July 14: Trump backtracks from proposal to charge 20% toll for securing Strait of Hormuz

Spain defeats France 2-0 to reach World Cup final

Spain beats favorites France 2-0 to reach the World Cup final thanks to a penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a goal from Pedro Porro.

The European champions will face the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between England and Argentina in the final as they try to win the World Cup for a second time.

US supporting efforts to revive Iraq-Syria crude oil pipeline, US official says

The United States is supporting efforts by Iraq and Syria to reconstruct a crude oil pipeline between the two countries, a State Department official says.

The US expects American companies to play a role in advancing the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the pipeline, which could help oil producers avoid the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran, the official adds.

Lionel Messi latest subject of antisemitic theories, says monitoring group

Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, July 7, 2026. (AP/Mike Stewart)

Soccer icon Lionel Messi has become the latest target of online antisemitic conspiracy theories linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to CyberWell, a nonprofit that monitors and reports antisemitism on social media.

The organization says it identified dozens of World Cup-related posts across Meta platforms and X in English, Arabic and French during the final week of June, with users falsely claiming the football star is Jewish, controlled by Jews or benefiting from alleged Jewish influence over FIFA and the tournament. His career has intersected with Jewish and Israeli culture several times over the years.

The posts form part of a broader wave of antisemitic content exploiting the World Cup’s global audience, alongside longstanding conspiracy theories alleging that Jews secretly control FIFA, governments, the media and world events, CyberWell says.

Many of the posts about Messi invoke the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the notorious antisemitic forgery that falsely claims Jews manipulate world affairs.

CyberWell said numerous Arabic-language posts cite the text to argue that sports and entertainment are used to distract the public while concealing alleged Jewish control over global events.

“The World Cup commands a global stage of billions, and that visibility is exploited by those seeking to spread antisemitic conspiracy theories,” says CyberWell founder and CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor.

The nonprofit says it has contacted Meta, TikTok, YouTube and other platforms, and urged them to improve measures to identify coded antisemitic narratives in content.

Renewed US naval blockade of Iran goes into effect, says military

Three boys play in the shallow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, as a plume of smoke rises from an explosion in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, July 13, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

The US military says it has reimposed its blockade of Iranian ports in response to Iran’s attacks on commercial ships on the Strait of Hormuz, as the interim ceasefire deal unravels and concerns grow about a return to all-out war.

The US first imposed the blockade in mid-April and then lifted it in mid-June, a day after the signing of the interim deal aimed at permanently ending the war. The deal set a 60-day timeline to also negotiate an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, but talks have stalled as fighting over the strait has intensified and both Washington and Tehran have indicated that they view the MOU signed last month as no longer binding.

The US military said yesterday that it will “resume blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on July 14 at 4 p.m. ET.”

CENTCOM said it will “enforce the blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas” while enabling other ships to freely transit through the area.

Iran reported fresh strikes tonight on its Gulf island of Qeshm in the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway, after Iran hit two ships in Omani waters in the strait, killing a crew member, and also struck sites in several Gulf countries.

US issues new Iran-related sanctions and a general license

The United States issues new Iran-related sanctions and a general license, according to details posted to the Treasury Department’s website.

The sanctions target several individuals, entities and vessels, while the general license allows wind down activities, limited safety and environmental transactions, and the offloading of cargo involving certain persons or vessels blocked on July 14, the Treasury Department said.

Iran deputy FM says renewed US blockade ‘dismantles’ truce deal

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazeem Gharibabadi adresses the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, on February 23, 2026. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Iran warns that the announced resumption of the US naval blockade of its ports has wrecked a deal struck with Washington to pause the conflict to allow peace talks.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says US President Donald Trump’s decision to renew the blockade “has, in a way, dismantled the Islamabad memorandum.”

CENTCOM confirms fresh strikes on Iran as US prepares to resume naval blockade

The American military confirms launching fresh strikes against Iran for the fourth consecutive night.

In a statement, the US Central Command says the strikes are aimed at “degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”

“The strikes are taking place as American forces prepare to resume the naval blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas,” CENTCOM adds.

The US naval blockade of Iran will take effect at 4 p.m. ET (11 p.m. Israel time or 11:30 p.m. Iran time).

Kuwait says Iranian attacks hit navy vessel, injuring four troops

Kuwait’s military says that one of its navy vessels was targeted in what it described as Iranian attacks, injuring four armed forces personnel.

The injured personnel received medical treatment and are in stable condition, Kuwait’s army says in a statement.

Kuwait’s armed forces detected and intercepted one ballistic missile, five cruise missiles and 33 drones in today’s attacks, which targeted several vital and civilian facilities, with debris causing material damage.

Iran will exercise sovereignty over Strait of Hormuz at any cost, says deputy FM

Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, June 16, 2026. (AP)

The Strait of Hormuz is part of Iran’s national security and it will exercise its sovereignty over it what ever that costs, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says in interview with state TV.

Tehran currently has no commitments when it comes to the Islamabad MoU signed with the United States, he adds.

Iran: Not a ‘single drop’ of oil or gas will depart region if US continues ‘evil actions’

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) says that as long as US “evil actions” continue in the region, “not a single drop of oil and gas” will be exported from the region, Iranian state media reports.

IRGC also says US “aggressions” will have no result other than to delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, adding that their attacks on what it described as US facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain came in response to US attacks on Iran.

Maritime group says 2 killed in strikes on ships in Strait of Hormuz

The death toll from strikes on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz today rises to two, according to the International Maritime Organization, after Iran was accused of hitting two ships in Omani waters.

“We are gravely concerned by the latest attacks on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz reported since last night, which have claimed the lives of at least two seafarers and injured several others,” the IMO says, as New Delhi summons an Iranian diplomat over the death of an Indian crew member.

US carries out further Iran strikes to eliminate ’emerging threats,’ says official

US forces carried out additional strikes on military targets in Iran earlier today to eliminate “emerging threats,” a US official tells Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official declines to offer further details except to say that there were only a few additional strikes.

The US carried out a large wave of attacks on July 13 against coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities in locations across Iran, including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas, the US military said.

Top Democrat in US House says he won’t support bill to cut off US aid to Israel

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, speaks during the unveiling of the Congressional Time Capsule at the Capitol, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tells fellow Democrats that he will vote against an amendment that aims to cut off US aid to Israel.

While the amendment to the fiscal 2027 spending bill for the State Department and overseas programs is certain to fail given overwhelming Republican support, it is being seen as another bellwether of the Democratic Party’s rapidly waning support for Israel.

A vote on the legislation could be held as early as tomorrow.

In explaining why he can’t support the amendment, the moderate Jeffries faults it as “overly broad in that it prohibits or would limit the use of funds for longstanding initiatives related to humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building and US Embassy operations.”

He argues in a letter to colleagues that the amendment submitted by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie would “restrict our country’s ability to confront Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations in the region who are sworn enemies of both the United States and Israel.”

However, Jeffries says that House leadership will not whip members to join him in opposing the amendment because there are “good faith reasons that will result in Members voting in a variety of different ways.”

Moreover, Jeffries says a “major reset” in US-Israel ties is needed due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s policies over the years.

Far-right lawmaker films himself smashing sign of PA-backed school in East Jerusalem

Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot films himself smashing the sign of a Palestinian school in the Old City of Jerusalem on July 14, 2026. (Screen capture/X)

Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot, who chairs the Knesset’s Education Committee, films himself smashing the sign of a Palestinian school in the Old City of Jerusalem, pledging to shut down the institution for using a Palestinian Authority curriculum.

Sukkot holds up what he claims is a textbook from the Islamic Orphanage Secondary School and points to the Palestinian flag on its cover, claiming that it’s a flag of a “non-existent country.”

Sukkot pledges to close down the school, though, it’s unclear whether he has the authority to do so, especially given that the Knesset is going into its final recess in the coming days before elections.

יו"ר ועדת החינוך צבי סוכות החליט לנפץ שלט כניסה של בית ספר פלסטיני ברובע המוסלמי בירושלים@GLZRadio pic.twitter.com/IkX1KpBwTt

— נועם נקש || Noam Nakash (@nakash_noam) July 14, 2026

Man arrested in string of shootings and grenade attacks on sushi restaurants

A view of a Japanika restaurant branch owned by businessman Barak Abramov that was damaged in a shooting in Herzliya, July 14, 2026. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

Police announce the arrest of a man suspected in a string of recent shootings and grenade blasts targeting business owners in central Israel, including a number of branches of the Japanika sushi chain.

The suspect, a resident of Tel Aviv in his 40s, underwent interrogation by police investigators and will be brought tomorrow to the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court for a remand hearing.

Additional arrests are expected, police say.

Last night, a man was lightly injured in a grenade attack in south Tel Aviv, one of two blasts that occurred within a short time of each other in the area.

At least eight grenade attacks were reported across the country overnight, Channel 12 reported this morning. According to the Hebrew outlet, the wave of violence is linked to an escalating conflict between the Jarushi and Musli crime families.

US said to voice frustration after Israel halts additional fuel tanker landings in Ben Gurion Airport

A US Air Force aircraft takes off from the Ben Gurion International Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, on May 24, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

Senior US Central Command (CENTCOM) officials have voiced frustration to the IDF and Israel’s defense establishment after Transportation Minister Miri Regev ordered a temporary halt to additional US aerial refueling aircraft landing at Ben Gurion Airport, the Ynet news site reports.

According to the report, US officials argue that the decision undermines the operational needs of American forces amid rising tensions with Iran, stressing that the tankers are a critical component of Washington’s regional deterrence and defense posture.

“The American request is justified,” a senior IDF official tells Ynet. “The refueling aircraft are a strategic asset for the United States in the region and an integral part of the joint preparations against Iran. From an operational standpoint, it is important that they be able to operate under the conditions set by the Americans.”

The dispute comes after four additional US refueling aircraft landed in Israel overnight, bringing the number parked at Ben Gurion Airport to 33. Regev subsequently instructed officials not to approve any further tanker landings beyond those already at the airport, with the Transportation Ministry saying the move is intended to minimize disruption to civilian air travel during the busy summer season.

According to the ministry, Israel and the US had previously agreed to cap the number of American refueling aircraft parked at Ben Gurion at 20, with Regev arguing that additional aircraft should instead use military airfields throughout Israel.

However, the US reportedly prefers Ben Gurion because of its well-equipped infrastructure and central location near hotels and other amenities.

Israeli officials insist there is “no crisis” between the two allies in light of the disagreement, saying the Transportation Ministry had informed the Defense Ministry of the decision, which addressed the issue with US officials.

According to a separate report by Channel 12 news, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke with US officials regarding the issue.

Netanyahu: Multiple countries are quietly expanding ties with Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a state memorial ceremony for Ze'ev Jabotinsky, July 14, 2026. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

More countries are quietly looking to expand relations with Israel, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the state memorial ceremony for Revisionist Zionist thinker Ze’ev Jabotinsky.

“Thanks to the steady cultivation of our strength, multiple countries seek our partnership,” says Netanyahu. “This cooperation is growing, not in the spotlight, but it is taking place — not with one country, but with more than one or two. It also opens future possibilities for normalization and peace.”

While expressing gratitude to the US for its assistance, he stresses that Israel “must possess an independent weapons-production capability.”

Netanyahu points at the IDF presence in enemy territory as a key accomplishment of the post-October 7 wars.

“There is no longer any containment of threats,” he says. “There are no longer terror armies on our borders. We have created buffer zones deep inside neighboring territories. The Gaza envelope is inside Gaza. The Lebanon envelope is inside Lebanon. The Golan envelope is inside Syria.”

He repeats his pledge that as long as he is in office, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu also again warns Iran not to attack Israel: “I say this to the tyrants in Iran — do not misjudge us. If we are attacked, we will respond with force. But it will not be a rerun. It will be a different level — far more powerful.”

All UTJ and Shas MKs proudly disclose conflict of interest in vote on draft dodger law

Defense Minister Israel Katz attends a plenum session and a vote on a bill to freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders at the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism and Shas parties issued a pair of provocative statements this evening announcing conflicts of interest among their lawmakers before the Knesset voted to pass a law temporarily banning the arrests of Haredi draft dodgers.

The disclosure was read aloud in the plenum at the behest of Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik, who earlier said lawmakers with close relatives who stand to benefit from the legislation must publicly declare their conflict of interest before voting.

The wording of the twin statements, signed by all 18 lawmakers from both parties, sparked vocal protest from the law’s opponents when Knesset Speaker Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) read them aloud.

In the name of the lawmakers, the letter discloses that “among tens of thousands of Torah scholars, we too, by the grace of God, have children and grandchildren over the age of 18 who serve as the Tribe of Levi, and we are proud of them.”

“As such, it is possible that the provisions of the present bill could have an impact on them,” the letter continues.

The lawmakers’ reference to the biblical Tribe of Levi is an analogy often used by supporters of Haredi non-enlistment, likening yeshiva students who avoid army conscription to the Levites, who in Jewish tradition dedicated their time to religious rather than material matters.

The controversial law passed tonight grants tens of thousands of Haredi draft evaders immunity from arrest until November 30, and extends that protection to those who become eligible for military service after it takes effect, effectively eliminating the threat of arrest and making it easier to refuse to enlist during that period.

It also suspends ongoing criminal proceedings against those already facing enforcement measures.

Report: Before joining another Netanyahu coalition, Haredim to demand permanent IDF exemption law

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri gestures as MKs vote on a law banning the arrests of Haredi draft dodgers, in the Knesset, July 14, 2026 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Following today’s passage of the law temporarily banning the arrest and prosecution of Haredi draft dodgers, ultra-Orthodox politicians in the Knesset tell reporters that their “rift” with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is over.

One senior member of a Haredi party tells Channel 12, however, that, after the October election, if the results go their way, the Haredi parties will demand legislation permanently exempting all ultra-Orthodox men from military service, and that they will insist this legislation be passed before formally joining another Netanyahu-led coalition. (Most ultra-Orthodox young men do not do military or national service, but this is not enshrined in law.)

“Netanyahu proved today that we are a single [political] bloc, but that is not enough,” the unnamed senior Haredi politician is quoted as saying. “After the elections, we will demand an IDF draft law permanently [exempting Haredim from IDF service], before we establish a government. We’ve learned how to work with him.”

Channel 12 quotes unnamed military sources lamenting that, with today’s law, the IDF now has no leverage to get Haredim to serve, even as it urgently needs thousands more combat soldiers, and that it will now also have to free several dozen Haredi draft dodgers from military jails.

Air raid sirens sound in Bahrain, says interior ministry

Air raid sirens sound in Bahrain, the interior ministry says, after Manama announced it had intercepted several Iranian attacks earlier in the day.

“The siren has been sounded… Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” the interior ministry says in a statement posted on social media.

Trump said to urge Netanyahu to withdraw IDF troops from Syria, Lebanon in recent call

US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in the Oval Office of the White House, July 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

US President Donald Trump urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call last Thursday to begin withdrawing IDF troops from southern Syria and Lebanon, Barak Ravid of Channel 12 and Axios reports, citing American and Israeli officials.

According to the report, Trump warned that Israel’s military presence in Syrian territory is creating tensions that could lead to an escalation, telling Netanyahu, “They don’t want you there. You should redeploy.” He reportedly made a similar request regarding Lebanon.

The Prime Minister’s Office said last week that during the call, Netanyahu stressed “the need for security zones along Israel’s borders,” while the White House declined to comment on the substance of the report but highlighted Trump’s “strong relationship” with Netanyahu and described the US president as “a fighter for peace.”

Last month, Israel agreed to withdraw its forces from two designated “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon as part of ongoing negotiations with Beirut to allow the Lebanese Armed Forces to assume security control in those areas. But two and a half weeks have passed and Israel has yet to pull out from either pilot zone, slowing talks between Jerusalem and Beirut.

IDF: 4 Hamas operatives, including commander, killed in Gaza airstrike

A Hamas commander and several other operatives were killed in an airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip today, the military announces.

The strike in the Jabalia area killed Mohammed Marwan Mohammed Salem, identified by the military as the chief of security in Hamas’s Central Jabalia Battalion.

Palestinian media reported that the strike hit a police station and killed eight people, including the police station chief.

The military says that several more Hamas military wing operatives were killed alongside Salem, including Abd al-Malek Abu al-Jabin, a Nukhba Force operative and chief of investigations in the Hamas-run police; Yaman Mohammed Jibril Ubaid, an operative in the Central Jabalia Battalion; and Ghassan Akram Salama Dakas, an operative in the West Jabalia Battalion and a member of the Hamas police.

The IDF says that recently, the operatives had gathered to advance attacks. “The terrorists were eliminated to remove a threat,” the IDF adds.

צה"ל חיסל את ראש הביטחון הצבאי בגדוד מרכז ג׳באליה ומספר מחבלים נוספים מארגון הטרור חמאס

צה"ל תקף מוקדם יותר היום בצפון רצועת עזה וחיסל את המחבל מחמד מרואן מחמד סאלם, ראש הביטחון הצבאי של גדוד מרכז ג׳באליה בזרוע הצבאית של ארגון הטרור חמאס.

יחד איתו, חוסלו מספר מחבלים נוספים… pic.twitter.com/zFhE74kjl1

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 14, 2026

Trump: Nobody should ‘be able to charge a fee’ for passage in Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in the Oval Office of the White House, July 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

US President Donald Trump says he doesn’t think anybody should be able to charge a fee for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

“I don’t think anybody should be able to charge a fee,” says Trump, who just yesterday had proposed that the United States would charge a 20% transit fee.

“I don’t like the concept of a fee, but at the same time, it’s not fair that we’re protecting this Strait for the entire world,” he says in remarks to reporters.

Trump says he was called by “kings and emirs” and other leaders who suggested an alternate arrangement.

“They said we’d love to do it a different way. We’d love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump also says he thinks Iran and Hezbollah will be added to the Russia sanctions bill currently under consideration by Congress.

Ahmadinejad shown on Iran state TV day after reports he once met with Mossad chief and was to be installed as Iran’s leader

Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, shown on Iranian state TV on July 14, 2026, a day after reports alleged he had met in the past with Israel's Mossad chief as part of a plan to have him installed as Iran's leader. (Social media screenshot)

Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was shown earlier today on Iranian state TV at a memorial event in Tehran for the slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, multiple outlets report, including Israel’s Kan public broadcaster and the opposition Iran International media outlet.

Ahmadinejad was reported by The New York Times yesterday to have met in 2024 with Mossad chief David Barnea as part of a plan to have him installed as Iran’s leader, and to have been taken to a safe house by Mossad operatives on February 28, the day Israeli airstrikes killed Khamenei, before electing to leave that safe house.

He was believed to be in IRGC custody over his ties with Israeli intelligence. Israel’s Haaretz daily also published details of the alleged Mossad-Ahmadinejad interactions.

In the footage shown today, Ahmadinejad looks wan but raises a hand in apparent reassurance to somebody off-camera, smiles and nods.

לאחר שנטען כי הוא נמצא במעצר בית בשל קשריו המתפתחים עם המוסד, היום הופיע הנשיא האיראני לשעבר מחמוד אחמדינז'אד באירוע לזכר המנהיג העליון המחוס, עלי ח'מינאי pic.twitter.com/Th7ptpJklz

— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) July 14, 2026

Earlier today, Ahmadinejad’s office dismissed The New York Times report, calling the allegations “Hollywood-style claims” that were “not worthy of denial.” It accused the newspaper of publishing “fabricated” material. It also denied that Ahmadinejad was under house arrest, saying he was working as usual.

Haredi leaders celebrate law banning arrests of draft dodgers as opposition brands vote historic disgrace

Likud MK Boaz Bismuth (right), Shas chairman Aryeh Deri (left) and Shas MK Yinon Azoulay seen during a plenum session and a vote on a bill to freeze arrests of Haredi draft evaders at the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Haredi leaders celebrate the recently passed law banning the arrests and prosecution of Haredi draft dodgers, effectively freezing most Haredi enlistment, while opposition leaders denounce it as one of the darkest moments in the Knesset’s history.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri hails the legislation as the end of the “persecution” of yeshiva students, declaring that “today the Knesset is telling the ousted attorney general in a clear voice: Enough with the persecution. Enough with the hatred toward Torah students.”

The government attempted to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, but the move was frozen by the High Court.

United Torah Judaism chairman and Degel HaTorah faction leader Moshe Gafni declares: “We promised, and we delivered. After a prolonged struggle, the Knesset today approved the law ending the persecution of Torah students and preventing their arrest.”

Their characterizations of the law stand in stark contrast to those of some coalition lawmakers who have insisted that the measure is merely a temporary freeze on arrests rather than blanket military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.

Opposition leaders, meanwhile, excoriate the coalition for abandoning the IDF in the midst of a multi-front war despite repeated military warnings of a severe manpower shortage.

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot accuses the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly of choosing “to weaken the IDF in the midst of a difficult war” by granting “sweeping approval and encouragement to draft evasion.”

The Democrats party chairman Yair Golan calls the vote “one of the greatest moments of disgrace in the Knesset since the founding of the State of Israel,” accusing the coalition of extending protection to draft dodgers while soldiers and bereaved families bear the cost of the war.

Former prime minister and Together leader Naftali Bennett likewise brands the legislation “a shameful and anti-Zionist moment,” saying the outgoing government is showing “utter contempt for the soldiers, their families and everyone who serves,” while Reservists Party chairman Yoaz Hendel says Religious Zionist and Likud voters were “sold out” by Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who he says “surrendered to political extortion” to preserve their alliance with the ultra-Orthodox parties.

The measure forms part of an agreement between Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties, without whom the prime minister cannot form a government, under which the Haredi factions agreed to back a series of coalition priorities in exchange for this and other legislation shielding draft dodgers before the Knesset dissolves on Friday ahead of the October 27 election.

Houthis claim to shoot down Saudi surveillance drone

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis claim to have shot down a Saudi-operated reconnaissance drone, as hostilities erupted a day earlier between the two sides for the first time in years.

The fighters “succeeded in shooting down an enemy Saudi ‘Wing Loong II’ reconnaissance aircraft while it was carrying out hostile missions at dawn today over Al-Bayda Governorate in the center of the country,” says Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree.

Trump tells Iraqi PM that US forces will leave Iraq by September 30

US President Donald Trump meets with Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in the Oval Office of the White House, July 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

US President Donald Trump says US forces will be leaving Iraq because “we don’t think we need the military there anymore.”

“What we do have is the oil companies are all going in now, and they’re doing partnerships with Iraq,” Trump says during an Oval Office meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who began the meeting by declaring that US forces will complete their withdrawal from his country by September 30.

Blasts heard on Iran’s Gulf island of Qeshm, reports media

Explosions are heard on Iran’s Gulf island of Qeshm, near the Strait of Hormuz, the Fars news agency reports, amid renewed hostilities between the United States and the Islamic Republic.

“Around 6:45 p.m., the sound of several explosions was heard on Qeshm Island,” Fars says. “In recent days, the Masan area of Qeshm has been attacked several times by the American enemy.”

Deputy FM Sharren Haskel resigns from government in protest of draft-dodger law

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel speaks to the media as she announces her resignation at the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel announces she will resign from her position in government after the Knesset passed a law banning the arrest and prosecution of Haredi draft dodgers.

Haskel, who entered the Knesset as a lawmaker for New Hope, a center-right party that later joined the current government, refused to vote with the coalition for the law, which reinforces continued mass non-enlistment among Haredi men for a several-month period.

Announcing her resignation, Haskel says the newly passed legislation “harms national security, [IDF] servicemembers and those who for three years now have been fighting on the frontlines for our sake and the country.”

“I feel that I cannot give backing to a government that harms national security during wartime,” she continues.

The law grants tens of thousands of Haredi draft evaders immunity from arrest until November 30, and extends that protection to those who become eligible for military service after it takes effect, effectively eliminating the threat of arrest and making it easier to refuse to enlist during that period.

It also suspends ongoing criminal proceedings against those already facing enforcement measures.

Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome wrap up for the day, says official

A motorcade delegation arrives on the first day of talks between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations at the US Embassy in Rome on July 14, 2026. (Andreas SOLARO/AFP)

Talks between Israel and Lebanon in Rome have wrapped up for the day, a spokesperson for Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, who is leading Jerusalem’s team in the talks, confirms.

A State Department spokesperson says today’s talks “were productive and held in a positive atmosphere.”

“Both sides are eager to move forward. Today’s conversations will continue tomorrow,” the spokesperson adds.

The sides have been discussing implementation of the first batch of Israeli withdrawals from two pilot zones in southern Lebanon.

Israel agreed to the two withdrawals last month as part of its framework deal with Lebanon brokered by the US, but has dragged its feet on implementation.

Talks will pick up tomorrow for a second and final day of this round.

Trump backtracks from proposal to charge 20% toll for securing Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump waiting to greet Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House, July 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump backtracks from an earlier assertion that Washington would charge a 20% toll for securing the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that the US will instead compensate those costs through investment deals with Gulf countries.

“Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States reimbursement fee with trade and investment deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” Trump writes on Truth Social.

It’s unclear whether Trump’s plan to charge a 20% toll would have ever worked or whether his claim of new investments from Gulf countries will end up being a repackaging of previously pledged investments that have yet to come in in full.

Trump also claims oil is “flowing like never before” out of the Strait of Hormuz, thanks to the US military efforts in the region, adding that a blockade of Iranian ports is now in place.

Kuwait says its army is intercepting ‘hostile’ projectiles

Kuwait said it is intercepting projectiles over its airspace, after Iran ramped up strikes on the Gulf in recent days, as tensions rise with the United States and its allies over the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway.

“The General Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces announces that any explosions are the result of the Air Defense systems intercepting hostile attacks,” the army says in a statement, also referring to “hostile aerial targets” without further details.

Opposition parties also petition High Court against law banning arrests of draft dodgers

The Yesh Atid and Yisrael Beytenu parties both petition the High Court of Justice against a law banning arrests and prosecution of Haredi draft dodgers, effectively freezing most Haredi enlistment, moments after it passed in the Knesset, accusing the coalition of advancing “mass Haredi draft evasion” while “trampling the principle of equality in bearing the burden.”

The petition filed by Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and Yesh Atid members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee argues that “at a time when IDF soldiers and those who serve are carrying the burden, the government is once again spitting in their faces and prioritizing narrow political considerations over the good of the country.”

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman and the party also petition the court, asking it to strike down the law and immediately suspend its implementation. The party argues that the legislation goes beyond regulating the status of yeshiva students and instead grants “criminal immunity” to draft evaders.

“The law freezing the arrest of draft evaders is one of the most disgraceful and reckless laws enacted since the founding of the State of Israel,” Liberman says, accusing it of being fundamentally discriminatory. “If the draft evader is secular or from the Religious Zionist community, he will be arrested and sent to prison. If he is Haredi, the government grants him immunity from arrest.”

The petition comes as United Torah Judaism MK Meir Porush says that any High Court decision striking down the law “will have no legal validity,” calling on the army to immediately release detained yeshiva students and on police not to cooperate in arresting them, or comply with High Court rulings.

He warns that “any other course of action will lead to civil rebellion on a scale never before seen” among Israel’s approximately 1.5 million ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Murdered British ex-minister killed in ‘targeted attack,’ say counterterror police

British MEP’s, including Anne Widdecombe, center, celebrate as they march out of European Parliament with their luggage in Brussels to take the Eurostar train back to Britain, January 31, 2020 (AP/Francisco Seco)

British counterterrorism police say that former government minister Ann Widdecombe, who was found murdered at her home last week, was clearly targeted, adding that officers are still working to establish the motive.

“It is clear that this was a targeted attack. We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation and the motivation that sits behind that attack,” Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Britain’s counter terrorism policing, tells reporters.

Local police arrested a white British man late on Saturday on suspicion of her murder. Counterterrorism officers, who took over the investigation yesterday, have since rearrested him on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Widdecombe, 78, who was a prominent member of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK, was found dead at her home in rural southwest England last Thursday with what police described as “serious injuries.” She resigned from parliament in 2010.

UN rights chief: Return to US-Iran hostilities is huge setback for civilians in region

The United Nations human rights chief says the resumption of hostilities between the United States and Iran is a huge setback for civilians in the region, urging restraint.

“The return to wider hostilities in the Middle East between the US and Iran is a huge setback for civilians in the region and beyond. It undermines peace efforts and deepens instability, with grave risks for human rights across the entire region,” the UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk says in a statement.

Petition filed to High Court against law freezing arrests for Haredi draft dodgers

Protesters supporting the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men into the military block a road in the Haredi city of Bnei Brak, central Israel, clashing with locals, on June 26, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel files a petition to the High Court of Justice against the law passed today freezing arrests of Haredi draft dodgers, and in effect halting ultra-Orthodox enlistment for the next seven months.

“A law that grants draft dodgers immunity from arrest is not the modest, temporary emergency measure it is being portrayed as. Rather, it is an attempt to enshrine in legislation a reality in which the obligation to serve applies only to part of the public — while combat soldiers and reservists continue to shoulder the burden for a third consecutive year,” says the organization announcing the submission of its petition. ‘

“We have now petitioned the High Court of Justice to stop this discriminatory legislation, and we will not stop until one law applies equally to everyone. The time has come for genuine equality in bearing the burden.”

Figures published by the Attorney General’s Office in May showed that at the time there were approximately 72,000 Haredi men liable for arrest for failing to abide by conscription orders.

WATCH: Trump holds Oval Office meeting with Iraqi prime minister

US President Donald Trump is set to begin an Oval Office meeting with new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

Zaidi is expected to face continued pressure from Trump to reign in on Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq.

Knesset passes law banning arrests of Haredi draft dodgers, legitimizing continued mass Haredi non-enlistment

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (foreground) walks past ultra-Orthodox MKs as the Knesset prepares to pass a law banning the arrests of draft dodgers that will effectively freeze ultra-Orthodox enlistment into the IDF for at least the next seven months, July 14, 2026. Netanyahu left the chamber before the vote itself. At center, with hands around his mouth, is UTJ MK Meir Porush. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Knesset votes 58-54 to pass a coalition-backed law temporarily banning the arrest and prosecution of ultra-Orthodox men evading military service, and thereby legitimizing continued mass Haredi non-enlistment. In practice, the measure will halt most Haredi enlistment to the IDF for at least the next few months.

The law grants tens of thousands of Haredi draft evaders immunity from arrest until November 30, and extends that protection to those who become eligible for military service after it takes effect, effectively eliminating the threat of arrest and making it easier to refuse to enlist during that period. It also suspends ongoing criminal proceedings against those already facing enforcement measures.

Yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir called the proposal “inconceivable,” saying it was “clearly and unequivocally inconsistent with the IDF’s needs” and amounted to “providing mass exemptions from prosecution.”

There are roughly 72,000 Haredi men who were liable to arrest until today, according to figures released in May by the attorney general.

The vote followed an overnight coalition standoff after United Torah Judaism chairman Moshe Gafni demanded the legislation be brought to an immediate vote, threatening to block all other coalition bills until it was advanced. The Knesset debate continued overnight and through the day, with opposition filibustering including 1,748 reservations.

Several coalition lawmakers break ranks to oppose the bill, including Religious Zionism MK Moshe Solomon, Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel and former Likud MKs Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz, who recently announced they were leaving the party over the issue.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended part of the debate, drawing cries of “Shame!” and “Leave!” from opposition lawmakers, but left before the vote. Defense Minister Israel Katz’s vote in favor likewise prompted chants of “Shame!” from the opposition.

Netanyahu was branded a “traitor” by an opposition MK when his name was called in his absence.

Opposition leaders continued lobbying coalition lawmakers until the final moments before the vote. According to Channel 12, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman texted several Likud MKs: “You have nothing to lose. For four years you helped Netanyahu survive. Now help the IDF.”

The legislation, championed by the ultra-Orthodox parties, drew fierce opposition from the IDF, reservists, opposition lawmakers and Knesset legal advisers.

Planning Council postpones decision on environmental review overhaul

In the wake of a major protest by environmental and health organizations, the National Planning Council defers a decision on whether to replace the Environmental Protection Ministry’s detailed reports on the environmental impact of major infrastructure projects with a uniform test to be filled in on the instruction of the council’s head.

The proposal to dilute the ministry’s role in the planning of projects in fields such as transportation, water, and mining was included in the Economic Arrangements Bill that accompanied the 2026 state budget. Its backers say it will cut red tape, shorten planning times and give developers more certainty.

Its opponents, among them 40 organizations that appealed to the planning council and the Interior Ministry, maintain that planners need to strike a balance between the requirements of developers and the needs of the environment and public health and quality of life.

The council decides to spend more time trying to reach a compromise on the guidelines for assessing a project’s environmental impact, and to bring these at a later stage to a committee that discusses planning principles.

Czech FM: We’re in talks to buy Israeli air defense systems

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka speaks at a press conference in Tel Aviv, alongside his Israeli counterpart, July 14, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Czech Republic is in talks with Israeli firms to buy a number of air defense systems, says Foreign Minister Petr Macinka.

During a press conference with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Tel Aviv, Macinka says the Czechs are looking at the Spyder, Arrow and other defense systems.

“Regarding the Spyder, yes, we are discussing air defense systems with Israel because these systems are technologically on top,” Macinka says in response to a question from a reporter.

Knesset legal adviser says MKs must disclose conflict of interest before vote on bill freezing Haredi enlistment

UTJ MK Meir Porush attends a plenum session on a bill to freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders at the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik says lawmakers with close relatives who stand to directly benefit from legislation freezing the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders must disclose a potential conflict of interest before participating in today’s debate or vote.

The Haredi-backed bill, currently being debated in the Knesset ahead of a final vote today, would grant tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders immunity from arrest until November 30 and extend that protection to those who become eligible for military service after the law takes effect.

In a letter to MKs ahead of the vote, Afik writes that the bill “raises concern over a conflict of interest, or at the very least the appearance of a conflict of interest” because it would freeze arrests, halt prosecutions and suspend ongoing legal proceedings against draft evaders.

She says any lawmaker with a child or grandchild who has already been issued an arrest warrant for draft evasion or desertion, has been arrested, or is already subject to enforcement or legal proceedings and “intends to participate in the debate or vote on the bill must make a proper disclosure before the vote,” while stressing they may still vote afterward.

She adds that no disclosure is required for MKs whose relatives are draft evaders but have not yet been issued arrest warrants or become subject to legal proceedings.

Group of settler activist girls cross into Lebanon, are returned to Israel by IDF

A group of settler activists, one adult and four minors, crossed the border into Lebanon today, before being escorted back to Israel by the IDF.

According to the military, the group of girls was detected crossing the border by “several meters” near the community of Ghajar, which straddles the border.

“Immediately after the detection, security forces launched searches in the area, and a short while later located the civilians and returned them to Israeli territory,” the IDF says.

They were handed over to the police for further questioning.

The group belongs to the Uri Tzafon Movement, a Religious Zionist organization that calls for settlement in southern Lebanon, in areas it claims belong to the Jewish people.

Netanyahu to Iran’s leaders: We will respond to any attacks on Israel with ‘far more power’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Entebbe hostage rescue, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, July 12, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

As Iran strikes US allies across the Middle East, including neighboring Jordan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns Tehran that Israel will respond overwhelmingly to a strike on its territory.

“We are prepared for every scenario,” he says in a conference in the Negev city of Dimona.

“I have one message for Iran’s leaders: Do not count on there being calm if you attack us,” he continues. “Do not expect a repeat of what happened before, because there will be no repeat. The previous response was powerful enough, but any further attempt to harm us will be met with a different response — far more powerful.”

Israel struck Iranian petrochemical facilities in southwest Iran on June 8 in response to Iranian missile attacks on Israel.

“The days when someone can attack us without paying a heavy price are over,” says Netanyahu. “We proved that in confronting Iran’s axis of evil, and we will continue to act decisively against anyone who harms us. That is how we have acted, and that is how we will continue to act.”

Government announces NIS 1.3 billion toward establishing new West Bank settlements

View of the Israeli settlement of Efrat, in the West Bank, July 31, 2025. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

The government formally announces that NIS 1.3 billion ($431 million) was allocated by the security cabinet last month to fund the establishment of dozens of new West Bank settlements approved by the government over the last three and a half years.

The cabinet decision was formulated by the Prime Minister’s Office, and will be implemented by the Settlements Ministry and the Housing and Construction Ministry.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Settlements Minister Orit Strock and Housing and Construction Minister Haim Katz make the announcement, stating that the funds will be used to establish “pioneer neighborhoods” at the sites of newly approved settlements, which will include prefabricated homes, roads and infrastructure.

החלטה היסטורית להתיישבות: אישרנו 1.3 מיליארד ש״ח להקמת עשרות יישובים חדשים ביהודה ושומרון ????????

יחד עם השרה אורית סטרוק, גיבשנו החלטה שתאפשר להקים את היישובים במהירות באמצעות שכונות חלוץ כבר בימים הקרובים, במקביל להליך פיתוח הקבע של היישוב.

בזמן שאיזנקוט ויאיר גולן מתכננים להרוס… pic.twitter.com/K8z91pMcz6

— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) July 14, 2026

The government has during its tenure approved 103 new West Bank settlements, an unprecedented number in the history of the settlement movement.

The expedited establishment of the settlements will run in parallel to the usual settlement development process, Smotrich says, and appears designed to establish facts on the ground before any potential new government can reverse or stall the establishment of these settlements.

“We are making sure that the decisions we made regarding the legalization and establishment of new settlements in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] do not remain on paper, but are translated into reality on the ground. One after another, we are passing budgetary government resolutions that allocate funding for roads, for infrastructure, and now also for buildings and caravans,” Smotrich says of the new settlement funding.

Sa’ar: Israel ready to ‘move forward’ on 2 Lebanon ‘pilot zones’

Reservists of the 551st Brigade operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo published on July 12, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says he expects ongoing talks in Rome with Lebanon will help implement an agreement on two “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon, referring to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from those areas.

“We are ready to move forward implementing these two pilot zones. I hope and tend to believe that this round of discussions in Rome will promote it,” Saar tells journalists at a press conference in Jerusalem.

Regev: Only 20 US refueling tankers to be allowed at Ben Gurion, rest will land at Air Force bases

A US Air Force aircraft takes off from the Ben Gurion International Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, on May 24, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

Transportation Minister Miri Regev cautions that Israel will not allow more than 20 US refueling tankers to be parked at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.

“Hundreds of thousands of plane tickets were bought by Israelis to fly and enjoy their summer vacation,” says Regev. “We promised that we will enable commercial flights and we will not cancel a single ticket because of American refueling planes.”

“Therefore I have given instructions that we will not allow any US refueling tankers to land at Ben Gurion Airport beyond the agreed number of 20 planes and the remaining planes will land at Air Force bases,” Regev adds.

The directive comes after the Israel Airports Authority warned that unless more US aircraft are removed from the country’s main international air gateway, as many as 50,000 flight tickets could be at risk of cancellation in the coming weeks.

The monthslong presence of US military aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport amid the Iran war has been preventing a full return to normal commercial flight operations, while also driving up operational costs for local airlines.

55 detained Iranian fishermen freed in UAE, Iran embassy says

Fifty-five Iranian fishermen have been freed from custody in the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s embassy there says on its Telegram channel.

The fishermen were detained by the UAE’s coast guard in recent months due to “special conditions” in the region, the embassy adds, in a likely reference to the Iran war. The process to send them home has started, the embassy says.

Norwegian tanker hit off Omani coast; all crew accounted for

A Norwegian tanker was hit by an explosion caused by an unidentified device off the Omani coast in the early hours of the morning, a crisis response company said.

MTI Network says in a statement that shipping company Stolt Tankers reported that approximately 00:40 am local time “its tanker vessel Stolt Magnesium while on passage in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman suffered from an explosion of an unidentified external device,” with a spokesman adding that “fortunately are all safe and accounted for.”

Finance Committee approved budget requests against proper procedure, says legal adviser

Finance Committee chair MK Hanoch Milwidsky leads a committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 9, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset Finance Committee’s legal adviser warns that the committee’s votes last night to approve three budget requests were held in violation of procedure and therefore invalid, Haaretz reports, as the coalition works to fast-track a spate of transfers before the Knesset dissolves Friday ahead of the October 27 election.

In a biting letter to Finance Committee chairman Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky, Shlomit Erlich details the three budget requests from the Finance Ministry that were approved, claiming each is marred by legal deficiencies and therefore must be voted on a second time.

She notes that Milwidsky himself told committee members last night that votes would not be held on the requests, but went forth with them regardless. The about-face angered opposition lawmakers, who left the meeting room in protest.

“Your intentional violation of the committee’s procedure, harming the committee members’ ability to participate time and time again over the past week, their ability to study and delve into the budget transfers, as well as the the legal counsel’s ability to address them, is causing significant harm to the committee’s work,” Erlich tells Milwidsky.

“If you wish to bring the request to a vote, it is necessary to correct the defects that arose as mentioned, and to hold the discussion again,” she writes.

Per the letter, published by Haaretz, the Finance Ministry sent one of the requests, concerning coalition funds, close to 11 p.m. last night. It was voted on and passed, despite a provision requiring all requests be sent a minimum of two days before a vote is held.

The request moreover lacked essential information including a legal opinion, the relevant government decision and details, she claims, concluding that the vote was an “unprecendented departure from the committee procedure.”

She notes that another request to allocate some NIS 970.9 million ($321 million) to the government’s regional grants program, meant to boost cities and localities marked for investment, went above and beyond the NIS 67.6 million ($22 million) provided for in the budget, and had not been subject to a legal review.

The third request, concerning budget allocations to two separate programs totaling NIS 1 million ($300,000) and NIS 400,000 ($133,000) respectively, was approved without her legal review and lacked necessary details, she says.

EU aviation agency warns airlines to avoid UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Gulf of Oman

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recommends that airlines avoid operating within the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and over the waters of the Gulf of Oman, as Iran and the US carries out new attacks.

The latest advisory is valid until July 29, EASA says.

Reports: Major transportation reform dropped from Knesset’s agenda amid protest from Haredi parties

Traffic jam on the Ayalon Highway on Passover eve, April 12, 2025 (Yehoshua Yosef/Flash90)

A massive transportation reform has been dropped from the Knesset’s agenda amid protest from ultra-Orthodox parties, Hebrew-language media reports.

According to the Ynet news site, the proposal would have decentralized powers away from the Transportation Ministry and assigned them to local authorities in the central Dan region, and the Jerusalem and Haifa areas.

The move would allow public transportation to be be adapted to the local population, the Ynet news site reports.

Reports say that Haredi lawmakers blocked the law amid concerns that secular localities could use the reform to promote public transportation on Shabbat, and amid legislative efforts by ultra-Orthodox parties to preserve blanket military service exemptions for Haredi men.

The long-awaited legislation had been expected to bring improvements to public transportation, coordinate times between different modes of transportation, increase cycle paths, and make intercity movement easier by public transportation — all with the aim of reducing traffic jams.

Channel 12 reports that Knesset House Committee chairman Likud MK Ofir Katz removed the legislation from the agenda after Haredi parties demanded that legislation to freeze the arrest of ultra-Orthodox men evading military service be passed before any other bills.

US strikes targeted port city of Bushehr, Iranian state media says

US strikes hit the port city of Bushehr, which hosts a nuclear power plant, local authorities say, as fighting between Tehran and Washington escalates.

“Four points in the city of Bushehr were hit by enemy projectiles at noon (0830 GMT),” deputy provincial governor Ehsan Jahanian is quoted by official news agency IRNA as saying, blaming the attacks on the United States.

It is unclear if the nuclear facility was hit.

ICC prosecutor Khan loses appeal to lift suspension by British lawyers’ regulator

ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan talks before convening the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, has lost an appeal to have his interim suspension lifted by the Bar Standards Board, which regulates British court lawyers, the body says.

The Bar Standards Board says Khan is suspended from practice as a barrister until the board or a disciplinary tribunal has ruled on the claims against him.

Khan was formally suspended from his duties at the ICC after the court’s oversight body found he had engaged in “serious misconduct” over accusations he had an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member.

The 56-year-old has strongly denied the allegations against him.

The ICC has been thrust into crisis by the investigations into Khan — its most prominent official — as well as by US sanctions over the court’s actions, including arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. In addition to the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, Khan also issued arrest warrants for three leaders of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, all of whom were subsequently killed by Israel.

Reports: 7 killed in IDF strike on Hamas police station in northern Gaza

Hamas-affiliated media in Gaza report that seven people were killed in an IDF strike on a Hamas police station in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza.

There is no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.

عاجل … مجزرة جديدة

اللحظات الأولى من المكان المستهدف في مخيم جباليا شمال غزة وارتقاء 7 شهداء من ضباط وعناصر الشرطة الفلسطينية بقصف طائرات الاحتلال pic.twitter.com/xGpHpx7RPN

— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) July 14, 2026

Sa’ar to attend Rubio’s conference on countering ‘transnational far-left terrorism’ in US on Thursday

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar attends a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, December 2, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar plans to travel to Washington to attend a Thursday ministerial summit on countering “the resurgence of transnational far-left terrorism,” hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, an Israeli and an American source tell The Times of Israel.

Ministers from some 60 countries have been invited to the conference, a US State Department official told media outlets last week.

The Israeli official adds that further details regarding Sa’ar’s agenda are not yet finalized. The minister has largely been frozen out of high-level contacts in Washington since he became Israel’s top diplomat nearly two years ago, with US diplomacy efforts led instead by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former top advisor Ron Dermer, and US envoy to Washington Yechiel Leiter.

Trump administration officials have repeatedly called for action against what they see as a rise in political violence carried out or promoted by the far left, particularly after the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and attempted assassinations of US President Donald Trump.

5 explosions heard near Strait of Hormuz’s Bandar Abbas, Iranian state broadcaster says

Iranian state television reports that five explosions were heard around the port city of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, which has been at the center of renewed Iran-US fighting.

“A few minutes ago, five explosions were heard west of Bandar Abbas,” the state broadcaster says, without providing further details.

Katz approves Zamir’s latest IDF appointments, including most senior female pilot ever in air force

Lt. Col. "Gimmel," the next commander of the Ovda Airbase is seen in an undated photo published by the IDF on March 4, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Defense Minister Israel Katz has approved IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir’s latest list of senior military appointments, his office says.

The list announced by Zamir last night included 18 new brigadier generals and one new colonel, as well as nine brigadier generals who were moved to new positions at the same rank.

Among the notable appointments is Col. “Gimmel” — who can only be identified by her rank and first initial in Hebrew — the current commander of the Ovda Airbase, who will be promoted to brigadier general and become the Israeli Air Force’s next attaché to the US.

Gimmel, 42, will become the most senior female pilot in the Israeli Air Force’s history when she is promoted.

Iran slams UK decision to ban IRGC as ‘irresponsible’

The wreckage of burnt ambulances is seen in a car park at Golders Green in London, March 23, 2026, after an arson attack targeting the vehicles, which were run by a Jewish charity. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Iran’s foreign ministry condemns Britain’s decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a security threat, calling the move “unjustified” and “irresponsible.”

The ministry says the IRGC is an official part of Iran’s armed forces and accuses Britain of violating international law by targeting a state institution.

Britain yesterday banned support for the IRGC and a linked group under new powers aimed at preventing foreign states from using proxies for activities such as surveillance and sabotage.

The UK government said a series of arson and vandalism attacks on Jewish sites in Britain were the work of a proxy group backed by Iran.

Mossad plan envisioned Kurds reaching Tehran with Ahmadinejad taking control — report

Channel 13 reveals new details of the aborted Mossad plan to topple the Iranian regime earlier this year, which the spy agency called “Puss in Boots.”

The plan envisioned Israeli strikes on Revolutionary Guard Corps positions along Iran’s border with Iraq, in Iranian Kurdistan.

The strikes were designed to open the door for Kurdish fighters to cross into Iran, according to the report, and push into Kurdish cities in the country’s northwest.

The Mossad expected thousands of young Kurds to join the fighters, turning into a mass movement that could reach Tehran itself. Once that happened, it was thought that a mass protest movement with millions of demonstrators would bring down the regime, according to the report.

The Kurdish offensive was one of the key elements of the plan, which also would see former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ultimately take control of the country.

The New York Times reported yesterday that Israel engaged in a multi-year effort to recruit and re-install Ahmadinejad, in a campaign that included a meeting with then-Mossad chief David Barnea on the sidelines of an academic conference in Hungary,.

At the beginning of the war, Israel and the US did carry out heavy strikes against Iranian security forces – including regime officials, army bases, missile systems, police stations and Basij sites – in the country’s northwest in an effort to ease the Kurds’ path, but leaks to the media, lobbying by Turkey, and wariness among the Kurds themselves led Washington to pull the plug on the idea.

Knesset debates Haredi enlistment freeze ahead of final vote after overnight coalition standoff

UTJ MK Meir Porush attends a plenum session on a bill to freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders at the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset begins debating legislation to freeze the arrest of ultra-Orthodox men evading military service ahead of a final vote later today.

The coalition capitulated to Haredi demands to immediately advance the bill, ending a brief overnight coalition crisis over the bill’s position on the day’s agenda.

The bill grants tens of thousands of Haredi draft evaders immunity from arrest until November 30 and extends that protection to those who become eligible for military service after the law takes effect, effectively eliminating the threat of arrest during that period.

It has drawn fierce opposition from the IDF, reservists, opposition lawmakers, Knesset legal advisers, and much of the public.

Yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the “inconceivable” proposal was “clearly and unequivocally inconsistent with the IDF’s needs.” He also said that the IDF could not and would not be responsible for overseeing the process of “providing mass exemptions from prosecution,” as the bill requires.

While the coalition aims to pass the measure today, it may lack the votes to do so, as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism has not committed to backing the bill amid growing anger among its base over concessions to the ultra-Orthodox on military service.

The debate follows a crisis that erupted shortly after the Knesset approved the controversial Basic Law for Torah Study late last night, when United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni demanded lawmakers immediately advance the arrest-freeze bill and threatened to boycott all other coalition legislation until it was brought to a vote.

Religious Zionism, meanwhile, insisted that legislation backed by its lawmakers, including bills that would gut the powers of the attorney general — one of the few checks on executive power — and expand gender-segregation in academia, take priority on the agenda.

Plenum proceedings were suspended until a compromise was reached, even as Knesset committees advanced other legislation overnight, including Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s media overhaul and the extension of mandatory military service to 32 months, from 30.

The enlistment freeze bill is part of a broader agreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties, under which the Haredi factions agreed to back a series of coalition priorities in exchange for measures aimed at protecting yeshiva students from military service.

The coalition is racing to pass the bills before the Knesset dissolves on Friday ahead of the October 27 election.

Amid escalation with Iran, US freezes removal of refueling tankers from Ben Gurion Airport, putting summer flights at risk

A US Air Force aircraft takes off at the Ben Gurion International Airport, May 24, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

The US has frozen the removal of its refueling tankers from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport amid the mounting escalation with Iran, threatening flight cancellations for tens of thousands of passengers during the peak July travel month, according to the Israel Airports Authority.

The Israel Airports Authority warns that unless additional US aircraft will continue to be removed from the country’s main international air gateway, as many as 50,000 flight tickets could be at risk of cancellation.

Earlier this month, the US begun returning some of its military refueling planes parked at Ben Gurion Airport as tensions seemed to diminish upon the signing of a memorandum of understanding to permanently end the US-Israel war against Iran.

A fleet of about 75 US refuelers and cargo planes has parked at Ben Gurion Airport for long months, as part of the US military buildup in the region prior to the US-Israel war with Iran, which erupted on February 28 and led to the closure of Israel’s airspace. The US refuelers have been crowding out civilian planes at Israel’s main international airport.

Amid escalation with Iran, Trump administration to hold key meetings with Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel today

As the US continues to trade fire with Iran, it continues intensive diplomatic efforts to shape the region.

US President Donald Trump will meet with Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi today at the White House, a Shiite figure he backed after threatening to cut off aid to Baghdad if the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework coalition supported former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. Trump sees Maliki as too close to Tehran.

The issue of Iran is likely to loom large in the discussions. Iraq has been under pressure to disarm a network of Iran-backed militias operating in the country, some of which launched attacks on US bases and diplomatic facilities after the US and Israel launched their war against Iran in February. Officially, the Iraqi government has given non-state armed groups until the end of September to disarm, but some of the most powerful militias have said they have no intention of doing so.

In Rome, two days of US-backed talks between Israel and Lebanon are set to begin, focusing on a pilot program that will see the Lebanese Armed Forces move into areas vacated by the IDF.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at the State Department this afternoon. Jordan has come under repeated missile attack by Iran over the past week.

Sixth round of Israel-Lebanon talks set to begin in Rome

IDF soldiers are seen at a memorial site on the border with Lebanon in northern Israel, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

The sixth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon is slated to begin today in Rome, and to continue tomorrow as well.

This is the first meeting since a framework agreement was signed between the two countries in Washington last month.

The talks are expected to focus on the pilot program that will see the Lebanese Armed Forces move into territory that the IDF withdraws from, with the aim of ensuring that it is clear of Hezbollah weapons.

Israel’s Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter will lead the Israeli delegation.

A US military delegation met with Lebanon’s army in Beirut earlier this week to discuss the implementation of Israel’s withdrawal.

The agreement — rejected by Hezbollah — does not set a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal, and Israeli officials have also vowed that their forces will remain in a “security zone” 10 kilometers (six miles) deep as long as Hezbollah remains armed.

IDF says it opposes request from Hebron shooter Elor Azaria to shorten record: ‘He has not expressed remorse’

Former IDF Sgt. Elor Azaria sits in the courtroom at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on July 30, 2017. (Avshalom Sasoni/Pool/Flash90)

The Israeli military says it does not support a request by former soldier Elor Azaria, convicted of killing an incapacitated Palestinian attacker in 2016, to shorten the duration of his criminal record, saying that he has never expressed remorse for his actions.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa say that “the request should not be granted,” in a letter sent to the defense minister’s office, signed by Zamir’s assistant, Col. Alon Laniado.

“By law, the general rule is that a criminal record shall accompany the convicted individual in accordance with the prescribed timeframes, whereas granting a pardon is the exception, to be applied only under exceptional and weighty circumstances,” the letter reads.

The letter states that Zamir and Bar Kalifa’s position on the matter is based on the opinion of the deputy military advocate general, “who is in charge of applications of this type, and which relies on several considerations, including the fact that the applicant has refrained from expressing remorse and taking responsibility for his actions, even nearly a decade after his conviction in the military court; the absence of new circumstances justifying a change from previous decisions of the president; as well as the absence of concrete personal circumstances of significant weight.”

A formal opinion by the military has not yet been received by the office of President Isaac Herzog.

Herzog’s office confirms it received request to purge criminal record of Hebron shooter Elor Azaria

IDF soldier Elor Azaria, center, who shot dead a wounded Palestinian assailant, arrives at the military court in Tel Aviv on January 31, 2017. (AFP Photo/Jack Guez)

The office of President Isaac Herzog confirms that it has received a request to purge the criminal record of former soldier Elor Azaria, along with an opinion submitted by Defense Minister Israel Katz.

“Elor Azaria has submitted a request to shorten the duration of his criminal record. In accordance with standard procedure, the request was forwarded to the defense establishment in order to obtain the opinions of the relevant officials, including the defense minister and the IDF,” Herzog’s office says.

The president’s office says that, so far, it has only received Katz’s opinion. Katz said earlier that he was asking Herzog to pardon Azaria and erase his criminal record ahead of schedule.

To proceed with handling the request, the president’s office requires opinions from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir, and Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa.

“The Office of the President is awaiting the remaining opinions required to proceed with handling the request. After receiving all opinions, the president will weigh the request responsibly and with due seriousness,” it adds.

The move by Katz comes ahead of the Likud party’s primaries and the upcoming national election. Gadi Eisenkot, whose Yashar party is a main rival to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, was IDF chief at the time of the Hebron shooting, and backed the military’s decision to try Azaria.

China urges US, Iran to restore safe passage through Hormuz as soon as possible

China calls on the United States and Iran to restore safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, as fighting between the two sides reignited over how the strategic waterway should be managed.

“Restoring normal and safe passage through the strait as soon as possible is a shared aspiration of the international community,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian tells a news briefing, adding that Beijing would “make unremitting efforts to help de-escalate” the situation.

Tanker hit by missile in Strait of Hormuz, maritime agency says

A tanker was struck by a missile off the coast of Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency says, as Iran and the United States exchanged fire over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

“UKMTO has received a report of an incident 13NM southeast of Limah, Oman. A tanker has reported being hit by a missile while transiting outbound on the southern route. Authorities are investigating,” the British organization says in a statement.

Iran’s parliament begins work on ‘management of the Strait of Hormuz’ bill

Three boys play in the shallow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, as a plume of smoke rises from an explosion in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, July 13, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

Iran’s parliament has begun work on a bill on the Strait of Hormuz, the head of the security committee says, as fighting flared between Washington and Tehran over the strategic waterway.

“Last night, coinciding with the downing of US drones, the ‘Strategic Action for the Security and Sustainable Progress of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf’ bill was formally introduced in Iran’s Parliament,” Ebrahim Azizi writes on X.

“We remain steadfast in defending our red lines, particularly regarding the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” he adds. “This is the first step; subsequent measures are forthcoming.”

Katz submits pardon request to Herzog for Elor Azaria, convicted of killing bound and wounded Palestinian stabber in 2016

IDF soldier Elor Azaria, right, convicted on the manslaughter of a wounded Palestinian, is embraced by his mother Oshra at the start of his sentencing hearing in a military court in Tel Aviv, February 21, 2017. (AFP/Pool/Jim Hollander)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has submitted a request to the president to give a pardon to Elor Azaria, a former Israeli soldier convicted of killing an incapacitated Palestinian attacker in 2016.

The move by Katz comes ahead of the Likud party’s primaries and the upcoming national election.

“It is unreasonable that after a decade, an outstanding soldier who was convicted of an offense committed during his operational service should continue to pay such a heavy price,” Katz says in a statement.

He says that Azaria’s conviction “sends a negative message to our sons and daughters who are sent to face danger and serve in combat units and dangerous places.”

“There is room to allow Elor to rehabilitate himself and begin a new life,” Katz adds.

Azaria served nine months of an 18-month prison term for killing Abdel-Fattah al-Sharif, a Palestinian who had stabbed an Israeli soldier and had already been shot and subdued 11 minutes earlier, in the West Bank city of Hebron on March 24, 2016. Azaria has always insisted he behaved correctly in the shooting.

The pardon request seeks to shorten the time before Azaria’s criminal record is automatically cleared.

There is no immediate comment from President Isaac Herzog on the matter.

Iran executes two men convicted of links to Islamic State

Iran executed two men convicted of being members of an Islamic State-linked cell and of armed action against the Islamic Republic, the Iranian judiciary’s news outlet Mizan reports.

Mizan says Mohieddin Abdollahi and Hossein Palani were sentenced to death after their convictions were upheld by the Supreme Court, adding that the cell had planned attacks in Iran after operating from the Bamo heights along the Iran-Iraq border.

UK’s chief rabbi slams ‘shameful’ Church of England decision to back document accusing Israel of genocide

Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, addresses the crowd during a 'Vigil for Israel,' opposite the entrance to Downing Street, in London, October 9, 2023. (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

Britain’s chief rabbi slams the “shameful” decision by the Church of England’s legislative body to encourage churches across England to engage with a document produced by Palestinian Christians that accuses Israel of genocide.

“This is a document full of falsehood, which openly rejects dialogue, uses extreme rhetoric to challenge the very existence of Israel and objects to existing peace agreements in the region,” writes Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis on X.

“Though it poses as a route to understanding, Kairos II in fact functions as an egregious barrier to it, reducing one of the world’s most complex conflicts to a single, warped narrative, which can only harm the cause of peace,” says Mirvis.

“This is a sad day for Jewish-Christian relations,” says the UK’s chief rabbi.

The document is titled “Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide” and is also known as Kairos II, after the Palestinian Christian movement Kairos Palestine that produced it.

It describes Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack as a genocide, states that Israel is a “colonial enterprise built on racism,” and says decades of “occupation,” “apartheid” and “settler colonialism” are at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The vote does not adopt the accusations as church doctrine but says the church should hear the documents as “heartfelt expressions of the lived experience of Palestinian Christians” and engage with them in order to better understand the conflict.

After two weeks, Maccabiah Games close with awards ceremony, visit to Western Wall

Maccabiah athletes visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem, July 13th, 2026 (Courtesy/Maccabiah 2026)

The Maccabiah Games concluded last night with a closing ceremony held at Expo Tel Aviv, after 5,000 Jewish athletes from 40 countries participated in the two-week competition widely known as the Jewish Olympics.

During the ceremony, the main awards of the Games were presented, and the Maccabiah torch — lit at the opening ceremony on July 1 — was extinguished in a video presentation by Olympic medalist and Maccabiah ambassador Artem Dolgopyat.

Earlier in the day, about 1,200 Maccabiah participants of various ages celebrated bar and bat mitzvahs at the Western Wall, as part of a special event by the Maccabiah, Keren Kayemet LeIsrael and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

“Beyond sports, there was a real encounter between Diaspora Jews and the State of Israel and the people here,” said Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar. “The athletes return home with memories and experiences and a new connection with the State of Israel.”

New Delhi summons Iranian deputy ambassador over killing of Indian sailor in Hormuz attack

India has summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador over the killing of an Indian seafarer in the Strait of Hormuz, an Indian government official says.

Yesterday, the UAE defense ministry said that two national tankers were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters, killing one Indian crew member and wounding eight , four of them seriously.

Grenade attacks part of escalating feud between Jarushi, Musli crime families

The grenade attacks last night at a number of locations in central Israel, some of them targeting branches of the Japanika sushi chain, are part of an escalating conflict between the Jarushi and Musli crime families, Hebrew-language media reports.

According to reports, there have been around 15 grenade attacks over the past week amid the feud.

The Japanika chain is owned by Barak Abramov, who also owns the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team.

According to the Walla news site, Abramov was initially seen as being close to the Musli family but is now thought to be tied to the Jarushi family.

כבאים מכבים שריפה שפרצה בסניף ג'פניקה בעפולה בעקבות רימון שהושלך למקום, הלילה

צילום: כבאות והצלה לישראל pic.twitter.com/hAjN8q8GKO

— הארץ חדשות (@haaretznewsvid) July 14, 2026

Iran says oil exports continue despite cancellation of US sanctions waivers

Iran’s oil exports are continuing as usual despite the cancellation last week of a 60-day waiver of US oil sanctions, oil minister Mohsen Paknejad says on his official Telegram account.

Paknejad says the oil ministry had maintained mechanisms for years to neutralize the impact of US sanctions and that Iran’s oil exports would face no problems despite the removal of the waivers.

IDF: Hamas commander, 3 other operatives killed in Gaza strikes yesterday

A Hamas commander and three other operatives were killed in separate strikes in the Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces.

One strike in Gaza City killed Osama Naim Hamdi Shamlakh, a commander of a cell in Hamas’s naval force, the IDF says.

The military says Shamlakh worked to rebuild the naval force throughout the war and recently, as well as advance attacks “in the maritime domain.”

A separate strike in northern Gaza killed three armed Hamas gunmen who the military says were advancing attacks on troops.

“The terrorists posed an imminent threat to the troops and were eliminated in precise aerial strikes,” the IDF adds.

צה”ל חיסל מפקד חוליה במערך הימי ושלושה מחבלים חמושים מארגון הטרור חמאס

צה”ל תקף אתמול בעיר עזה וחיסל את המחבל אסאמה נעים חמדי שמלך, ששימש כמפקד חוליה במערך הימי של ארגון הטרור חמאס.

לאורך המלחמה ובתקופה האחרונה, פעל לניסיון שיקום וחיזוק בניין הכוח של המערך הימי של ארגון הטרור… pic.twitter.com/bzuM860mb1

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 14, 2026

Eli Vered Hazan tapped to serve as World Chairman of Keren Hayesod

Israel’s Ambassador to Singapore Eli Vered Hazan has been named to serve as the next World Chairman of Keren Hayesod, according to a statement by the organization.

The decision, which follows an extensive selection process, is subject to formal approvals by various bodies of the World Zionist Organization and Keren Hayesod.

Before serving as Israel’s Ambassador to Singapore, Vered Hazan served as Vice President for Public Diplomacy at the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, playing a key role in strengthening Israel’s international relations and deepening ties with leaders and Jewish communities around the world, Keren Hayesod says in a statement.

“Eli brings exceptional diplomatic experience, a profound commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and a strong record of leadership and professional excellence,” says Bruce Leboff, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Keren Hayesod.

He will succeed Sam Grundwerg, who has led Keren Hayesod over the past eight years.

Established in 1920, Keren Hayesod is a global fundraising organization for Israel that works in partnership with the Jewish Diaspora to support immigration, strengthen disadvantaged communities, and fund key social and educational infrastructure.

Some 100 members of Hasidic cult enter West Bank Palestinian village; 5 detained over vandalism

Around 100 members of an ultra-Orthodox cult, led by convicted sex offender Rabbi Eliezer Berland, entered a Palestinian village in the West Bank overnight.

Police say that some of the men carried out acts of vandalism in Kifl Haris, with vehicles damaged.

According to tradition, the village is the site where the biblical Joshua and Caleb are believed buried.

The Haredi men reportedly entered the village to protest the lack of trips for them to the holy site under military escort.

According to Channel 12, some of the cult members said that Palestinian residents threw stones at them and two were injured, but refused to go to the hospital for fear of being arrested for draft-dodging.

“Most of the guys who were there were deserters, so even when violence broke out, we didn’t want to call the police or Magen David Adom, so as not to get arrested,” one tells the Ynet news site.

Police say that five people aged 16-20 were arrested on suspicion of carrying out acts of vandalism in the village.

הפרגוד: דרמה לילית בכפר כיפל חארס שבשומרון: כ-100 חסידי ברסלב נכנסו הלילה למתחם קברי יהושע בן נון וכלב בן יפונה, במחאה על מגבלות חופש הפולחן במקום ובדרישה לאפשר גישה חופשית וקבועה לציונים הקדושים.

במהלך שהותם בכפר הותקפו החסידים בידי פלסטינים מקומיים, ושניים מהם נפצעו באורח… pic.twitter.com/XUDyyKWAUX

— הפרגוד (@moshepargod) July 14, 2026

آثار اعتداءات المـ'ستوطنين على ممتلكات المواطنين في بلدة كفل حارس شمال غرب سلفيت الليلة الماضية pic.twitter.com/NKnSM84Ewj

— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) July 14, 2026

7 grenade attacks overnight, 2 of them targeting sushi chain, as crime soars nationwide

There were seven grenade attacks overnight, the Ynet news site reports, as crime continues to soar nationwide.

Two of the attacks were in Tel Aviv, with one person lightly injured.

Grenade attacks were then reported in Herzliya and Ness Ziona, causing damage to property but no injuries.

A short time later, two branches of the Japanika sushi chain — in Afula and Netanya — were attacked, before a seventh attack in Rishon Lezion.

Police say some of the attacks appeared to use grenades stolen from the IDF.

There are no reports of arrests.

74-year-old woman shot, seriously wounded in Sulam

A 74-year-old woman is in serious condition after she was shot in the town of Sulam, near Afula, medics say.

She has been transferred to hospital, Magen David Adom says.

Iran’s IRGC says it targeted US air base in Jordan

A US air base in Jordan was targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says in a statement published by Fars News, that also calls on the Jordanian people to dismantle American bases in their country.

“You know very well that not only do we not have any enmity with your country, but we also love you, the noble people, who understand the pain and oppression of the Palestinian people more than any other nation,” the statement says.

Earlier, Jordan said it downed four Iranian missiles that entered its territory. There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Sirens sound for 3rd time in Bahrain; Iran’s IRGC claims to target radar systems in kingdom

Sirens are sounding in Bahrain for the third time today, the kingdom’s interior ministry says.

Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had destroyed a Patriot radar, the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet air control radar and an early warning system in Bahrain.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage from Manama.

Jordan downed 4 Iranian missiles that entered its territory, military source says

Jordan intercepted and downed four Iranian missiles that entered its territory, a military source tells the state news agency.

The source stresses to the outlet that “any attempt to undermine state sovereignty or violate Jordanian airspace will be met with decisive force.”

US military says 5-hour wave of strikes hit Iranian coastal defenses, missile and drone sites

The US military says its forces have completed their latest wave of strikes on Iran.

“During the five-hour mission, US forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping,” US Central Command says. “CENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities.”

“American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” it adds, while releasing video of the strikes.

https://t.co/9ofbRK68gl

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 14, 2026

IRGC also claims missile and drone strikes on Bahrain

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it carried out missile and drone strikes on Bahrain, after the Gulf country urged citizens to take shelter as a siren sounded.

“Several weapons support warehouses, a satellite communications center and the residential building for US forces in Bahrain were targeted,” Iranian state television IRIB quotes the Guards as saying.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claim responsibility for deadly attack on UAE tankers

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims responsibility for a deadly missile attack on a pair of UAE oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the two “offending supertankers” have been hit and disabled after ignoring warnings, turning off navigation systems and attempting to pass through “a mined route.”

The IRGC, in its statement to Iranian media, says the US is “inciting vessels to use an illegal route” and that cooperation with the “aggressor enemy” will result in damage, delays in reopening the strait and a global energy crisis.

Bill extending mandatory military service to 32 months finalized before 2nd and 3rd plenum votes

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee finishes readying legislation extending the period of mandatory military service for Israelis to 32 months, ahead of the final readings it must pass in the Knesset plenum before becoming law.

The bill is being advanced over the objections of the Israel Defense Forces, which advocated for it to again be extended to 36 months for men from the current 30. At the same time, the coalition is pushing through legislation aimed at shielding members of the ultra-Orthodox community from having to serve and preventing them from being punished for not doing so.

Trump says he wants Gulf states to reimburse US for ‘protection’ from Iran

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, July 13, 2026, in Washington, as he signs executive orders (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

US President Donald Trump says he wants the United States to be reimbursed by Gulf countries in the region for working to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing Iranian attacks.

“I want to be reimbursed because we’re protecting a very rich portion of the world. We’re spending money, so… we are going to be reimbursed for protection,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office, singling out Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait as countries that the US has protected.

Many of those Gulf countries have privately faulted the US for launching a war against Iran without coordinating with them and without a plan for what it would do when Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. Those countries have since found themselves bearing the brunt of Iran’s retaliatory strikes.

He speaks about the US “protecting allies… including Israel, including Saudi Arabia, including Qatar, including UAE. We’re protecting all of them, and we’ve done a very effective job.”

Trump is peppered with questions about how long he expects the latest escalation with Iran to drag out, given that he campaigned on avoiding protracted conflicts.

He reiterates that the US is striking Iran hard tonight, but claims that the current round of escalation will end quickly.

Trump says Iran agreed to a deal over the weekend that would have led to deescalation before backing out of the agreement “because they found out there was something in the deal they didn’t like.”

Asked if he thinks that it won’t be possible to reach a settlement with Iran, Trump responds, “I never reached that conclusion. But we’re hitting them very heavy tonight.”

“They’re going to fight for a while… and we’ll see what happens,” he says.

UAE says crew member killed, 8 others hurt in Iran missile attacks on tankers in Hormuz

The UAE defense ministry says that two national tankers have been targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters, killing one Indian crew member and wounding eight others, including four seriously.

The ministry says fires broke out on both tankers but have been brought under control. It condemns the attack as a serious breach of international law and says the UAE retains its full right to respond and take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and security.

‘Imposing a heavy cost’: US military confirms it has launched strikes on Iran for 3rd night in a row

The American military confirms launching strikes in Iran for the third consecutive night, after Tehran fired on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” says the US Central Command on X.

Three settlers detained over racist slurs toward police officers

Police detained three residents of a West Bank settlement on Tuesday for hurling racist slurs at officers trying to locate a suspected violent extremist.

Hebrew outlets report that as officers were leaving a home in Adei Ad, a woman present called one police detective a “kushit” — the feminine form of a Hebrew slur for black people.

She allegedly kept demeaning the investigator even when told to stop.

Another family member, who is under house arrest, called a Border Police officer on the scene “Sudanese” with the intent to humiliate him, according to the reports.

The pair and another individual, whose role in the incident is unclear, were later detained, interrogated and then released from police custody under restrictive conditions.