad reportedly told to make clear that attacks by Iran, Hezbollah won’t go unanswered

The Foreign Ministry has reportedly distributed a document to its ambassadors around the world preparing the ground for the potential Israeli response to anticipated Iranian and Hezbollah attacks.

The text was formulated at several meetings involving Foreign Minister Katz and other senior officials and it makes plain that Israel will not allow an Iranian or Hezbollah attack to go unanswered, Channel 12 says.

“You are asked to reach out to your counterparts in order to build legitimacy for the possibility of Israeli actions expected in the campaign, whatever they may be, in the case of Israel coming under attack. This applies to possible Israeli actions on all fronts,” the TV report quotes the document saying.

“Israel always prefers a diplomatic solution, but is determined to protect its citizens at all costs, and acts as any responsible, democratic and law-abiding state would act if it were in Israel’s place,” the document adds.

Only 48 of the 900 Haredim sent draft orders showed up at induction center — IDF

An IDF soldier speaks to Haredi draftees at the Tel Hashomer base in central Israel, August 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

After the IDF sent out some 900 draft orders to members of the ultra-Orthodox community, only 48 showed up to the induction center in the past two days for an initial evaluation, according to the military.

The IDF says it made adjustments to the induction center for the Haredi draftees, mostly by only having male soldiers and officers process them.

The IDF also says it conducted psychotechnical tests and interviews that were “adapted to the Haredi community,” instead of the usual tests and interviews.

The IDF is planning to send out a total of 3,000 draft orders in the coming weeks to ultra-Orthodox men. Those who ignore multiple calls will be considered deserters and may be arrested.

The draft orders are the first stage in the screening and evaluation process that the army carries out for new recruits, ahead of enlistment in the military in the coming year.

Hezbollah-linked daily hints at possible planned strike at military target in Tel Aviv area

The pro-Hezbollah Lebanese outlet Al Akhbar headlined its print edition today with the message, “Sooner or later, the punishment will come. Don’t be misled,” over a picture of Tel Aviv.

The newspaper’s editor, Ibrahim Al Amin, regarded as close to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, intimated in an editorial that Hezbollah’s response to the killing of its military commander Fuad Shukr last week by Israel could impact Tel Aviv.

Roi Kais, the Arab affairs correspondent of Kan News, in its evening broadcast, says that Amin was indicating that Hezbollah “may target a military or defense facility” in central Israel, but not aim at civilians.

Channel 12’s Arab affairs reporter Ohad Hemo draws a similar conclusion from Amin’s article and from Nasrallah’s own speech tonight. Channel 12 also notes that Hezbollah references to Tel Aviv can be taken to refer more generally to central Israel.

IDF confirms woman listed as missing since Oct. 7 was killed during attack

Bilha and Yakov Inon. (Courtesy)

The IDF has notified the family of Bilha Inon, 76, that she was killed during the Hamas terror onslaught October 7. Inon was considered until now the only missing person from the attack.

Her house was burned down by Hamas terrorists who infiltrated the community of Netiv Ha’asara via paragliders amid their murderous onslaught against southern Israel. She was initially considered dead along with her husband, Yakov, but a lack of DNA evidence led the IDF to retract that conclusion.

It was not believed that she was abducted by Hamas, as no other kidnappings were reported in Netiv Ha’asara on October 7.

The IDF says that recently located findings at Inon’s home, and that “after a complex examination and investigation procedure,” it is able to confirm that she was killed on October 7.

Her death was declared by a panel of health experts, IDF officials, police officials, and the chief rabbi.

Amid regional tensions, Biden discusses Gaza ceasefire push with leaders of Qatar and Egypt

US President Joe Biden has just wrapped up separate phone calls with Qatari Emir Hamad Al-Thani and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El Sissi to discuss ongoing efforts to deescalate regional tensions through a hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the White House says.

Those talks appear to be at an impasse following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last week.

IDF says over 30 rockets fired by Hezbollah after it strikes operatives in south Lebanon

A Hezbollah weapons depot in southern Lebanon’s Kafr Kila, where several operatives were spotted entering, was struck by fighter jets earlier today, the IDF says.

In a separate incident, the IDF says it carried out a drone strike against a Hezbollah cell leaving a rocket launching site used in an attack this morning on Misgav Am.

Other buildings used by Hezbollah in Ayta ash-Shab, and a rocket launcher in Abu Shash, were targeted in additional strikes, the IDF says.

This evening, Hezbollah launched more than 30 rockets at northern Israel, according to the IDF.

The first barrage of some 20 rockets was aimed at the northern Golan Heights. The IDF says the rockets all struck open areas.

A short while later, another 10 rockets were fired at the Galilee Panhandle. The IDF says some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome, and several impacts were reported, some of which sparked fires.

There were no injuries in the attacks.

כוח צה״ל מיחידה 869 זיהה מוקדם יותר היום חוליית מחבלים נכנסים למחסן אמל״ח ומבנה צבאי של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב הכפר כילא שבדרום לבנון.
בסגירת מעגל מהאוויר, מטוסי הקרב של חיל האוויר תקפו את המבנה ומחסן אמצעי הלחימה בהם פעלו המחבלים>> pic.twitter.com/pwtKaRXkjH

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 6, 2024

JD Vance on rival Tim Walz: Listens to ‘Hamas wing’ of Democratic Party

In his first public comments since his general election foe was set, JD Vance calls Tim Walz a choice that “highlights how radical Kamala Harris is.”

In a gaggle with reporters aboard his campaign plane upon landing in Philadelphia, Vance says Walz “is a person who listens to the Hamas wing” of the Democratic Party and “who wants to make the American people more reliant on garbage energy instead of good American energy.”

Vance is speaking to reporters in Philadelphia today ahead of campaign events across Midwestern battleground states tomorrow, in a path that somewhat mirrors Harris and Walz’s planned trajectory.

IRGC agents recruited by Mossad put bomb under Haniyeh’s bed hours before killing — report

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh arrives in Tehran for the inauguration of the new Iranian president at the parliament in Tehran, hours before being assassinated, July 30, 2024. (AFP)

The bomb that killed Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh at a Tehran guesthouse was planted hours before he was assassinated by two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps agents recruited by the Mossad and not weeks or months in advance, according a report in the Jewish Chronicle.

The unsourced report says the two Iranians, members of the IRGC’s Ansar al-Mahdi protection unit, were in and out of Haniyeh’s room in a matter of minutes, and were let out of the compound without raising any suspicions.

The Mossad then reportedly smuggled them out of the country an hour later.

The report also says the bomb was placed under Haniyeh’s bed and detonated remotely by a robot.

Israelis Nitai Hasson and Noa Lasry qualify for dinghy medal race at Olympics

Israel's duo Nitai Hasson and Noa Lasry and Angola's duo Matias Montinho and Manuela Paulo compete in race 8 of the mixed 470 dinghy event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the Roucas-Blanc Marina in Marseille on August 6, 2024. (NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)

Israeli sailors Nitai Hasson and Noa Lasry qualify for tomorrow’s medal race in the mixed dinghy event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

At the end of their eight preliminary races, the duo are ranked in 8th place overall, securing a spot in the top 10 who advance to the medal race.

The medal race counts for double points, and is tallied up along with the rest of the races to determine the winners, making Hasson and Lasry longshots to land on the podium.

IDF says 6 soldiers were lightly wounded in earlier Hezbollah drone attack

Six IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in the Hezbollah drone attack earlier today in the Western Galilee.

One of the Hezbollah drones impacted the Shraga Camp near Nahariya, sparking a fire. The troops were taken to hospitals for minor injuries, including ringing in their ears from the blast.

Additional Hezbollah drones impacted the Nahariya area. Amid the incident, an Iron Dome interceptor missile malfunctioned, impacting a highway and critically injuring a motorist.

In all, 19 people were taken to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya for treatment, including the critically wounded man, a woman in moderate condition, and 17 others in good condition.

The hospital said some of the lightly wounded victims were suffering headaches and tinnitus, and others from acute anxiety. They have all been released from the medical center.

Several IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in the Hezbollah drone attack earlier today in the Western Galilee.

One of the Hezbollah drones impacted the Shraga Camp near Nahariya, sparking a fire. The troops were taken to hospitals for minor injuries, including ringing in their… pic.twitter.com/hs1zyjAEST

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2024

Nasrallah vows ‘strong response coming’ to killing of Hezbollah’s military chief

Hezbollah cannot be expected to react to the killings of Fuad Shukr last week the same way it has reacted to other strikes on its operatives in the past months, Hassan Nasrallah says in a eulogy for the assassinated commander.

“We have not sought escalations until now, we have been fighting in support of Gaza but keeping in mind the Lebanese national interest,” Nasrallah says. “

“Restaurants over the past months have been full and the airport fully functioning,” he adds. “Every time one of our commanders was killed, our response was heightened but always measured.”

“But an assassination of a top leader in the Dahia [Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut] must be treated differently,” he continues.

“Our response is coming, God willing, from us and the axis of resistance — and it will be strong.”

Cabinet secretary fumes at AG for publicly rebuking him over letter of ‘greatest secrecy’

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs at a hearing on military service for ultra-Orthodox men, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, June 2, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs rejects Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara criticism of a letter he sent to the National Security Council. Fuchs says her complaint to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the letter “harmed the work of the cabinet and public trust.”

The attorney general strongly criticized Fuchs and the government for what she said were procedural violations when making weighty cabinet decisions. These include the letter Fuchs wrote on July 31, which Baharav-Miara said had been a legal brief written by Fuchs without due authority.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office in response to the attorney general says, however, that Fuch’s letter was not a legal brief, but rather a memo of the “greatest secrecy” which he sent to the head of the National Security Council, and that the attorney general and the prime minister’s military secretary were also copied on.

“In total contrast to the attorney general’s claim, the cabinet secretary’s letter was sent in the framework of his authority as secretary of the Security Cabinet, does not constitute a legal opinion and has no implications in the security field,” insists the statement on Fuchs’s behalf.

“The attempt to attribute ‘severe consequences in the realm of security” in the public letter which the attorney general sent to the press — to a letter which dealt with professional administrative issues alone is a distortion of reality, harms the work of the cabinet and public trust,” asserts the statement.

Kiryat Shmona, surrounding towns targeted in latest rocket attack from Lebanon

A second barrage of rockets has been launched from Lebanon at the Kiryat Shmona area in northern Israel.

Sirens are sounding in Kiryat Shmona and nearby towns in the Galilee Panhandle as locals report Iron Dome interceptions.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

A second barrage of rockets was just launched from Lebanon at the Kiryat Shmona area.

Iron Dome interceptions are reported.

There are no immediate reports of injuries. pic.twitter.com/Pxa274dxPk

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2024

Hezbollah announces death of another operative in Israeli strike

The Hezbollah terror group announces the death of a member killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” its term for operatives slain in Israeli strikes.

The operative is named as Muhammad Hussein Taleb, from Burj el-Shemali near Tyre.

His death brings the terror group’s toll since October to at least 399.

Memorial ceremony held in Paris for the 11 Israelis murdered at 1972 Munich Olympics

Israeli Olympic chief Yael Arad (from left to right), International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, Ankie Spitzer, widow of slain Israeli fencing coach Andre Spitzer, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Israel's Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka attend a ceremony to pay tribute to the Israeli victims in the Munich 1972 Games, at the Israeli Embassy in Paris on August 6, 2024. (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

Speaking at a memorial ceremony in Paris for the 11 Israelis murdered in a Palestinian terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics, Olympic chief Thomas Bach says the Games are proof that even in dark times, the world can still come together through sport.

“Some may consider this naive, but in our world torn apart by the far too many wars and conflicts, the Olympic Games prove that we can still bring the entire world together,” says Bach during the ceremony at the Israeli Embassy in Paris.

“The athletes are living this culture of peace right here in Paris,” says Bach. “Athletes from National Olympic Committees whose countries are currently in war or conflict with each other are living peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village. This culture of peace was, is and always will be at the heart of our Olympic community.”

Yael Arad, president of the Olympic Committee of Israel, says that the presence of 88 Israeli athletes at the Paris Games 52 years after Munich sends a message: “We are here. Israeli sport was not destroyed. Terror did not win.”

And in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack, Arad says, “the fact that we are present here today… proves the stamina of the Israeli athletes and the resilience of the Israeli society.” These days, she says, “it is not easy to be an Israeli athlete in the international arena… to cope with threats, the concern of our loved ones back home.”

She thanks Bach and Olympic and French officials for the “warm, embracing hospitality shown to us and to our delegation,” and says that they have “spared no effort to welcoming us safely and in good spirits.”

Nasrallah: Uncertainty over timing of retaliation part of Israel’s ‘punishment’

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah calls on members of the Iran-backed “axis of resistance” in Iraq and Yemen to keep supporting Gaza despite the “difficulties and the sacrifices,” while urging other Arab countries to “wake up to the danger that threatens the region.”

“The Israeli danger cannot be faced by burying our heads in the sand, because the enemy has no red lines,” he says.

Iran has also been forced to join the battle after the assassination of Hamas leader in Tehran, Nasrallah maintains.

The uncertainty regarding the date of its response constitutes “part of the punishment” for Israel, he adds.

Nasrallah also addresses Hezbollah’s opponents inside Lebanon, asking that they not “betray the resistance or participate in the psychological warfare against us.”

Rocket barrage fired from Lebanon at Galilee Panhandle and Golan Heights

A barrage of rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Galilee Panhandle and Golan Heights a short while ago.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it has received no reports of injuries in the attack.

Sirens sounded in several communities.

IDF says road from Kerem Shalom crossing to Gaza humanitarian zone closed after anti-tank missile attack on troops

The IDF says that it has temporarily closed a route leading from the Kerem Shalom border crossing to the humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip, used to deliver aid to Palestinians, after troops came under Hamas fire in the area.

Five soldiers were wounded by the Hamas anti-tank fire this morning, including two in serious condition.

The IDF says it worked to kill the terror operatives behind the attack.

“Terror activity in humanitarian areas and areas where the population is concentrated harms humanitarian coordination and the distribution of aid,” the IDF says.

It says that deliveries along the route have been halted temporarily, “as the area has become an active combat zone.”

The military adds that the Kerem Shalom Crossing, and other entry points to the Strip, including the Netzarim Corridor and two crossings in the north, remain open as usual.

Nasrallah: Israel right to fear attack from ‘axis of resistance,’ isn’t the power it once was

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah speaks in a remote address on August 6, 2024. (Screen capture; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

In a eulogy he delivers a week after the killing of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, the terror group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah claims that Israel is right to be afraid of an attack from Iran and the “axis of resistance.”

According to Nasrallah, Israel is no longer the invincible power that beat the greatest Arab armies in past wars, as today it has to rely on the support of the US, UK, France and some Arab countries to defend itself against an anticipated Iranian attack.

He goes on to chastise the US for its “hypocrisy” in supporting Israel in its alleged “massacres” against Palestinian and Lebanese civilians.

He also says Israel has been doing everything in its power to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and claims that the slogan “From the river to the sea” reflects Israeli rather than Palestinian ambitions.

He further condemns the recent statement by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that starving two million Gazans could be “justified and moral,” while accusing Netanyahu and his government of refusing every hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Before the commencement of his speech, IDF warplanes broke the sound barrier while flying over Beirut. Nasrallah says that the IDF did so to frighten those gathered to attend the commemoration ceremony, calling the move “petty.”

Suburban NY county bans masking to hide identity, citing antisemitism since Oct. 7

MINEOLA, New York — Lawmakers in a suburban New York county have approved a bill to ban masks in public places with exemptions for people who cover their faces for health reasons or religious or cultural purposes.

Supporters say the bill approved by the Republican-controlled Nassau County Legislature on Long Island would prevent violent protesters from hiding their identity.

Legislator Howard Kopel says the measure was introduced in response to “antisemitic incidents, often perpetrated by those in masks” since Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught in southern Israel that started the ongoing war in Gaza.

All 12 Republicans in the legislature voted in favor of the measure, while the body’s seven Democrats abstained.

The county lawmakers acted after New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, said in June that she was considering a ban on face masks in the New York City subway system. No specific plan has been announced to enact such a ban, which like the Nassau measure was floated in response to the rise in mask-wearing protesters.

Antisemitism lawsuit against Harvard to go ahead after judge rejects request to dismiss

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters gather at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 14, 2023. (Joseph Prezioso / AFP)

A US judge refuses to dismiss a lawsuit in which Jewish students accuse Harvard University of letting its campus become a bastion of antisemitism.

Without ruling on the merits, US District Judge Richard Stearns says the plaintiffs plausibly allege that Harvard’s response to on-campus incidents is inadequate, and that “the facts as pled show that Harvard failed its Jewish students.”

Medical officer, reservist paramedic seriously wounded in southern Gaza fighting

A medical officer and a reservist paramedic with the Givati Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit were seriously wounded during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip earlier today, the IDF announces.

In the same incident, an officer was moderately wounded, and two more soldiers were lightly hurt.

They were all taken to hospitals in Israel for treatment.

Residents of northern communities, including Nahariya, told to stay near bomb shelters

Several local authorities in northern Israel close to the Lebanon border, including the city of Nahariya, have told citizens to remain close to bomb shelters.

No such directive has been issued by the IDF Home Front Command. Amid the war, local authorities regularly issue their own recommendations to civilians.

Nahariya is located around 10 kilometers from the Lebanon border.

Shapiro gives ‘enthusiastic support’ to Harris after being passed over as VP nominee

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference in Philadelphia, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says he plans to campaign for the Democratic ticket in the lead up to November’s election, after being passed over in favor of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate.

“As I’ve said repeatedly over the past several weeks, the running mate decision was a deeply personal decision for the vice president — and it was also a deeply personal decision for me. Pennsylvanians elected me to a four-year term as their governor, and my work here is far from finished,” says Shapiro, who would have been the second-ever Jewish vice presidential candidate on a major ticket.

“Vice President Kamala Harris has my enthusiastic support and I know that Governor Tim Walz is an exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward,” Shapiro continues.

Kamala Harris publishes X post officially naming Tim Walz as her running mate

FILE - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks to the media, November 9, 2022, in St. Paul, Minnesota. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)

WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris unveils Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential candidate for the US election in November, saying she is “proud” to choose him as her running mate.

“As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the team,” Harris said on X.

IDF says 11 Palestinian gunmen in Jenin killed in drone strikes, clashes with troops

Damage is seen following an Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, August 6, 2024. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

The IDF says troops killed 11 Palestinian gunmen in a series of airstrikes and clashes in the northern West Bank city of Jenin and nearby towns since yesterday afternoon.

The IDF publishes footage of the drone strikes, which it says killed at least four gunmen.

Seven more armed Palestinians were killed in clashes with IDF troops and Border Police officers in Jenin, Kafr Qud, and Aqabah, including several attempting to plant a bomb.

One soldier was moderately wounded amid the fighting, the IDF says.

במבצע נרחב של כוחות הביטחון בג'נין שבחטיבת מנשה; 11 מחבלים חוסלו בתקיפות כלי טיס ובחילופי אש עם הכוחות.

לוחמי צה"ל, שב"כ ומג"ב פעלו החל מאתמול בשעות הצהריים במבצע לסיכול טרור בג׳נין ובכפרים הסמוכים בחטיבת מנשה.

במהלך המבצע כלי טיס של חיל-האוויר, תקפו וחיסלו ארבעה מחבלים חמושים… pic.twitter.com/KthK6hGelf

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) August 6, 2024

Israeli warplanes create major sonic boom over Beirut right before Nasrallah speaks

BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes fly low over the Lebanese capital Beirut, with witnesses saying they can see the planes with the naked eye and creating one of the largest sonic booms heard by residents in years.

The flyovers and sonic booms take place minutes before Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah begins an address to mark the one-week memorial of the Lebanese terror group’s top military commander Fuad Shukr, killed in an Israeli strike last week in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Breaking

Loudest sonic boom I have ever heard in the past few weeks over Beirut. Jets were right above us in downtown Beirut

This is what we saw pic.twitter.com/rkMU4umbG6

— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) August 6, 2024

Gallant says military collaboration with US is ‘critical,’ as Israel braces for Iranian attack

This handout photo shows Defense Minister Yoav Gallant touring the IAF's Tel Nof base on August 8, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tours the Israeli Air Force’s Tel Hanof base as Israel braces for a potential attack by Iran and its proxies.

“Every day you’re improving your readiness on defense and sharpening your offensive capabilities,” Gallant tells the air force personnel, according to a statement from his office.

Gallant says he’s been working in recent days on “coordination” against an Iranian attack, noting his meeting with CENTCOM chief Michael Erik Kurilla and frequent calls with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin.

“They have a lot of desire to help. This collaboration is a critical component,” he says.

IDF says 2 drones from Lebanon intercepted; falling shrapnel sparks fire

A suspected drone launched from Lebanon was shot down by air defenses over the northern community of Hila, the IDF says.

Sirens had sounded in the area amid the incident, over fears of falling shrapnel.

Another suspected from Lebanon was shot down over the Kela area in the Golan Heights, the IDF says.

A fire sparked in the area as a result of falling shrapnel.

Additionally, several rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Western Galilee, impacting open areas, according to the IDF.

There are no reports of injuries in any of the attacks.

IDF denounces storming of recruitment center by ultra-Orthodox extremists

Ultra-Orthodox protesters decry the drafting of Haredi men to the army, outside the IDF recruitment center at Tel Hashomer, central Israel, August 6, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The army puts out a statement denouncing the ultra-Orthodox extremists who broke into the Tel Hashomer base to protest against the conscription of Haredi yeshiva students.

“Breaking into IDF bases is a grave offense and against the law,” says the statement, calling for the offenders to be brought to justice.

The Israel Defense Forces also calls ultra-Orthodox enlistment “a critical operational need… and we are determined to continue advancing it.”

Hezbollah confirms 4 operatives killed by Israeli strike in southern Lebanon

The Hezbollah terror group confirms the deaths of four operatives killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier today in southern Lebanon.

The IDF said it targeted a building used by Hezbollah’s “Southern Front” regional command in the town of Maifadoun.

The terror group names them as Amin Badreddin, Hussein Yassin, Ali Chamseddin, and Hassan Mansour.

Their deaths bring Hezbollah’s death toll amid the fighting since October to at least 397.

PM’s wife and son said looking to stay in bunker for senior leaders when Iran attacks

Yair Netanyahu and Sara Netanyahu in the Knesset gallery as the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured) is sworn in at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on December 29, 2022. (Amir Cohen / Pool / AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara and eldest son Yair plan to stay in an underground bunker in Jerusalem meant for senior leaders in case of an Iranian attack, according to the Walla news site.

Citing sources among Netanyahu’s associates, the report says Sara and Yair are interested in joining the premier in the bunker and are looking into the possibility of sleeping there if and when Iran attacks.

In response, the Prime Minister’s Office calls the report “fake news.”

Kamala Harris said to tap Minnesota’s Tim Walz as running mate

From left, Saint Paul, Minnesota Mayor Melvin Carter, Representative Betty McCullum, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz listen as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at Planned Parenthood, Thursday, March. 14, 2024, in Saint Paul, Minnesota (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Kamala Harris has named Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate Tuesday, US media reports, as the vice president prepares to take on Republican Donald Trump in November’s US election.

Walz brings a rural Midwestern perspective to the Democrat’s campaign while also having notched liberal policy goals such as cannabis legalization and increasing worker protections.

IDF says impact on northern highway caused by Iron Dome interceptor that malfunctioned

Police work at the site of a Hezbollah drone strike near Nahariya, August 6, 2024. (Flash90)

The IDF says the impact on the Route 4 highway near Nahariya amid a Hezbollah drone attack on the Western Galilee was an Iron Dome interceptor missile that malfunctioned.

“According to an initial investigation, it emerged that it was an interceptor that missed the target and impacted the ground,” the IDF says.

The missile impact wounded at least one person critically.

Several Hezbollah drones did also impact the Nahariya area.

Hundreds of meters away from the impact on the highway, a woman was wounded by shrapnel, and at a separate location, another five people were lightly hurt by a blast, according to medics.

AG to PM: Cabinet has made important decisions without proper authority

Left: Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara at her welcome ceremony in Jerusalem on February 8, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90). Right: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, on January 11, 2023. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the government is acting unlawfully when adopting important cabinet decisions, and says he need to put things “back on track.”

The attorney general, who has repeatedly clashed with Netanyahu and his government, alleges the texts of such decisions are shared with the relevant authorities either just before or during the cabinet meeting in which they are being voted on, and sometimes are backed by legal briefs issued by unauthorized officials, including the cabinet secretary and even private attorneys.

Baharav-Miara points to an incident in which she says Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs penned a letter “in which he gave a legal opinion with far-reaching consequences in the realm of security” that she insists was issued “without authority,” but declines to go into further detail.

“For some time now, significant government decisions have been made in a flawed process,” she tells Netanyahu in a letter also sent to the press.

“This [includes decisions prepared] without professional work; sending them for comment to the relevant authorities close to [cabinet] meetings or during them, in a way that does not allow professional officials, and ministers, to do their job and fulfill their obligations; and even using legal briefs of people unauthorized [to issue them], private parties, or the cabinet secretary.”

Baharav-Miara tells Netanyahu that such behavior violates governmental procedures and that the cabinet secretariat “must act in a professional and appropriate manner” to ensure that the government is acting in a legitimate fashion.

Humanitarian aid corridor into southern Gaza is shut down due to Hamas attack near Kerem Shalom crossing

The only corridor for humanitarian aid to enter southern Gaza has been shut down, apparently because of fighting in the area, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

The AP news agency subsequently cites the  Israel Defense Forces as saying the Kerem Shalom crossing is open but the humanitarian route leading from the crossing into the city of Rafah is closed until further notice.

Hamas’s armed wing has said it attacked an Israeli tank in the area. The Kan report also says this, adding an RPG was fired toward Israeli troops.

Japan latest country to urge its citizens not to travel to Israel

Japan’s foreign ministry urges its citizens not to visit Israel in a travel alert, citing rising tensions in the region.

Yesterday, the ministry urged Japanese nationals in Lebanon to leave the country.

Belgian sports venue cancels Israeli athletes’ match following anti-Israel vandalism

A sports venue in Belgium cancels Israeli athletes’ tournament following vandalism, amid a separate controversy over a newspaper column about stabbing Jews.

The De Pinte sports complex cites security concerns in canceling the Israeli frisbee youth team match today following the dousing of red paint on its walls by unidentified perpetrators who also wrote “boycott Israhell now,” the De Morgen newspaper reports.

The incident follows a decision earlier this week by the match’s organizers to move it to De Pinte from another venue for security reasons, the paper reports.

Separately, a Belgian columnist, Herman Brusselmans, is under fire for writing in his Sunday column that he feels the urge “to shove a sharp knife through the throat of every Jew I see” because of images of children suffering in Gaza. Brusselmans reminds himself that “not all Jews are murderous scumbags,” his column in Humo states.

On X, the Transatlantic Institute of the American Jewish Committee calls Brusselmans’ column “outrageous incitement to antisemitic violence” and urges “the Belgian police to prosecute him and the entire editorial team responsible” for the text.

Report: Hamas appoints Muhammad Ismail Darwish as new interim leader

The successor to Ismail Haniyeh at the head of Hamas’s political wing will be Muhammad Ismail Darwish, the Saudi-based Al Arabiya news channel reports, citing unnamed sources.

Darwish, who lives in Qatar, will lead the terror group’s politburo until new elections are held, sources add.

PA says 5 Palestinians killed in IDF strikes in Jenin

The Palestinian Authority health ministry raises the death toll of the IDF drone strikes in Jenin Tuesday morning to five.

Hospital says 7 hospitalized following drone strike; eyewitness: ‘I’m still shaking’

Eyewitness Maor Amsallem at the scene of a Hezbollah drone impact near Nahariya, August 6, 2024. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)

Seven people have been hospitalized after a drone impacted Route 4 near the town of Mazra’a in the Western Galilee.

One of the wounded, who arrived with shrapnel injuries, is in critical condition and is being treated at Galilee Medical Center, a hospital spokesperson says. Two of them were not hit and were being treated for acute anxiety attacks.

Eyewitness Maor Amsallem tells The Times of Israel that he was driving north when he heard the sirens. He pulled over to the side of the road and saw the drone about 7 meters (23 feet) above him explode and hit a car driving south.

“Glass shattered,” Amsallem says. “I heard endless screams. I saw people wounded. I never saw anything like that. I’m still shaking.”

“After the explosion, drivers got into accidents as they panicked,” says Khader Shakair of Netivei Israel’s Operations and Maintenance Division, who arrived soon after the explosion.

Extremist Haredim break into IDF’s recruitment center to protest drafting of yeshiva students

An ultra-Orthodox protester runs away from a policeman during a demonstration decrying the drafting of Haredi men to the army, outside the IDF recruitment center at Tel Hashomer, central Israel, August 6, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Ultra-Orthodox extremist protesters have breached the Tel Hashomer army base, jumping over the fence to try and prevent the enlistment of yeshiva students to the IDF.

Footage showed by Channel 12 shows the situation is not under control, with rioters outnumbering security forces.

The network says dozens have broken in, but the Ynet news site says only several have done so.

The Haredim have for hours been protesting outside the IDF recruitment office against the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox men to the army.

מפגינים מהפלג הירושלמי הצליחו לפרוץ לבסיס תל השומר. השוטרים הזעיקו תגבורת.@eli_hirschmann pic.twitter.com/YX05i0SMfC

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) August 6, 2024

Eyewitness says he ‘miraculously’ survived drone impact by lying down on road

An eyewitness to the drone crash on a road in the northern town of Mazra’a says he “miraculously survived” the explosion by lying down on the road, saving him from flying shrapnel that injured several others, including one critically.

The man tells the Kan public broadcaster he heard sirens and laid down, then heard a drone flying overhead, and then there was a big blast “and shrapnel flew over me.”

“I only survived because I laid down, it was a miracle. I’ve never seen such a thing,” says the witness, who says he’s from Kiryat Ata.

He describes the scene as “terrible,” adding that the Iron Dome system missed the drone and fragments of interceptors also landed nearby.

IDF says several unidentified objects crossed from Lebanon, one was downed

In its first statement on the Hezbollah drone attack on northern Israel, the IDF says several unidentified objects crossed from Lebanon.

It says one of them was intercepted, while impacts were observed south of Nahariya and several civilians were injured.

Incoming rocket alarms sounded due to fear of falling interceptor fragments.

The military says that sirens that sounded later, at 12:56 p.m., were false alarms.

Officials now say 6 hospitalized after Hezbollah drone attack, including 2 suffering anxiety attacks

Officials are now saying at least six people have been hospitalized following the Hezbollah drone attack on northern Israel, including four who suffered shrapnel injuries and two who suffered acute anxiety attacks.

Prof. Masad Barhoum, director of the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, tells Channel 12 news that the hospital is treating six people, including the critically injured individual.

He says three others are lightly injured, while two are being treated for acute anxiety attacks.

Footage shows moment of impact in Hezbollah drone attack on northern Israel

Footage emerges of the reported drone impact on a road in the town of Mazra’a in the Western Galilee, near Nahariya, in which two people are reported to have been injured, one of them critically.

Reports say it was a direct hit on a vehicle.

תיעוד נוסף מהפגיעה בכביש בצפון. צילום: לפי סעיף 27א' pic.twitter.com/Ij87eH7CUC

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) August 6, 2024

Hezbollah says it fired ‘swarm’ of drones at Israel, but reprisal for commander yet to come

Lebanon’s Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah says it launched a swarm of attack drones, claiming the attack that has injured two in an Arab town in northern Israel, including one critically.

The Shiite movement claims its attack was against military targets.

A source within the group tells Reuters that this is not the group’s retaliation for Israel’s killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last week. Hezbollah has vowed to avenge him, prompting worries of a major escalation that could tip into a full-blown war.

Medics say critically injured man was injured in head from shrapnel, was found unconscious

Magen David Adom medics Roi Vishna and Noam Levy say the man critically injured from a drone impact in the northern town of Mazra’a was hit in the head by shrapnel.

“We saw the man sitting in a car, unconscious and suffering a severe head injury from shrapnel,” they are quoted as saying in an MDA statement. “Another wounded woman was near the parking lot, fully conscious and suffering shrapnel wounds in her limbs.”

They say they resuscitated the man and took him to the hospital in “very serious” condition, also taking the woman, who is lightly to moderately wounded.

More drone infiltration alerts sound in Acre area

More suspected drone infiltration alarms are sounding in Acre and nearby towns.

Two injured, one critically, as drone from Lebanon impacts in northern town

Footage taken by an onlooker in northern Israel appears to show a Hezbollah attack drone that crossed from Lebanon, on August 6, 2024. (Video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Medical officials report that two people have been injured in the northern Arab town of Mazra’a in the Western Galilee after a drone from Lebanon impacted.

One of them is a man in his 40s who is in critical condition, the Magen David Adom emergency group says, while the other is a woman in her 30s who is lightly-to-moderately injured.

Two drones are said to have entered in the latest apparent Hezbollah attack, one of which was intercepted.

Reports of impacts and injuries as many alarms sound in Acre, other northern towns

A series of rocket and suspected drone infiltration alerts sounds in northern towns and cities, including Acre.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says its medics are searching an area where there are reports of impacts.

Some Hebrew media outlets report potential injuries in Mazra’a and a drone exploding near the city of Nahariya.

Footage circulating on social media shows a Hezbollah drone over Nahariya. https://t.co/6f1EytkNvn pic.twitter.com/TDogGtyeFF

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2024

Lebanese FM says working with Hezbollah to prevent response that would lead to all-out war

The Lebanese government is working to prevent a Hezbollah response against Israel that could escalate into a wider war, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib says during a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart.

“When Israeli strikes hit Lebanon alone, we consulted with Hezbollah to find a response that would not lead to a war,” Bou Habib says, referencing the recent Israeli attack on Beirut that killed top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.

“But today, Israeli strikes have expanded to Iraq and against Palestinians in Tehran,” he adds, although there are no reports of Israeli forces targeting Iraq. “The decision has a greater scope than Lebanon. But we are working to prevent any reaction that would lead to a wider war.”

Forces again demolish illegal Tzur Harel outpost; settlers burn tires in protest

The evacuation of the illegal West Bank outpost of Tzur Harel, early on August 6, 2024. (Courtesy/Civil Administration)

A large Border Police force together with Civil Administration personnel arrived at the illegal West Bank outpost of Tzur Harel early this morning and demolished four buildings constructed illegally at the site.

Shortly after the operation was completed, several settler activists returned to the site, which has now been declared a closed military zone, burning tires in protest at the demolition. Three of the activists are detained by the Border Police.

The Civil Administration points out that the outpost, in the Binyamin region of the West Bank, north of Jerusalem, is located on private Palestinian land.

The evacuation of the illegal West Bank outpost of Tzur Harel, early on August 6, 2024. (Courtesy/Civil Administration)

At the beginning of July, extremist settler activists attacked Civil Administration and Border Police personnel during a similar operation to demolish the Tzur Harel outpost, throwing Molotov cocktails at the security forces, burning tires and setting a vehicle on fire at the entrance to the outpost when the forces arrived to evacuate the site.

According to the left-wing Peace Now organization which campaigns against the settlements, 25 illegal outposts have been established by settler activists since the outbreak of the war on Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 atrocities.

IDF confirms Lebanon strike, says it targeted building used by Hezbollah

The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike in Maifadoun in southern Lebanon a short while ago, targeting what it says was a building used by Hezbollah.

Four Hezbollah members were killed in the strike, according to Lebanese security sources cited by AFP.

According to the IDF, the building was used by members of Hezbollah’s so-called Southern Front unit, the terror group’s regional command in southern Lebanon.

Another building used by Hezbollah was struck in Khiam, the IDF adds.

מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו לפני זמן קצר בהכוונה מודיעינית של שב״כ ואמ"ן, מבנה צבאי ששימש את יחידת חזית הדרום בארגון הטרור חיזבאללה, במרחב נבטיה שבדרום לבנון.
במבנה פעלו מספר מחבלים אשר קידמו מתווי טרור נגד מדינת ישראל>> pic.twitter.com/S8CqlrCSWd

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 6, 2024

Police declare Haredi anti-enlistment protest illegal, arrest at least 7

Police have declared illegal the anti-enlistment protest by extremist ultra-Orthodox men outside the IDF recruitment office in Tel Hashomer.

Cops start to clear the demonstrators from the area, arresting at least seven people, according to Hebrew media.

Lebanon security source says 4 killed in alleged Israeli strike are Hezbollah fighters

As Lebanon’s health ministry confirms that four people have been killed in an alleged Israeli strike on the south, a security source tells AFP the dead are all Hezbollah fighters.

“Following the Israeli enemy raid on a house in the town of Maifadoun… four people were killed,” the ministry says in a statement. Requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, the security source says “they were all Hezbollah fighters.”

There has been no Israeli statement on the strike.

Police say checkpoint stabber was bus passenger being searched; has been shot dead

Police and medical personnel at the scene of a stabbing attack at the Tunnels Checkpoint in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem, on August 6, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

Police say the assailant who stabbed a female Border Police officer at the Tunnels Checkpoint near Jerusalem was shot dead.

According to police, a bus driving from the West Bank to Jerusalem was stopped at the checkpoint, and the passengers were taken off the bus for questioning to ensure that they had legal entry permits.

One of the passengers who was being questioned lunged at a Border Police officer with a screwdriver and stabbed her.

Other officers at the scene opened fire at the assailant, killing him.

Police say they found a knife and other suspicious items on the assailant’s body.

Tools said to have been used by the assailant in a stabbing attack at the Tunnels Checkpoint in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem, on August 6, 2024. (Israel Police)

Four reported dead in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon

Lebanese media reports four dead in an Israeli airstrike in the southern town of Maifadoun.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

???? عاجل | وزارة الصحة اللبنانية: استشهاد ٤ أشخاص في غارة “إسرائيلية” على بلدة مفيدون جنوبي لبنان pic.twitter.com/oP1VCtYeLE

— قناة المنار (@TVManar1) August 6, 2024

PA ups death toll from Israeli drone strikes in Jenin to 4

The Palestinian Authority health ministry raises the death toll of the IDF drone strikes in Jenin to four.

Servicewoman lightly injured in stabbing attack at checkpoint south of Jerusalem

Security and medical personnel at the scene of a stabbing attack at the Tunnels Checkpoint in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem, on August 6, 2024. (United Hatzalah)

A member of Israeli security forces was lightly injured in a West Bank stabbing attack at the Tunnels Checkpoint, south of Jerusalem.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it is treating a 20-year-old woman in good condition after she was attacked. She has been taken to Hadassah Medical Center in the capital.

The stabber was shot and “neutralized” by security personnel and Border Police officers at the scene, police say.

1 said lightly hurt in stabbing attack at West Bank checkpoint; attacker ‘neutralized’

One person is reported lightly wounded in a stabbing attack at the so-called Tunnels Checkpoint in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem, medics say.

The alleged assailant was “neutralized,” according to first responders.

Palestinians raise toll of Jenin strikes to 2; army source says they were shooting at troops

The Palestinian Authority health ministry raises the death toll of the IDF drone strikes in the West Bank city of Jenin to two.

According to a military source, the first strike hit two gunmen on a motorcycle who were shooting at troops. The second strike targeted another cell opening fire at forces in Jenin.

Border Police says it killed terror suspect, 3 attackers in overnight West Bank op

Border Police troops killed four Palestinian gunmen and wounded 10 others during an overnight operation in the West Bank overnight, police say.

According to police, the incidents took place in the West Bank city of Jenin, but Palestinians say they occurred in the town of Aqabah, near Tubas.

It is not fully clear if the gunmen police say officers killed in Jenin overnight are the same four Palestinians reported dead by Israeli fire in the Tubas area, or if another four were killed.

According to police, undercover officers worked to arrest wanted Palestinians, including one suspected of terror activities.

The suspected terrorist began to flee as troops surrounded his home, along with another gunman, police say.

The Border Police officers then opened fire, killing the gunman and wounding the wanted man.

Additionally, troops returned fire at gunmen and other Palestinians hurling explosive devices at them, killing three and wounding nine others, according to police.

No soldiers were hurt in the operation.

Separately, the IDF this morning is carrying out an operation in Jenin.

South Korea ‘strongly advises’ its citizens to leave Lebanon and Israel

South Korea’s foreign ministry “strongly advises” its nationals in Lebanon and Israel to leave as soon as possible because of escalating tensions.

The travel advisory has been issued after a commander of the Iran-aligned Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and the head of the political wing of Hamas were killed, says Lee Jae-woong, a ministry spokesperson.

“South Korea’s government… hopes that diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions such as negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release will not stop,” Lee tells a briefing.

More than 500 South Korean nationals are currently residing in Israel and around 120 in Lebanon, according to the ministry.

IDF says it hit Jenin gunmen with drone amid counterterror op; Palestinians report 1 dead

An Israeli Air Force drone hit groups of gunmen in two separate strikes in the West Bank city of Jenin a short while ago, the military says.

According to Palestinian media, at least one person was killed.

The IDF says the strikes came as troops carried out a counterterrorism operation in Jenin.

It says further information will be provided soon.

‘Unjust and immoral’: ADL raps Smotrich for indicating he’d like to starve Gazans

The Anti-Defamation League condemns Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s remark yesterday that blocking humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip may be “justified and moral” even if it causes 2 million civilians to die of hunger, as a tool to coerce Hamas to release hostages.

In a tweet, the ADL’s Israel page says the comments are “antithetical to Israeli and Jewish values.”

“Bringing home the hostages must be the highest priority, but intentionally starving millions of Palestinians would be unjust and immoral,” it says.

We unequivocally condemn these comments by Israeli Minister Smotrich, which are antithetical to Israeli and Jewish values. Bringing home the hostages must be the highest priority, but intentionally starving millions of Palestinians would be unjust and immoral.…

— הליגה נגד השמצה בישראל (@adlisrael) August 6, 2024

Extremist ultra-Orthodox protesters again rally near IDF recruitment office

Dozens of extremist ultra-Orthodox men arrive for the second straight day at the entrance to the IDF’s recruitment office at Tel Hashomer to decry the enlistment of yeshiva students.

Across the road, a women-led demonstration is being held against the ultra-Orthodox refusal to enlist amid the war in Gaza.

Yesterday was the first day in which some 900 first recruits were set to show up, though only a handful actually came amid a sweeping Haredi campaign calling on would-be draftees to ignore the summonses.

בוקר טוב מבסיס תל השומר. pic.twitter.com/91koLjEQ5S

— שילה פריד???????? (@shilofreid) August 6, 2024

IDF says it killed dozens of Hamas operatives, including officer in charge of arms smuggling

The Israel Defense Forces says it killed a Hamas officer in charge of weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip in an airstrike last night.

The army says Muhammad Mahasna mainly coordinated maritime smuggling, but also dealt with getting arms through cross-border tunnels and land crossings.

כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף וחיסל אמש בהכוונה של אגף המודיעין, את המחבל מחמד מחאסנה אשר שימש כקצין מבצעים בתחום ההברחות בארגון הטרור חמאס>> pic.twitter.com/VoQatFSZBa

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 6, 2024

“His elimination deals a blow to terror group Hamas’s ability to smuggle [weapons] into Gaza,” the IDF says in a statement.

Additionally, the military says it has killed around 20 terror operatives in face-to-face fighting and airstrikes in central Gaza over the past day, while its forces have killed over 25 operatives in the area of Rafah.

In one incident, an anti-tank missile was fired toward IDF forces — without causing casualties — and a warplane quickly bombed the house from where the missile was fired, killing the shooter.

Aussie PM slams Iranian ambassador over social media call to ‘wipe out the Zionist plague’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addresses the media at Parliament House in Canberra, June 17, 2024. (Lukas Coch/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemns as “abhorrent” an Iranian ambassador’s social media comment on Israel.

Albanese says Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi has been called in for a meeting with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials over his recent post on the social media platform X.

Sadeghi cited the Hamas terror group’s spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin advocating that “wiping out the Zionist plague out of the holy lands of Palestine happens no later than 2027.” Sadeghi added: “Looking forward to such a heavenly & divine promise Inshaa-Allah.” The Arabic expression means “if God wills.”

Albanese tells reporters: “I make it clear: There’s no place for the sort of comments that were made online on social media by the Iranian ambassador.”

“They’re abhorrent. And they are hateful, they are antisemitic and they have no place,” Albanese adds.

Asked by a reporter if the ambassador should be expelled from Australia, Albanese does not directly answer.

The Iranian Embassy in Australia does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Anti-tank missile hits backyard in evacuated town of Avivim, says regional council

An anti-tank missile has hit the backyard of a home in the evacuated northern community of Avivim, without causing casualties, the Merom HaGalil Regional Council says.

The council says light damage was caused, quoting its head Amit Sofer urging military action to finally return residents to their homes after 10 months.

Traffic resumes on Ayalon Highway after hostage activists blocked it for 15 minutes

Southbound traffic resumes on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway after around 15 minutes, following a protest by hostage families and activists in favor of a ceasefire and hostage deal and against the government.

‘Stop bullshitting us’: Hostage families block Tel Aviv highway, urge PM to seal hostage deal

Relatives of hostages and dozens of women-led protesters are blocking southbound traffic on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway, protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and in favor of a hostage deal.

“Netanyahu is abandoning, Netanyahu isn’t fit [to serve],” they chant.

They put up an English-language banner saying “Stop bullshitting us,” referencing a phrase reportedly used by US President Joe Biden in a recent call with the premier when talking about a hostage deal.

כעת: משפחות חטופים ופעילות מחאת הנשים להחזרת החטופות והחטופים חוסמות את איילון דרום סמוך למחלף לה גארדיה: Stop Bullshitting Us @N12News pic.twitter.com/VEuxdtiBdR

— אור רביד | Or Ravid (@OrRavid) August 6, 2024

"מדינה לא מנוהלת": משפחות חטופים ומחאת הנשים חוסמות את איילון דרום סמוך למחלף לה גארדיה pic.twitter.com/AjDB4YvIzF

— i24NEWS (@i24NEWS_HE) August 6, 2024

‘Don’t push it’: Officials said warning Israel to limit response to potential Iran attack

Officials in the multinational US-led coalition — which is reportedly preparing to assist Israel in repelling an expected Iranian attack — have been preemptively warning Israel not to respond too strongly to such an attack, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

“Don’t push it,” the unnamed officials have reportedly told Jerusalem. “Think carefully before you attack in return. The goal at the end of the day is not to lead to an all-out war.”

In April, a massive drone and missile attack from Iran was foiled by a coalition that comprised Israel, the United States, Britain, France, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Kan reported yesterday that Western diplomats believe the same coalition can be put together again.

Gaza must return to control of Palestinian Authority, Abbas tells Russian media

The Gaza Strip must be transferred to the control of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority government, and Israeli plans for temporary control of the enclave are unacceptable, PA President Mahmoud Abbas tells Russia’s RIA news agency.

“Gaza must be governed under the auspices of the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] and the legitimate Palestinian government,” Abbas claims in an interview published in Russian.

“We strongly oppose Israeli plans that provide for some temporary solutions.”

US said to observe Iran moving missile launchers ahead of expected attack

Iran has in recent days been moving missile launchers and carrying out military exercises, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing unnamed US officials.

This may signal it is preparing to conduct an attack in the coming days, as widely reported is the case.

The report says US officials don’t know the extent of Hezbollah’s role in a potential Iranian response to the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which came hours after the Lebanese terror group’s top military commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli attack in Beirut.

Projectile launched from Lebanon intercepted over northern Israel

Israeli troops shot down a “suspicious aerial target” which infiltrated Israel’s airspace from Lebanon a short while ago, the Israel Defense Forces says about 45 minutes after sirens were triggered in two northern communities.

There are no injuries in the incident, the army says.

Rocket sirens were triggered in Kerem Ben Zimra and Jish near the Lebanon border out of fear of falling shrapnel, according to the IDF.

Pentagon chief says Iraq base attack a ‘dangerous escalation’ in call with Gallant

An attack by Iranian proxies on an airbase housing US troops in Iraq marks “a dangerous escalation” and the US is beefing up its military posture in the Mideast, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tells Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a phone call, the Pentagon says.

Five servicemembers were injured in the attack on al-Asad airbase late Monday.

“Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant agreed that today’s Iran-aligned militia attack on U.S. forces stationed at Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq marked a dangerous escalation and demonstrated Iran’s destabilizing role in the region,” reads a US statement.

Austin also tells Gallant of “measures to strengthen U.S. military posture in the region in light of this escalating situation.”

According to the Pentagon, Austin called Gallant to “reiterate unwavering U.S. commitment to Israel’s security in the face of threats from Iran, Lebanese Hizballah, and other Iran-aligned militia groups.”

Rocket sirens activated in two northern towns

Rocket sirens are sounding in two northern Israel communities, the IDF’s Homefront Command says.

The sirens are activated in the small communities of Jish and Kerem Ben Zimra.

Meta apologizes for removing Malaysian PM’s post mourning Haniyeh

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks at an anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian rally in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Meta Platforms has apologized for the removal of content from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Facebook and Instagram accounts related to the assassination of Hamas terror group leader Ismail Haniyeh last week.

Malaysia had asked Meta for an explanation after the posts expressing condolences over Haniyeh’s death were removed.

“We apologize for an operational error where content from the Prime Minister’s Facebook and Instagram Pages were removed, and the content has since been restored with the correct newsworthy label,” a Meta spokesperson tells Reuters in an emailed response to questions.

Malaysia’s communications minister and members of the Prime Minister’s Office had met Meta representatives on Monday to seek an explanation.

“The Prime Minister’s Office views Meta’s actions as discriminatory, unjust, and a blatant suppression of free expression,” the office said in a statement on Monday.

Unclear when or how Iran will attack Israel, aides tell Biden

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were told by their national security team that it is still unclear when Iran and Hezbollah are likely to launch an attack against Israel, according to a US official.

Reports have indicated that an Iranian or Hezbollah reprisal over the killings of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah military head Fuad Shukr is expected imminently, though Iran has kept its cards close to its chest.

Biden and Harris were also told that there is little info available regarding “the specifics of such an attack,” according to the US official.

Abbas accuses Israel of killing Haniyeh in order to expand Gaza conflict

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on March 31, 2024, in Ramallah. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas tells Russia’s RIA state news agency that the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was intended to prolong the conflict in Gaza and will complicate talks on resolving the crisis.

“There is no doubt that the purpose of Mr. Haniyeh’s assassination is to prolong the war and expand its scope,” RIA cites Abbas as saying. “It will have a negative impact on the ongoing negotiations to end the aggression and withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza.”

Abbas calls the killing “a cowardly act and a dangerous development in Israeli politics.”

“The Israeli occupation authorities are required to abandon their ambitions and stop their aggressive actions against our people and our cause, to comply with international law and implement the Arab Peace Initiative, as well as an immediate and lasting ceasefire and withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” he says.

Russia reportedly delivering advanced air defenses to Iran as Tehran touts ties

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) meeting with Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, in Tehran, on August 5, 2024 (Iranian Presidential Office / AFP)

Iranian officials quoted by The New York Times say Russia has begun delivering advanced air defense and radar equipment to Iran, after officials in Tehran asked the Kremlin for the arms.

The report comes as Iranian state media report that the country’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian told a visiting senior ally of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin that Tehran is determined to expand relations with its “strategic partner Russia.”

“Russia is among the countries that have stood by the Iranian nation during difficult times,” Pezeshkian told Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia’s security council, in a meeting, Iranian state media report.

In further comments reported during the meeting with Shoigu, Pezeshkian said Israel’s “criminal actions” in Gaza and the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week “are clear examples of the violation of all international laws and regulations.”

Russia, which has largely backed Hamas and allied terror groups since the October 7 massacre, has condemned the killing of Haniyeh and called on all parties to refrain from steps that could tip the Middle East into a wider regional war.

Shared positions between Iran and Russia “in promoting a multipolar world will certainly lead to greater global security and peace,” Pezeshkian is quoted saying.

Shoigu was Russia’s defense minister before being moved to the security council in May. He was shown earlier by Russia’s Zvezda television meeting Rear Admiral Ali Akbar Ahmadian, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander who serves as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Biden and Harris briefed on Iranian threat, including attack on US troops in Iraq

US President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Jill Biden arrive on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, August 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)

The US will respond to a missile attack on an Iraqi base housing US military personnel “in a manner and place of our choosing,” the White House says, after US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris discussed the matter with their national security team during a briefing regarding ongoing tensions in the Middle East that just wrapped.

At least five US personnel were injured when two Katyusha rockets were fired at the al Asad airbase in western Iraq, US and Iraqi sources say. There has been no claim of responsibility, but Iraq-based militias backed by Iran have carried out multiple such attacks against US servicemembers on al-Asad and elsewhere over the past several months

Biden and Harris were updated on the the threats posed by Iran and its proxies who are threatening Israel and US servicemembers in the region, the White House says.

The pair were also briefed on US military efforts to support the defense of Israel should it be attacked again like it was in April, when Iran fired some 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and attack drones at Israel.

They also discussed efforts to de-escalate tensions, particularly through the ceasefire-hostage release deal currently on the table between Israel and Hamas, the White House says.

Palestinian teen’s death raises toll in West Bank raid to 4

The Palestinian Authority says a teenage boy died of wounds sustained during a clash with Israeli forces in the northern West Bank town of Aqaba, raising the death toll in the raid to 4.

The teen is named as Bilal Izzaldin Sawafta, 14.

Palestinian health officials say all four fatalities were caused by Israeli bullets.

Another seven people are injured, the PA health ministry says.

Death toll from West Bank raid rises to three, Palestinians say

The Palestinian Authority health ministry raises the death toll from an Israeli raid in the northern West Bank from two to three, adding Ahmed Ghannam, 19, to the tally.

Palestinian accounts online share footage in which heavy gunfire can be heard. There is no verification that the fighting depicted took place at a hospital in Tubas where the injured from the raid were being brought.

The occupation forces open fire at the people in the yard of the Turkish hospital in Tubas city, West Bank

4 people have been killed in Tubas already pic.twitter.com/Q6ZbR2HFjH

— cheri ???? (@cheriblossom__) August 5, 2024

The Israel Defense Forces has yet to comment on the reported raid.

Several US troops injured in missile attack on base in Iraq

Several US personnel were injured in an attack against a military base in Iraq today, three US officials tell Reuters.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say the suspected rocket attack took place at Al Asad airbase in Iraq, citing initial information which could change.

“Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment,” one of the officials adds.

Two Katyusha rockets were fired at the base in western Iraq, security sources say. One security source says the rockets fell inside the base.

The US is bracing for Iran to make good on its vow to respond to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last week in Tehran – one in a series of killings of senior figures in the Palestinian terror group as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza rages.

Two Palestinians killed in West Bank clash, PA says

The Palestinian Authority health ministry says two people have been killed and seven injured in fighting with Israeli forces raiding a village in the northern West Bank.

Both Ayser Abu Ara, 37, and Nour al-Yassin, 19, died from bullet wounds, according to the PA.

Two of the seven injured people are in critical condition, the PA says.

The raid occurred in Aqaba, a small village near the town of Tubas south of Jenin.

There is no comment from Israeli authorities.