July 20: Netanyahu said to denounce settler violence as ‘metastasizing cancer’

Tanker reports being struck by projectile in Strait of Hormuz, says monitor

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency says it has received multiple reports that a tanker had reported over VHF Channel 16 that it had been struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz.

UKMTO says the incident was reported 8 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Limah and that authorities are investigating.

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox protest outside military prison, AG’s house over arrest of yeshiva student

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from the Gur Hasidic dynasty protest outside the Beit Lid Military in central Israel, July 20, 2026. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

A mass gathering of ultra-Orthodox protesters is angrily rallying outside the Beit Lid military prison following the arrest of a Haredi youth who was detained after showing up at an enlistment center to seek an exemption.

תיעוד: מהומה בכניסה לכלא 10 – שם התקבצו המוני חסידי גור במחאה על מעצר עריק@daniel_grovais pic.twitter.com/PL33YeWmvm

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 20, 2026

According to Hebrew media reports, UTJ lawmaker Yitzhak Goldknopf is in attendance at the protest, which is made up largely of youth from the Gur Hasidic dynasty.

Some of the protesters are reportedly trying to break past the gate of the military base where the prison is situated.

Separately, approximately hundreds of Hasidic protesters have gathered outside the home of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in Tel Aviv. They are shouting slogans against the attorney general and clashing with angry passersby.

ברייקינג: בשעת חצות – מאות חסידי גור הגיעו לביתה של היועצת המשפטית לממשלה בתל השומר "וכל קרני רשעים נגדע" pic.twitter.com/ibAqBQwkZD

— יואלי ברים yoeli brim (@yoeli_brim) July 20, 2026

Last week, the Knesset passed a highly controversial bill halting the arrests of Haredi draft dodgers, but the law was almost immediately frozen by the High Court pending a hearing.

Saudi-led coalition in Yemen vows to respond with force to threatened Houthi maritime blockade

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says it will respond to the Houthis’ threats to ships with “force,” after the Iran-aligned group declared a naval blockade on the kingdom.

The coalition says in a statement it has begun to implement safety measures for its ships passing through Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

US military launches another night of strikes on Iran

The American military announces that it has launched another round of strikes on Iran, at the orders of US President Donald Trump.

“The strikes are designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the US Central Command says.

Netanyahu reportedly denounced violent settler extremists as ‘metastasizing cancer’

A restaurant reportedly robbed and burned down by settlers near Nablus, in the West Bank, July 5, 2026. (PA Government Communication Center/X screenshot)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Jewish rioters in the West Bank as a “metastasizing cancer,” during cabinet deliberations in March on a plan to curb violent settler extremism, Channel 13 news reports.

The report says parts of the plan approved by the government have not been revealed for political reasons, with Netanyahu and other unspecified ministers wanting it to remain hidden, while Shin Bet head David Zini and other security officials pushed for it to be publicized.

US official says talks ongoing even as Trump vows to make Iran ‘pay’ for killing American soldiers, violating MOU

A US official indicates that Washington’s strikes against Iran will continue, even as the sides negotiate a resolution to an ongoing dispute regarding control over the Strait of Hormuz.

“Right now, President Trump is focused on making Iran pay for their violations of the MOU and their continued acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz,” says a US official in a statement sent to querying reporters.

“In addition, the president will make Iran pay for the recent deaths of US soldiers. These devastating blows will continue until the president deems otherwise, but talks between our countries are continuing,” the US official adds.

IDF says it’s ‘coordinating and planning’ with US and Lebanese army as part of south Lebanon ‘pilot program’

The IDF says it is conducting “coordination and planning” with the US military and Lebanese Armed Forces as part of the pilot program in southern Lebanon.

“In accordance with the directives from the political echelon, the ‘Safe Zone’ pilot program began today (Monday) in southern Lebanon, in cooperation with the US military (CENTCOM) and the Lebanese Armed Forces,” the IDF says in a statement.

It says that as part of the pilot, “teams from the IDF, the US military, and the Lebanese Armed Forces are conducting coordination and planning for the continued implementation of the agreement.”

The IDF will withdraw and redeploy forces in one of the two pilot zones, in the Zawtar Al-Gharbiya area, to enable the Lebanese army to enter, with a report earlier today saying the pullback will happen tomorrow.

The Israeli military sees the pilot program as a test of sovereignty for the Lebanese Army.

The final process of the pilot has not yet been decided.

In the event of violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah, the IDF says it will work with a US-led coordination cell to resolve them.

Jewish chess legend Judit Polgar declines nomination to be Hungarian president

Judit Polgár attends the 'Queen Of Chess' premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on January 27, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (Dia Dipasupil/ Getty Images/ AFP)

Jewish Hungarian chess legend Judit Polgar says that she will not accept the nomination for president, a day after Prime Minister Peter Magyar said he would ask her to take up the largely ceremonial role.

Electing a new president and drafting a new constitution are key elements ​of Magyar’s plan to dismantle former premier Viktor Orban’s bastions of power, for which Magyar says he received ‌a strong mandate from voters.

Magyar ended the 16-year rule of Orban’s nationalist Fidesz party with a landslide election victory in April.

On Saturday, Hungary’s former president Tamas Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment passed by Magyar’s ruling Tisza party that ended Sulyok’s term as head of state.

Magyar said yesterday that he would ask Polgar, widely regarded as the greatest-ever female chess player, to take up the role of president until a new constitution is passed.

Polgar says today in a Facebook post that she was grateful to be asked.

“However, I do not feel enough strength within me to take on the historic responsibility of uniting a divided nation, so I am unable to accept the request,” she writes.

Polgar, subject of the documentary, “Queen of Chess,” released in February, is the only female player to have been ranked in the world’s top 10 of what is a male-dominated sport.

She is the only woman to have crossed the rating of 2700, the threshold that many consider the definition of a “Super Grandmaster”.

Hungary’s parliament will elect a new president who will be in office until a planned new constitution takes effect, or for a maximum of five years.

Explosive-laden drone downed near Iraqi base housing US forces — sources

An explosive-laden drone has been shot down near Iraq’s al-Harir air base, which houses US forces, security sources tell Reuters.

There is no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the incident that was reported east of Erbil.

Jordan’s military announces downing of 3 Iranian ballistic missiles fired at the kingdom

The Jordanian military says three Iranian ballistic missiles launched at the country this evening were shot down by air defenses.

“The interception and shootdown operation did not result in any casualties or material damage,” the military says in a statement carried by the official Petra news agency.

Iran has targeted Jordan several times in recent days, during an escalation in the conflict with the United States.

Poll shows Eisenkot further strengthening, smaller parties failing to clear threshold without unifying

Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot attends a conference in Tel Aviv on July 12, 2026. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

A new Channel 12 poll released ahead of Israel’s October elections shows Gadi Eisenkot of Yashar further shoring up his position as Israel’s most popular opposition leader, with his party gaining another mandate to rise to 24 seats, maintaining its marginal lead.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud also gains a seat, rising to 23, while Naftali Bennett’s Together party slips to 15 seats.

The poll also highlights the challenge facing several smaller political parties.

In a hypothetical scenario testing parties led by figures including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Ofer Winter, the Yuli Edelstein-Gilad Erdan alliance, the Benny Gantz-Dedi Simchi alliance, and the Yoaz Hendel-Chili Tropper alliance, none of the lists crosses Israel’s 3.25 percent electoral threshold.

Combined, the parties attract 8.4% of the vote – equivalent to roughly 10 Knesset seats – but their support would be lost if they ran independently.

According to the poll, the broader political balance remains largely unchanged, with the opposition bloc reaching 59 seats, two short of a parliamentary majority, while the coalition holds 51 seats. Arab-majority parties account for the remaining 10 seats.

British prosecutors charge man with murdering former politician Ann Widdecombe

Ann Widdecombe, Brexit Party member, is interviewed by Nigel Farage on stage in London, on November 22, 2019. (AP Photo/ Kirsty Wigglesworth)

LONDON — British prosecutors charge a 28-year-old man with murder in the death of former politician and reality TV contestant Ann Widdecombe.

Joshua Kerry has been charged after being held more than a week by police who continue to look into whether the killing had a political or terrorist connection, prosecutors say.

The death of Widdecombe, 78, a former member of parliament, shocked the British political world, where Widdecombe was a prominent voice for decades. She was a blunt-speaking character known for socially conservative views opposing both abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.

Police say they believe Widdecombe was attacked July 8. She failed to appear that afternoon for a scheduled TV interview and was found dead the next day in her isolated rural home in a southwest England village.

Former Hamas hostage says she stabbed captors multiple times to protect husband

Hostage Rimon Buchshtab-Kirscht speaks to her Hamas captor as she is being released to the Red Cross in Gaza, November 28, 2023. (Screenshot via Al Jazeera)

Former Hamas hostage Rimon Buchshtab-Kirscht reveals in an interview with Channel 12 news that she stabbed her captors on multiple occasions during her abduction and captivity.

Buchshtab-Kirscht, who was kidnapped alongside her husband, Yagev Buchshtab, from Kibbutz Nirim during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, says she felt compelled to protect him by any means necessary, “even if it meant attacking a terrorist” or taking beatings in his place.

“If you need to stab a terrorist, you stab a terrorist,” she says.

She recalls stabbing the first terrorist who entered her home on October 7 with a kitchen knife.

On another occasion, she says she stabbed one of her captors with a fork she hid after he entered the room where she and her husband were being held, intending to beat Yagev.

After she stabbed him, the terrorist asked her in English, “You crazy?” Buchshtab-Kirscht replied in Arabic: “No, I’m crazy.”

She adds that she refused to read from a script Hamas operatives handed her while filming a hostage propaganda video alongside fellow hostages Danielle Aloni and Lena Trufanov. She says the refusal was met with a brutal beating that left her with broken teeth.

Buchshtab-Kirscht was 36 when she was abducted by Hamas during its October 7 terror onslaught, and returned to Israel as part of a hostage-prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal that November. Footage showing Buchshtab-Kirscht visibly talking back to a terror operative upon her release went viral.

More than two years after her release, Buchshtab-Kirscht broke her silence earlier this week in her first long-form interview with Ynet news.

Jewish former Labour leader Ed Miliband tapped as new British foreign minister

Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood arrive for a cabinet meeting in London, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/ Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Former Labour party leader Ed Miliband has been appointed the UK’s next foreign minister, while interior minister Shabana Mahmood has been reappointed to her post, new British PM Andy Burnham’s office announces.

After several years in the political wilderness after he resigned his role in 2015, Miliband, the first Jewish leader of Labour, who was energy secretary under Keir Starmer, has staged a gradual political comeback.

Tough-talking Mahmood was reportedly keen to stay in her post as she shepherds through reforms to Britain’s immigration system, aimed at cutting the number of irregular immigrants.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

8-year-old girl seriously wounded by gunfire in northern Arab town

An 8-year-old girl has been seriously injured by gunfire in Deir Hanna, an Arab town in northern Israel.

The girl was brought conscious to a local clinic with several gunshot wounds, according to the Magen David Adom emergency service. She was taken from there to the hospital by medics.

According to initial reports, the perpetrator of the shooting fired inside a house in the city.

Police say they are operating in the city at the scene of the shooting and searching for suspects involved in the shooting. No arrests are reported.

White House insists Qatari-donated Air Force One ‘is perfectly safe’ but will soon get ‘additional upgrades’

The plane newly designated as 'Air Force One' takes off with US President Donald Trump on board. It is a formerly Qatari-owned jumbo jet that was converted into the official US presidential aircraft, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/ Luis M. Alvarez)

The Qatari-donated jet that serves as an Air Force One plane will receive upgrades and enhancements for about a month in autumn, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says.

“The new Air Force One is perfectly safe for the president’s travels, but will receive additional upgrades and enhancements in the fall which will take approximately one month to complete. During that time, the president will fly on the old Air Force One,” Leavitt says in an emailed statement.

Naama Lazimi wins No. 2 spot after Yair Golan on Democrats’ electoral slate

Democrats MK Naama Lazimi at her campaign headquarters on the day of the party’s primary election in Tel Aviv, July 20, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)

The left-wing Democrats party unveils the results of its digital primary, with MK Naama Lazimi winning the top spot in the vote to determine the party’s Knesset slate. Party leader Yair Golan, who was elected in a separate leadership race in 2024, did not participate in today’s vote.

Lazimi is followed by fellow incumbent lawmakers Gilad Kariv and Efrat Rayten, activist Yaya Fink, former Meretz MK Gaby Lasky, anti-government activist and reservist Omri Ronen, former Meretz MK Michal Rozin, anti-government protest leader Moshe Radman, Muslim Arab coexistence advocate Somaya Bashir, and former Air Force general Nimrod Sheffer, who round out the top 10 primary winners.

Twenty candidates were elected from a field of 51 contenders. According to the party, 97,000 of its 112,376 registered members cast ballots, marking a record 86 percent turnout, in what it describes as the first fully online primary in Israeli politics, conducted using a secure digital voting system.

The party is projected to more than double its current four Knesset seats to around 10 in the upcoming October 27 election, according to consistent polling by Hebrew media, including The Times of Israel’s sister site, Zman Yisrael.

“This is democracy at its best — alive, vibrant, and ready for battle. And the team standing behind me here tonight will be the choice on the ballot of more than a million voters,” says Golan at the unveiling of the Knesset slate in Tel Aviv.

“Without strong and influential Democrats in the next government, the entire bloc for change will very quickly slide to the right,” he continues, adding that “this time, we cannot give in, and we have no intention of compromising on our core principles.”

Golan vows that the first act of any government his party joins will be to establish a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, followed by the repeal of “every law tied to the judicial overhaul.”

Reports say 2 killed, 16 wounded in IDF strike on hospital in northern Gaza

Hamas-affiliated media outlets in Gaza report that the IDF struck Al-Yaman Al-Saeed Hospital, a small medical center in the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

According to the reports, two people were killed, including a woman, and 16 others were wounded, among them women and children.

The IDF has not yet commented on the reports.

بينهم أطفال.. شهداء وجرحى جراء قصف الاحتلال مستشفى اليمن السعيد في مخيم جباليا شمال قطاع غزة pic.twitter.com/8wnTjkZ7w9

— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) July 20, 2026

JFNA campaign fundraising up 15% in 2025, with total donations reaching $2.9 billion

Illustrative: A panel discussion at the JFNA General Assembly in Chicago on October 30, 2022. (Jewish Federations of North America)

The Jewish Federations of North America says its annual fundraising campaign surged by 15.4% in fiscal year 2025, the largest year-over-year increase in a decade, bringing in a record $2.9 billion.

Annual campaigns are the federation system’s primary fundraising effort, supporting Jewish education, services for vulnerable people, community security, Israel and emergency relief.

The strong results follow JFNA’s conclusion of an emergency campaign launched after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which raised more than $900 million. Many donors continued giving even after the emergency appeal ended, the umbrella organization says in a statement.

The total number of donors increased 2.7% between 2023 and 2025 to nearly 290,000. The increase was driven largely by existing donors giving more, while new donors were also drawn by efforts to strengthen Jewish security, support Israel, and combat antisemitism, JFNA says.

Report: Israeli defense officials assess Tehran could draw Jerusalem into conflict, as US-Iran fighting continues

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a security consultation amid the escalating US-Iran conflict, with multiple scenarios being discussed — including the possibility that Israel could be drawn into the conflict if Iran chooses to target it, Channel 12 reports.

According to the report, Israeli defense officials told the elected leaders that there is an active debate in Tehran over whether to bring Israel into the line of fire.

Israel is said to be coordinating closely with US Central Command, in the event that the conflict broadens, while the IDF has taken steps in recent days to ensure it can respond rapidly should the situation escalate.

Lebanese army coordinating with US-led commission on deployment to southern town after ‘withdrawal of the Israeli occupation’

The Lebanese army says “coordination is underway” with the US-led trilateral Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L) for the deployment of its forces in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, “following the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from it.”

The LAF warns Lebanese civilians not to head to the town “and to comply with the instructions of the deployed military units to ensure their safety.”

LAF forces, meanwhile, are continuing to carry out patrol missions in Froun and Srifa, towns in one of the two pilot zones as part of the framework agreement with Israel.

Trump warns Iran ‘will pay many times over’ for every US soldier it kills

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he exits Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, after attending the World Cup final soccer match, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/ Jacquelyn Martin)

US President Donald Trump says he has directed the Pentagon to kill “many times” the number of Iranians for every US soldier killed by Tehran.

“Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military,” Trump writes on Truth Social, without elaborating.

The post suggests the sides are heading toward a further escalation, after two US troops were killed in an Iranian attack on Jordan over the weekend.

Last week, the situation appeared to be calming down after Trump praised Iran for releasing a detained American national.

The Trump administration’s messaging has been all over the place, though, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that a deal with Iran is still possible and the White House promoting a June poll that showed a majority of Americans support the memorandum of understanding that both sides have indicated is no longer in place.

Trump in the past has reportedly told advisers he prefers to keep Iran confused about his intentions by making bombastic threats, even if he does not actually plan to carry them out.

Trump vows Netanyahu won’t be arrested while visiting US, as Mamdani is seeking

US President Donald Trump, seated right, meets with New York City then-Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office of the White House on November 21, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP)

US President Donald Trump declares that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”

Trump appears to be responding to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s expressed desire to arrest Netanyahu when he comes to town in September for the UN General Assembly, citing the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against the Israeli premier.

Mamdani, however, does not appear to have the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu. The NYC mayor has said he is holding talks with aides and will do what the law allows.

Trump in a Truth Social post says Netanyahu “is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others.”

“The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, something that should have been dealt with years ago, by previous presidents.”

Over a dozen Western embassies call for changes to Israel’s incarceration policies

The embassies of a dozen Western countries — some allies, some leading critics — call on Israel to change its policies on incarceration for Palestinian prisoners, arguing that Israel is not meeting its responsibilities under international law.

The German, Canadian, Danish, EU, Finnish, French, Irish, Dutch, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, and UK missions release a joint statement lamenting “the extensive use of administrative detention by Israeli authorities without formal charge.”

They also pan Israel for its prisons’ “inadequate food, denial of medical care and systematic abuse. ”

The 12 embassies express deep concern over the health of incarcerated Gazan doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, a colonel in the Hamas terror group.

They call on Israel to “uphold its human rights obligations towards detainees under international law,” including by giving the Red Cross access to its facilities.

IDF to hold pre-planned military drill tomorrow near northern Gaza border

The IDF says it will conduct a pre-planned military drill at Zikim Beach near the northern border with the Gaza Strip tomorrow morning.

The military warns that as part of the military exercise, there will be an increased movement of security forces, vehicles and naval vessels, and sounds of explosions and gunfire will be heard.

IDF says Gaza strike killed Islamic Jihad terrorist who led murder and abduction of Inbar Haiman on Oct. 7

Inbar Haiman was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, from the Supernova desert rave. (Courtesy)

A Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who took part in the attack on the Nova music festival during the October 7, 2023, onslaught was killed in an Israeli strike over the weekend, the military announces.

The IDF says the strike on Friday in the central Gaza Strip killed Taher Ahmad Salem Abd al-Wahed, who, on October 7, “infiltrated the Nova music festival and commanded the abduction of Inbar Haiman.”

Haiman, 27, from Haifa, was captured and murdered by terrorists while fleeing the music festival, and her body was taken to Gaza. Her remains were returned to Israel by Hamas in October 2025.

In a separate strike in central Gaza, another Islamic Jihad operative, Salah Subhi Salah Qatrawi, was killed, the IDF says.

Qatrawi had attempted to advance attacks on troops near the GHF aid distribution sites during the war, according to the military.

Recently, both Islamic Jihad operatives attempted to advance “imminent” attacks on IDF troops and Israeli civilians, the military adds, and therefore they were targeted.

France says Iran ‘seriously intimidated’ two French diplomats, ‘physically abused’ one of them

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot at the Place de la Concorde before the start of the annual Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France, July 14, 2026. (Benoit Tessier/Pool Photo via AP)

Two French diplomats in Iran suffered “an extremely serious act of intimidation” by the Islamic Republic’s security services, with one of them physically abused, France’s foreign minister says.

Jean-Noel Barrot says in a statement sent to AFP that the two diplomats were targeted by the Iranian officials last night “in flagrant violation of diplomatic immunity.”

Both were “detained for several hours without reason, interrogated and one of them was physically abused” before they were able to return to the embassy, he says.

White House shares 3-week old poll claiming overwhelming US public support for MOU with Iran

The White House posts the results of a poll appearing to show a majority of Americans support the memorandum of understanding that the US inked with Iran last month.

The timing of the post is peculiar, given that the poll was published on June 29 before the latest escalation between the two countries, which have subsequently declared they’re no longer beholden to the MOU’s terms due to purported violations by the other side.

However, posting the poll now could be an indication that the White House recognizes the American public’s weariness over further fighting in the Middle East, even as US President Donald Trump has threatened to massively intensify strikes against Tehran if another deal is not reached soon.

The poll refers to the MOU as a “peace deal to end the war,” though the agreement signed between the sides instead included the launch of talks aimed at reaching a deal to permanently end the conflict.

TRUST IN TRUMP: Voters Overwhelmingly Support Iran Peace Deal pic.twitter.com/lIFKpJWyvs

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 20, 2026

Medics declare 80-year-old man dead after Jerusalem balcony collapse

Paramedics have declared the death of an 80-year-old man after he was found lifeless under a collapsed balcony in Jerusalem.

Three others lightly wounded in the balcony collapse are being brought to local hospitals after receiving initial treatment at the scene.

In first, IDF reportedly to begin withdrawing tomorrow from ‘pilot zone’ in south Lebanon

The IDF will begin its first withdrawal tomorrow from a “pilot zone” in southern Lebanon where the Lebanese army is slated to deploy in its stead as part of a US-backed agreement between Jerusalem and Beirut, an Israeli official tells the Axios news site.

Iranian media reports ‘enemy airstrike’ in Shiraz

Iranian media reports airstrikes in the south-central city of Shiraz a short while ago.

Explosions were heard in the northwestern part of the city, according to the Fars news agency.

“Initial reports indicate that the enemy airstrike targeted a location in the city,” the report adds.

There is no immediate comment from the US, whose forces have been conducting strikes in Iran for over a week.

Explosion in the vicinity of the Sana'ye (Electronic Industries Complex) of Shiraz
Fars Province, Iran pic.twitter.com/bkzQeGEpVm

— Shin (@hey_itsmyturn) July 20, 2026

Emergency responders working to extract unconscious man trapped under collapsed Jerusalem balcony

Emergency responders are working to extract a man who medics say is unconscious from under the rubble of a collapsed balcony on Jerusalem’s Keren Kayemet LeIsrael Street.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service reports three other people were lightly hurt and are being treated at the scene.

קריסת המרפסת בירושלים: מד"א עדכן על אדם לכוד ומחוסר הכרה, ושלושה פצועים באורח קל@VeredPelman @HGoldich (צילום: כבאות והצלה) pic.twitter.com/9fEXuwWu5H

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 20, 2026

Three reported killed after strike on vehicle in southwest Gaza

Hamas-affiliated media outlets in Gaza report that three people were killed and several others were wounded in a strike on a vehicle in the Mawasi area near Khan Younis, in the southwestern Gaza Strip.

The IDF has not yet commented.

???? صور | توثيق اللحظات الأولى عقب قصف طيران الاحتلال المسير مركبة قرب المستشفى البريطاني جنوب غربي مواصي خان يونس pic.twitter.com/6fKFHE5WXP

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) July 20, 2026

Antisemitism monitor urges new British PM Burnham to prioritize fight against antisemitism

Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks to staff and media at 10 Downing Street in London, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

The Campaign Against Antisemitism is urging newly appointed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to make combating antisemitism a central priority of his government, warning that Britain’s Jewish community faces an unprecedented security crisis.

In an open letter published as Burnham takes office, CAA Chief Executive Gideon Falter writes that British Jews live under constant threat, citing attacks on synagogues, Jewish schools, community institutions and individuals.

“The crisis has gone on so long now … that it has become the new normal,” Falter warns, noting Jews have been disproportionately targeted by hate crimes after successive governments failed to confront the problem.

He urges Burnham to adopt stronger policies against antisemitism, saying security measures such as increased policing and protective barriers are insufficient without action against those responsible. CAA has a detailed plan that it would be happy to present directly, Falter adds.

Burnham has expressed strong positions regarding Israel, saying earlier this month that Britain must do more to pressure Israel over its treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including possibly banning weapons sales. Britain’s Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council have expressed “significant concerns” over the comments.

US says Lebanese army deploying to ‘pilot zones,’ including one IDF will withdraw from

Illustrative: This handout photograph released by the Lebanese army press office on July 15, 2026, shows Lebanese army soldiers setting up a checkpoint at a position in southern Lebanon. (Lebanese Army Press Office/AFP)

The US announces the commencement of “pilot zone operations” in southern Lebanon, where Lebanese Armed Forces are slated to deploy in place of withdrawing Israeli troops.

“Today, pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon,” the US State Department says in a statement.

However, two of the three villages mentioned notably don’t have Israeli forces located there.

Froun and Srifa are located in the first of two pilot zones earmarked for the LAF’s deployment, as part of the framework deal Israel and Lebanon reached last month. That pilot zone is located outside of the IDF’s six-mile buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

The second pilot zone straddles both sides of the IDF buffer zone. Zawtar Al-Gharbiya is inside Israel’s buffer zone. Israeli forces currently stationed there will be required to withdraw.

The State Department doesn’t specify what it means by pilot zone operations beginning, but is apparently referring to the deployment of LAF forces in those three villages.

“This milestone is a direct outcome of last week’s discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Rome. The United States will continue working closely with both parties to implement the Framework to a successful conclusion,” the State Department statement says.

While Israel agreed to withdraw its troops from the second pilot zone as part of the framework deal it inked with Lebanon last month, it has yet to do so, with military officials saying they haven’t received a directive from elected leaders to pull out of the area.

The Israeli foot dragging on the withdrawal has marred negotiations with Lebanon, which briefly threatened to boycott last week’s talks in Rome, before the US managed to talk Beirut down with assurances that progress would be made on the issue.

However, it remains unclear when Israeli forces will begin withdrawing from the second zone, as no timeline has been provided.

The IDF doesn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on its planned withdrawal.

Kuwait and Bahrain face fresh Iranian attacks

Kuwait’s military says the Gulf country is facing another Iranian missile and drone attack.

Iran has launched a series of attacks on Kuwait in the last 24 hours, saying it’s targeting US assets.

In neighboring Bahrain, air raid sirens also sound, according to the island kingdom’s interior ministry.

Houthi spokesman: Blockade is aimed at forcing Saudis to end siege on Yemen sea and airports

Saudi Arabia’s belief that it can maintain a siege on the Houthis is “a mistaken belief and a losing bet,” says Houthi spokesman Abdul Salam Salah.

Salah says on X that the Houthis’ own blockade is meant to force Riyadh to “fully lift the siege on Yemen’s airports and ports, to grant Yemen full rights to benefit from its sovereign resources,” and to release Houthi prisoners.

Yemen’s Houthis announce maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia

Houthi supporters raise a banner showing their leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, during a rally against Israel and the United States' war with Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen, April 3, 2026. (AP/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree says that his Iran-backed rebel group is imposing a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, in retaliation for Riyadh’s blockade of the Yemeni rebel group.

He says the policy is being taken “according to the rule of a blockade for a blockade.”

Any Saudi escalation will be matched by a Houthi one, says Saree.

A four-year truce between the two sides broke down last week.

Hungary’s ruling Tisza party backs Jewish chess champion Judit Polgar for president, parliamentary group says

Judit Polgár attends the 'Queen Of Chess' premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on January 27, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (Dia Dipasupil/ Getty Images/ AFP)

BUDAPEST, Hungary — The parliamentary group of Hungary’s ruling Tisza party unanimously supports Jewish chess legend Judit Polgar for president, and Tisza lawmakers will make their final decision at their next meeting, the group’s leader Andrea Bujdoso says.

Prime Minister Peter Magyar said yesterday that he would ask Judit Polgar, widely regarded as the greatest female chess player of all time, to take up the largely ceremonial role of Hungary’s next president temporarily, until a new constitution is passed.

Trump’s plans to expand Iran attacks is limited by lack of munitions, battle damage — report

The US is making plans for a potential expansion of military operations against Iran, but is limited by low munitions stockpiles, a US official tells The Washington Post.

“The US is planning for a wider war,” says the official. The official adds that the US is sending more military aircraft to the Middle East.

According to the outlet, the Pentagon will be hamstrung by its insufficient stockpiles of air defense and long-range missiles. It will also be limited in its ability to bring more troops to the fight because of battle damage incurred during the fight against Iran.

“We do not have enough to safely sustain operations, and I don’t think the White House is aware of that,” says the official.

Iran’s Ghalibaf: US doesn’t want de-escalation, it’s bringing more forces to region

In this handout photo, Iran Parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf steps off a plane on June 21, 2026, as he arrives in Zurich, Switzerland, to attend the talks with the US delegation. (Hamed Malekpour/ICANA via AP)

Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that US military moves prove that Washington is not interested in ending the recent escalation with Tehran.

“Americans keep bringing new military equipment to the region and claim they want to stop the war,” says Ghalibaf on X. “They’ve bet on our intelligence being as low as their own IQ.”

“We’ve reached the stage of mastery in recognizing these American games, and on that basis, we’ve prepared ourselves,” he continues. “Actions must confirm claims, not contradict them.”

Mediators proposing 10-day truce to revive MOU with US, senior Iranian official says

US President Donald Trump (left) seen signing the Persian-language version of the memorandum of understanding with Iran, at the Palace of Versailles in France, June 17, 2026. (Screenshot/White House via X); Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signs the MOU in a photo released June 17, 2026, by the regime-run IRNA news agency. (IRNA via X)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Mediators have passed Iran a proposal to de-escalate the war with the US that would offer a 10-day ceasefire to find ways to revive an interim deal reached last month, a senior Iranian official tells Reuters.

The memorandum of understanding signed last month included a 60-day ceasefire pausing the war that broke out with US-Israeli strikes targeting the Iranian regime in late February, as well as the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a timeframe for a final deal to permanently end the conflict and reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.

Israel had no part in negotiating the memorandum of understanding, and Israeli officials are bitterly opposed to the deal’s terms, which resolved none of the war’s key goals — notably, eliminating Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and creating the conditions for the collapse of the regime.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Andy Burnham officially becomes Britain’s prime minister, its 7th in a decade

Britain's King Charles III welcomes Andy Burnham, left, during an audience at Buckingham Palace, London, where he invited the leader of the Labour Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government, July 20, 2026. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)

LONDON — Andy Burnham is officially Britain’s new prime minister, the country’s seventh within a decade.

Burnham formally accepted an invitation from King Charles III to form a government.

Buckingham Palace has released a photo of the two men shaking hands. The ceremony known as “kissing hands” marks the transfer of power from former leader Keir Starmer to Burnham.

Burnham replaced Starmer as leader of the center-left governing Labour Party last week.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Bahrain says Iranian drone attacks targeted civil air navigation systems

MANAMA, Bahrain — Bahrain’s civil aviation body says that Iran had targeted its air navigation systems with drones today, though traffic remained unaffected.

“As a result of a hostile Iranian act of aggression against the Kingdom of Bahrain, civil air navigation systems serving the Bahrain Flight Information Region were targeted by hostile drones. However, air navigation operations remained unaffected,” it says in a statement, adding that “flights and air traffic” are proceeding normally.

Iran’s Pezeshkian says country in ‘full-scale war’ with US

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian displays a memorandum of understanding signed with US President Donald Trump, in Tehran, Iran, early on June 18, 2026. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country was in a “full-scale war” with the United States and that Tehran should accept the repercussions of the conflict.

“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” Pezeshkian says, adding that “we must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance,” according to a presidency statement.

Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator in Gaza talks, elected terror group’s leader

Hamas's Khalil al-Hayya speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Istanbul, Turkey, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

Khalil al-Hayya has been elected head of Hamas, the terror group announces.

Al-Hayya, who previously served as the head of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza, is elected as the terror movement’s new chief in Hamas’s internal elections.

The top official was the chief negotiator for the terror group during ceasefire-hostage release talks to end the war in Gaza, which began after the October 7 Hamas onslaught and massacre in 2023.

For the past two years, since the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the organization has been led by a five-member leadership council that included al-Hayya.

Al-Hayya was born and spent most of his life in the Gaza Strip. Shortly before the October 7 massacre, he left Gaza for Qatar, where he has primarily been based since.

US identifies 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales as troops killed by Iran

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration identifies two soldiers killed in action last week as part of the US war with Iran.

The Defense Department says in a statement that 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, were killed in Jordan, where they were supporting a US mission against the Islamic State. It’s unclear how they were killed.

On Saturday, the US Central Command said two service members were killed in Jordan while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.

The US military has said the total number of deaths in the war with Iran is 17.

Starmer says Britain ‘stronger and fairer’ since his election as he bids farewell as PM

Britain’s outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as he leaves 10 Downing Street in London, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says goodbye with a short speech outside the prime minister’s 10 Downing Street residence, saying, “My work is done.”

The outgoing leader, forced to resign by his own party, says Britain is now “stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” when he took office.

“I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” Starmer says before heading to Buckingham Palace to offer his resignation to King Charles III.

Newly elected Labour Party leader Andy Burnham will then go to the palace in his turn, and Charles will ask him to form a government. That’s when he officially becomes prime minister, a moment known as “kissing hands.”

Pentagon kept quiet dozens of US injuries in renewed fighting last week — NYT

The Pentagon did not disclose that dozens of US soldiers were injured and several helicopters were damaged in Iranian strikes last week, several anonymous US officials tell The New York Times.

A US military official asks the Times, why would the Pentagon publish information that could help Iran refine its attacks?

Another US military official says that Central Command (CENTCOM) is not required to publish casualty information, especially if the wounded quickly return to duty.

In the renewed fighting, three US servicepeople have been killed.

Traffic officer accused of exploiting police database to stalk, blackmail women with sexual content

A traffic policeman is charged with a litany of offenses after allegedly exploiting police databases to obtain private details about women in order to sexually harass and blackmail them.

Thirty-year-old Samer Sheikh, a Yarkon Precinct traffic policeman, is accused of creating fake social media accounts to contact his victims and their families.

Time and time again, the defendant “made sexually explicit propositions [to the victims], sent pornographic content to them and their family members and threatened to harm their privacy and reputations,” says the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) in a statement.

According to the indictment filed today, Sheikh exploited his position in 15 separate instances over the past several years.

He allegedly sent pornographic footage to victims’ family members multiple times, falsely claiming the women who appeared in the videos were the complainants. Prosecutors say he threatened to publish the material if the victims’ relatives failed to comply with his demands.

The officer is accused in the Haifa District Court of sexual harassment, indecent acts, extortion, invasion of privacy, fraud, and breach of trust.

Police arrest two Israelis suspected of stealing cash from a Palestinian in the West Bank’s Area A

Two Israeli men in their 20s were arrested early this morning on suspicion of stealing cash from a Palestinian driver three weeks ago, on June 25, Israel Police says.

The Palestinian, Abd al-Rahman Shaheen, a resident of the city of Salfit, told The Times of Israel that while driving in the Salfit area, in Wadi Sha’ar in Area A, after visiting a friend who lives there, two settlers approached his vehicle and took cash from his wallet, which was inside the car — 500 Jordanian dinars, $300, and NIS 250 (about NIS 2,400, or roughly $780, in total).

Footage from Shaheen’s dashboard camera shows two people exiting a vehicle with Israeli (yellow) license plates, chasing him, stopping next to his car, and then driving away.

Shaheen filed a complaint with the Palestinian police. About two weeks ago, he said, the Israel Police contacted him and asked him to come to the Ariel police station to file a complaint there and hand over the dashboard camera footage. A week ago, Shaheen said he attended an identification lineup at the police station and identified one of the men who had stolen the money from him.

According to police, detectives took part in the investigation, assisted by forces from the Judea and Samaria District, Border Police troops operating in the West Bank, and other security forces. The two suspects were taken in for questioning and are expected to be brought before a court later today for a hearing on extending their detention.

Israeli settlers stopped a Palestinian man on Wadi Al-Sha’er Road between Al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya and Salfit and stole a sum of money from him on Friday evening. pic.twitter.com/WyYVOUKwzY

— Government Communication Center (@pal_gcc_en) June 27, 2026

Netanyahu slams top Haredi rabbi who said religious soldiers serving in IDF committing murder

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemns “horrific” comments made by Rabbi Dov Lando, the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Degel Hatorah political faction, who said yesterday that religious soldiers were committing murder by serving in the army.

Lando denounced those in the religious Zionist community who serve in the army, at a meeting with heads of the Mir Yeshiva, at his home in Bnei Brak: “I am speaking about those with knitted kippas that are required to go.”

“If the state sends people, soldiers, for the honor of the state, and they kill people, is that also permissible? It’s very much murder. So they incite murder. They wage wars not only for the sake of salvation, but for the honor of the state,” he said.

In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu condemns the comments.

“IDF soldiers, secular and Haredi, leave their homes, their work and their families, and risk their lives in order to protect the State of Israel, its citizens and all of the nation of Israel,” Netanyahu says.

“They deserve deep appreciation, gratitude, and full support from all segments of the public, and certainly from the world of Torah,” the statement reads.

Commander of IDF paratroopers accused of misconduct will not be promoted

File: In this May 30, 2023, photo, Col. Ami Biton, the incoming commander of the Paratroopers Brigade, is seen in a handover ceremony (Israel Defense Forces)

For the first time in over 50 years, a commander of the IDF’s Paratroopers Brigade, who was accused of misconduct, will not be promoted.

Col. Ami Biton, who served as the commander of the brigade between May 2023 and May 2025, will end his service in the military after being passed over for promotion.

Biton was reprimanded for treating subordinates in a humiliating way during the fighting in the Gaza Strip at the start of the war. Several additional allegations were made against the commander by soldiers.

Every commander of the Paratroopers Brigade since 1973 has gone on to be promoted, including six who later became chief of staff.

Biton’s departure from the IDF was first reported by Army Radio. The military confirms the report by saying that Biton will “end his service in the IDF at his request.”

5 members of top education authority quit over new gender segregation law

Illustrative: Students at the Hebrew University campus in Jerusalem, on May 28, 2024 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Five members of Israel’s Council for Higher Education quit over a law passed last week to expand gender segregation in higher education by permitting universities and colleges to offer segregated master’s and doctoral degree programs, subject to approval by the top authority.

The law constitutes an “unprecedented intervention in the independence of the council” and “a fundamental change in the character of the tertiary education system in Israel,” the resigning members of the authority write in a letter to Education Minister Yoav Kisch and President Isaac Herzog.

They say the law harms “academic freedom, equality, excellence and pluralism,” which they say are fundamental values of the tertiary education system in Israel.

The members say continuing to serve on the council would “legitimize moves that contradict the values ​​for which we were asked to serve.”

The council is meant to have no fewer than 19 and no more than 25 members.

The law builds upon a 2021 High Court ruling that upheld the Council for Higher Education’s policy permitting limited and specific gender-segregated undergraduate programs aimed at integrating ultra-Orthodox students into higher education and, ultimately, the workforce.

The court stressed that the arrangement was specifically intended for the Haredi community and imposed safeguards, including limiting segregation to classrooms in mixed institutions and prohibiting discrimination against female lecturers.

The new legislation extends that framework to master’s and doctoral programs and makes it available to all students, not only the Haredi community, while a proposed amendment by Shas MK Yossi Taieb to expand segregation to additional areas of campuses was rejected.

Proponents frame the law as increasing educational opportunities for religious women, with the legislation’s sponsor Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech arguing the legislation will “advance women from sectors that have not received the opportunities they deserve,” while committee chair and Religious Zionism Zvi Sukkot has said it would “expand freedom of choice.”

Ariela Karmel contributed to this report.

Iran says it won’t allow Hormuz to be used by enemies to threaten its security

A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, July 16, 2026. (Stringer/Reuters)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran says it will not allow the vital Strait of Hormuz to be used by its foes to threaten the country’s security, as the United States and the Islamic Republic battle for the waterway’s future.

“We must not allow this waterway to be misused again to threaten Iran’s security and national interests,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP, adding the country is “determined to take the necessary measures” to safeguard its sovereignty.

Iranian Sunni cleric killed by unknown gunmen, Iranian media reports

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Molavi Mohammad Anvar Rigi, a Sunni Friday prayer leader in the southeastern Iranian border town of Mirjaveh, has been killed by unidentified gunmen, Iran’s state media reports, citing local authorities.

Sistan-Baluchistan province, one of the country’s poorest provinces, which has a large Sunni Baluch population, has long experienced Islamist or ethnic militants fighting security forces or other figures aligned with Tehran.

Officials say investigations are ongoing and urged residents to remain calm, saying the attack was aimed at undermining security and stoking sectarian divisions in the province.

AG: Efforts to stop Ben Gvir undermining police independence have failed

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (left) attends a hearing of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee in Jerusalem, September 30, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/ Flash90); National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir leads a faction meeting of his Otzma Yehudit party at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 16, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara says that legal efforts to ensure that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir does not undermine the independence of the police have failed.

The attorney general made her comments in an update to the High Court of Justice regarding the implementation of a court decision from April requiring Ben Gvir, who heads the ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit party, to abide by a set of principles designed to prevent the minister’s interference in police work.

Baharav-Miara says that Ben Gvir failed to agree to the final version of the principles document, something she said amounted to him “rejecting the principle of the apolitical [nature] of the police and the prohibition on political interference in the police’s use of force against Israeli citizens.”

She adds that since the last court decision in April, Ben Gvir has continued to violate the principles of that decision, which she said amounted to a violation of the court order itself by the minister.

The attorney general points specifically to public comments made by Ben Gvir alleging that an ongoing criminal investigation into a senior police officer was politically motivated; public comments about the police’s use of stun grenades during ultra-Orthodox protests; and ongoing intervention by the minister in police appointments.

“The overall picture that has emerged indicates that conduct undermining the independence of the police has continued throughout, and that attempts to stop it through various means have not succeeded,” writes Baharav-Miara.

Iran says dialogue ongoing with US despite clashes, Tehran will pursue diplomacy and war to advance interests

Iran says that diplomatic exchanges with the United States via mediators were ongoing despite US military strikes on the country.

“We have been informed by mediators, we have received messages — without going into details — but the main point is that the diplomatic apparatus has been active in recent days and ideas have been conveyed to us by certain mediators,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP.

“I reject the duality of either war or diplomacy. Diplomacy is a tool through which we pursue our national interests, just like war,” Baghaei says.

Police nab 2 Palestinians suspected of sparking fire in West Bank settlement

Fire crews fight a wildfire that broke out the day before in the Israeli settlement of Havat Gilad in the West Bank, July 19, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Police have arrested two Palestinians on suspicion of causing a destructive fire in the northern West Bank settlement of Havat Gilad over the weekend.

The pair, arrested overnight, were transferred for interrogation over the blazes that destroyed 13 houses and damaged dozens more Saturday afternoon.

Investigators said yesterday that an initial probe indicated the fire was sparked by an unextinguished cigarette butt flicked to the side of the road, as law enforcement began working to track down the vehicle it was thrown from.

According to an Army Radio report from yesterday, security agencies assessed that the blaze was sparked unintentionally. After ruling out nationalistically-motivated arson, the Shin Bet withdrew from the investigation and left police to deal with the probe, the outlet said.

Police say officers are still weighing whether to request to keep the two detainees in custody, and will come to a decision based on the interrogation’s findings.

Ship struck by unknown projectile off coast of Oman, crew recovered safely, British maritime agency says

A vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile 8 nautical miles (approximately 9 miles) northwest of Oman’s Kumzar, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency says, adding that the vessel is currently adrift.

The crew safely abandoned the vessel and has been recovered by a tugboat, UKMTO says after reporting earlier that the vessel was on fire.

The fire has not been extinguished, but no environmental impact was reported, UKMTO says.

Earlier this morning, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said two oil tankers “exploded” and were immobilized after attempting to transit what it described as an unsafe southern route through the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, the Guards also pointed to two ships involved in an “accident” in the same area.

It was unclear whether the two incidents were related.

Democrats members begin voting in primary for Knesset slate

Activists at the campaign headquarters for Yaya Fink, a candidate in the Democrats party primaries, in Tel Aviv, July 20, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The left-wing Democrats party opens its internal primaries to elect its Knesset slate with 112,376 registered party members eligible to vote in a “secure digital ballot” running from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., rather than at physical polling stations.

Members will select between six and eight candidates from a field of 51 contenders for the party’s Knesset list. Party leader Yair Golan is expected to announce the results at 8 p.m.

For the first time, the party’s primary will be conducted entirely online, with voting available only via smartphones and computers and no physical polling stations.

Calling the vote “a celebration of Israeli democracy,” Golan urges members to cast their ballots and declares that “only a strong Democrats team in the Knesset and in the next government will save the country and restore to Israel the security, democracy and hope that it so desperately needs.”

Golan was elected leader of the party in a separate race in 2024 when it formed following the alliance of the Labor and Meretz parties, and is therefore not competing in today’s primaries.

The Democrats is one of only a handful of Israeli parties to use primaries in selecting its Knesset slate, alongside Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party. While Likud also elects most of its candidates through a primary, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will handpick eight places on the party’s list under rules approved this week. Meanwhile, the Arab-majority Hadash party selects its candidates through a vote of party delegates rather than the full membership.

In most other parties, including The Democrats’ allies in the Zionist opposition bloc, the order of candidates is determined by the party leadership or other internal party institutions.

4 police officers suspected of beating Arab lawyer summoned to pre-indictment hearing

Salah Khalil Faisal Na'ameh, an Arab Israeli prosecutor in the Southern District Attorney's Office, is seen after he was attacked by police officers during arrest in Beersheba on May 1, 2026. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Four police officers from the Beersheba station suspected of involvement in the beating of an Arab Israeli public prosecutor have been summoned to a pre-indictment hearing, the Department of Internal Police Investigations says.

The announcement comes two months after officers were filmed entering the Beersheba home of Saleh Na’ameh, a lawyer for the Southern District Attorney’s Office, over an apparent noise complaint and proceeding to beat him without provocation.

The DIPI, whose investigators launched an investigation into the incident, says two of the officers are expected to stand trial on charges of assault and causing serious injury.

The agency is also weighing charges against the pair of suspected assailants and one other officer for allegedly attempting to obstruct the investigation.

The pending charges are subject to a hearing in which officers are being given a chance to defend their position and dissuade prosecutors from filing a formal indictment.

The assault left Na’ameh with serious injuries, including a broken nose. Police claim that Na’ameh resisted arrest before he was attacked; however, footage from the incident seemed to contradict their version, showing that the lawyer hadn’t laid a hand on officers before they pounced on him and started beating him.

US strikes hit Bushehr, Iranian city home to country’s sole civilian nuclear plant

A worker rides a bicycle in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, just outside the southern city of Bushehr, Iran, October 26, 2010. (Majid Asgaripour/Mehr News Agency via AP)

TEHRAN, Iran — US strikes hit several locations in Iran’s southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country’s only civilian nuclear plant, state media reports.

“A few minutes ago, several locations in Bushehr city were hit by the American enemy’s projectiles,” says Bushehr governor Mohammad Mozaffari, as quoted by official state news agency IRNA.

At least one killed in US strikes in northwestern Iran, Iranian state media reports

Video footage shared by US Central Command on July 19, 2026 shows forces launching a ninth consecutive evening of strikes against Iran. (US Central Command video, screenshot via X)

TEHRAN, Iran — US strikes overnight in northwestern Iran killed at least one person and wounded several more, state media reports.

“One person was martyred and several others were injured in a terrorist and aggressive American attack on an area southwest of Tabriz on Monday morning,” says Majid Farshi, head of crisis management of East Azerbaijan province, quoted by state news agency IRNA.

Police nab several current and former Tax Authority employees over suspected bribes

Police have arrested several current and former Tax Authority employees on suspicion of taking bribes, the agency announces.

In exchange for the bribes, the officials are suspected of approving false tax returns totaling NIS 80 million ($26 million).

Police forces from the Lahav 433 major crimes unit and Tax Authority investigators raided the suspects’ homes this morning, arresting and detaining several, though police do not provide an exact number.

The suspects will be brought to the Ramle Magistrate’s Court for a hearing to extend their remand.

Blasts heard after air raid sirens triggered in Bahrain’s capital

Cars pass by a billboard as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in the country to discuss an interim deal between the U.S. and Iran with Arab Gulf allies, in Manama, Bahrain, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (Eric Lee/Pool Photo via AP)

MANAMA, Bahrain — Explosions are heard in the Bahraini capital Manama after air raid sirens are triggered, AFP journalists say.

“The siren has been sounded, citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” the Gulf state’s interior ministry writes on X.

Kuwait says air defenses intercepting Iranian attacks

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — Kuwaiti air defenses were “engaging hostile drone attacks” from Iran, the Gulf state’s military says.

“The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks,” the Kuwait Army says in a post on its official X account. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said earlier Monday they had hit US military targets in Kuwait.

Stun grenade allegedly thrown at residence in north Tel Aviv amid underworld feud

A stun grenade is suspected to have been thrown at a residential building in north Tel Aviv overnight, Israel Police says.

Police suspect that the assailant who threw the grenade is connected with the Jarushi crime family, which is feuding with the Musli crime family.

2 Palestinians killed by IDF fire in West Bank; IDF says troops attacked while trying to evacuate settlers in village

Two Palestinians, aged 26 and 52, were killed overnight by IDF fire during clashes that erupted in the village of Deir Jarir, near Ramallah, Palestinian media reports.

Several other residents were wounded. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, one man was critically injured in the abdomen in a settler attack.

The IDF says troops were dispatched to the area of Deir Jarir following reports that Israeli civilians had entered the village to retrieve livestock belonging to them.

According to the military, troops entered the village to prevent friction and evacuate the Israeli civilians. The forces then secured a small number of Israeli civilians as they searched for the livestock, based on identifying markings indicating ownership.

The IDF adds that “a violent riot developed in the area, during which terrorists began throwing stones and concrete blocks at the forces. As a result, two security personnel were injured and received medical treatment at the scene. The forces responded with live fire to remove the threat, and hits were identified.”

#عاجل | مواجهات عنيفة بين شبان ومسـ.'ٰتوطنين خلال هجومهم على بلدة دير جرير شرق رام الله، وقوات الاحـ.'ـتلال تطلق الرصاص الحي بكثافة. pic.twitter.com/jNSBKTKnZZ

— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) July 19, 2026

IRGC says it struck US radar system, drone hangar in Kuwait

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it hit US military targets in Kuwait, including an early-warning radar system that was “completely destroyed,” in a statement reported by state news agency IRNA.

Iranian forces “completely destroyed a US early-warning radar system in a drone strike. In a separate attack, they struck an equipment and aircraft parts warehouse and an MQ-9 drone hangar at Ali Al Salem Air Base, setting several drones on fire,” the Guards say in the statement.

Trump says new Air Force One from Qatar to get ‘maxed out upgrades’ when asked if plane lacks missile-defense capabilities

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One for his first flight aboard the Boeing 747-8 that Qatar gifted the United States to use for executive travel, at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, July 1, 2026. President Trump is traveling to Medora, North Dakota to participate in the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Opening Ceremony. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US President Donald Trump says that the Qatari-donated jet that serves as an Air Force One plane will soon be sent away for upgrades, following questions about the plane’s security features.

Trump started flying aboard the jumbo jet on July 1 after accepting the plane as a gift last year, when an accelerated effort to renovate the Boeing 747 for presidential use began.

But Trump unexpectedly ditched the plane on a flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom amid rising hostility with Iran on July 8. He flew aboard an older Air Force One to London in what he described as a move “for old time’s sake,” but later boarded the new plane to return to the US.

Trump is asked about whether the newly renovated airplane lacks missile-defense capabilities as he returns home from a trip to the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey.

“It has a lot of capability,” Trump says of the plane. “But as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re gonna send it to have it be maxed out…It’ll take about a month.”

The Air Force doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they fired ballistic missiles at US military aircraft in Jordan

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted US military aircraft stationed at Aqaba Airport in Jordan and caused “severe damage” to some of them, state media reports.

American heavy transport aircraft and command and control aircraft “were targeted with ballistic missiles, causing severe damage to a number of them,” the Guards says in a statement carried by Iran’s state broadcaster.

Rubio says Iran wants to use Hormuz as ‘leverage against the world’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that Iran is using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage in the ongoing Middle East conflict, adding that other countries needed to step up pressure to protect global shipping.

“It’s clear that Iran, at least some people in Iran, want to control the straits and hold that as leverage against the world,” Rubio tells reporters before traveling to the Philippines for a meeting of foreign ministers with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“The United States will do and continue to do what it needs to, to protect global shipping, but other countries need to begin to step up and provide, whether it’s hardware or finances, to help carry that burden,” he continues.

He also says the US remains open to a diplomatic solution with Iran.

IRGC claims to ‘halt’ two oil tankers in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says that two oil tankers trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz “exploded and were brought to a halt.”

“Late last night, two non-compliant oil tankers… attempted to enter and exit through what was described as the unsafe and hazardous southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, exploded and were brought to a halt,” the Guards says in a statement, according to the Tasnim news agency.

US Central Command says it has completed another night of strikes on Iran

The US military has completed its ninth consecutive evening of strikes against Iran, US Central Command says, hitting Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities.

The strikes targeted Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks, CENTCOM says in a post on X.

“The US military is holding Iran accountable at the commander in chief’s direction,” adds Central Command. “CENTCOM forces remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready.”

UK maritime agency reports ship on fire in Strait of Hormuz

A vessel is on fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency says as the United States and Iran vie for control over the vital waterway.

“UKMTO has received a report of an incident 8NM northwest of Kumzar, Oman. UKMTO have received information from military authorities that a vessel is on fire,” the British organization says in a statement, adding that the cause of the fire has not yet been verified.

Trump: US striking Iran ‘very hard’ to honor slain American servicemembers

US President Donald Trump says the latest military strikes on Iran are being carried out in honor of US servicemembers killed in recent days.

“We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honor of the, probably three, it’s probably three great patriots,” Trump tells reporters as he returns to Washington following the World Cup final.

Trump says “we feel very badly,” when asked about the military fatalities, adding that those who died were fighting so that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

Poll by public broadcaster shows opposition would fail to win majority, even with Hendel and Tropper

MK Chili Tropper (left) and former minister Yoaz Hendel hold a joint press conference announcing the formation of a new political party ahead of the upcoming elections in Tel Aviv, on July 7, 2026. (Flash90)

A new poll published by the Kan public broadcaster shows the new electoral alliance led by former ministers Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper would win four seats if new elections were held today, while ex-IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar again beats out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud as the largest party.

According to the survey, Yashar would win 22 seats if new elections were held today, followed by Likud with 21 and former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s Together with 15.

The next largest party was forecast to be National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party with 10 seats, trailed by the right-wing secularist Yisrael Beytenu and left-wing the Democrats with nine apiece, while the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties each picked up eight.

Arab-majority factions Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am receive five seats each in the poll, which is rounded out by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism and the Hendel-Tropper alliance with four seats a pop.

Blue and White, led by MK Benny Gantz, and the Arab Balad party fail to cross the minimum electoral threshold in the poll.

Without Hendel and Tropper, opposition factions together won 55 seats in the poll, versus 51 for the outgoing ruling coalition. But even with Hendel and Tropper, the opposition would be at 59 seats, still two short of a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

Kuwait says air defenses engaging Iranian drones

Kuwaiti air defenses are “engaging hostile drone attacks following Iranian aggression,” the army says.

“The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks,” the Kuwait Army says in a post on its official X account.

US military launches strikes on Iran for 9th consecutive night

The US military announces the launch of strikes against Iran for a ninth consecutive night, which it says are aimed at “degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claim ‘surprise attack on enemy special ops command center’ in Syria

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it launched a “surprise attack” on an enemy command center in Syria, in a statement reported by state news agency IRNA.

The IRGC announces “a surprise attack on the enemy special operations command center in the Al-Tanf region of Syria in revenge for the blood of martyred soldiers of Iranshahr,” a city in southeast Iran, in an IRNA statement posted on Telegram.

Trump and FIFA soccer chief present World Cup trophy to Spain’s victorious captain

Spain’s team captain Rodri lifts the trophy after Spain won the World Cup final against Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

US President Donald Trump and FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) President Gianni Infantino present the World Cup trophy to Spanish captain Rodri at the culmination of the awards ceremony after Spain beat Argentina to win the 2026 World Cup.

There is booing in the stands when Trump and Infantino take to the field, Reuters reports, but the boos stop by the time the presentations begin.

Spain’s King Felipe VI is among the notables congratulating the winners and commiserating with the losers as the medals are handed out.

Argentina’s defeated captain Lionel Messi is in tears, having played what he has said would be his last World Cup game.

Trump appears to tell Rodri, “You’re my favorite player,” and he and Infantino then follow the Spanish team to the podium where they are to pose with the trophy.

Trump seems somewhat reluctant to vacate the stage, and initially stands alongside the players before Infantino gently encourages him to leave the spotlight.

Bahrain urges residents to head to nearest safe place as air raid sirens sound

Bahrain’s interior ministry says that its air raid sirens have sounded.

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

Spain beats Argentina to win the 2026 World Cup

Spain’s Ferran Torres (front right) celebrates after scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, July 19, 2026. At left is Nico Williams, who head down the ball for Torres to score. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Spain beats Argentina 1-0 to win the 2026 World Cup.

Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the game in extra time, after Spain had outplayed Argentina but failed to score in normal playing time.

Torres smashed the ball past Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for his first goal of the tournament in the 106th minute. Nico Williams had kept a long cross in play when he headed the ball toward Torres in front of the goal. It was Spain’s 20th shot of the match.

Argentina had not had a single shot on goal at that point, but tried desperately to salvage the game after Spain took the lead, with Lionel Messi knocking Spain’s Mikel Merino off his feet with a powerful shot. Giovanni Simeone fired over the crossbar in the final moments of the game, with arguably Argentina’s best chance.

Torres had a second goal for Spain correctly disallowed for offside.

Argentina had Enzo Fernandez sent off for a second yellow card offense shortly before the end of normal time. A second Argentina player, Leondro Paredes, was given a red card for violent conduct amid brief altercations after the final whistle.

Spain took nine of the game’s first 10 corner kicks, and only a World Cup final-record 12 saves by Argentina’s goalkeeper Martinez kept the 2022 champions in the game.

Spain is now unbeaten in its last 38 matches — 29 wins, nine draws — and now is the outright holder of the longest such streak by any European team ever. Italy went 37 matches (28 wins, nine draws) from October 2018 through September 2021, before Spain ended that streak. And for the last two-plus years, nobody has beaten Spain. Not even Messi.

Spain conceded only one goal in eight matches at the tournament, setting a World Cup record for fewest goals allowed by a champion. And this title, combined with the World Cup won by Spain’s women in 2023, makes the European nation the first to hold both the men’s and women’s titles simultaneously.

Spain had previously won the title in 2010. Argentina was seeking its fourth World Cup, having won in 1978, 1986 and 2022. Messi, 39, has indicated this World Cup will be his last.

The final was the 104th and last match of the biggest World Cup ever, a 48-team event hosted in the US, Canada and Mexico. Some 80,000 people were in the stadium, with as many as 2 billion watching around the globe.

CENTCOM says US forces have redirected 6 ships, disabled another since reimposing naval blockade on Iran

US Central Command says American military forces have redirected six commercial ships and disabled another since the reimposition of the US naval blockade on Iran last week.