February 2: Jordan said to tell Hamas it will deport Sbarro pizzeria bomber, may extradite her to US

Though the schedule is subject to change, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to meet with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. local time. The meeting will include dinner, likely at 9 p.m.

The two might host a press conference and meet with hostage families on Tuesday as well.

On Monday, Netanyahu is meeting US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Netanyahu is meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, and is slated to meet Congressional leaders, including the Senate majority leader and House speaker, on Thursday.

He will likely give an interview to an American outlet as well.

9:03 pm

Hamas media claims Jordan seeking to deport Sbarro pizzeria bomber Ahlam Tamimi

Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV channel reports that Jordan is seeking to deport convicted terrorist Ahlam Tamimi, who orchestrated the 2001 Sbarro pizzeria bombing in Jerusalem that killed 15 people.

Tamimi was sentenced to 16 life sentences for her role in the bombing, but was among the more than 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners released in 2011 in exchange for captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

She has resided in Jordan since her release, as the Hashemite Kingdom has ruled that she cannot be extradited to the US, despite a 2017 indictment in a US federal court due to the murder of two US civilians in the Sbarro pizzeria attack.

The FBI has placed a $5 million bounty on her head.

It is unclear why Jordan is reportedly considering the move now, after years of resisting calls for her extradition, and the report does not say where she would be deported to.

8:22 pm

Freed hostage Emily Damari returns to site of her abduction from her Kfar Aza home

Freed hostage Emily Damari returned to her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza earlier today for the first time since she was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.

“Today, I returned to my home, my apartment, to the oxygen I had and which almost ran out,” Damari writes on Instagram. “I returned to the place where my nightmare began, 485 days ago, and found only partial closure, which I have been waiting so long for.”

Damari, who was released on the first day of the ceasefire-hostage release deal on January 19, calls for decision-makers to ensure that the agreement is carried out in full and that all the hostages are returned to Israel

“There are 79 hostages who, like me, need to find their own closure, and who are waiting to make whole what is missing,” she writes. “We must not stop here. We must bring everyone, absolutely everyone, home.”

“I will only feel true victory when they return,” she adds.

She attaches a photo of herself sitting on the couch in her partially destroyed home, where a large banner calling for her release from Hamas captivity is still displayed on the wall.

אמילי דמארי חזרה לבית שלה בכפר עזה pic.twitter.com/XMOfHrCyx7

— ‏Tal Schneider טל שניידר تال شنايدر (@talschneider) February 2, 2025

7:53 pm

Environmental Protection Ministry gets third director general in two years

By Sue Surkes

Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman taps the ministry’s deputy director general, Rami Rozen, to replace the outgoing director general, Assaf Yazdi, who quit after just seven months in the post.

Rozen will be the third director general since Silman became minister at the end of December 2022.

7:32 pm

Military says it demolished 23 buildings used by terror operatives in Jenin

The IDF says it demolished 23 buildings in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp that were used by terror operatives.

Troops have scanned hundreds of buildings in Jenin during an ongoing raid there, locating bomb-making labs, caches of weapons, and command centers, the military says.

The army publishes footage showing the detonation.

7:31 pm

Slain Hezbollah chief Nasrallah to be buried on Feb. 23, successor Naim Qassem announces

Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem gives a televised speech on December 14, 2024. (Press TV screenshot: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem announces in a pre-recorded speech that the terror group’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah will be buried on February 23, five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on September 27, 2024.

Nasrallah’s would-be successor Hashem Safieddine, who was killed just days after his leader on October 3, will also be buried on February 23.

Hezbollah officials had previously indicated that Nasrallah would be buried after the initial 60-day ceasefire with Israel, which ended on January 26. However, the deadline for the IDF to withdraw was later pushed back by the United States and Lebanon to February 18, as Israel had assessed that the Lebanese army had deployed too slowly across the region.

Qassem slams Israel for what he says are repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement, but says the terror group will be “patient” and wait for the Lebanese state to fulfill its responsibility and pressure mediating countries to force Israel to stop its “aggression.”

Qassem further acknowledges that Hezbollah did not achieve an “absolute victory,” but says it has registered some gains and some losses. Its main achievement, he says, was to prove the steadfastness of the “resistance” and Israel’s inability to break it.

Qassem praises the residents of southern Lebanon who have returned to their homes, saying that scenes of their return indicated a “popular liberation.”

The IDF has warned Lebanese residents against returning to south Lebanon villages until they are authorized to do so.

In a speech last week, Qassem slammed the extension of the IDF’s withdrawal deadline from January 26 to February 18, and accused Israel of violating the ceasefire 1,350 times.

7:18 pm

Incoming IDF chief: Israel will prove to enemies it is powerful, determined to win

Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, the director general of the Defense Ministry at a ministry conference, February 2, 2025. (Defense Ministry)

Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, the director general of the Defense Ministry, in his first speech after being nominated as the next IDF chief of staff, vows that Israel will prove to its enemies that the country and its military are powerful.

“In the coming days, I will finish my position as director general of the Defense Ministry. I feel that I am leaving an office that is strong — a driving force, and powerful,” Zamir says during a conference.

Zamir thanks Defense Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for nominating him to be the 24th IDF chief.

“2025 will continue to be a year of fighting. Enemies on all fronts have been defeated and their leaders buried beneath the rubble, but the campaign is not over and the challenges still lie ahead,” he says.

“We will prove to our enemies that there is a determined, powerful, and winning fist facing them, as it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘I have pursued my enemies, and overtaken them; and did not turn back till they were consumed,'” he adds.

6:35 pm

Palestinian indicted over 2007 deadly shooting in the West Bank

Military prosecutors have filed an indictment against a Palestinian accused of carrying out a deadly shooting attack in the West Bank 17 years ago, after he was recently detained.

Ali Dandis, who was arrested in December, carried out the 2007 Nahal Telem shooting, in which two off-duty soldiers, Cpl. Ahikam Amihai and Staff Sgt. David Rubin, were killed while on a hike.

According to the indictment, Dandis planned the shooting attack with his friends Omar Taha and Basel al-Natsha.

On December 28, 2007, the trio arrived at Nahal Telem, a stream in the southern West Bank, in an attempt to locate and kill Israeli soldiers, the indictment says.

Dandis opened fire on Rubin, killing him, and moments later Taha opened fire on Amihai, killing him as well. Al-Natsha, the third assailant, was killed by the soldiers returning fire.

The two surviving gunmen turned themselves in to the Palestinian Authority security forces following the attack. In 2008, the PA sentenced them to 15 years in prison.

Dandis was detained on December 26, 2024, in Bethlehem by members of police’s elite Yamam unit.

6:27 pm

Gadi Mozes ‘recovering very quickly’ despite harsh conditions in captivity, niece says

By Jessica Steinberg

Efrat Machikawa (left) and her uncle, released hostage Gadi Mozes, following his January 30, 2025, release from captivity in Gaza (Efrat Machikawa)

Efrat Machikawa, niece of released hostage Gadi Mozes, speaks to journalists about her nearly 81-year-old uncle who was freed from Hamas captivity on Thursday.

“He is recovering, very quickly,” says Machikawa, adding that Mozes was “very, very scared” while being transferred in the midst of a mob in Gaza to the UN vehicle. “He was holding up for so long and was just terrified.”

Machikawa says her uncle knew some of what had happened during his 15 months of captivity.

He managed to hear and see bits of media broadcasts, and would be told by his Islamic Jihad captors when Machikawa was talking about him to the press, as they recognized her by the long earrings she always wears.

“He put all the bits together,” she says. “He understood things, but not totally.”

Mozes said they referred to him as “the old man” in Arabic. His age made it tough to sleep on the floor. He was kept in closed rooms where he would pace and count his steps, walking 3-10 kilometers each day.

He had little human interaction for most of the time he was kept captive.

“He kept himself on the move,” she says, adding that he also pushed himself intellectually, reading the same book in English over and over.

He had very little nutrition in the little food he was given, and lost a lot of weight, but “is somehow okay,” says Machikawa.

Mozes knew that his partner, Efrat Katz, had been killed in the October 7, 2023, assault. Her daughter, Doron, who was taken hostage with her two young children and then released in November 2023, is now pregnant and about to give birth.

Machikawa emphasized her uncle’s overall mental state.

“The first time he hugged me, he said ‘I’m alive, I’m normal,'” she says. “He made it very clear that he knew he could have been changed mentally, but he is as wonderful as he used to be.”

6:15 pm

Jordan’s King Abdullah to meet Trump at the White House on Feb. 11

By Agencies

US President Donald Trump and Jordan's King Abdullah II shake hands during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Jordan’s King Abdullah will meet with US President Donald Trump on February 11 at the White House, the Jordan royal palace says following Trump’s call for the transfer of Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt.

“King Abdullah II will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, after His Majesty received an invitation letter from President Trump last week,” the palace says in a statement.

Last week, Trump said that Egypt and Jordan should take in Palestinians from Gaza, which he called a “demolition site” following more than 15 months of war between Israel and the Hamas terror group that has rendered most of its 2.3 million people homeless. Critics have called his suggestion tantamount to ethnic cleansing.

Jordan appeared to reject Trump’s suggestion, with its Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi telling reporters on January 26 that the country’s stance against any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza remains “firm and unwavering.”

Jordan is already home to several million Palestinians, while tens of thousands live in Egypt. Both countries and other Arab nations reject the idea of Palestinians in Gaza being moved to their countries.

5:48 pm

Hamas publishes letter it claims was written by freed hostage thanking his captors

The Hamas terror group publishes a letter that it claims was written by released hostage Keith Siegel ahead of his return to Israel, in which he purportedly thanks his captors for treating him well.

Siegel, a 65-year-old American-Israeli citizen, was released yesterday from captivity along with Yarden Bibas and Ofer Calderon.

The letter, which Siegel’s family says he wrote under duress, asserts that his captors provided him with “food and drink, medicine, vitamins, eye drops, a blood pressure device and more.”

It further claims that he received food that matched his “nutritional needs” and “eating habits,” despite Siegel reportedly telling his family that food was scarce and he was forced to eat meat in order to survive, despite being a vegetarian.

In a statement following the publication of the letter, Siegel’s family says that “Hamas terrorists forced Keith to write them a detailed thank you letter while holding him captive.”

“This is just one example of many that demonstrates Hamas’s cruel and cynical behavior, and highlights the urgency of bringing all remaining hostages back home,” the family adds.

The Walla news site notes that the letter was likely dictated to Siegel in Arabic by his captors, as some of the words, including “vegetarian,” are written in Arabic rather than in Hebrew.

5:28 pm

Iran arrests political activist known for criticizing regime’s meddling in regional affairs

By AP

Iranian authorities have arrested a political activist who criticized the Islamic Republic’s ruling system, his wife announces on social media.

Fereshteh Mazinani, the wife of Mehdi Nasiri, announces on a Telegram channel linked to Nasiri that he was arrested just after the couple visited the tomb complex of a famous Persian poet, Ferdowsi (who died in 1020 CE) in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.

Nasiri filmed a video in which he spoke about Ferdowsi and his great role in the Persian language, Mazinani says.

According to her, Nasiri also mentioned the tomb complex was created in 1934 under the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, and developed in 1964 by his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The son, the last shah of Iran, was overthrown by the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Security at the complex checked Nasiri’s phone and the video before he was arrested and transferred to police custody. He was then taken away by the intelligence forces, his wife says.

Nasiri previously served as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s representative at the hardline Kayhan Daily newspaper, where he was editor-in-chief for three years in the early 1990s.

In recent years, Nasiri criticized the Islamic Republic’s ruling system, especially Khamenei’s decisions, Iran’s interference in the region and spending so much money on the Iranian proxy forces in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

In 2022, after mass protests against the government over the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, a woman held by the morality police for allegedly violating the strictly enforced dress code for women, Nasiri appeared at the graves of some people who lost their lives during the protest. He made some videos criticizing the government for its handling of the protests.

The reason behind the arrest is not clear and Iranian state media outlets have not reported it yet.

5:19 pm

Report: Secretive Hamas ‘Shadow Unit’ formed after Gilad Shalit abduction was responsible for guarding Oct. 7 hostages

A secretive Hamas unit formed in 2006 after the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was largely responsible for guarding the hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023, terror assault on southern Israel, the Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat news outlet reports.

The so-called Shadow Unit was established in the months following Shalit’s abduction, the report states, as the Palestinian terror group required trained operatives to move him from place to place without detection as they evaded Israeli attempts to locate him.

According to the report, the unit’s operatives have been spotted at the site of hostage handovers in recent weeks, amid the ongoing hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, indicating that it has played a large part in moving the hostages from location to location, from apartments to underground tunnels, throughout the more than 15 months of war in order to evade Israeli forces operating inside the Strip.

Many of the freed hostages have recounted being moved from place to place at various points during the war.

Hamas largely keeps the Shadow Unit out of the public eye, and its existence remained a secret until 2016, when the terror group published footage of Shalit’s time in captivity to mark five years since he was released back to Israel in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners.

5:04 pm

IDF says more than 50 terror operatives killed since start of northern West Bank op

IDF troops operate in the Tamun area, in the northern West Bank during a major counter-terrorism offensive, in an image cleared for publication on February 2, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it has killed over 50 Palestinian terror operatives in the northern West Bank since launching a major counter-terrorism offensive nearly two weeks ago.

Over 35 gunmen were killed by troops during operations in Jenin, Tulkarem, and the Tamun area, while another 15 were killed in drone strikes, the military says.

More than 100 wanted Palestinians have been detained.

The IDF says troops have also seized some 40 weapons and neutralized over 80 explosive devices amid the operation.

The offensive, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, was launched on January 21, and the military expects it to last several more weeks.

4:38 pm

US envoy Witkoff tells freed soldiers of shared ‘common goal’ to bring all hostages home; wants invite to Daniella Gilboa’s wedding

The US Embassy published footage of Thursday’s meeting between US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and four IDF surveillance soldiers recently released from Hamas captivity.

The four soldiers — Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, Liri Albag and Karina Ariev — met with Witkoff, accompanied by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. The fifth freed surveillance soldier, Agam Berger, was released that day, five days after her comrades were released.

Speaking to the soldiers and their families, Witkoff tells them that Trump “could not be more happy” about their return from captivity.

“The people of the United States stand with you, the president stands with you, and we have a common goal to bring everybody home so everybody, every family can have this moment,” he says.

Speaking on behalf of her comrades, Albag tells Witkoff that seeing the efforts of those working to get them home “gave us the hope to stay alive.”

“That’s a big thing that you tell us,” the US diplomat responds.

Channel 12 reports that, in the course of the meeting, the soldiers told Witkoff that when they heard, in captivity, that Trump had been elected, it gave them encouragement, because they believed this would advance their release, though they didn’t believe it would do so as quickly as it did. They told their captors the same thing, the TV report says.

In another snippet of the footage, as Witkoff embraces the hostages before departing, he jokes to Gilboa — whose partner proposed to her upon her release — that he expects an invitation to her wedding.

“I want to go to all the weddings!” he says.

.@SteveWitkoff , U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, met last Thursday at @Beilinson_ENG with the four female soldiers who were released a week ago, after a long period in Hamas captivity.

This event highlights the importance of international cooperation, as we continue to… pic.twitter.com/sUl1QzekmZ

— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) February 2, 2025

4:03 pm

Hamas delegation to visit Moscow on Monday, Russian state media reports

The deputy head of the Hamas terror group’s political arm will lead a delegation to Moscow on Monday, the RIA state news agency reports, citing an unnamed source.

Hamas politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouk and his delegation will hold negotiations at the Russian Foreign Ministry, the source in the delegation tells RIA.

Russia has ties to all key players in the Middle East, including Israel, Iran, and Lebanon, as well as the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

3:53 pm

Criminal investigation launched into Sara Netanyahu over allegations of witness harassment

By Jeremy Sharon

Sara Netanyahu, center, and her husband Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a state ceremony marking the first Hebrew calendar anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, October 27, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)

The police have opened up a criminal investigation against Sara Netanyahu over allegations she sought to intimidate a witness and interfere in the corruption case against her husband, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Following a request from Democrats MK Naama Lazimi for information regarding the allegations, the State Attorney’s Office tells her that a police investigation was opened against Sara Netanyahu on December 26.

The investigation is being conducted by the Israel Police and the cybercrimes department of the State Attorney’s Office, and follows a report by Channel 12’s “Uvda” program that Sara Netanyahu ordered Hanni Bleiweiss, her husband’s late aide, to orchestrate protests and an online campaign against Hadas Klein, a key witness in one of the cases in which the prime minister is standing trial.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Aisman announced on December 26 that they had ordered an investigation on suspicion of witness harassment and obstruction of justice, following the “Uvda” report.

“Receiving the official announcement from the Attorney General’s Office regarding the opening of a criminal investigation against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, is important for parliamentary oversight, the justice system, and the rule of law,” says Lazimi in response to the State Attorney Office’s message.

“The prime minister’s wife is a convicted felon and, as we learned in the investigation, acted to harm prosecution officials and discredit a witness – very serious offenses for which she must be brought to justice.”

Sara Netanyahu was convicted in a plea bargain in 2019 of misusing state funds amounting to some $50,000 on catered meals while there was a full-time chef on staff at the Prime Minister’s Residence.

3:40 pm

Police investigating after human remains discovered near Re’im, close to the Gaza border

By Charlie Summers

Police in the Gaza envelope region launched an investigation this morning into the discovery of human remains near Re’im, following a report of a fire that broke out in the area.

For the time being, police do not suspect criminal involvement in the incident.

A spokesman for law enforcement advises civilians against climbing over fences, traveling on unmarked dirt roads and entering enclosed areas in the region.

3:27 pm

Journalist Caroline Glick said tapped as international affairs adviser to Netanyahu

Jerusalem Post Senior Contributing Editor Caroline Glick speaks at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference, held at Waldorf Astoria hotel in Jerusalem. November 18, 2015. (Miriam Alster /Flash90)

Right-wing pundit and journalist Caroline Glick has been appointed as international affairs adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reports say.

She has joined the premier’s entourage on his trip to the United States this week, according to the Kan public broadcaster.

An outlet for which Glick has recently been working, JNS, publishes a statement from her: “Life takes you in different directions, and I am going back to the office where I worked nearly three decades ago as the prime minister leads Israel through the most difficult period in the history of the Jewish state… The strategic landscape of the Middle East has been transformed by Israel’s accomplishments in the war, and [this] affords us the opportunity both to expand our circle of ties and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capability, which is a requirement for Israel’s survival.”

The US-born Glick has been a columnist for The Jerusalem Post, a writer for US far-right outlet Breitbart News, a senior fellow of the US-based Center for Security Policy, and a Knesset candidate in Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked’s short-lived New Right party in 2019.

She was an assistant foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu during his first term as premier in the 1990s.

3:24 pm

IDF says it razed buildings used for terror in West Bank’s Jenin

The IDF says a short while ago it demolished several buildings in the West Bank city of Jenin that were being used as “terror infrastructure.”

It says further details will be provided soon.

The incident comes amid a major IDF counterterror offensive in the northern West Bank.

3:02 pm

Visiting southern Lebanon, Katz warns Hezbollah to stop trying to launch drones at Israel

Defense Minister Israel Katz, center, visits an IDF position in southern Lebanon alongside senior IDF officials, February 2, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz visited IDF positions in southern Lebanon and threatened the Hezbollah terror group over its attempts to send drones into Israel despite the ceasefire deal, according to his office.

The statement says Katz toured the positions with senior IDF commanders today to monitor the implementation of the extension of the truce, which was supposed to see the IDF and Hezbollah vacate southern Lebanon by January 26 but has been extended until February 18. Israel said the Lebanese army wasn’t deploying quickly enough and Hezbollah was maintaining a presence in the area.

“In recent days we have seen attempts to launch drones at Israel,” Katz says. “I want to send a clear message from here to Hezbollah and the Lebanese government: Israel won’t agree to drones being launched from Lebanon. We won’t allow a return to the reality of October 7 [2023]. We will foil threats and respond with full force.

“Either there won’t be drones, or there won’t be Hezbollah. I suggest that the successor to the successor of [slain Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah not underestimate Israel’s determination as his predecessors did, lest he pay a very heavy price.”

3:00 pm

Police discover, seize dozens of firearms smuggled from Jordan

By Charlie Summers

Firearms seized by Border Police in Afula on January 31, 2025. (Israel Police)

Law enforcement over the weekend uncovered a stash of firearms smuggled in from Jordan, according to a police spokesman.

Border Police found the smuggled arms as they were being transported in two vehicles through the northern city of Afula. Upon stopping the cars, officers discovered the weapons stash, which consisted of 34 pistols, two Kalashnikov rifles and two M16 rifles.

Police arrested the drivers and passengers, three residents of Zarzir, whom they suspect were involved in the smuggling, says the spokesman.

2:37 pm

Turkish FM says country may accept some Palestinian security prisoners freed by Israel

By AFP and ToI Staff

Turkey could take in some Palestinian security prisoners freed by Israel under the terms of its ceasefire deal with the Hamas terror group, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says during a visit to Qatar.

“Our president has declared that we are ready to take in some freed Palestinians… in order to support the agreement. Turkey, along with other countries, will do its part in this regard so the ceasefire agreement can remain in force,” he says at a press conference in Doha.

According to the deal, some inmates are being released abroad rather than to the West Bank or Gaza Strip to pose less of a security threat to Israel.

2:16 pm

IDF confirms strike on vehicle that was driving on Gaza coastal road in violation of truce

The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike in central Gaza a short while ago, after a vehicle attempted to travel to the Strip’s north without undergoing an inspection on the Salah a-Din road, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The military says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including by using a precision munition and aerial surveillance.

The vehicle had been driving on the coastal road, which is only permitted for pedestrian traffic under the deal.

On the Salah a-Din road, a private company is inspecting Palestinian cars heading north.

2:14 pm

Freed hostage Daniella Gilboa: I prayed for my comrades for 30 minutes before being kidnapped

Freed hostage Daniella Gilboa, right, with her boyfriend Roy and dog, after her return from Hamas captivity in late January 2025. (Courtesy/Instagram)

Freed hostage Daniella Gilboa pens her first Instagram post since she returned from Gaza eight days ago after 477 days in Hamas captivity, alongside photos of her with her boyfriend, family and friends after her return.

“What an insane year I have gone through,” Gilboa writes at the outset of the lengthy post, thanking the public for supporting her family, praying for her, not giving up on her and not believing the “horrible rumors” spread by the Hamas terror group about her supposed death.

She writes about her thoughts during the Hamas attack on her Nahal Oz base on October 7, 2023, saying her “last wish before I was kidnapped” was for people to not give up on her.

“I didn’t want to despair and say goodbye, so instead I prayed and wholeheartedly believed that the end of me wasn’t there, in that bomb shelter,” she writes. “I prayed for all the girls with me for 30 minutes because I felt like I couldn’t do anything better at the time… I knew that the only thing that could save us was faith.”

She says that yesterday, she and the four other IDF surveillance soldiers released in recent days recited Birkat Hagomel, a Jewish blessing of gratitude said by people who have survived grave danger.

“This was the moment I was waiting for since surviving October 7,” Gilboa says. “To thank God for saving me from the worst against all odds.”

She recalls meeting her loved ones following her release, thanking them for working for her release, and saying she had worried about her family more than about herself.

She mentions her boyfriend Roy, “the love of my love who gave me so much strength from afar. You would come to me in my dreams, in my thoughts at all times of day. For more than a year, we were together in heart and in spirit. I love you.”

She also thanks the IDF soldiers who have fought the lengthy war, says she’s thankful for the opportunity to memorialize the 53 soldiers killed at the Nahal Oz base on October 7, and hopes for the imminent return of all the hostages.

“Who knows better than me that you, the people of Israel, those who fight with all their might, are giving [the hostages] a small hope amid the vast darkness.”

1:55 pm

Man charged with incitement to terrorism for posts wishing for Netanyahu’s death

By Jeremy Sharon

A resident of Nes Ziona in central Israel is indicted on charges of inciting terrorism against the prime minister for comments he made on social media calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be killed.

According to the indictment filed at the Rehovot Magistrate’s Court, Amram Ben Haim Agmon, 80, posted on his Facebook page on October 10, 2023 — three days after the massacre carried out by Hamas-led terrorists and the start of the war in Gaza: “Until I see his severed head rolling down the steps of his house on Azza Street, my blood will not cool,” in reference to Netanyahu.

The prime minister owns an apartment on Azza Street in Jerusalem.

On October 17, 2023, Agmon posted another message against Netanyahu, stating: “Who will rise up for us to bring out the bastard and ‘my wife'” — a reference to Netanyahu’s wife Sara — “to be executed and save the people of Israel from the disaster they are inflicting on us?”

The State Attorney’s Office charges Agmon with three counts of incitement to terrorism under the 2016 Combating Terrorism law for these posts and two others posted on the same month. The offense is punishable by up to three years in prison.

1:42 pm

IDF said to strike vehicle traveling on Gaza’s coastal road, which is closed to cars

Palestinian media reports that a vehicle has been struck by the IDF on Gaza’s coastal road, near Nuseirat.

Injuries are reported in the strike.

The IDF has not yet commented.

Under the ceasefire deal, vehicles are allowed to travel to northern Gaza only via the Salah a-Din road, where they undergo an inspection, and not via the coastal road.

عاجل| مراسل شبكة قدس: إصابات بقصف الاحتلال سيارة مدنية على شارع الرشيد غربي مخيم النصيرات وسط قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/94FO7DcewE

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) February 2, 2025

1:23 pm

Qatar: No clear plan for when talks on Gaza truce’s 2nd phase will begin

By Reuters and ToI Staff

There is no clear plan for when negotiations between Israel and Hamas for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire will begin, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani says.

In a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Doha, Al Thani says Qatar is engaging with Israel and Hamas to prepare for the talks. He adds that his country is hoping to see some movement in the “next few days.”

According to the ceasefire agreement, negotiations on implementing the second phase of the deal should begin no later than the 16th day of phase one of the ceasefire, which is Monday. The second stage is expected to include the release of all remaining living hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

1:19 pm

Settlers torch mosque in Palestinian West Bank village

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque overnight in the Bedouin village of Arab al-Mleihat northwest of the West Bank city of Jericho, according to Palestinian media reports.

A group of settlers is said to have poured a flammable liquid inside the building in the early hours of this morning, setting it ablaze and destroying it completely, according to Hassan Mleihat, an official from the local Al-Baydar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights tells The Times of Israel.

No casualties are reported in the incident. No evidence is presented for the accusation against settlers.

The activist says that the Bedouin hamlet has been exposed to harassment by settlers in the past three years. Last September, 50 goats were poisoned there, the man recounts. The community is situated in a remote location and is far from the reach of fire trucks and rescue services, he adds.

The Israel Police does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

#متابعة | منظمة البيدر: مستوطنون يحرقون مسجدا في تجمع عرب المليحات شمال غرب أريحا فجر اليوم. pic.twitter.com/LDPUMmkqnX

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) February 2, 2025

1:11 pm

Israel experiencing its driest winter in a century, Water Authority says

By Sue Surkes

People visit a promenade in the city of Tiberias, next to the Sea of Galilee on January 30, 2020. (David Cohen/Flash90)

The Water Authority estimates that the current winter is the driest in a century.

The Sea of Galilee, Israel’s main single source of freshwater, rose by only two centimeters (less than 0.8 of an inch) in January, and the flow of water into the Jordan River is at its lowest level since 1960 at this time of year.

Israel relies largely on desalination for its water and the authority says there will be no water shortages as a result of the paucity of rain.

1:07 pm

Israel to grant permanent residency to 5 Thais who were in Hamas captivity for 15 months

Thai hostages who were freed from Hamas captivity, from left to right, Surasak Lumnau, Sathian Suwannakham, Bannawat Saethao, Watchara Sriaoun and Pongsak Thaenna hold the Thailand flag in Israel, January 30, 2025. (Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv via AP)

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel meets Thailand’s Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa and tells him the five Thai hostages released from Gaza on Thursday will be granted permanent residency in Israel, according to a statement from Arbel’s office.

Arbel’s office adds that the meeting touched on broadening the cooperation between the two countries to more fields, adding that ministry officials are heading to Bangkok to discuss the matter.

On Thursday, Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak were released by Palestinian terror group Hamas, which held on to the foreign nationals for 482 days before letting them go.

One more Thai citizen, Pinta Nattapong, is believed to be held alive in Gaza. Two others, Sudthisak Rinthalak and Sonthaya Oakkharasri, have been declared dead by Israel, with their bodies held by Hamas.

12:23 pm

Freed hostage Ofer Calderon only found out weeks ago that his son survived Oct. 7

Released hostage Ofer Calderon, top left, reunites with his children Rotem, Gaya, Erez and Sahar on February 1, 2025. Erez and Sahar were also abducted on October 7, 2023 and were freed in November 2023. (Ma'ayon Taof / GPO)

Former hostage Ofer Calderon, who was released yesterday from Hamas captivity after 484 days in Gaza, only found out a few weeks ago that his son Rotem survived the onslaught of October 7, 2023.

Ofer’s cousin Eyal is quoted by Ynet as describing details the freed captive has told family members.

“He was in great uncertainty in captivity, and then found out from a media interview that his son was still alive,” Eyal Calderon says.

“It’s unfathomable what he went through there, but at least yesterday he was in a very positive state.

“There’s a long path ahead, rehabilitation will be lengthy and will have ups and downs. It’s important for people to know that yesterday’s images are misleading and don’t reflect what Ofer has been through. Captivity wasn’t a walk in the park. He’s gaining strength now, breathing in his children and starting to fathom what he went through in this year and a half.”

11:58 am

After warning Lebanese not to move south, IDF said to detain fisherman, open fire at returning civilians

Lebanese media report that the Israeli Navy has detained a fisherman off the coast of Naqoura in southern Lebanon.

Earlier, reports in Lebanon claimed Israeli forces opened fire on civilians attempting to return to the border village of Yaroun.

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

The IDF has warned Lebanese residents against returning to south Lebanon villages amid an ongoing ceasefire.

“Do not move south! The IDF is not interested in hurting you. Do not return to your homes until further notice. Anyone who travels south puts themselves at risk,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, says on X this morning.

اعتقال صياد عند نقطة رأس الناقورة في جنوب لبنانhttps://t.co/SVE8pfynD8 pic.twitter.com/MlVlvQWqee

— Annahar النهار (@Annahar) February 2, 2025

11:50 am

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem to give speech today

Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem gives a televised speech on December 14, 2024. (Press TV screenshot: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem will deliver an address today at 6:30 p.m., the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV network in Lebanon reports.

Qassem is set to discuss the latest developments on Lebanon’s southern border with Israel and the planned funeral of the terror group’s slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli airstrike in September.

Hezbollah officials had indicated that Nasrallah would be buried after the 60-day ceasefire with Israel, which had been set to expire on January 26. By that date, Israel was supposed to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon and cede its positions to the Lebanese Armed Forces, with Hezbollah pulling back north of the Litani — some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Israel.

However, last week the United States and Lebanon announced that the IDF’s deadline to withdraw was extended to February 18, as Israel has assessed that the Lebanese army had deployed too slowly across the region, with IDF soldiers continuing to find Hezbollah weapons caches in areas covered by the truce.

In a speech last week, Qassem slammed the extension of the IDF’s withdrawal deadline, and accused Israel of violating the ceasefire 1,350 times.

11:27 am

Iraqi militias said to deny reports of talks to free Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov

Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian academic who was kidnapped in Iraq in March 2023, speaks in a clip aired November 13, 2023, by Iraq's Al Rabiaa satellite TV network. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Three Iraqi sources close to Iran-backed militias reportedly deny that there are ongoing negotiations for the release of abducted Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov.

Speaking to the Qatari news outlet Al-Araby al-Jadeed, the sources say that reports recently published in the Israeli and Arab press are incorrect, and that there are no “open lines or mediators” with Israel.

Two weeks ago, journalist Barak Ravid wrote on his X account that Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein had told him that the researcher, who is believed to have been kidnapped in Iraq by a local terror group nearly two years ago, is alive, and Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammed Shia al-Sudani is working for her release.

Tsurkov, a 38-year-old student at Princeton University, disappeared in Baghdad in March 2023 while doing research for her doctorate. She had entered the country on her Russian passport. The only sign of life from her since was a video broadcast in November 2023 on an Iraqi television station and circulated on pro-Iranian social media purporting to show her.

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. But Israel believes she is being held by Kataeb Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi terror group that it says also has ties to the Iraqi government.

Earlier in January, a senior Israeli official said Israel is working with allies in a renewed push to win Tsurkov’s freedom.

11:07 am

Palestinians say elderly man killed during IDF operation in northern West Bank

The Palestinian Authority health ministry says an elderly man was killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp a short while ago.

He is named as Walid Lahlouh, 73.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF, which has been carrying out a major operation in the Jenin area for nearly two weeks.

׳מחבל חוסל׳

בפעם האחרונה שביקרתי בשטחים יחד עם אמא היינו אצלו, כן כן, אצל ׳המחבל שחוסל׳ בתמונה. זה היה בשלהי 2006, בדיוק ירד הערב ואני ואמא נכנסנו לסלון ביתו אחרי נסיעה מפרכת ממחסום למחסום, מכביש תלול לסמטה צרה ומפותלת.. נסיעה ארוכה ואפילו מסוכנת כדי לבקר את אחיה של סבתא, דוד של… pic.twitter.com/W76IxnSPJP

— Muhammad Zoabi (@ilzoabi48) February 2, 2025

10:43 am

Syria’s President Sharaa to visit Saudi Arabia today in first trip abroad as leader

Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Saudi Arabia today on his first foreign trip since he assumed power following a lightning rebel advance that ousted Bashar al-Assad in December, Syrian state news agency Sana reports.

Sharaa will be accompanied by the country’s foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani.

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is visiting Riyadh on his first official visit to Saudi Arabia.

????: Sharaa’s office pic.twitter.com/lSM9KPftGE

— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) February 2, 2025

10:07 am

As Netanyahu heads to US, Smotrich urges him to advance Israeli sovereignty in West Bank

By Sam Sokol

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend a vote on the state budget at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, March 13, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls on Benjamin Netanyahu to “strengthen our grip and sovereignty” over the West Bank as the prime minister flies to Washington, DC, to meet with US President Donald Trump — whom Smotrich describes as “a lover of Israel.”

“A great deal is at stake – the complete victory in Gaza, the destruction of Hamas and the return of all our hostages, strengthening our security on all borders – in Syria, Lebanon, and of course against the head of the octopus, the Iranian regime and the nuclear threat. This danger must be removed,” Smotrich declares in a video message aimed at Netanyahu.

“We must strengthen our grip and sovereignty over the homeland in Judea and Samaria,” he says, using the biblical name for the West Bank.

From a position of strength, Israel is “making peace, forging alliances and strengthening its position,” he continues. “Mr. Prime Minister, the entire people of Israel are behind you. Thousands of years, many generations, hundreds of warriors who gave their lives for the victory in this war, the bereaved families and thousands of wounded IDF soldiers – all expect you to represent our position faithfully.”

Ahead of his flight this morning, Netanyahu declared that his meetings in the US capital “will deal with important, critical issues facing Israel and the region” and said that “working closely with President Trump,” Israel can redraw the “face of the Middle East” and “broaden the circle of peace.”

Benny Gantz, the leader of the opposition National Unity party, also wishes Netanyahu success on his trip, declaring that it is critical for Israel’s future.‏

“The meeting with President Trump is of paramount importance for advancing the return of all our hostages, coordinating the response to the Iranian challenge, expanding the circle of normalization, and removing Hamas rule,” Gantz tweets.

9:01 am

IDF expands West Bank counterterrorism operation to town of Tamun

The IDF says it has expanded its ongoing counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank, now in its 12th day, and troops are now operating in the town of Tamun.

Troops of the Bislamach Brigade — the IDF’s School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders in peacetime — entered the town overnight, and have so far located several weapons, the military says.

Last week, a drone strike in Tamun killed 10 Palestinian terror operatives.

The ongoing IDF offensive, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, has primarily focused on the city and refugee camp of Jenin but also expanded to Tulkarem last week and now to Tamun.

8:56 am

Top cardiologist accompanying Netanyahu on his US trip

Dr. Eyal Heller, a senior cardiologist at Sheba Medical Center, is flying with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, DC.

Netanyahu was fitted with a pacemaker at the hospital in 2023.

The prime minister has a history of heart conduction issues.

There has been no statement from Netanyahu’s office about why Heller is on the trip, but it may indicate a desire to keep a close eye on the prime minister’s health, especially after he underwent prostate removal surgery in late December.

8:27 am

Before departing for US, Netanyahu says meeting with Trump may further redraw Mideast

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters at Ben Gurion Airport ahead of a trip to the United States, February 2, 2025. (Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)

Before boarding the Wing of Zion plane for his flight to Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his meetings in the US capital “will deal with important, critical issues facing Israel and the region — victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages, and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components, an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East and the entire world.”

He says in English that the fact that he is the first foreign leader to meet US President Donald Trump in the White House since the latter’s inauguration is “a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance. It’s also a testimony to the strength of our personal friendship.”

Netanyahu argues that “the decisions we’ve made in the war have already changed the face of the Middle East. Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further, and for the better.

“I believe that we can strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace, and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters at Ben Gurion Airport ahead of a trip to the United States, February 2, 2025. (Itay Beit-On/GPO)

8:19 am

Antisemitic graffiti with swastika also hits Australia’s Perth

In addition to fresh antisemitic vandalism in Sydney, a home in Perth on the other edge of Australia has similarly been targeted with anti-Jewish graffiti and a swastika, according to local media.

Dalkeith, Perth this morning

There have been attacks in 3 states today.

It's clear that the Federal Government has lost control. pic.twitter.com/1bq1oWjaR4

— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) February 2, 2025

Western Australia police say they’re investigating the incident, in which the wall outside a home in the neighborhood of Dalkeith was daubed with the Nazi symbol and the words “Fuck Jews.”

Western Australia police say in a statement: “There is no place for this kind of behaviour in our community and we will not tolerate crimes that undermine our way of life in Western Australia.”

Western Australia Premier Roger Cook reacts by stressing the need to “stop this right-wing, white supremacist language where it starts in social media. We want to stop everyone from actually following these insidious, cowardly, nasty people, and it’s up for all of us to do our bit to condemn it.”

8:12 am

Netanyahu, top aides board Wings of Zion plane ahead of DC trip, meeting with Trump

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exits a car at Ben Gurion Airport ahead of a trip to the United States, February 2, 2025. (Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boards the Wing of Zion plane ahead of his trip to Washington, DC, this week.

He is joined by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Diplomatic Adviser Ophir Falk, Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, government hostage point man Gal Hirsch, and other top aides.

Netanyahu is currently slated to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, but that may well change, a senior official tells The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu’s delegation will be staying at the Blair House next to the White House.

The Wing of Zion plane ahead of a trip by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States, February 2, 2025. (Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)

7:40 am

IDF says it targeted 3 West Bank terror cells in strikes last night, including freed prisoner

The IDF says it targeted Palestinian terrorists in three separate aerial strikes within several hours in the northern West Bank last night, including a cell that was on its way to carry out an imminent attack, confirming that it took out a prisoner set free as part of a 2023 deal with Hamas.

The military says the strike on the cell on its way to carry out a terror attack occurred in Qabatiya, with secondary explosions observed as a result of bombs that were in the car going off.

That strike, the IDF says, killed terror operatives Salah Zakarneh and Abd al-Hadi Kamil, the latter of whom was released as part of a hostage deal in November 2023.

The IDF publishes footage of the Qabatiya strike.

תוך שעות בודדות – מספר מחבלים חוסלו בשלוש תקיפות של חיל האוויר בחטיבת מנשה: צה"ל ושב"כ חיסלו מהאוויר חוליית מחבלים שהייתה בדרכה לבצע פיגוע בטווח הזמן המיידי >> pic.twitter.com/RXRt8MaGyl

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 2, 2025

The two other strikes occurred in Jenin, the army says, adding that they targeted two armed terror cells.

The Palestinian Authority health ministry reported two killed in the Qabatiya strike, two killed in one of the Jenin strikes, and 16-year-old Ahmad al-Sadi killed in the other Jenin strike along with others critically wounded.

6:22 am

Senior Hamas official claims terror group abiding by ceasefire but still ‘fully prepared’ to resume war

Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu claims in an interview with Al Jazeera’s Mubasher network that the release of Palestinian security prisoners to Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire-hostage deal proves that Hamas remains in control of the Gaza Strip even after more than 15 months of war with Israel.

“The scenes of the prisoners’ handover prove that the popular front is rallying around the resistance,” al-Nunu says, referring to the three buses of Palestinian prisoners that arrived in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis on Saturday.

The released prisoners were welcomed with blaring music, and a crowd of waving, cheering supporters.

He claims that beyond showing support for Hamas’s leadership, the support for the prisoners will also deter Israel from restarting its fight against the Gaza terror group at the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

He says that the celebrations “send a message to those who imagine they can continue the war” that Hamas is “ready and prepared” to begin negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, but that at the same time, it is “fully prepared to continue the struggle” against Israel.

Negotiations for the second phase are expected to begin Monday, on the 16th day of the ceasefire.

In the same interview, al-Nunu tells Al Jazeera that Hamas plans to continue governing the Gaza Strip, and claims that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party have rejected the possibility of a power-sharing agreement with Hamas, which would see the two create a committee to jointly administer postwar Gaza.

5:03 am

Countering Trump tariff plan, Trudeau says Canada will impose 25% tariff on US goods

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will impose 25% tariffs on C$155 billion ($106.5 billion) of US goods in response to US tariffs.

C$30 billion will take effect from Tuesday and C$125 billion in 21 days, Trudeau tells a news conference.

Trump earlier signed an executive order imposing 25% tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico starting on Tuesday except Canadian energy products, which will be subject to a 10% duty.

Trudeau warns the tariffs will hurt the United States, a long-time ally. He encourages Canadians to buy Canadian products and vacation at home rather than in the US.

He says some non-tariff measures, including some relating to critical minerals, energy procurement and other partnerships are being looked at.

4:57 am

WHO chief says 34 children, 3 adults taken from Gaza to Egypt Saturday for medical treatment

Thirty-seven patients were transferred from Gaza to Egypt on Saturday via the Rafah border crossing after it reopened for the first time since May 2024, the director-general of the World Health Organization says.

The patients, 34 children and three adults, were transferred to Egypt for continued medical treatment, says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X.

“We are grateful to the government of Egypt for their continued support and for providing specialised care to patients from Gaza,” he adds, calling for medical evacuations “to be expedited through all possible routes.”

“Thousands of lives depend on it,” he adds.

Today, with support from @WHO and partners, 37 patients — 34 children and 3 adults — and 39 companions crossed out of #Gaza via Rafah to continue receiving care in #Egypt.

We are grateful to the government of Egypt for their continued support and for providing specialised care… pic.twitter.com/bqHqNGVxhV

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 1, 2025

4:24 am

Iran test-fires anti-warship cruise missile with a range of more than 600 miles

By AP

Iran test-fired an anti-warship cruise missile with a range of 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) capable of reaching US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, Iranian state TV reports.

“This is a Ghadr-380 mile type L. It has over 1,000 kilometers range. It has anti-jamming capability,” said Gen. Ali Reza Tangsiri, the head of the navy of the Revolutionary Guard, in a report that shows an underground missile facility on the southern coast of Iran.

The report elaborates neither on the warhead that the missile carried, nor the time of the test.

Tangsiri said the facility is “only one part of the missile systems of the Guard,” adding that the missiles can create “a hell for the enemy’s warships.”

The report says the new weapon was a “sophisticated missile,” without elaborating, which could be launched from the underground facility. The missile was launched from central Iran into the Sea of Oman, it says.

It claims the missile can be made ready and launched by one member of personnel in less than five minutes.

Since 2011 Iran has occasionally announced the inauguration of underground missile facilities along with missile tests. It has boasted of underground facilities across the country as well as along the southern coast near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Iran claims to have missiles that can travel 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), placing much of the Middle East, including Israel, within range.

4:01 am

Cars and houses in Sydney vandalized with antisemitic graffiti in latest incident targeting Jews

Cars and houses in Sydney have been daubed in antisemitic graffiti, police said early Sunday, the latest in a string of incidents targeting Jews in Australia’s biggest city.

The spate of attacks in recent months has alarmed the country’s Jewish community, drawn criticism from Israel and placed pressure on the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who faces re-election in polls that must be held by May.

In the latest incident, police say that vehicles and residences were damaged with antisemitic graffiti in Sydney’s east, an area with a significant Jewish community, overnight.

“Crime scenes have been established,” police say in a statement, a day after they doubled to 40 the number of officers in a special task force set up in December to target antisemitic crime in the country’s most populous state of New South Wales.

David Ossip, president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, says in the attack “cars and homes were defaced with hate speech for the sole purpose of intimidating and terrorizing the Jewish community and destabilizing Sydney’s social harmony.”

On Thursday, antisemitic graffiti was sprayed on three sites including Mount Sinai College in the city’s east, one of almost a dozen incidents in the city of around 5 million in recent months that police say appeared to be coordinated.

Police said on Wednesday they found explosives in a caravan, or trailer, in Sydney that could have created a blast wave of 40 meters (130 feet), and may have been intended for a mass casualty attack on Jews.

Another bad night in Sydney. More antisemitic vandalism in Kingsford and a petrol can found in a vehicle in Rose Bay after a police pursuit. Further evidence of a situation out of control. pic.twitter.com/bVTIFw8f3O

— Alex Ryvchin (@AlexRyvchin) February 1, 2025

2:59 am

Biden welcomes Keith Siegel’s release from Gaza, hopes remaining hostages will be freed soon

Former US president Joe Biden welcomes the release of American-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel from Hamas captivity, and says he is looking forward to the rest of the hostages “being reunited with their families soon.”

“I can only imagine the relief and joy that Keith’s family must be feeling today,” Biden writes on X, recalling the frequent meetings between himself, members of his administration and Siegel’s family as they advocated for his release.

“I was continuously inspired by their strength and resilience as they did everything in their power to ensure he was not forgotten,” Biden adds. “My thoughts and prayers are with them and with all the families of the hostages today, all of whom have suffered so much.”

I join Americans, Israelis, and people around the world in welcoming home Keith Siegel, an American held hostage by Hamas for 484 days, as part of the ceasefire deal my team and I negotiated. I look forward to the remaining hostages, including additional Americans, being reunited…

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 2, 2025

12:37 am

White House: Trump’s tariffs on Canada, China, Mexico to come into effect Tuesday