Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Monday’s events as they unfolded.
Family and friends of slain hostage Omer Neutra gather for candlelight vigil in Ra’anana
Friends and family attend a ceremony in memory of IDF Cpt. Omer Neutra who was murdered in Hamas's October 7 massacre, Ra'anana, December 2, 2024. (Yehoshua Yosef/Flash90)
Family and friends of Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra gather in Ra’anana for a candlelight vigil after the IDF announced that the 21-year-old was killed amid Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. His body is still being held by terrorists in Gaza.
Neutra was stationed in a tank on the Gaza border near the southern community of Nahal Oz on the morning of the Hamas-led onslaight, when some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Until now it had been believed that Neutra, an American-Israeli citizen, was alive and being held hostage in Gaza.
אירוע ביד לבנים לכבודו וזכרו
של סרן עומר נאוטרה ז״ל
החטוף בעזה
בהשתתפות המוני אזרחיות ואזרחים
עם משפחתו של סרן עומר נאוטרה ז״ל
רעננה pic.twitter.com/Xk9s0CixRM— לירי בורק שביט (@lirishavit) December 2, 2024
Lebanese health ministry: At least 9 killed in Israeli strikes on two southern villages
Lebanon’s health ministry says at least nine people have been killed in Israeli strikes on two southern villages this evening, days after a fragile Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire took effect last week.
“The Israeli enemy strike on the village of Haris killed five people and injured two, in an initial toll,” the ministry says in a statement, adding that another such attack on Tallousa “killed four people and injured one person.”
Israel announced the strikes after Hezbollah fired mortar shells at IDF positions in the Mount Dov area near the Lebanon border this afternoon.
Netanyahu: For court to order Oct. 7 state commission of inquiry would ‘shred the separation of powers’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 13, 2024. (Chaim Goldbergl/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly submitted to the High Court his response to petitions demanding that the government be ordered to establish a state commission of inquiry into the failures of October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, in which he claims that the court has “no authority” to make such a ruling.
The Ynet news site quotes Netanyahu’s response to the court: “The Commission of Inquiry Law expressly states that the government is the one that can decide on the establishment of a state commission of inquiry. This authority belongs to the government and not to any other entity. This honorable court has expressly stated that ‘the establishment of a state commission of inquiry is a matter for the government to answer and not for the court.'”
If the court were to order the government to form a state inquiry, it would “shred the principle of separation of powers and the system of checks and balances” in Israel, Netanyahu’s response is said to assert.
Hebrew media reported last month that Netanyahu has been trying to push legislation that would ban the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 Hamas terror onslaught, in favor of a political commission of inquiry chaired by one coalition lawmaker and one opposition lawmaker.
He has repeatedly put off the establishment of any inquiry, and rejected a state commission — which is the body that enjoys the broadest powers until Israeli law — to investigate the government’s failures that enabled the deadly Hamas attacks, arguing that all investigations must wait until the fighting in Gaza ends.
Report: Israeli strikes this evening targeted Lebanon-Syria border crossings
Syria’s Sham FM radio reports that a series of Israeli airstrikes this evening targeted border crossings between Lebanon and Syria in the al-Qusayr area.
The IDF has bombed the crossings before, saying that they were being used by Hezbollah to smuggle Iranian weapons into Lebanon.
The strikes this evening came during an Israeli response to a Hezbollah mortar attack.
Jets strike Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon including launcher that fired on Mount Dov area today — IDF
Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah operatives and dozens of rocket launchers and facilities belonging to the terror group across Lebanon a short while ago, the IDF announces.
The wave of airstrikes comes as a response to a Hezbollah mortar attack on the Mount Dov area earlier this evening, in a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Additionally, the IDF says it struck the launcher used to fire the two mortars at Mount Dov. The site was hit a short while after the attack.
“Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF says in a statement.
“The State of Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfill their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity from within Lebanese territory. The State of Israel remains obligated to the fulfillment of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon,” the army adds.
Gag order lifted: Senior officer detained for questioning today is Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi
Former police secretary Kobi Yaakobi attends the first committee meeting for creating a new national guard, held at the National Security Ministry in Jerusalem, on June 7, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The senior officer detained for questioning today, on suspicion of obstructing an investigation and breach of trust, is Israel Prison Service Chief Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, Hebrew media reports, after a court lifts a gag order on the affair.
Two Israel Police officers were also detained in the case, the details of which have largely been covered by the gag order, including the identity of those involved.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, whose ministry oversees both the police and the prison service, has accused Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miar of attempting a “coup” and intimidating officers to prevent them from implementing his policies.
Ben Gvir posts a photo of himself with Yaakobi after he is named in the case, with the text, “We love you Kobi. The people are with you against the attorney general’s coup d’état.”
אוהבים אותך קובי
העם איתך נגד ההפיכה השלטונית של היועמ"שית ????????❤️ pic.twitter.com/90UEGu2Pxu— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) December 2, 2024
Biden administration ‘frustrated’ over need to push Israel to extend banking deal with PA
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller expresses the Biden administration’s frustration that it took intensive negotiations with the Israeli government to convince Jerusalem to grant a one-year extension to the corresponding banking agreement, which grants indemnity for Israeli banks to conduct transactions with Palestinian ones.
“It’s incredibly frustrating that it took this long to get the government of Israel to extend this agreement for the year — that it now did something they should have just done through the regular course of business,” Miller says during a press briefing, arguing that failure to extend the deal would have risked collapsing the Palestinian economy, which manifestly would not have been in Israel’s interest, as it would have destabilized the West Bank.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has held off on extending the agreement, arguing in favor of collapsing the Palestinian Authority, as he seeks to annex large parts of the West Bank.
Days before the banking deal was set to expire, Smotrich said that he agreed to back a one-year extension, after securing commitments from the Biden administration that it would not allow the passage of a UN Security Council Resolution recognizing Palestinian statehood. US officials told The Times of Israel that such an idea would have gone against longstanding administration policy and that they had no problem offering such assurances, given that the idea was never in the cards.
Asked whether a UN Security Council resolution was ever part of the negotiations the US has had with Israel, Miller responds: “We will continue to look at every resolution that comes before the United Nations Security Council and judge whether voting yes, voting no, voting abstaining, is in the interest of the United States, and we will make our judgments based on that and nothing else.”
IDF: Navy missile boat shot down drone over Red Sea a short while ago
An Israeli Navy missile boat shot down a drone over the Red Sea a short while ago, the military says.
According to the IDF, the drone was launched at Israel “from the east,” a term used to describe attacks from Iraq.
The drone was shot down before entering Israeli airspace, the military says, and therefore sirens did not sound.
ספינת טילים של חיל הים יירטה לפני זמן קצר במרחב ים סוף כלי טיס בלתי מאויש ששוגר ממזרח.
הכלי יורט בטרם חצה לשטח הארץ, על פי מדיניות לא הופעלו התרעות pic.twitter.com/ul0pBtL8F5— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 2, 2024
‘Words alone have no power to comfort’: Family of US-Israeli hostage killed on Oct. 7 calls for Gaza deal
Ronen and Orna Neutra, parents of Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra, on September 5, 2024. (Luke Tress/JTA)
In their first statement following the IDF’s revelation that American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra was killed during Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, the 21-year-old’s family says words alone will not bring them comfort and calls on the leaders of Israel and the United States to act to bring home the remaining hostages.
“In the 423 days since October 7, we expected our leaders to demonstrate the same courage displayed so bravely by Omer and rise to the occasion on behalf of those who were killed and kidnapped, just as our beloved Omer showed until the very end,” Omer’s parents Ronen and Orna and brother Daniel say in a joint statement, expressing their gratitude for the support they have received around the world during their struggle.
“Sadly, time has run out to bring Omer home alive and words alone have no power to comfort. Leadership will only be revealed in actions and results going forward. We call upon the Israeli government to work with President Biden and President-elect Trump, to use all of their leverage and resources to return all 101 hostages — living and the deceased — to their families as soon as possible,” they add.
IDF says rocket sirens in northern border town were false alarms
The IDF says rocket alert sirens that sounded in the northern community of Lehavot Habashan near the Lebanon border were false alarms.
The sirens sounded as the IDF announced a wave of strikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired mortars at an Israeli military position in the Mount Dov area, days into a fragile ceasefire.
Trump says there will be ‘all hell to pay in the Middle East’ if hostages not released by January 20
Then-former US president Donald Trump poses for photos with family members of Hamas hostage Edan Alexander, after visiting the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson in New York, October 7, 2024. (AP Photo/ Yuki Iwamura)
US President-elect Donald Trump threatens those holding hostages in the Middle East with unprecedented American firepower if they are not released by the time he enters office on January 20.
Trump first made this threat at the Republican National Convention in July, but the latest warning posted on Truth Social comes two days after Hamas released a propaganda video showing American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander in which the 20-year-old pleads with Trump to secure his release.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” Trump writes on Truth Social, without mentioning Israel or the Hamas terror group by name.
“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” he says.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” he adds.
IDF issues evacuation orders for southern Gaza after rocket fire on southern Israel
Following this evening’s rocket fire from the Khan Younis area in the Gaza Strip at southern Israel, the IDF is calling on Palestinian civilians in the area to evacuate to the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone.
“Terror organizations are once again firing rockets at the State of Israel from your area. The specified area has been warned several times in the past,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman says, publishing a map of the zones that are to be evacuated.
“For your own safety, you must evacuate the area immediately and move to the humanitarian zone,” he adds.
The IDF in recent months has repeatedly issued evacuation orders for areas from which terrorists launched rockets at Israel.
Hamas took responsibility for the rocket fire. One rocket was launched in the attack, which was intercepted by air defenses according to the IDF.
#عاجل ‼️ الى سكان قطاع غزة المتواجدين في منطقة شمال خانيونس وتحديدًا في بلوكات 2352, 2353, 2354, 2355, 2270.
⭕️تطلق المنظمات الإرهابية القذائف الصاروخية مرة أخرى تجاه دولة اسرائيل من منطقتكم. لقد تم تحذير المنطقة المحددة عدة مرات في السابق.
⭕️من أجل أمنكم, عليكم اخلاء المنطقة… pic.twitter.com/qmsNtQGksY
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) December 2, 2024
Yair Netanyahu reveals he was also at last night’s dinner in Florida with his mother and Trump
US President-elect Donald Trump (left) dines with Sara Netanyahu and Yair Netanyahu at the Trump International Golf Course in Florida on December 1, 2024. (Yair Netanyahu/X)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firebrand son Yair reveals that he was also at the dinner last night with his mother Sara Netanyahu and Donald Trump, at the president-elect’s golf resort in Florida.
Yair tweets a photo of the three of them, which appears to be one of several Trump took with the Netanyahus. Another one of just Sara Netanyahu and Trump was posted by the president-elect’s deputy communications director yesterday.
Both Yair and Sara are known to hold out-sized influence over the prime minister’s policy decisions.
Thank you President Trump for such a wonderful dinner! Can’t wait for January 20!” Yair tweets.
Thank you President Trump for such a wonderful dinner! Can't wait for January 20! ❤️???????????????? pic.twitter.com/h7zN7Qa6y7
— Yair Netanyahu???????? (@YairNetanyahu) December 2, 2024
12 English-speaking immigrants honored for exceptional contributions to Israeli society
The winners of the Sylvan Adams Nefesh B'Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize. (Shahar Azran)
Twelve immigrants from English-speaking countries have been recognized for exceptional contributions to Israeli society at the Sylvan Adams Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize ceremony in Jerusalem.
The event celebrates the winners for both 2023 and 2024, after last year’s ceremony was canceled due to the war.
The 2023 recipients include: Sally Reidman, founder and president of the Reidman College of Complementary & Integrative Medicine, in the field of Education; Prof. Carmi Z. Margolis, founding-dean of Ben Gurion University Medical School for International Health, in the field of Science and Medicine; Shari Mendes, founder and director of the Israel Lemonade Fund, in the field of Community and Non-Profit; Peter Kurz, CEO of the Israel Baseball Association and general manager, National & Olympic Teams, in the field of Culture, Arts and Sports; Lt. Colonel (Res.) Danny Grossman, chairman of CMBM-Israel, in the field of Global Impact.
The Young Leadership Prize is awarded to Emily Schrader, for her impactful work as a journalist, content creator, and human rights activist.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to Dr. Yehezkel Caine, president of the Herzog Medical Center, for his lifelong commitment to advancing medicine and aeromedicine on the global stage.
The 2024 recipients include: Phyllis Heimowitz, co-founder, A Partner Left Behind – The Partners of Fallen IDF Soldiers, in the field of Community and Non-Profit; Eylon Levy, head of Israeli Citizen Spokespersons’ Office, in the field of Global Impact; Dr. Debra Gershov-West, director, Emergency Department at Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital, in the field of Science and Medicine and Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, special envoy for the Foreign Ministry, in the field of Israel Advocacy.
In addition, a special recognition award is presented to Natan Sharansky, Soviet human rights activist and former head of the Jewish Agency, for his lifelong dedication to Israel and world Jewry.
“The Bonei Zion Prize is an important opportunity to express our gratitude to olim who contribute in extraordinary ways to Israeli society and have led significant changes in every field they have been involved in,” says Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer. “These olim, each of who represents an inspiring life story, embody the spirit of Zionism and demonstrate that making aliyah is not just a personal act, but an immense contribution to the resilience and future of the State of Israel.”
US to push Israel on viable plan for post-war management of Gaza – State Department
During a meeting at the State Department with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer later today, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will raise efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza in addition to pressing Israel to advance a viable plan for the post-war management of Gaza, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says during a press briefing.
The US has long expressed frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the latter issue, as for months, the premier refused to discuss the matter at all.
Last month, he said he directed the IDF to come up with a plan for boxing out Hamas from the distribution of humanitarian aid, but Washington and Israel’s Arab allies have warned that this goal is impossible so long as Israel continues to refuse the involvement of a reformed Palestinian Authority, given that they do not see any other viable option in Gaza capable of filling any vacuum left by Hamas.
IDF announces wave of airstrikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah mortar fire on northern Israel
The IDF announces that it has begun a wave of airstrikes in Lebanon.
Further details will be provided later, the army adds.
The strikes come in response to a Hezbollah attack of two mortars against the Mount Dov area this evening, in a violation of the ceasefire.
US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is ‘largely holding’ — White House
The US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is “largely holding,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says, downplaying the near-daily cross-border strikes that have continued on both sides of the Blue Line since the deal was put into place last week.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the White House spokesperson acknowledges that there have been “some sporadic strikes” over the last several days, but claims “this was expected” and is still a major decrease from the hundreds of Hezbollah rocket attacks and Israeli counter-strikes that were taking place before the ceasefire came into place.
Kirby notes that the ceasefire included the beefing up of an enforcement mechanism that has already begun responding to events on the ground. The mechanism now includes a US Army general who has been dispatched to the US embassy in Beirut and will work with US civilian representative Amos Hochstein to respond to reported violations in real time, Kirby says.
The White House spokesperson says Israel and Lebanon remain committed to the ceasefire, but he concedes that it is only one week old, and there is more work to do to ensure that the enforcement mechanism is bolstered.
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicles patrol the southern Lebanese city of Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, on November 29, 2024. (AFP)
Pressed on the subject during a subsequent briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller responds similarly, insisting that the ceasefire has not broken down.
He says the US-led enforcement mechanism is still adjudicating claims by both sides of ceasefire violations. “That’s what we’ll do over the coming days and coming months.”
“If we do see violations of the ceasefire, we’ll go to the parties and tell them to knock it off,” Miller says.
The State Department spokesperson declines to comment on reports that Hochstein has reached out to Israel to express concern that Israel is enforcing the ceasefire “too aggressively.”
White House says no update on hostage-truce deal, Hamas still ‘main stumbling block’
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks at the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, October 23, 2024. (AP Photo/ Ben Curtis)
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says there is no update to offer regarding efforts to secure a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza.
He insists that the Biden administration is continuing to work on the issue, but that Hamas remains “the main stumbling block.”
Kirby says Hamas should now feel isolated, following the ceasefire deal in Lebanon, and that its leaders should agree to a deal to end the war. For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that, even in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages, Israel will not agree to end the war permanently.
White House defends Biden’s purchase of book that presents Zionism as a ‘settler colonialist’ enterprise
President Joe Biden, from left, his son Hunter Biden, daughter-in-law Melissa Cohen Biden, right, and grandson Beau Biden, second from right, leave a book store, as they walk in downtown Nantucket, Massachusetts, November 29, 2024. (AP Photo/ Jose Luis Magana)
The White House says US President Joe Biden purchased a book presenting Zionism as a “settler colonialist” enterprise over the weekend to keep learning about a topic that has become much of his focus over his last year in the White House.
Biden raised some eyebrows when he was spotted holding Rashid Khalidi’s “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine,” while exiting a bookstore in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Asked about the book choice by reporters aboard Air Force One, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the question reminds him of a quote from Mark Twain: “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.”
Kirby says he has not gotten a chance to ask Biden about the book purchase, but the spokesperson notes that the president reads broadly and is a student of history. “He’s fascinated by history and the lessons of history and where that can take us going forward.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he would go into a bookstore and get a book of history, particularly about the Middle East, to try to keep learning. He really does believe in speaking, learning, and thinking broadly, and that’s what that tells me,” Kirby says.
Halevi says IDF will ‘attack strongly’ after Hezbollah truce violations: ‘We have plans ready to be activated’
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) tours southern Lebanon, December 2, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the military will “attack strongly in the face of Hezbollah’s grave violations, and we will continue to do so.”
“We have plans and goals ready to be activated at any moment,” he adds.
Halevi’s remarks are made during a visit to southern Lebanon earlier today.
Syrian opposition leader says Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire opened door to assault on Aleppo
Anti-regime fighters pose for a picture with an army helicopter on the tarmac at the Nayrab military airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on December 2, 2024. (Aaref Watad/AFP)
Syrian rebel fighters began preparations to seize Aleppo a year ago, but the assault was delayed by Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, and ultimately launched last week when a ceasefire took hold in Lebanon, the head of Syria’s main opposition abroad tells Reuters.
The insurgents were able to seize the city and other areas so quickly in part because Hezbollah and other Iran-backed fighters who support Syria’s president were still distracted by their conflict with Israel, Hadi al-Bahra says, in the first public comments on the rebel preparations by an opposition figure.
The assault in northwestern Syria was launched last Wednesday, the day that Israel and Hezbollah began a truce ending more than a year of fighting that began when the Lebanon-based terror group started its cross-border attacks, unprovoked, on October 8, 2024.
“A year ago, they (the rebels) started really training and mobilizing and taking it more seriously,” says Bahra, president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, the internationally-recognized Syrian opposition.
“But the war on Gaza… then the war in Lebanon delayed it. They felt it wouldn’t look good having the war in Lebanon at the same time they were fighting in Syria,” he says in an interview in his Istanbul office.
“So the moment there was a ceasefire in Lebanon, they found that opportunity… to start.”
Rebel commanders have separately said they feared that if they had started their assault earlier, it might have looked as if they were helping Israel, then also battling Hezbollah.
The rebel operation is the boldest advance and biggest challenge to Syrian President Bashar Assad in years in a civil war, where the front lines have largely been frozen since 2020.
National Unity MK confirms he’s trying to recruit Bennett; Gantz: ‘Nothing political on the agenda’
Then-MKs Naftali Bennett (R) and Matan Kahana at the Knesset in Jerusalem, June 2, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
National Unity MK Matan Kahana confirms a recent meeting with Naftali Bennett and says he tried to convince the former prime minister to join Benny Gantz’s party.
“I think this is the right thing for the State of Israel, and I will continue to work to make it happen,” he writes, while affirming his loyalty to Gantz and the National Unity party.
Kahana previously served as both MK and minister for Bennett’s Yamina and New Right parties.
Another National Unity MK, Orit Farkash-Hacohen, also says she would not rule out Bennett joining the party, telling Army Radio, “We’ll do what’s best for Israel, the people need connection and a message of unity.”
Gantz downplayed the rumors, according to the Maariv daily: “Naftali Bennett is a worthy man, I’ve met with him many times. Matan Kahana is his friend, but there’s nothing political on the agenda.”
Bennett, who served as prime minister as part of a unity government with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid in 2022, is believed to be planning a yet-to-be-announced return to politics. In recent months, he has topped electoral polls despite not currently being involved in any capacity.
Protesters in New York decry UN Women’s ‘deafening silence’ over Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7
Protesters gather outside UN Women's headquarters, calling for the organization to condemn Hamas atrocities against women on October 7, 2023, New York, December 2, 2024. (The Hostages Families Forum)
Protesters stage a silent protest in front of the UN Women headquarters in New York, demanding that the organization condemn Hamas atrocities against women during the terror group’s October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, and call for the immediate release of 13 women who have been held hostage in Gaza since.
During the demonstration, organized by the Hostages Families Forum, 13 women dressed in white stand with their mouths covered with duct tape with the number 423 written on it, representing the number of days the hostages have spent in captivity.
Lian Weiss, whose relative Arbel Yehoud was kidnapped from her home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, says: “Please close your eyes for a moment and imagine. Imagine it is you. You are ripped from your home. You, enduring 423 days—14 months—a year and two months of violence and isolation. Imagine the pain. The fear. The helplessness. How would you feel? How would you survive?”
“We cannot let this become their forever. Every moment we delay is another moment of agony for these women. We must act. We have the power to change their fate.”
Following the devastating news of the death on 10.7 of Israeli American hostage Omer Neutra, NY Hostages Families Forum marks International day against sexual violence in front of UN WOMEN HQ.
Activists gather in front of UN WOMEN HQ, demanding the organisation condemns and… pic.twitter.com/XwN7UIQbHV
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) December 2, 2024
Influencer and pro-Israel activist Lizzy Savetsky says during the protest, “It is despicable that UN Women have remained silent and inactive. Their ability to speak up for women in Gaza and Lebanon demonstrates they can act when they choose to. Yet, when it comes to advocating for our women, their silence is deafening. If these girls belonged to another nationality or religion, I have no doubt UN Women would be speaking out for them.”
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.
They were kidnapped when some Hamas-led 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Netanyahu says Hezbollah mortar fire on northern Israel constitutes truce violation, vows ‘forceful’ response
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in a video statement about the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal, November 26, 2024. (Screenshot/GPO)
After a Hezbollah mortar attack on an IDF position in the Mount Dov area, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows a firm response.
“Hezbollah’s firing at Mount Dov constitutes a serious violation of the ceasefire, and Israel will respond forcefully,” he says in a statement.
“We are determined to continue enforcing the ceasefire, and to respond to any violation by Hezbollah — a minor one will be treated like a major one.”
Minutes before, Lebanese media reported a series of IDF airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
Ben Gvir repeats claim AG is trying to lead coup against him after senior Prison Service officer detained
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir makes a statement to the press on December 2, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
National Security Minister Ben Gvir reiterates his accusation that the detention for questioning of a senior officer in the Israel Prison Service is part of what he claims is an attempted coup against him by the attorney general.
“Gali Baharav-Miara’s private police crossed a red line. She decided to detain for questioning two senior officials in the law enforcement system who carry out my policy,” Ben Gvir says in a press conference.
“The decision to investigate officers who are operating according to my policies is a political decision that aims to overthrow the right-wing government.”
The Department of Internal Police Investigations said earlier today that it had detained the Prisons Service officer, who is reportedly close to the minister, on suspicion of obstructing an investigation and breach of trust.
Ben Gvir has repeatedly charged that Baharav-Miara is pushing to have him ousted for his repeated interventions in operational police matters and his alleged politicization of police promotions.
At the end of the press conference, Ben Gvir calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin to convene an investigative committee to promote the attorney general’s dismissal.
Egypt: Fatah, Hamas meeting in Cairo to reach ‘mutual understanding’ on PA control in post-war Gaza
Delegations from the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas are meeting in Cairo to “reach a mutual understanding” on the Palestinian Authority’s management of the Gaza Strip after the end of Hamas’s war with Israel, Egypt’s foreign minister tells reporters.
“There are indeed two delegations from the Fatah and Hamas movements in Cairo consulting and deliberating to quickly reach a mutual understanding regarding the management of daily affairs in the Gaza Strip under the full control of the Palestinian Authority,” Badr Abdelatty tells a news conference in Cairo.
The talks are part of Egypt’s broader mediation efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terror group and to expand humanitarian access to the enclave.
Israel rejects any role by Hamas in Gaza after the war is ended and has said it does not trust the rival Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas to run the enclave.
Mediators, including Egypt, Qatar and the United States, have so far failed to secure a truce that would end the war and facilitate a release of Israeli and foreign hostages held by terror groups in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel for crimes that include terror offenses.
Lebanese news outlets report IDF airstrikes in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fire on northern Israel
Lebanese media report a series of IDF airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
There is no immediate comment from the military.
The strikes come after Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the IDF would respond to a Hezbollah mortar attack on an army position on the border this evening, the first fire on Israel during the ceasefire.
Defense minister vows ‘harsh response’ to Hezbollah mortar fire on IDF position near border
Following Hezbollah’s mortar attack on an IDF position in the Mount Dov area this evening, Defense Minister Israel Katz vows a “harsh response.”
“We promised to act against any violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah, and that is exactly what we will do,” he says on X.
“Hezbollah’s firing at an IDF post in Mount Dov will be met with a harsh response,” Katz adds.
IDF: Rocket fired at Israel from southern Gaza downed by air defenses; none hurt
One rocket launched from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis at Israeli border towns was intercepted by air defenses a short while ago, according to the IDF.
Sirens were activated in the southern communities of Ein Hashlosha and Nirim amid the attack.
There are no injuries.
Report: Hezbollah isn’t planning to send operatives to northern Syria to support Syrian army
Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles as they drive along a road in the eastern part of Aleppo province on December 1, 2024. (Aref TAMMAWI / AFP)
Hezbollah does not currently intend to send operatives to northern Syria to support the Syrian army there, three sources familiar with the Iran-backed group’s thinking tell Reuters.
An alliance of Islamist rebel fighters launched a surprise offensive last week on northern Syria, sweeping through government-held territory in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib and forcing government troops out of Aleppo city in the biggest setback for Syrian President Bashar Assad in years.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said earlier today that Syria’s military is capable of confronting the rebels but “resistance groups will help and Iran will provide any support needed,” referring to Tehran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” which includes Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Syrian and Iraqi militant groups.
The sources tell Reuters that Hezbollah has not yet been asked to intervene, adding that the group isn’t ready to send forces to Syria at this stage following more than a year of cross-border fighting with Israel, including two months of heavy ground fighting in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah-led forces began attacking Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis on October 8, 2023, with the group saying it was doing so to support Gaza amid the war there. A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect last week.
One of the sources says the terror group had pulled senior officers responsible for Aleppo out of northern Syria to help fight the ground war against Israel.
Two other sources, one Lebanese and one Syrian, say Hezbollah pulled back forces from Syria in mid-October when the fighting with Israel along the border intensified.
Hezbollah does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rocket sirens sounding in Gaza-border communities
Sirens are sounding in two communities near the border with Gaza, warning of incoming rocket fire.
The alerts can be heard in Ein Hashlosha and Nirim.
There are no immediate reports of injury or damage.
???? Rocket Alert [17:59:51] – 2 Alerts:
• Gaza Envelope — Ein HaShlosha, Nirim
Population: <500 pic.twitter.com/LwAZJzmvjR
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 2, 2024
Railing against civilian probe, Likud MK Tally Gotliv points finger at Shin Bet over Oct. 7 onslaught
Likud MK Tally Gotliv speaks during a meeting of the Knesset's State Control Committee, December 2, 2024. (Screenshot: Knesset Channel, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Railing against an independent investigation into the government’s failures that led to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, Likud MK Tally Gotliv points a finger at the Shin Bet security service for failing to prevent the devastating onslaught.
Her comments came after she earlier in the day insinuated that the Shin Bet knew about the massacre and allowed it to happen.
“If you were serious about your work, about this civilian probe, you would have first brought members of the Shin Bet and asked them questions,” she says during a meeting of the Knesset’s State Control Committee, going on to claim that she herself had published a warning on October 3, four days before the onslaught, about a Hamas drill in Gaza.
“I want to know,” she says, addressing the relatives of the victims of the Hamas massacre who established the Civilian Commission of Inquiry, “are you capable of asking the Shin Bet, ‘Where were you?'”
The civilian probe issued a scathing report last week alleging that the entire government had “failed its primary mission” and that the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet, and other organizations “completely failed to fulfill their sole objective — protecting the citizens of Israel.”
In an interview ahead of the meeting with the Galei Yisrael radio station, Gotliv said, without foundation, that “there were more than 1,000 people murdered because of the Shin Bet.”
Asked if she was she was stating that senior Shin Bet officials knew ahead of time of the Hamas plans, Gotliv replied, again without foundation, “No one in the world can imagine a betrayal of their homeland, right? Do you think 4,000 terrorists could just come in here? There were people inside the system who had a malicious hand in the matter.”
Asked again if she thought the Shin Bet knew, she replied to the radio hosts: “Stop defending the system. Does it seem normal to you that the Shin Bet chief lies to the prime minister?”
In the Knesset meeting, the firebrand MK also voices opposition to the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, the body that enjoys the broadest powers under Israeli law, as she charges it would be unable to reveal the truth because it wouldn’t have access to the appropriate intelligence material, and instead calls for another civilian probe.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly put off the establishment of any substantive inquiry, claiming that all investigations must wait until the fighting in Gaza ends, and has opposed a state commission of inquiry.
He is reportedly attempting to promote legislation that will ban the establishment of a state commission into the October 7 onslaught in favor of a political probe chaired by one coalition lawmaker and one opposition lawmaker with the participation of senior security officials.
During her comments in the Knesset committee meeting, Gotliv also says that 4,800 terrorists burst into Israel from Gaza during the Hamas massacre.
The IDF estimates that some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault. This figure includes only armed terror operatives and not the waves of Gazan civilians who took advantage of the enormous gaps in the fence to also make their way inside later in the day.
Hezbollah: Fire on northern Israel a ‘warning’ for ‘violation of Lebanese airspace by hostile Israeli aircraft’
The Hezbollah terror group in a statement confirms it launched an attack on an Israeli army position in the Mount Dov area a short while ago, following what it claims are Israel’s “repeated violations” of the ceasefire.
Hezbollah says its attack against Mount Dov is “an initial warning” in response to the IDF’s strikes on Lebanon amid the ceasefire and the “continued violation of Lebanese airspace by hostile Israeli aircraft.”
The IDF has denied violating the ceasefire, saying its strikes in recent days targeted Hezbollah violations of the truce.
‘Baseless blood libels’: FM reprimands Australian envoy after Canberra barred former Israeli minister Shaked
Then-outgoing interior minister Ayelet Shaked at a handover ceremony with then-incoming minister Aryeh Deri (unseen), at the Ministry of Interior Affairs in Jerusalem, January 1, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar summons Australia’s Ambassador to Israel Ralph King for a reprimand, after Canberra decided not to grant former justice minister Ayelet Shaked a visa to enter the country last month.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Sa’ar tells King that Israel views the move “severely,” and says that it is “contrary to the values of democracy, freedom of expression, and friendship between the countries.”
Sa’ar says that Australia’s decision was “based on baseless blood libels spread by the pro-Palestinian lobby in Australia, and it is a shame that a friendly country like Australia chose to base itself on them instead of on the longstanding friendship between the countries.”
Biden ‘devasted and outraged’ to learn of death of US-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra on October 7
File - US President Joe Biden meets at the White House with relatives of American hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, December 13, 2023 (White House)
US President Joe Biden says he is “devastated and outraged” to learn of the death of American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra, who the IDF confirmed this morning was killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught and whose body is still being held in Gaza.
“A Long Island native, Omer planned to return to the United States for college. He dreamed of dedicating himself to building peace,” Biden says in a statement.
The president recalls meeting Omer’s parents last month at the White House where they again shared their story.
“They told me how Omer’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors and how their family’s strength and resilience has been carried through the generations,” Biden says.
The US president says his entire country is grieving with the Neutras.
“To all the families of those still held hostage: We see you. We are with you. And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong,” Biden pledges.
IDF confirms Hezbollah launched 2 mortars at Mount Dov area near Israel-Lebanon border amid ceasefire; none hurt
The IDF confirms that Hezbollah launched two mortars at the Mount Dov area on the border between Israel and Lebanon a short while ago.
Both projectiles hit open areas, causing no injuries, the army says.
It marks the first fire from Lebanon since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect last week.
The IDF has carried out several strikes in Lebanon during the ceasefire against what Israel says were Hezbollah violations of the truce.
US hails government’s decision to extend Israel-PA bank ties deal by a year
The US hails the Israeli government’s decision to grant another year of indemnity to Israeli banks, allowing them to continue corresponding with their Palestinian counterparts.
The extension of the so-called corresponding banking agreement had become a top priority for the Biden administration in recent months, as far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich refusal to sign off on an extended lengthening of the deal risked collapsing the Palestinian Authority.
Smotrich said he agreed to back a one-year extension after securing commitments from the Biden administration that it wouldn’t allow the passage of a UN Security Council Resolution recognizing Palestinian statehood. US officials told The Times of Israel that such an idea would have gone against longstanding administration policy and that they had no problem offering such assurances.
“Economic stability in the West Bank is essential for Israeli and Palestinian security, and correspondent banking is a key pillar of that economic stability,” says a joint statement from the US State and Treasury Departments welcoming the one-year extension.
“The United States appreciates the ongoing engagement with the government of Israel and the Palestine Monetary Authority on this matter,” it adds.
Several rockets reportedly fired from Lebanon at IDF positions near border
Several rockets were reportedly launched a short while ago from Lebanon at Israeli military positions on the border in the Mount Dov area.
There are no immediate reports of injuries.
The IDF has not yet commented.
It would potentially mark the first rocket fire from Lebanon since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect last week.
Report: IDF has built a dozen new bases in central Gaza in past 3 months
Reservists of the 252nd Division operate in the Netzarim Corridor area of the central Gaza Strip, in a handout photo published November 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Israel has significantly bolstered its presence in the central Gaza Strip in recent months, and the territory controlled by the IDF around the so-called Netzarim Corridor has rapidly expanded, according to a foreign media report, suggesting that troops are preparing to remain inside the Palestinian enclave for at least the foreseeable future.
Citing satellite images and video footage, the New York Times reports that Israeli forces have also constructed roughly a dozen new bases around the corridor over the past three months.
In response, an IDF spokesman tells the Times that “anything that has been built there can be taken down within a day.”
The Netzarim Corridor, which started as a four-mile strip of land, is built around a road south of Gaza City, enabling the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza while allowing Israel to control access to the north for Palestinians seeking to return after fleeing south. It also enables Israel to coordinate deliveries of humanitarian aid directly to northern Gaza.
In recent months, however, the corridor has significantly expanded, reaching as far as the outskirts of Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood to the north, and the Wadi Gaza stream to the south, encompassing around 18 square miles of land in total.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip on November 19, 2024. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Over the past three months, the IDF has been attempting to create what appears to be a buffer zone around the outskirts of the military-controlled block of land, according to the report, and around 600 buildings have been demolished in the process.
Inside the expanded Netzarim Corridor area, satellite images analyzed by the Times reportedly show that the IDF has been building at a rapid pace, having either built or expanded the existing infrastructure of 12 military bases since early September.
All in all, the report says, the IDF has constructed at least 19 large military bases and dozens of smaller ones in the area surrounding the Netzarim Corridor since the start of the war against Hamas last October.
Kremlin: Putin discussed ‘escalating situation’ in Syria with Iran’s Pezeshkian by phone
A poster bearing the image of Syria's President Bashar Assad is displayed in the capital Damascus on December 2, 2024. (Louai Beshara/AFP)
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the situation in Syria with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian by phone, the Kremlin says in a statement.
“The focus was on the escalating situation in the Syrian Arab Republic,” the Kremlin says.
“Unconditional support was expressed for the actions of the legitimate authorities of Syria to restore constitutional order and to restore the political, economic and social stability of the Syrian State.”
Insurgents led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib last week, notching major gains and dealing a huge embarrassment to Syrian leader Bashar Assad, while increasing pressure on his allies Iran and Russia — which are both preoccupied with their own conflicts.
French FM tells Israeli counterpart Sa’ar all parties must respect Lebanon ceasefire
In his call with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar this morning, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stresses “the need for all parties to respect the ceasefire in Lebanon,” says the Quai d’Orsay.
France reportedly accused Israel this week of dozens of violations of the ceasefire.
According to the French readout of the call, Barrot also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and a massive flow of humanitarian aid.
The diplomats also discuss the renewed fighting in Syria and the Iranian nuclear program, the French Foreign Ministry says.
IDF rejects claim of ex-defense chief Ya’alon that it’s carrying out ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza
Moshe Ya'alon attends a protest for the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip and for early elections, near the Knesset in Jerusalem, October 28, 2024 (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)
After former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon repeatedly accused Israel of carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in the northern Gaza Strip, the military responds by saying that it rejects his “grave allegations.”
“The IDF acts in accordance with international law, and evacuates the population in accordance with the operational need and temporarily, for its protection,” the military says in response to a query.
“The IDF rejects the grave allegations of ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip, which harm the IDF and its soldiers,” the army adds in its brief reply.
US said to warn Israel it is violating ceasefire in Lebanon, singling out drone flights over Beirut
US special envoy Amos Hochstein talks to reporters following his meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (not pictured) in Beirut on November 20, 2024. (AFP)
The US has warned Israel that it is violating parts of the ceasefire deal with Lebanon, Hebrew media reports.
US special envoy Amos Hochstein reportedly sent a message urging Israel to uphold the agreement. In particular, he cited Israeli drone flights over Beirut, Hebrew media cited Israeli sources as saying.
The Prime Minister’s office declined to comment.
It comes a day after Hebrew media outlets reported that, according to French diplomatic sources, France has accused Israel of 52 ceasefire violations.
The sources claimed that although Israel was acting against Hezbollah’s own violations, the IDF did not go through the proper channels to report the Lebanese terror group’s transgressions to the US-led international oversight body, of which France is a member, as required by the terms of the agreement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement yesterday that Israel was “very resolutely enforcing the ceasefire agreement, and every violation is immediately being met with an intense reaction by the IDF.” He vowed that this would continue.
Report — US, UAE discussed lifting Assad sanctions in exchange for break with Iran
Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, shakes hands with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Damascus, Syria, May 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
The US and the United Arab Emirates have discussed with each other the possibility of lifting sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad if he peels himself away from Iran and cuts off weapons routes to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, five people familiar with the matter tell Reuters.
The conversations intensified in recent months, the sources say, driven by the possible expiry on Dec. 20 of sweeping US sanctions on Syria and by Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s regional network, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and Iranian assets in Syria.
The discussions took place before anti-Assad rebels swept into Aleppo last week in their biggest offensive in Syria for years.
According to the sources, the new rebel advance is a signal of precisely the sort of weakness in Assad’s alliance with Iran that the Emirati and US initiative aims to exploit. But if Assad embraces Iranian help for a counter-offensive, that could also complicate efforts to drive a wedge between them, the sources say.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi visited Syria on Sunday in a show of support for Assad, and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke to Assad by phone about the latest developments over the weekend.
Liberman: We have until Jan. 20 to deliver devastating blow to Iran
Yisrael Beytenu party chairman MK Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on December 2, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Yisrael Beytenu leader MK Avigdor Liberman urges the government to stop dithering and act strongly against Iran, saying Israel needs to move before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
“What we are seeing now is again deliberations, hesitations on Iran,” Liberman says at a meeting of his faction in the Knesset. “As I said before and say again, this is the last chance. We have a window until January 20 to land a devastating blow on Iran.”
Liberman also criticizes the ceasefire in Lebanon, saying that it is insufficient and will only allow Hezbollah time to regroup before the next war in five or six years.
Shin Bet exposes over 200 Iranian cyber phishing attempts against senior Israeli officials, aimed at enabling future attacks on them
The Shin Bet security service says it identified more than 200 Iranian phishing attempts against senior Israeli officials in a bid to secure their personal details.
Among those targeted were senior security and political officials, academics and media personalities, the Shin Bet says.
The hackers tried to get the Israelis to download an app that would then share their personal details, in some cases so that they could later be targeted in attacks.
The Shin Bet says the targets were approached with individually crafted cover stories so as not to raise their suspicions. In one example shown by the Shin Bet, the hacker posed as Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs and told the target he was trying to coordinate a meeting with him and the prime minister.
The Shin Bet says that it had identified and briefed those targeted by the campaign.
IDF confirms Lebanon strikes against Hezbollah targets that ‘posed a threat’ and violated truce
This picture taken from northern Israel along the border with southern Lebanon shows smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Khiam, on December 2, 2024 (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
The IDF confirms carrying out several strikes in Lebanon in the past day, following what it says were Hezbollah actions “that posed a threat to the State of Israel and violated the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
The military says it struck several military vehicles operating at a Hezbollah missile manufacturing facility in the Beqaa Valley, and additional vehicles at several sites on the Lebanon-Syria border in the Hermel District, which were used by Hezbollah to transport weapons.
The Lebanese army said earlier that one of the strikes targeted a military bulldozer while it was carrying out fortification work inside the Al-Abbara military base near Lebanon’s border with Syria, wounding one soldier.
The IDF says that the incident is under investigation.
Additionally, the military says it carried out strikes against several Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon today.
“The IDF is deployed in southern Lebanon and acts against any threat that endangers the State of Israel,” the army adds.
IDF warns Iran not to try to smuggle arms to Hezbollah as Tehran sends reinforcements to Syria
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari speaks to Sky News Arabia, on December 2, 2024 (Screencapture)
Speaking to Sky News Arabia, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military has seen Iran sending reinforcements to Syria amid the rebel assault there this week.
“We are closely following what is happening in Syria. We saw that the Iranian regime is sending reinforcements to Syria,” Hagari says to the outlet, according to remarks provided by the military.
He says that “Syria belongs to the Syrians” and “what is happening in Syria concerns Syria and not Israel” — but the IDF “will make sure that Iran does not smuggle weapons to Lebanon and Hezbollah.”
“We need to make sure that we are not threatened. We are a sovereign country and we will make sure that Iranian weapons are not smuggled to Hezbollah,” he says.
“Hezbollah was defeated in the campaign and it is necessary to make sure that it does not receive weapons from Iran through Syria,” Hagari says.
“And if they try to do it, we will act accordingly,” he adds.
Regarding the ceasefire with Hezbollah, Hagari says that “the Lebanese people and the Lebanese government must make sure that these places in Beirut or in south Lebanon are free of weapons — not in the houses, not in the yards of the houses, not in the children’s rooms.”
“We are committed to the ceasefire agreement. Sixty days is a gradual step to make sure that Hezbollah will not harm us or violate the agreement as happened in 2006. The Lebanese government and UNIFIL forces must do their job — it is in their interest too. We need this period to make sure there are no terror bases there,” he adds.
Syria’s Assad says rebel advance a bid to ‘redraw’ regional map according to US interests
This handout picture provided by the Iranian foreign ministry shows Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) meeting with with Syrian President Bashar Assad (R) in Damascus on December 1, 2024. (Photo by Iranian Foreign Ministry / AFP)
Syria’s President Bashar Assad brands an Islamist-led offensive that has captured swaths of territory as a bid to redraw the map of the region in line with US interests.
His comments, made in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, came as the Syrian military and its ally Russia conducted deadly air raids on areas under Islamist and Turkish-backed rebel control.
Assad is backed by Russia and Iran, both of which have confirmed they will help his army fight back after the city of Aleppo fell out of government control.
“The terrorist escalation reflects the far-reaching goals of dividing the region and fragmenting the countries in it and redraw the map in line with the objectives of the United States and the West,” Assad says in a statement from his office.
Syria has been at war since Assad cracked down on democracy protests in 2011, and the conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and jihadists, and left 500,000 people dead.
With Assad’s army back in control of much of the country after years of shifting battle lines, the conflict had been mostly dormant until last week, when the Islamist-led rebel alliance launched the offensive.
After Cairo talks, Hamas says it’s waiting for international pressure on Israel to end war
Palestinians walk past a damaged house in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 2, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
A Hamas delegation discussed a ceasefire in Gaza with Egyptian intelligence officials, two officials from the Palestinian terror group tell AFP.
The “delegation met with the head of the Egyptian general intelligence, Major General Hassan Rashad, and a number of Egyptian intelligence officials, and discussed ways to stop the war and aggression, bring in aid, and open the Rafah crossing” at Gaza’s border with Egypt, says a senior Hamas official who was part of the Cairo meeting on Sunday evening.
A second Hamas official also present in Cairo tells AFP that “Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are making great efforts to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange,” referring to a planned exchange of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian security prisoners held in Israel.
“Our Palestinian people are waiting for American and international pressure on [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to stop the war and reach an agreement, as happened in Lebanon,” the official says.
Lebanon says one person killed in Israeli drone strike
Lebanon’s health ministry says one person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on the southern Lebanese town of Marjayoun.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
Netanyahu eulogizes slain hostage Omer Neutra, vows to bring his body home
Ronen Neutra, father of Omer Neutra, wears a shirt with an image of his son on it as he speaks to reporters after a meeting with US President Joe Biden and the families of Americans who were taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attacks in Israel, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara send their condolences to family of Omer Neutra, the US-Israeli tank officer whom the IDF announced today was killed on October 7 and his body taken into Gaza.
Until now it had been believed that Neutra was alive and being held hostage.
“Omer was a man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every sense of the word,” says Netanyahu. “He immigrated to Israel to enlist in the IDF, chose a combat path and was chosen to command and lead.”
He adds that Israel “will not rest or be silent until we return him home for a Jewish burial, and we will continue to act resolutely and tirelessly until we return all of our hostages.”
IDF releases Hamas video of operatives setting booby traps in Gaza buildings
The IDF releases videos obtained from cameras belonging to terror operatives showing them setting up booby traps in buildings in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya.
According to the military, troops of the Kfir Brigade searching a building in Beit Lahiya found several hidden explosive devices alongside a camera that had documented the operatives planting them.
The building was later demolished.
In another raid, the IDF says the troops found a camera in a building showing operatives planting bombs in an apartment. Next to that building, the troops also found a rocket launching site, which was demolished, the military adds.
Videos published by the IDF on December 2, 2024, show terror operatives rigging up buildings with explosive devices in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya (Israel Defense Forces)
Iran says it will keep ‘military advisers’ in Syria amid rebel advances
File: Portraits of Syria's President Bashar Assad (R) and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stand as Palestinians sit at the entrance of the Yarmuk camp for Palestinian refugees, south of Damascus, during a delivery of humanitarian aid provided by Iran as part of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan on March 26, 2024. (Louai Beshara/AFP)
Iran says that it plans to keep military advisers in Syria after the city of Aleppo was overrun by rebels in a surprise offensive.
The Islamic Republic, which has backed President Bashar al-Assad since Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011, says it only deploys military advisers in the country at the invitation of Damascus.
“We entered Syria many years ago at the official invitation of the Syrian government, when the Syrian people faced the threat of terrorism,” says foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaeil.
“Our military advisers were present in Syria, and they are still present” and would remain in the country “in accordance with the wishes” of its government, he tells a news conference in Tehran.
Baqaeil did not specify whether Iran would be increasing its forces in Syria in the wake of the lightning rebel offensive.
His remarks come a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Assad in Damascus to show support for the Syrian president.
Aleppo fell to an Islamist-dominated rebel alliance over the course of the past week.
Senior IDF general Toledano says he will step down, won’t run to replace chief of staff
Major-General Eliezer Toledano speaks to the media in Tel Aviv, June 13, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
A senior Israel Defense Forces officer who until several months before the October 7 onslaught served as the head of the Southern Command, notified his subordinates that he does not plan to run for IDF chief of staff and he will resign when his current role comes to an end.
Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano serves as the head of the IDF’s Strategy and Third-Circle Directorate, which is tasked with the military’s Iran file.
The officer told his subordinates that after his stint was up, he would resign from the military and not run for any other position in the IDF including chief of staff, according to Hebrew-language media.
Toledano’s name was mentioned in several recent media reports as a potential successor to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who indicated he would resign at the end of the army’s investigations into the failures on October 7.
Toledano was the head of the Southern Command until July 2023, and before that, he was the commander of the Gaza Division. He also served as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary.
Israel rejects French accusations of violating ceasefire in Lebanon
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar gives a press conference on November 28, 2024, in Prague, Czech Republic. (Michal Cizek / AFP)
After France accuses Israel of dozens of violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar tells French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in a phone call that Israel is not violating the ceasefire terms but is instead “enforcing them in the face of Hezbollah’s violations that require an immediate response in real time.”
According to Sa’ar’s office, he points at examples of Hezbollah operatives walking around armed south of the Litani River, or moving weapons.
“Their mere presence south of the Litani is the most fundamental violation. They must move north!” says Sa’ar, according to the Israeli readout.
Sa’ar also calls on the Lebanese government to “clearly authorize the Lebanese army to carry out the actions required of it under the agreement.”
Israel will not accept a return to the prewar situation in Lebanon, Sa’ar declares.
Lebanese army says Israeli drone targeted military bulldozer at army base
An Israeli drone targeted a Lebanese military bulldozer while it was carrying out fortification work inside the Al-Abbara military base near Lebanon’s border with Syria, the Lebanese army says.
One soldier was wounded, it says.
Israel and Lebanese terror group Hezbollah started implementing a ceasefire last Wednesday as part of a US-proposed deal for a 60-day truce to end more than a year of hostilities.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF, but Israel has said it will use force to ensue there are no violations of the truce or attempts to smuggle arms into Lebanon.
Lufthansa extends suspension of Tel Aviv flights until Jan. 31
Lufthansa aircrafts parked at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, September 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst,file)
German airline group Lufthansa says it is extending its suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including January 31, due to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
The extension applies to all carriers within the group, which includes Swiss, Austrian Airlines, and Eurowings.
“Affected passengers can rebook to a later travel date free of charge or, alternatively, will receive a full refund of their ticket price,” the airline group says in a statement.
Previously, all of the group’s flights had been suspended up to and including December 15.
Prosecutors file terror charges against 4 accused of firing flares at Netanyahu home
Flares are fired at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private residence in Caesarea, November 16, 2024.(Video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Prosecutors file terror charges against four suspects accused of involvement in the firing of flares at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea last month
The suspects are Rear Adm. (res.) Ofer Doron, 63, his son Gal Doron, 27, and two other longtime anti-government activists, Itay Yaffe, 62, and Amir Sadeh, 62.
The four are charged at the Haifa District Court with acts of terror, reckless use of fire and attempted arson after three flares were fired near the Netanyahus’ home.
Doron and his son are also charged with obstruction of justice. The prosecution asks for them to be detained until the end of proceedings against them.
Nobody was harmed in the incident, no damage was caused, and neither the premier nor his wife Sara Netanyahu were at home at the time.
The prime minister’s wife has asked to be recognized as the victim of an attempted terror attack. Victims of a crime are entitled by law to be asked by prosecutors for their position on any plea bargain that might be proposed to those indicted over the incident, and on the punishment that might be meted out by the court.
Netanyahu could testify in Tel Aviv courthouse basement due to security jitters
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a court hearing on his lawsuit against former prime minister Ehud Olmert, at the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on June 12, 2022. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming testimony in his corruption trial should be moved from Jerusalem to an underground, fortified hall at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, the Courts Administration says in a statement.
The recommendation follows a consultation between the courts and the Shin Bet security agency about safeguarding Netanyahu during his testimony, which is set to begin December 10.
The statement says that the Shin Bet provided the Courts Administration with “top secret” information regarding threats to Netanyahu due to the ongoing war, including input from the IDF.
As such, it was decided that it will not be possible for Netanyahu to give his testimony in the Jerusalem court, which does not have adequate bomb shelters.
The Shin Bet suggested a different office building in Jerusalem, but the Courts Administration found that it was not suitable for the legal proceedings, the statement says. The Tel Aviv location was agreed on as the best location by the court and the Shin Bet.
Netanyahu last week submitted the request to the court asking that by Monday, the Shin Bet security service and the Courts Administration present the judges with details of security arrangements for the prime minister’s testimony, specifying how many hours a day and days a week are deemed safe for Netanyahu to spend in court.
Netanyahu had been scheduled to begin testifying in his graft cases on December 2, but his defense team requested a 15-day postponement, citing lack of preparation due to Netanyahu’s intense schedule leading the country during a war. The court granted him an eight-day delay, with the testimony set to begin on December 10.
The prime minister has been charged with fraud and breach of trust in two cases and with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a third. He was indicted in January 2020, and a trial encompassing all three cases began in May of that year.
Netanyahu has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has claimed that the charges were fabricated in a witch hunt led by the police and state prosecution.
Senior prison officer questioned by police; Ben Gvir says move part of ‘coup attempt’
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90); Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (Oren Ben Hakoon/Pool)
The Police Internal Investigations Department say they have detained for questioning a senior officer in the Prison Service on suspicion of obstructing an investigation and breach of trust.
In addition, a police officer has also been detained in the case.
The details are not immediately released for publication, but far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir claims the arrests are part of his ongoing dispute with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over her push to have him ousted for his repeated interventions into operational police matters and his politicization of police promotions.
“The attorney general and the State Prosecutor’s Office are using the Department of Internal Police Investigations to deter a very senior officer in the Prison Service and police officers from carrying out my policy and that of the right-wing government,” Ben Gvir says.
Ben Gvir add that “a clear red line has been crossed” and calls the move “an attempted coup.”
IDF says US-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra was killed on Oct. 7, his body is being held in Gaza
Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli citizen and 'lone soldier' who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)
The IDF announces the death of Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, who was killed and abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Neutra, a so-called lone soldier from New York, served as a tank platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion.
Until now it had been believed that Neutra was alive and being held hostage.
However, the IDF now says that he was killed in a battle with terrorists during the Hamas onslaught and his body was taken from the Gaza border.
His death was recently declared by the Military Rabbinate based on findings and new intelligence information.
Orna Neutra, right, and Ronen Neutra, parents of Israeli-American IDF soldier Omer Neutra, whom Hamas terrorists kidnapped on October 7, address the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 17, 2024. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi released after death sentence overturned
People hold placards bearing portraits of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, who is arrested in Iran, and portraits of children (L), who were killed during the protests in Iran, during a rally in support of Iranian women in Istanbul, on November 26, 2022. (Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi was released from prison yesterday after completing a one-year sentence for speaking out against the Iranian regime, the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency reports.
Salehi had been sentenced to death in April by a revolutionary court on charges linked to unrest in the country from 2022 to 2023, although Iran’s Supreme Court overturned that sentence in June.
His songs eulogized months-long protests sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman arrested for allegedly wearing an “improper” hijab that flouted Iran’s Islamic dress code.
Salehi was arrested in October 2022 after making public statements in support of the nationwide protests.
Amini’s death in September 2022 unleashed protests that posed the biggest challenge to the Islamic Republic’s clerical leaders in decades.
A United Nations fact-finding mission said in March that Amini’s death was unlawful and was caused by “physical violence in the custody of state authorities.” It added that Iranian women still suffer systematic discrimination.
Pro-Iranian militias enter Syria from Iraq to aid beleaguered Syrian army
Anti-government fighters celebrate in the northern Syrian town of Tal Rifaat on December 1, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
Iranian-backed militias entered Syria overnight from Iraq and were heading to northern Syria to beef up beleaguered Syrian army forces battling insurgents, according to two Syrian army sources.
Dozens of Iran-aligned Iraqi Hashd al Shaabi fighters from Iraq also crossed into Syria through a military route near Al Bukamal crossing, a senior Syrian army source tells Reuters.
“These are fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the front lines in the north,” the officer says, adding that the militias included Iraq’s Katiab Hezbollah and Fatemiyoun groups.
Iran sent thousands of Shiite fighters to Syria during the Syrian war and, alongside Russia with its air power, enabled Syrian President Bashar Assad to crush the insurgency and regain most of his territory.
A lack of that manpower to help thwart the rebel onslaught in recent days contributed to the speedy retreat of Syrian army forces and withdrawal from Aleppo city, according to two other army sources. Militias allied to Iran, led by the Hezbollah terror group, have a strong presence in the Aleppo area.
Hezbollah has been seriously weakened in its war with Israel over the past year.
Sara Netanyahu says she told Trump of urgent need to free the hostages
Sara Netanyahu says she raised the issue of the hostages during her meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“During the meeting, which was warm and friendly, we discussed many topics, including the steadfast friendship between Israel and the United States and the importance of continuing to nurture the unique bond between our nations,” she writes in an Instagram post in English and in Hebrew.
“I also brought to the President’s attention the immense suffering Israel endured on October 7th and the inhumanity of Hamas terrorists holding our citizens hostage under harsh conditions. I emphasized the urgent need to act for their release and swift return,” she says.
“We also discussed the strategic importance of Israel’s victory in the fight against the axis of evil, for a more stable and secure future in the Middle East and around the world,” she writes, adding that she congratulated Trump on his victory.
Netanyahu is in Miami for several weeks to visit her son Yair.
President @realDonaldTrump and Sara Netanyahu having dinner at Trump International Golf Course tonight ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/ZqN5ZqWNdd
— Margo Martin (@margomartin) December 2, 2024
Report: Freed Israeli-US hacker behind JCC bomb threats detained in Norway on US extradition request
A Jewish Israeli teen is brought for a court hearing at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court, on suspicion of issuing fake bomb threats against Jewish institutions in the US and around the world, on March 23, 2017. (Flash90)
An Israeli-American who served seven years in an Israeli prison for multiple counts of extortion and waging an intimidation campaign of bomb threats, including against Jewish Community Centers in the United States, has been detained in Norway on a US extradition request, Channel 12 reports.
The hacker, who was a teen at the time of his conviction and whose name remains under gag order in Israel, admitted to making some 2,000 fake bomb threat calls to hospitals, airlines, schools and various Jewish institutions out of boredom.
According to Channel 12, he was released on parole last week and travelled to Norway where he submitted an asylum claim. However, Norwegian authorities rejected the claim and detained him on an existing US extradition charge.
He remains in custody until his next hearing.
Israel had refused to extradite him to the US and tried and sentenced him in Israel.
“My client was sentenced to an unprecedented sentence in Israel, despite the fact that he was recognized as a person on the high end of the autism spectrum for offenses allegedly committed on US soil,” his lawyer Nir Yaslovitzh tells Channel 12.
“Unfortunately, the US apparently decided to administer a coup de grâce and, after a long time and in a clearly unjustified manner, request my client’s extradition from Norway to the US despite the fact that my client has already paid his debt with many years of imprisonment.”
The Ashkelon native was found guilty of hundreds of counts of extortion, publishing false information that caused panic, computer offenses and money laundering, among other charges.
Authorities say he made thousands of threatening calls, mostly to community centers and schools in the US, from January to March 2017, using an online calling service that disguised his voice and allowed him to hide his identity. He also targeted hundreds of airlines and airports, malls, and police stations, in the US, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Britain, and tried to extort Republican State Senator Ernesto Lopez from Delaware.
US Navy destroys Houthi missiles and drones targeting American ships in Gulf of Aden
Houthi supporters attend an anti-Israel and anti-US rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
US Navy destroyers shot down seven missiles and drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the warships and three American merchant vessels they were escorting through the Gulf of Aden. No damage or injuries are reported.
US Central Command says that the destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane shot down and destroyed three anti-ship ballistic missiles, three drones and one anti-ship cruise missile. The merchant ships were not identified.
The Houthis claim the attack in a statement and said they had targeted the US destroyers and “three supply ships belonging to the American army in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.”
Houthi attacks for months have targeted shipping through a waterway where $1 trillion in goods pass annually over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The USS Stockdale was involved in a similar attack on Nov. 12.
Man facing terror charges for shooting US Orthodox Jew dies after apparent suicide
Screen capture from video of Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi after being shot and injured by police during an exchange of gunfire in Chicago, Illinois, October 26, 2024. (X: Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
A man facing terrorism and hate crimes charges in the US over the October shooting of an Orthodox Jew walking to a synagogue in Chicago has been found dead in the medical facility in the jail where he has been held since the incident, US media reports say.
Sidi Mohammad Abdallahi, 22, a Mauritanian national, was seriously injured in a firefight following his shooting and has since been held in medical facilities.
The Cook County Jail’s Sheriff’s Office says Abdallahi was found dead after an apparent suicide attempt. It says there had been no prior indications he was at risk of taking his own life, that there is no evidence of foul play, and that medical officials will conduct an autopsy.
Trump dines with visiting Sara Netanyahu at his Florida golf resort
US President-elect Donald Trump (left) dines with Sara Netanyahu at the Trump International Golf Course in Florida on December 1, 2024. (Margo Martin/X)
US President-elect Donald Trump dined this evening with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
A photo of the pair is posted on X by Trump’s deputy director of communications.
Netanyahu is in Miami for several weeks to visit her son Yair. Her trip will keep her out of the country during the beginning of the prime minister’s scheduled testimony in his criminal trial.
Trump has built a rapport with Netanyahu’s wife, careful to offer her praise when in front of the prime minister.
When the Netanyahus last met Trump in July, the then-presidential candidate quipped that Sara was his “secret weapon.”
“As long as I have Sara, that’s all that matters,” Trump quipped then.
Report: Senior minister in Netanyahu’s party told hostage families PM should be removed
A senior minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party has told hostage families in recent days that the premier should be ousted along with the heads of security bodies over the failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7 massacre last year, according to Channel 12 news.
The network doesn’t say who the minister is.
It says the minister agreed with a series of accusations against the government voiced by the relatives of abductees taken during the Hamas onslaught.
One such claim voiced by a relative, the report says, was that far-right views have entered Likud in the form of Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, who “thinks like [far-right minister Itamar] Ben Gvir.”
Another argument by the same relative was reportedly that the government should agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal and then continue fighting, since “the prime minister knows well how to lie,” with the minister agreeing.
When the relative asked about Netanyahu’s attacks on the leadership of the Shin Bet security service, the minister reportedly said: “I would have sent the head of the Shin Bet home a long time ago — him, [IDF Chief of Staff] Herzi [Halevi], [Mossad chief] David Barnea, and everybody.”
Asked what about Netanyahu, the minister is said to have answered: “Netanyahu as well.”
IDF: Recent rocket sirens in Galilee were false alarm
The IDF says that incoming rocket alerts that sounded a short while in Kibbutz Hanita near the Lebanon border were a false alarm.
Biden says he is pardoning his son, Hunter, after repeatedly stating he wouldn’t
US President Joe Biden, left, wearing a Team USA jacket and walking with his son Hunter Biden, heads toward Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
US President Joe Biden says he has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” he claims in a statement released by the White House.
“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
Biden said in an interview in June that he wouldn’t pardon his son, and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre reiterated this as recently as November 8.
Rocket alarms sound in Galilee town
Incoming rocket sirens sound in Kibbutz Hanita in the Galilee, near the Lebanon border.
The source of the apparent attack isn’t immediately clear. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon was reached last week.
Video footage shows Friday’s West Bank shooting terror attack
Video footage has been published of the West Bank shooting attack on Friday in which eight people were wounded, three of them seriously, when a Hamas terrorist opened fire at a civilian bus near the settlement of Ariel.
The footage shows the attacking unfolding at the Gitai Avisar junction, with the gunman opening fire at the bus at a bus stop and IDF soldiers returning fire.
The assailant was shot dead by security forces.
המחבל יורה צרורות, החיילים מחסלים אותו: תיעוד הפיגוע בשומרון בשישי@ItayBlumental pic.twitter.com/x8z5bv7KSj
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) December 1, 2024
read more: