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The Times of Israel liveblogged Thursday’s events as they unfolded.
Albino wallaby recovered from Tel Aviv apartment after being stolen from northern Israel zoo overnight
An albino wallaby that was stolen from the Gan Garoo Zoo in Beit She'an, later recovered by police in a Tel Aviv apartment on February 5, 2026. (Israel Police)
Police say they rescued a young albino wallaby from a Tel Aviv apartment, after it was stolen from a zoo in northern Israel.
Two suspects broke into the Gan Garoo Zoo, an Australia-themed animal park in the Beit She’an valley, and made off with the joey overnight, taking it to a home in northern Tel Aviv.
After receiving a report of the burglary the next morning, Northern District police raided the apartment to find not only the wallaby but several other exotic animals kept in cages. It is unclear whether these animals were stolen as well.
The wallaby is undergoing medical examinations and is expected to be returned to the zoo, police say.
Officers arrested a suspect in his 60s for interrogation over the heisted kangaroo, but have not yet decided whether to request to keep him in custody.
US Senate committee probes Mamdani for revoking IHRA definition of antisemitism
A US Senate committee announces a probe into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s revocation of the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
Mamdani revoked City Hall’s use of the definition, which covers some forms of criticism of Israel, on his first day in office, as well as an order that barred city agencies from boycotting Israel.
US Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and chair of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, announces a letter to Mamdani over the revocations.
“This definition has long held strong bipartisan support and has been the official policy of the federal government since 2019,” Cassidy says in a statement.
The letter to Mamdani asks how revoking the definition and the anti-boycott order will help to protect Jewish students, if City Hall will adopt a new definition of antisemitism, what tangible actions the Mamdani administration will take to oppose antisemitism in schools, and whether he believes the boycott campaign against Israel is antisemitic.
“It is my job to ensure every student feels safe, and at a time when Jewish students feel scared, I am concerned your actions will only exacerbate their fears,” Cassidy writes in the letter to Mamdani.
Netanyahu releases his answers to state comptroller’s October 7 investigation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes part in a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 5, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu releases the full 55-page document of his answers given to State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman as part of his investigation into the October 7, 2023, attacks.
Earlier today, Netanyahu presented lawmakers with materials he had previously submitted to the state comptroller from the years preceding October 7.
In December, the High Court of Justice ordered the comptroller to freeze his October 7 inquiry, amid petitions claiming that the probe is severely flawed, would taint evidence and the investigative process, and that only a state commission of inquiry could properly investigate the disaster.
Netanyahu repeats his assertion that he believes it is suspicious that the High Court of Justice halted the comptroller’s investigation only six days after Netanyahu sat with Englman on December 25, 2025.
“For nearly two years, the comptroller worked with full freedom of action, without any interference whatsoever from the judicial system or from anyone else,” says Netanyahu in a video statement released by his office.
“But only six days after I submitted this response, the Supreme Court decided to accept the attorney general’s request to immediately stop the comptroller’s work—work that was intended to uncover the truth,” he continues.
“Is this a coincidence? I say one simple thing—judge for yourselves.”
He calls on the court to reverse its order and let the comptroller continue its investigation.
Netanyahu repeats his call for a “democratic and balanced” commission of inquiry into October 7, with half its members chosen by the government and half by the opposition.
White House confirms Witkoff and Kushner will represent US at Iran talks in Oman
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Oman tomorrow for talks with Iran, the White House confirms
“We will see what comes of those. The president is standing by for an update from them,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt says during a press conference.
“Zero nuclear capability is something [US President Donald Trump] been very explicit about, and he wants to see if a deal can be struck,” Leavitt says.
“While these negotiations are taking place, I would remind the Iranian regime that the president has many options at his disposal — aside from diplomacy — as the commander in chief of the most powerful military in the history of the world,” she says.
Muslim countries pushing US and Iran to sign non-aggression pact — diplomats
Several Muslim countries are pushing for the US and Iran to sign a non-aggression pact when the two countries meet for nuclear talks in Oman on Friday, two Mideastern diplomats tell The Times of Israel.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan were slated to take part in the talks, which the US had originally planned to hold in Turkey.
As part of their preparations for those talks, the six countries put together a framework for a potential agreement, which would include a non-aggression pact under which the two sides would agree not to target one another, the two Mideastern diplomats say.
The pact would also cover allies and proxies of the US and Iran, one of the diplomats says, while acknowledging that binding Israel to such an agreement would be difficult.
The framework proposed by the Muslim countries would also cover the nuclear, ballistic missile and proxy groups, the two diplomats say.
But Iran on Wednesday pushed back on holding the talks in Turkey with other countries besides the US, and Washington agreed to move the negotiations to Oman, where only representatives from the two main countries will attend.
As a result, it’s unclear whether the US and Iran will discuss the framework proposed by the six Muslim countries.
However, the two diplomats say they’re still pushing for their proposal to be discussed, and are in touch with both countries about the framework.
US President Donald Trump’s top aides Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are currently in Doha discussing tomorrow’s nuclear talks with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani.
AG: Levin has created a veto for himself over judicial appointments ‘out of thin air’
Justice Minister Yariv Levin (left) speaks at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, January 7, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara at a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting at the Knesset, September 30, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara accuses Justice Minister Yariv Levin of creating a veto for himself over judicial appointments “out of thin air,” and says his refusal to appoint new judges is harming the ability of courts to function, causing them to delay rulings, even in urgent cases, and is therefore harming the public interest.
Levin has refused to convene the Judicial Selection Committee, which he chairs as justice minister, since January 2025, preventing it from deliberating on and appointing judges to magistrates’ and district courts, as well as the Supreme Court.
Levin’s justification is that there is no “broad consensus” on the committee to make appointments, even though the law only requires a simple majority for lower court appointments and seven of nine votes for a Supreme Court appointment.
As a result of Levin’s refusal to convene the committee, there are currently 44 empty judicial positions on various courts around the country, and that number will rise to 65 by the end of 2026, Baharav-Miara tells the High Court of Justice in response to petitions to the court demanding Levin convene the Judicial Selection Committee.
She also notes that a total of 35 new judicial positions will be created under the terms of the 2025 and 2026 budgets, but that those, too, will remain unfilled if Levin continues to refuse to make appointments.
Baharav-Miara says Levin’s stance “grants him and the other coalition members on the committee the right to ‘veto’ the appointment of judges to the magistrate and district courts, despite a massive shortage of judges and the severe and ongoing harm to the functioning of the court system and the interests of the public and litigants.”
She says that this position violates the terms of the law for judicial appointment and its purpose, “and contravenes the public interest which the law comes to serve.”
The attorney general also argues that Levin’s refusal to convene the committee contravenes the High Court’s rulings in 2024 and 2025 that Levin must convene the committee to elect a Supreme Court president, after he refused to do so for 16 months.
“In practice, the minister is using the governmental power and discretion entrusted to him…to create out of thin air an unlimited veto right for himself and the executive branch over the selection of judges, in a manner that contradicts the provisions of the law and case law, and massively harms the functioning of the judicial branch,” writes Baharav-Miara.
She adds that the court’s earlier rulings mean that Levin is therefore legally required to convene the committee within an appropriate amount of time after judicial vacancies open up, hold deliberations on the candidates, and ultimately hold a vote on those candidates to fill the empty seats on the judicial benches.
In March 2025, the coalition passed a law greatly increasing political influence over the selection of judges, although that law only takes effect after the next general election. Levin has made the decision not to convene the Judicial Selection Committee until then.
Palestinian terrorist sentenced to life in prison for 2021 murder of Yehuda Dimentman
Yehuda Dimentman. (Courtesy)
An Israeli military court has sentenced a Palestinian terrorist to life in prison for killing an Israeli civilian in a shooting attack in the West Bank in December 2021.
On December 16, 2021, Muhammad Youssef Jaradat and another attacker — members of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad cell — opened fire on an Israeli car near the Homesh outpost, killing Yehuda Dimentman, 25, and wounding two others.
The pair then fled the scene with a third member of the Islamic Jihad cell to a getaway car, where a fourth accomplice — a minor — was waiting.
The three suspects, along with the minor who acted as a driver, were arrested three days later in the village of Silat al-Harithiya and have been in military custody since.
Jaradat was convicted of “intentionally causing death,” the equivalent of murder in the military legal system, as well as weapon trafficking offenses.
The Samaria Military Court today handed Jaradat a life sentence and ordered him to pay NIS 2 million ($640,000) to Dimentman’s family, as well as additional compensation to the wounded victims of the attack.
The IDF says that the trial of three other suspects in the case is ongoing at the court.
Security cabinet meeting concludes, focus reportedly not on Iran; earlier PM told MKs he doesn’t know what Trump will decide to do
An urgently convened security cabinet meeting has now concluded, and barely touched on Iran, Channel 12 reports. Rather, it mainly featured a briefing on the financial status of the Palestinian Authority and a recap by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of comments he made earlier in the day to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee about failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.
The meeting, which had been scheduled for Sunday but was moved up to today by Netanyahu, came a day before US officials are set to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, fueling speculation that the ministerial discussions would revolve around heightened tensions with Tehran.
Channel 12 reports, however, that Netanyahu did discuss Iran earlier in the day in his closed-door appearance before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, where he said that “there is a buildup of conditions toward a critical mass that could bring about the downfall of the Iranian regime,” but cautioned that he was unsure whether it would be sufficient to bring about that outcome.
Channel 12 reports that Netanyahu also told the committee lawmakers that Israel is prepared to deliver a “harsh blow” against Iran if it is attacked, “much greater” than in last June’s war. He reportedly stressed that coordination with the United States is “as high and as close as possible,” but acknowledged that he does not know what decisions US President Donald Trump will ultimately make.
The TV report adds that sensitive deliberations on Iran have been taking place in smaller security forums, and that Israeli officials remain concerned Washington could ultimately drop demands to address Iran’s ballistic missile program during negotiations.
Report: Police ask woman to file complaint against PMO official for ‘inappropriate conduct’
A woman has been approached by the Israel Police to request that she file a formal complaint against an official within the Prime Minister’s Office for “inappropriate conduct,” Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reports.
It does not identify the nature of the alleged misconduct.
The report comes amid several other open investigations into members of the PMO.
Among the incidents under investigation are the leaking of classified documents to a German tabloid, an alleged attempt at obstruction of justice by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, and a case in which two of Netanyahu’s aides are suspected of taking money to spearhead a public relations campaign to cast Qatar in a positive light amid the war in Gaza.
US-Iran talks in Oman only slated to address nuclear file — report
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff (right) and Jared Kushner wait for the arrival of US President Donald Trump at Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, en route to attend the Club World Cup final soccer match, July 13, 2025. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
The talks between the US and Iran in Oman tomorrow are currently only slated to address Iran’s nuclear program, Channel 12 reports.
US demands pertaining to curbing Iran’s ballistic missile and support for regional proxies are not on the agenda, though, they may come up once the sides are in the room, the network says.
The meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will for the first time also include US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel.
Channel 12 says Kushner’s participation is a signal of the White House’s seriousness and of Washington’s intention to have senior decision-makers at the table.
The meeting comes after a planned round of talks had nearly collapsed yesterday when Iran backed out of prior understandings regarding the location and format of the negotiations.
Channel 12 says that gaps between the sides remain wide, and expectations for a breakthrough tomorrow are low.
Iran is said to be entering the talks in a weakened position following June’s 12-day war and amid a continued American military buildup in the region.
Despite this, Tehran appears to be trying to project strength, and on Thursday published a video of what it said was its newly improved Khormshahr-4 missile, claiming it now carried a 1.5-ton warhead and could travel as far as 2,000 kilometers — meaning it could reach Israel — and hit a target with an accuracy range of 30 meters.
IDF: Suspected Gaza smuggling phenomenon is ‘major risk to state security’
The Israeli military issues its first public comment on the Gaza smuggling case involving the brother of the Shin Bet chief and 14 other suspects.
“The IDF views very gravely the phenomenon of smuggling into the Gaza Strip, which constitutes a major risk to state security. If IDF personnel in the standing army or in reserve service are involved in these activities, the matter is even more severe,” the military says in a statement.
The IDF also says it is unaware of an incident described in today’s indictment against Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, according to which he claimed to have an acquaintance in the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 8200 who could “help ensure that their details would not appear in the system.”
“Following publications regarding the suspicion of involvement of a member of Unit 8200 in the indictment filed with the district court, we note that the IDF is not familiar with the incident in question,” the military says.
Settler activists caught by IDF troops after crossing into Gaza
Settler activists stage a protest on the border with the Gaza Strip, February 5, 2026. (Courtesy of the Nachala movement)
A group of Israeli settler activists who crossed the border into the Gaza Strip were caught by IDF troops and returned to Israel.
The IDF says that the civilians were stopped in the military’s buffer zone inside the Strip, before being brought back to Israel and handed over to the police for further questioning.
The incident comes as hundreds of activists from the ultra-nationalist Nachala settlement organization stage a protest on the Gaza border, which the army says is a closed military zone.
The group says that some of its activists crossed the border into Gaza to plant trees, as part of its attempts to reestablish settlements that were fully evacuated during Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Strip in 2005.
The IDF says that troops and police officers are deployed to the border and working to prevent the protesters from crossing the fence.
“Approaching the barrier area and entering it is dangerous and disrupts the activity of security forces in the area,” the IDF says, adding that it “condemns any activity that diverts the attention of commanders and combat soldiers from defense and counter-terrorism missions.”
The Israeli side of the Gaza border barrier is currently unprotected in some areas, as the IDF is widely deployed deeper within the Strip.
Israeli civilians have on several occasions attempted to enter Gaza since the start of the war, often pro-settlement activists seeking to reclaim Israel’s former communities in the Strip.
IDF says it hit underground Hezbollah weapon storage sites in latest Lebanon airstrikes
Several underground Hezbollah weapon storage sites were hit in a wave of Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon, the IDF says.
According to the IDF, the targeted tunnel shafts were located at Hezbollah sites in the Marjaayoun area of southern Lebanon, near Baalbek in the eastern Beqaa Valley, and in the Hermel area of northern Lebanon.
The military says that in recent months it has identified Hezbollah activity at the sites, which it says “constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
After the strikes, the military says “secondary explosions were identified, indicating the presence of weapons in the area.”
צה"ל תקף פירים ששימשו לאחסון אמצעי לחימה של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במספר מרחבים בלבנון
צה"ל תקף לפני זמן קצר פירים ששימשו לאחסון אמצעי לחימה באתרים צבאיים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במספר מרחבים בלבנון.
לאחר התקיפה זוהו פיצוצי משנה המעידים על הימצאות אמצעי הלחימה במרחב.בחודשים… pic.twitter.com/SibeHYR2ya
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 5, 2026
UN chief taps Israeli professor to serve on global AI panel
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has tapped an Israeli expert to serve on the first global scientific body on Artificial Intelligence.
Ben Gurion University professor Lior Rokach has been selected by Guterres, along with 39 other experts, to serve on the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI tasked with improving international cooperation in the field.
The 40 appointees will begin meeting after being approved by the UN General Assembly.
Netanyahu said to warn Egypt’s military is ‘getting stronger,’ Israel must keep an eye on it
Left: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, January 7, 2024; Right: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Paris, June 23, 2023 (Ronen Zvulun/via AP; /Lewis Joly/AP)
In a closed-door meeting with the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly warned that the Egyptian military has been “getting stronger” and said Israel needed to keep an eye on it to ensure it didn’t go too far.
According to Hebrew media reports, Netanyahu told the committee that “the Egyptian army is getting stronger and we need to monitor it.”
He acknowledged, according to reports, that Israel and Egypt “have a relationship and common interests,” but said nevertheless that Jerusalem “needs to prevent it [the Egyptian army] from becoming too strong.”
Israel has previously accused Egypt of violating the 1979 peace accords by amassing forces close to the border with Israel.
In September 2025, Israel was said to have asked the US to pressure Egypt over its military buildup in the Sinai Peninsula. At the time, Netanyahu reportedly told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Cairo was constructing runways for fighter jets and underground sites that appeared to be designed for storing missiles.
An Egyptian source later confirmed that Egypt was building up its forces in the Sinai Peninsula, but claimed it was doing so to ensure that Palestinians would not be “forcibly uprooted” from Gaza.
A Middle Eastern intelligence source, however, denied there has been any significant change in Egypt’s force posture in the Sinai and said claims to the contrary were “periodically recycled” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to create a rift with Cairo.
Two men shot dead in East Jerusalem’s Shuafat refugee camp
Two Palestinian men have been shot dead in East Jerusalem’s Shuafat refugee camp, in what police say is a crime-related incident.
Paramedics found the two men sprawled out on the street and in critical condition, suffering from severe bullet wounds.
They were rushed to Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus, where they were pronounced dead by medical staff.
Earlier today, three men from the same family were killed in a triple homicide in northern Israel, as crime in Arab society continues to run rampant on the police’s watch, with eight killed over the past two days.
Last year, Arab society saw 252 homicide deaths, the highest toll on record, though only three were East Jerusalem residents. The vast majority of victims were Arab citizens residing in northern and central Israel.
Trump: Iran negotiating with US because ‘they don’t want us to hit them’
US President Donald Trump bows his head during the National Prayer Breakfast, February 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump says Iran is currently negotiating with the US because “they don’t want us to hit them.”
“We have a big fleet going over to Iran,” he reiterates in remarks at a National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.
He goes on to boast about having ended the war in Gaza, claiming he saved “hundreds of thousands of lives.”
“We got back the last dead hostage, and Hamas helped us get it back. It was a big statement. Now, they have to disarm. Some people say they won’t, but they agreed to disarm,” Trump says.
Security cabinet meeting gets underway in Jerusalem
The security cabinet meeting convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is underway in Jerusalem, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
The meeting comes a day before the US and Iran are set to meet for nuclear talks in Oman.
Two more Israelis arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran
Law enforcement arrested two Israeli citizens on suspicion of spying for Iran in exchange for money, police and the Shin Bet announce.
The pair, both men in their 20s, will be indicted in the coming days after a prosecutor’s declaration was filed against them in the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court this afternoon.
Despite the fact that both men reside in Jerusalem, their alleged espionage was investigated by West Bank District police detectives alongside the Shin Bet. They were arrested last month.
There is a gag order in effect regarding the case due to the incident’s severity and concerns about harming state security, police say.
IDF says new wave of airstrikes launched against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
The IDF says it has launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in several areas of Lebanon.
According to Lebanese media, one strike hit an area near the southern Lebanese town of Mahmoudiyeh.
فيديو للغارات الإسرائيلية التي تستهدف مرتفعات منطقة المحمودية جنوبي لبنان الآن pic.twitter.com/EDUXDZEDkb
— Annahar النهار (@Annahar) February 5, 2026
CENTCOM posts new video of USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier ahead of US-Iran talks
Ahead of talks between US and Iranian officials in Oman tomorrow, US Central Command publishes footage of the planes aboard its USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which arrived in the region last week.
“On the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, what looks like a random rush of jets and people is actually a well-orchestrated routine,” reads the caption of the CENTCOM post on X. “Sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are trained to work as a team to launch and recover safely and on time, every time.”
On the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, what looks like a random rush of jets and people is actually a well-orchestrated routine. Sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are trained to work as a team to launch and recover safely and on time, every time. pic.twitter.com/64ubKaG1wC
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 5, 2026
The aircraft carrier was moved to the Arabian Sea as US President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran in response to the regime’s deadly crackdown on protesters.
Self-described Australian Nazi loses appeal against prison sentence for performing banned salute
Jacob Hersant, left, a self-described Nazi, walks from the Melbourne Magistrates Court in, Melbourne, Australia, October 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rod McGuirk)
Self-described Australian Nazi Jacob Hersant has become the first person in Australia sentenced to prison for performing a Nazi salute, after losing his appeal against a one-month prison sentence yesterday.
Hersant, 26, was originally sentenced to prison in October 2024 but filed an appeal, which was heard this week.
On October 27, 2023, Hersant gave the salute and praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in front of news media cameras outside the Victoria County Court, moments after avoiding a prison sentence on a conviction for causing violent disorder.
He gave the gesture six days after the Victoria state government made the Nazi salute illegal. The Federal Parliament passed legislation in December 2023 that outlawed nationwide performing the Nazi salute in public or to publicly display, or trade in, Nazi hate symbols.
According to The Guardian, Hersant argued in his appeal hearing that he did not perform the Nazi salute, but that even if he had, the charge against him was “constitutionally invalid.”
The Victorian County Court overturned his appeal, however, pointing out that he performed the salute outside the courthouse days after the law banning it came into effect in Victoria.
In performing the Nazi salute, the judge said, Hersant showed a disregard for the authority of the court, according to The Guardian.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Netanyahu convening security cabinet ahead of US-Iran nuclear talks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a security cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on December 11, 2025. (Ma’ayan Toaf/GPO)
A day before top US officials meet Iran’s foreign minister in Oman for high-stakes nuclear talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene his security cabinet to discuss the upcoming negotiations.
The Israeli deliberations were originally set to take place on Sunday, but yesterday, Netanyahu decided to move them up to this afternoon.
Yesterday, US President Donald Trump said that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “should be very worried.”
Discussions with Iran need to cover its missile and nuclear programs, its support for terror groups in the region and its treatment of its population, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday.
Iran has only shown willingness to discuss its nuclear program, albeit not on the terms demanded by the US, which wants the Islamic Republic to agree not to enrich uranium on its own territory and export all of its already enriched stockpiles out of the country, leading many to believe that the chance of success in the talks is low.
“At the end of the day, the United States is prepared to engage, and has always been prepared to engage with Iran,” Rubio said. “For talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things, and that includes the range of their ballistic missiles.”
“That includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region. That includes the nuclear program. And that includes the treatment of their own people,” he added.
Lapid says Yesh Atid will demand education portfolio in next government
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid (left) and Yesh Atid MK Meirav Cohen hold a press conference on the rehabilitation of Israel’s education system in Tel Aviv, on February 5, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid announces at a press conference that his Yesh Atid party will demand the education portfolio in any future government, and will appoint MK Meirav Cohen as education minister.
Elections are set to be held by the end of October.
Lapid and Cohen make the announcement during a press conference in Tel Aviv, unveiling their education platform to “resolve Israel’s education crisis.”
“Our schools need to be the best in the world. They must be funded with the understanding that education is the only thing that can ensure a society with shared values and a shared good. To more than 200,000 education workers in Israel: We entrust you with the most precious thing we have in the world. You deserve better conditions,” says Lapid.
“I see this as a life mission. The education system is the foundation for the repair Israel needs. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shift the country from a path of collapse to a path of prosperity,” says Cohen, who previously served as social equality minister under Lapid and Naftali’s Bennett short-lived government in 2021-2022.
The Yesh Atid plan includes allocating NIS 10 billion ($3.2 billion) to raise teachers’ salaries and reduce the average class size to 20 students, below the current average of 27 in elementary school and 30 in high school.
Israel has the second-most crowded classrooms among OECD countries, after Chile, according to a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published in September.
The plan also calls for a complete moratorium on state funding for Haredi educational institutions that do not teach 100% of core curriculum subjects, such as math, science, and English, and for subsidized early childcare for families in which both parents work.
The High Court of Justice is currently hearing petitions filed by Yesh Atid and the Hiddush religious freedom and equality group over the government’s recent transfer of NIS 1 billion ($315 million) to ultra-Orthodox schools, which was implemented without the required deliberations and vote in the Knesset Finance Committee. The High Court since issued an interim order freezing the transfer of funds until a decision is delivered.
Yesh Atid has argued that the transfer is illegal since the ultra-Orthodox schools do not meet their legal obligation to teach the requisite number of hours of core curriculum subjects.
Netanyahu: ‘There were intelligence failures on October 7, but no treason’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes part in a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 5, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Addressing a closed meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly says of October 7 that “there was a serious intelligence failure but there was no treason,” and claims that former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar falsified the protocol of a meeting held on the day of the attack.
When asked about the claims of treason by a committee member — presumably including those propagated by the premier’s son, Yair — Netanyahu says he wants to remove the “cloud of treason” from October 7.
According to Channel 12, Netanyahu insists that nobody thought that Hamas would attack ahead of that day.
The prime minister cites multiple discussions with senior officials, including Bar, former defense minister Benny Gantz and former prime minister Naftali Bennett, which he says show that they also believed Hamas was deterred. It is unclear from the reports when these apparent conversations took place.
Netanyahu also claims that he had wanted to assassinate Hamas leaders in 2014 but was opposed by the security establishment. Last week, the network reported that the premier turned down 11 chances to kill Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, in the months before October 7.
Netanyahu also reportedly claims to lawmakers on the committee that Bar falsified a document from early on the morning of October 7, adding in that he had called to update the premier. Bar stepped down from his position last year after Netanyahu moved to fire him from the role in a bitter dispute that ended up in the High Court.
Yesh Atid lawmakers walk out of the meeting in protest, with the party tweeting that they would “not participate in this media circus, which is intended to evade responsibility and turn the committee into an empty PR show.”
“Netanyahu arrived with pre-prepared messages from his office in a desperate attempt to engineer public perception and rewrite history, but no spin will blur the failure: 2,000 Israelis murdered, communities conquered, children burned, and citizens kidnapped on his watch,” the party tweets. “The faction members will continue to fight against his failed government so that such a debacle never happens again.”
Committee member MK Moshe Tur-Paz from Yesh Atid notes on X that Netanyahu told the committee two months before October 7 that “Hamas is deterred.”
In addition, Netanyahu promises that his government’s bill exempting yeshiva students from military service will soon pass.
Behadrei Haredim reporter Avraham Friend quotes Netanyahu as stating that “the conscription law will pass very soon… together with the law extending service to 36 months.”
IDF says it killed terror operative who threatened troops on Israeli side of ceasefire line
The IDF says it killed a Palestinian terror operative who approached troops near the Gaza ceasefire line in the Strip’s south earlier today.
According to the military, the operative was identified on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line approaching troops of the 188th Armored Brigade, “in a manner that posed an immediate threat.”
“Immediately after the identification, the forces struck and eliminated the terrorist in order to remove the threat,” the army says.
IMF: Israel’s economy expected to strengthen following Gaza truce, but regional conflicts a concern
View of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. October 8, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/FLASH90)
Israel’s economy is expected to strengthen following the Gaza ceasefire, but a resumption of regional conflicts remain a key concern to the growth outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says in a report.
“Israel’s economy has demonstrated notable resilience. Following the Gaza ceasefire, economic activity accelerated markedly, and staff expect growth to firm in the near term,” the IMF says in its initial country report on the Israeli economy. “But there are downside risks, including from potential renewed regional tensions.”
“The conflict’s legacy is substantial: defense spending remains elevated, risk premia are higher, and labor supply is constrained by extended military mobilization and reduced availability of non-Israeli workers,” the IMF cautions.
Following the ceasefire agreement, the IMF says it expects the Israeli economy to grow 4.8 percent in 2026 from 2.9% in 2025, helped by pent-up private consumption and a rebound in investment, and a decline in government consumption.
“Over the medium-term, staff project growth at around 3.5%, down from 4% pre-conflict, reflecting the lingering conflict-related effects—including elevated defense spending and mobilization, higher risk premia, and reduced availability of non-Israeli workers,” the IMF says.
The IMF’s initial country report was presented to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron. The IMF’s detailed annual country report will be published at a later stage.
Germany’s Merz urges Iran to ‘truly enter talks’ with US, says there’s ‘great fear of military escalation’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after a press conference in Doha on February 5, 2026 (Mahmud HAMS / AFP)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urges Iran’s leadership to “truly enter talks” on the eve of their planned negotiations with US envoys, saying there is a “great fear of military escalation in the region.”
Speaking to reporters in the Qatari capital Doha, Merz says Iran has to “stop its nuclear program” and avoid “further military threats” to Israel and other countries in the region.
“Talks will therefore be intensified in the next hours,” Merz says, adding that Germany is “coordinating closely” with the US.
Merz is currently on a three-day visit to the region, where he has met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and will later head to the United Arab Emirates.
Merz also responded to comments from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in which he attacked Merz’s “political naivete and distasteful character,” recalling that Merz had described Israel’s June 2025 attack on Iran’s nuclear and military sites as doing the “dirty work… for all of us.”
Araghchi called Germany an “engine of regression” in a post on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.
“I have seen this tweet and can only say it seems to be a sign of great nervousness and insecurity,” Merz says.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Bennett says Smotrich working with Deri to ‘betray our soldiers’ with Haredi draft exemption law
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a conference in Herzliya on November 19, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett launches a scathing attack on Religious Zionism chairman Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, accusing him and Shas chief Aryeh Deri of “fighting together to pass the evasion law and exerting enormous pressure on the MKs to betray our soldiers.”
In a lengthy post on X, Bennett alleges that this is “only part of the betrayal,” citing claims by reservist organizations that the far-right minister was running an influence operation in support of the bill by way of “the same advertising agency that Smotrich had recently worked with.”
“If Smotrich and his people are indeed behind this campaign (and he does not deny it) — it is a double injustice: both selling out the reservists to Deri, and also using public funds to defame those reservists and their wives, as happened now with the exclusion of Noa Mevorach from the religious Zionist conference in Eilat,” he says.
Mevorach is a member of Partnership for Service, which advocates for Haredi conscription and opposes the government’s bill to exempt Haredi men from military service. She was uninvited from the conference following a report on the pro-government Channel 14 claiming ties between her organization and the anti-government Kaplan protests.
The report was shared online by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, which alleged that Partnership for Service was using its campaign against the bill as cover for an incitement campaign “by left-wing organizations inside the national camp” with the goal of “toppling the right-wing government and establishing a left-wing government together with the Arab parties.”
Smotrich, a former political partner of Bennett, sparred with Shas this week, after the Haredi party yesterday blocked a vote splitting the annual Arrangements Law from a package of economic reforms being pushed by the finance minister in order to protest the lack of speed at which the draft exemption law is advancing.
Starmer apologizes to Epstein victims for believing Mandelson’s ‘lies’ and appointing him US envoy
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech in St Leonards-on-Sea, south east England, on February 5, 2026. ( Peter Nicholls / POOL / AFP)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologizes to the victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for appointing his close friend Peter Mandelson as Britain’s top diplomat to Washington.
“The victims of Epstein have lived with trauma that most of us can barely comprehend,” he says in a speech in the southeastern town of Hastings.
“I am sorry, sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed you. Sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seize 2 foreign-crewed oil tankers in Gulf
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessel watches an American warship in the Strait of Hormuz May 19, 2023. (Jon Gambrell/AP)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have seized two oil tankers with their foreign crews in Gulf waters for “smuggling fuel,” the Tasnim news agency reports.
It is not immediately clear what flags the tankers were carrying nor the nationalities of the crew.
The seizures took place amid heightened tension, as Washington dispatched a naval group to the region after Tehran’s deadly response to anti-government protests and US President Donald Trump’s warning that Tehran must accept a nuclear deal.
Brother of Shin Bet chief indicted for assisting enemy during wartime over Gaza smuggling
Bezalel Zini, brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, suspected of being part of a Gaza smuggling ring is seen on a screen at the District Court in Beeersheba on February 5, 2026 (Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)
State prosecutors indict Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, and two other defendants on charges of trafficking cigarettes into the Gaza Strip as part of a far-reaching smuggling ring.
All three are indicted on charges of assisting the enemy during wartime, fraud and bribery, in addition to offenses under Israel’s counterterrorism laws.
Zini, an IDF reservist who headed logistics for the Uriah Force, which worked to demolish buildings in Gaza, is suspected of abusing his access to the enclave to smuggle 14 crates of cigarettes from Israel into Gaza on three occasions, earning a total of NIS 365,000 (approximately $117,450).
He is indicted in the Beersheba District Court alongside Aviel Ben David, another reservist in the Uriah Force, and Ben David’s acquaintance Amir Dov Halperin, both of whom allegedly smuggled cigarettes into the Strip on five occasions.
A further 13 suspects are expected to be indicted in the coming days.
David Zini is not suspected of any wrongdoing in the case. The case is being investigated by the Israel Police, instead of the Shin Bet, due to the agency chief’s ties to the suspect.
Israel has banned the entry of cigarettes and other tobacco products into Gaza during the war, with officials saying that such products, when smuggled illegally, are sold for high prices on the black market and heavily taxed by Hamas.
Visiting Iron Dome battery, air force chief says military continues to ‘strengthen preparedness’ amid Iran tensions
IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar speaks to reservists at an Iron Dome battery in northern Israel, February 5, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
Visiting a reserve Iron Dome battery in northern Israel, Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar says the military continues to “strengthen preparedness and capabilities in both defense and offense,” amid the ongoing tensions with Iran.
“The air force, and you in particular, are required to continue maintaining a high level of readiness. Every day, we continue to strengthen preparedness and capabilities in both defense and offense,” he says, according to remarks published by the military.
Sharon Stone backs out of LA Israeli Film Festival, citing filming commitments
Sharon Stone arrives at Variety's 2025 Power of Women: Los Angeles event on Oct. 29, 2025, at Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Hollywood actress Sharon Stone canceled a planned appearance at the Los Angeles Israeli Film Festival, days before she was scheduled to present an award, Israeli media reports.
The festival director originally suggested it may have been due to external pressure from anti-Israel activists, but later retracted the claim. Sources in the industry also told The Times of Israel that the claim was untrue.
Stone has a history of supporting Jewish causes.
Stone had been set to attend the opening night of the 37th annual festival to present the Vision Award to Jewish American producer Lawrence Bender.
Five days before the event, she informed organizers that she would no longer be able to attend, the reports say.
Stone cited a filming commitment in Australia as the reason for her cancellation, festival director and CEO Meir “Foggy” Fenigstein tells Channel 12 news.
There is no public comment from Stone on the matter.
Bender instead asked actor and comedian Tiffany Haddish, a personal friend, to step in and present the award on short notice, according to the report.
The festival opened last night in Los Angeles and will run through February 19, showcasing dozens of Israeli films.
Among the opening screenings was “Letter to David,” directed by Tom Shoval, about David Cunio, who was abducted from his home during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack in Israel.
The festival also features works by prominent Israeli filmmakers, including Eran Riklis, who was honored with a cinematic achievement award.
Erdogan says Turkey working to prevent US-Iran tensions sparking regional conflict
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a press conference after the conclusion of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 23, 2025. (Marco Longari / AFP)
President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is doing its utmost to prevent US-Iran tensions dragging the region into new conflict and chaos, and he urged future potential talks between the American and Iranian leaders, his office says.
Speaking to reporters on a return flight from Egypt, Erdogan praises diplomatic efforts by the sides and said leader-level talks would be helpful after lower-level negotiations, according to a transcript of his comments shared by his office.
25 Gazans passed through Rafah Crossing in each direction yesterday, EU official says
Returnees to Gaza are welcomed by relatives after they arrive at Nasser Hospital following the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah Crossing, in Khan Younis, February 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Twenty-five pedestrians went through the Rafah Crossing in each direction yesterday, a European Union official tells The Times of Israel.
The 25 Gazans who crossed into Egypt include patients and their family members, says the official.
It is unclear how many people were refused passage.
Monday was the first day of a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing, a move hailed by Palestinians and international organizations as a milestone in the Gaza ceasefire.
But the number of people who actually cross the border on a daily basis is significantly lower than the number permitted, which was set at 50 per day into the Strip and up to 150 people leaving it and entering Egypt — 50 medical patients, each with up to two companions.
All Gazan Palestinians seeking to enter or leave the Strip are required to receive Egyptian approval, with Egypt sending the names to Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service for clearance.
Israel is supervising the exit of Gazans to Egypt remotely. From a control room, Israeli officers, using facial recognition software, verify that those leaving the Strip are on the list of approved names and open a gate at the crossing to allow them through.
NATO calls for ‘responsibility and restraint’ as last US-Russia nuclear treaty expires
This grab from a handout footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry press service on December 30, 2025, shows what is said is deployment of a Russian Oreshnik hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile system for combat duty at an undisclosed location in Belarus. (Handout / Russian Defense Ministry / AFP)
NATO urges “responsibility and restraint” as the New START treaty between the United States and Russia imposing limits on their nuclear arsenals expires, raising fears of a new arms race.
“Restraint and responsibility in the nuclear domain is crucial to global security,” an official from the US-led military alliance says, on condition of anonymity.
The official says Russia and China are both ramping up their nuclear capabilities and that NATO “will continue to take steps necessary” to ensure its own defenses.
Beit Shemesh man convicted of spying for Iran sentenced to three years in prison
Elimelech Stern, convicted for contact with an Iranian agent, seen after at a court hearing at the Jerusalem District Court, February 5, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Elimelech Stern, a 22-year old ultra-Orthodox yeshiva student from Beit Shemesh convicted of conducting spying missions for Iran, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and a NIS 10,000 fine.
Judge Miriam Lomp of the Jerusalem District Court writes that although his crime was serious, his sentence is relatively moderate since his motivation was to improve his financial situation, and not ideological.
“The crime for which the defendant was convicted is serious and has great potential to harm the security of the state and undermine Israel’s very existence,” writes the judge.
“Contact with a foreign agent does harm to security due to the concern for the transfer of information to the enemy, knowingly or unknowingly, especially when this contact is translated into threats against people in Israel.”
Lomp added, “The severity of the defendant’s crimes is heightened by the fact that he is an Israeli and the country therefore puts its faith in him.”
Stern was found guilty of contact with a foreign agent and conspiring to make threats after he carried out several missions for an Iranian intelligence agent in exchange for money in 2024.
Maxwell email appears to confirm photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Virginia Giuffre is real
An undated handout photo taken at an undisclosed location and released on August 9, 2021, by the United States District County for the Southern District of New York shows (L-R) Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell posing for a photo. (Handout / US District Court - Southern District of New York (SDNY) / AFP)
An email apparently sent by Ghislaine Maxwell appears to confirm that a photo of Britain’s former prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre is real.
The email features in the latest batch of documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that were released by the US Justice Department.
Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, had accused Andrew of sexual assault. The then-prince paid her a multi-million-pound settlement in 2022 without making any admission of guilt.
The former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after his brother King Charles III stripped him of his title, always denied that he ever met Giuffre, claiming that a photograph of him with his arm around her bare midriff was fake.
But another email — written by Epstein’s now imprisoned one-time girlfriend Maxwell — appears to authenticate it.
Apparently referring to Giuffre, whose name is redacted, she writes in a “draft statement” sent to Epstein in 2015 that in 2001 the then 17-year-old “met a number of friends of mine including Prince Andrew” in London.
“A photograph was taken as I imagine she wanted to show it to friends and family,” Maxwell adds.
Ukraine, Russia begin second day of US-mediated talks in UAE
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators begin a second day of US-mediated talks in the United Arab Emirates aimed at ending Moscow’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine.
“The second day of talks in Abu Dhabi has begun. We’re working in the same formats as yesterday: trilateral consultations, group work, and subsequent alignment of positions,” Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov says.
Defense Ministry inks $130m deal with Elbit for ‘advanced technologies’ for Air Force’s heavy choppers
An undated photograph of a Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion heavy transport helicopter, which Israel signed an agreement to purchase from the United States on December 30, 2021. (Lockheed Martin)
The Defense Ministry says it has signed a NIS 400 million ($130 million) deal with Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit for advanced systems for the Israeli Air Force’s future delivery of heavy helicopters.
A first batch of the 12 new Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion choppers are expected to be delivered by the end of this year, following a deal signed in 2021 between Israel and the United States and the manufacturer’s parent company, Lockheed Martin.
The CH-53K King Stallion, known in the IAF as the Pereh, will replace Israel’s aging fleet of CH-53 Sea Stallion choppers, known as the Yasur. The Yasur choppers have been in use for over half a century and have seen a number of maintenance issues in recent years.
As part of preparations for receiving the Pereh helicopters, the ministry says it signed a $130 million deal with Elbit Systems to “integrate advanced Israeli technologies,” including command and control, avionics, electronic warfare, and advanced anti-missile systems on the 12 new choppers.
The new helicopters are “currently in the assembly process at the main production facility in Connecticut,” the ministry says, adding that “upon completion of assembly, the helicopters are expected to move to a dedicated installation and production line established for adapting the American-configuration helicopters to Israeli systems tailored to the operational requirements defined by the Israeli Air Force.”
“The integration of Israeli systems is expected to enhance the cockpit environment, enable flight in challenging conditions, and support the identification of safe landing zones and obstacles,” the ministry adds.
Herzog after triple killing in north: ‘This is a national emergency, a danger to all of society’
President Isaac Herzog attends a ceremony marking the Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat in the Ben Shemen Forest on February 2, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
After three men were shot and killed in the north, President Isaac Herzog says the deadly violence in the Arab community is a “national emergency” that impacts the country’s security.
“Thirty-three people have been murdered in Arab society since the beginning of the year. This is not a ‘sector statistic,’ this is a painful Israeli tragedy,” Herzog says. “It’s time to wake up. The blood spilled on the streets of Arab society is the blood of the country’s citizens, and the rampant crime is a clear and immediate danger to the security of all of Israeli society. Yes, all of it!”
“This is a national emergency. This violence will not stop within the borders of this or that village — it is a disease that gnaws at the foundations of us all. The law enforcement system and the political echelon must join hands,” he says, according to Hebrew media.
Third man dies of wounds sustained in shooting in northern village
The third man shot in Suweid Hamira has died of his wounds.
Two men were declared dead on the scene in the northern village, as violent crime continues to spiral out of control in Arab locales across the country.
Last year was Arab society’s deadliest year on record, with 252 people were killed in violent incidents. Many Arab leaders accuse law enforcement of neglect.
Critics have blamed far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees police, for the worsening situation. Since he took office in 2023, the homicide rate in Arab society doubled and has continued to rise since.
CIA ends publication of popular World Factbook reference tool
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, seated at center, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, standing in back, listen during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The CIA announces that after more than 60 years, it is shuttering the popular World Factbook reference manual.
The announcement posted to the CIA’s website offers no reason for the decision to end the Factbook, but it follows a vow from Director John Ratcliffe to end programs that don’t advance the agency’s core missions.
First launched in 1962 as a printed, classified reference manual for intelligence officers, the Factbook offers a detailed, by-the-numbers picture of foreign nations, their economies, militaries, resources and societies. The Factbook proved so useful that other federal agencies began using it, and within a decade, an unclassified version was released to the public.
After going online in 1997, the Factbook quickly became a popular reference site for journalists, trivia aficionados and the writers of college essays, racking up millions of visits per year.
The White House has moved to cut staffing at the CIA and the National Security Agency early in US President Donald Trump’s second term, forcing the agency to do more with less.
The CIA did not return a message seeking comment about the decision to cease publication of the Factbook.
2 men shot and killed in north, 3rd critically wounded as violent crime continues to rocket in Arab community
Two men were shot and killed in Suweid Hamira in the Lower Galilee region, reports say, as violent crime continues to spiral out of control in Arab locales across the country.
A third man was critically injured and taken to hospital, the Magen David Adom emergency service says.
According to MDA, the deceased two men were found unconscious and with penetrating wounds. Medics declared their deaths on the scene.
Last year was Arab society’s deadliest year on record, with 252 people were killed in violent incidents. Many Arab leaders accuse law enforcement of neglect.
Critics have blamed far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees police, for the worsening situation. Since he took office in 2023, the homicide rate in Arab society doubled and has continued to rise since.
Australian teen indicted for making death threats against Herzog ahead of upcoming visit
President Isaac Herzog attends a ceremony marking the Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat in the Ben Shemen Forest on February 2, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
An Australian teenager has been charged for allegedly making online death threats against President Isaac Herzog, ahead of his upcoming visit to Australia.
The 19-year-old man allegedly made the threats on a social media platform last month “toward a foreign head of state and internationally protected person,” the Australian Federal Police says in a statement.
The offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
Police don’t name the intended target of the alleged threats, but Australian media widely reports they were directed at Herzog. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper also reports the teenager allegedly made threats against US President Donald Trump.
He was refused police bail and will appear before a court in Sydney on Thursday. Police say a mobile phone and equipment for making or using drugs were seized during a search at a home in Sydney on Wednesday.
President Herzog is due to arrive in Australia on Sunday for a five-day visit, following an invitation by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach in December.
He is expected to meet survivors and the families of the victims of the shooting at Sydney’s Bondi beach on December 14 at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, which killed 15 people.
Herzog’s visit has drawn opposition from pro-Palestine groups, with protests planned in major Australian cities.
Cops, IDF probing alleged arson and vandalism by settlers in West Bank Christian town
Police and the IDF are investigating an arson attack and vandalism allegedly perpetrated by settlers early this morning in the West Bank Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh, the Kan public broadcaster reports
Photos published by Palestinian media show a car which has its back charred, along with Hebrew graffiti on a wall reading “revenge” and “Am Yisrael Chai” (the nation of Israel lives).
Kan publishes additional security camera footage, timestamped to about 5 a.m. this morning, showing three masked individuals arriving at, and then fleeing from, the site of the attack.
המשטרה פתחה בחקירת האירוע ותחקור אותו בליווי הצבא. שלושה רעולי פנים תועדו מגיעים למקום במהלך הלילה ובורחים | תיעוד בלעדי @HGoldich pic.twitter.com/c7Utvk0n5w
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 4, 2026
Later Wednesday, settlers also entered the nearby village of Burqa and assaulted a man, according to WAFA, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency.
Footage published by Palestinian media showed six settlers, one of them armed with an IDF standard-issue assault rifle, walking with livestock on a road in the village.
متابعة صحفية| مستـ ـوطنون يهـ.ـاجمون قرية برقا شرق رام الله، ويحــتجزون أحد المزارعين وأغنامه. pic.twitter.com/4rvkFpOBXD
— قناة القدس (@livequds) February 4, 2026
Meanwhile, a woman and her daughter were hospitalized after being assaulted by settlers this afternoon near Nablus in the northern West Bank, WAFA says.
Separately, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reports a 28-year-old man was taken to a hospital after being shot in the leg by the IDF while he was driving a motorcycle in Jenin, also in the northern West Bank.
The IDF does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UN says Islamic State group poses persistent, complex threat
The threat posed by the Islamic State group around the world has grown steadily since mid-2025 and become more complex as the jihadist organization adapts to stay alive, the United Nations says.
Islamic State and groups associated with it are growing in West Africa and the Sahel region while continuing to stage attacks in Iraq and Syria, Alexandre Zouev, an official with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, tells the Security Council.
“In Afghanistan, IS in Khorasan continues to pose one of the most serious threats to the region and beyond,” he says.
Zouev says a shooting rampage against a Jewish Hanukkah event at a beach in Australia in December that left 15 people dead was inspired by IS ideology.
Late last month, the group claimed responsibility for a rare attack on the main airport in Niger. This confirmed its rising power in the Sahel. Days earlier, it claimed an attack on a Chinese restaurant in Kabul that left seven people dead.
Security cabinet set to convene at 4 p.m. Thursday
Israel’s security cabinet is set to convene at 4 p.m. Thursday, according to Hebrew-language media reports.
The relatively short notice given to ministers is unusual.
According to the reports, ministers were not told the subject of the upcoming meeting.
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