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The Times of Israel liveblogged Wednesday’s events as they unfolded.
US confirms signing a nuclear cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia
The United States and Saudi Arabia have reached a nuclear cooperation agreement, the US Energy Department says, confirming reports earlier today.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright signs the pact and a separate bilateral safeguards deal alongside Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.
“Together, these two agreements lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation,” the US Energy Department says in a statement.
News of the agreement, long reported to be in the pipeline, has raised alarm bells among Israeli officials.
Trump claims Iran is ‘not ready to make a deal,’ but they will be very soon
US President Donald Trump appears on stage at Wheeler High School, July 22, 2026, in Marietta, Georgia. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Speaking at a rally in Georgia, US President Donald Trump again claims that the US is not currently interested in making a deal with Iran, even though Tehran is begging for such an accord.
“They’re getting hit so hard, and they want to make a deal. But I say they’re not ready to make a deal. Because every time they make a deal they want to change it and everything,” Trump says.
“They’re not ready. They’ll be ready very soon,” he adds.
Trump claims that the US is targeting Iranian assets along the Strait of Hormuz in order to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“If you combine us and Venezuela, we have about 62 percent of the world’s oil market, so we don’t need straits,” he says. “We don’t need the Hormuz Strait, but we do it because we have to do it because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
He doesn’t elaborate on how the strikes near Hormuz are tied to Iran’s nuclear program.
UK withdraws its diplomatic staff from Iran due to ‘ongoing security situation’
The United Kingdom says it has temporarily withdrawn its diplomatic staff in Iran due to rising tensions in the region, and reiterates a warning against any travel to the country.
“Due to the ongoing security situation, we have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw UK staff from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” the Foreign Office says.
The statement adds that it ”advises against all travel to Iran. If you are a British national already in Iran, either resident or visitor, carefully consider your presence there and the risks you take by staying.”
Ramping up rhetoric, Iran warns of an ‘eye for an eye’ response to US strikes
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein after their meeting at the foreign ministry in Baghdad, Iraq, June 28, 2026. (AP/Hadi Mizban)
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran will respond in kind to any attack on its infrastructure, after US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb a bridge or power plant for every ship targeted in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Our defense doctrine is clear: eye for an eye. Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response,” Araghchi writes on X.
In addition, Iran’s state broadcaster quotes the military as saying that US threats “will have no result other than the expansion of the war.”
IDF detains 14 Gazans in West Bank who entered before October 7
Fourteen Palestinians from the Gaza Strip were detained by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Qalqilya last night.
The military says that the Gazans entered Israel before the October 7, 2023, onslaught with valid work permits.
However, following October 7, Israel revoked all permits for Gazans to enter Israel and closed the border crossings.
The 14 apprehended Gazans are set to be deported back to the Strip.
Numerous Gazans remained in Israel when Hamas launched its cross-border attack, but many have since been returned to the Strip. Some have relocated to the West Bank, like the 14 detained last night.
The military says it is working to locate any remaining Gazans in the West Bank, and also deport them back to the Strip.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities in Gulf prompt questions about possible Russian role — sources
The US embassy headquarters in Riyadh is pictured on March 3, 2026, after it was hit by drone strikes earlier. (AFP)
Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf have prompted US intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia assisted by providing targeting information or advanced drone technology, say four people familiar with US intelligence.
These people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters, say US intelligence officials have not yet reached firm conclusions about the possible Russian involvement in the attacks on CIA facilities. But they cite the strikes’ effectiveness and apparent precision, as well as Russia’s broader technical support for Iran, as possible evidence.
Reuters and other media have reported — and US officials have acknowledged — that Russia has provided targeting and other support for Iran in its strikes on US targets in the Gulf region generally, but the intelligence community’s investigation of possible Russian involvement in supporting the CIA facility attacks has not been previously disclosed.
At least two CIA sites were struck in March, Reuters and other outlets have reported. One of the facilities was the CIA station in Saudi Arabia, which is located in the US embassy in Riyadh, and a separate site was located in eastern Iraq. Some of the sources said additional CIA sites had been hit, but they did not disclose details.
US said to update Israel on plans to intensify Iran offensive in coming days, bomb Pickaxe Mountain
This June 15, 2026, photo from Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, upper right, and the construction at Pickaxe Mountain directly to the south of it. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
The United States has informed Israel that it plans to escalate its strikes on Iran in the coming days, including the use of heavy bombers for the first time since this year’s joint US-Israeli campaign against the Islamic Republic, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
According to the report, the bombers are expected to target the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site near Qom, based on repeated threats by US President Donald Trump over the past week that the area would be hit “pretty soon.”
The close security coordination between Jerusalem and Washington is reportedly intended to allow Israel to prepare for the possibility that Iran could respond to the intensified US strikes by escalating its own attacks, including launching missiles at Israel.
Israel is at its peak level of readiness tonight following the US update, Kan reports.
Mamdani declines to call Oct. 7 a genocide, say when he knew he couldn’t arrest Netanyahu
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lights the Empire State Building in celebration of America 250 at The Empire State Building on July 4, 2026 in New York City. (John Nacion/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust/AFP)
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declines to call Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught on Israel a genocide or state when his legal team determined that the city could not arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Asked during a press conference whether he considers the Hamas attack a genocide, Mamdani says, “I consider October 7 to be a horrific war crime.”
Mamdani is also asked when his legal team informed him that the city could not arrest Netanyahu.
“That’s a review that I asked them to do. They made it clear that this is not possible through applicable law,” Mamdani says.
Asked again when the determination was made, Mamdani says, “I’ve answered the question.”
Mamdani first vowed to arrest Netanyahu in 2024 while he was running for mayor. Legal experts have said for a year that such an arrest was not possible.
Reports: Mossad chief held talks in Washington on Iran war targets
The head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency traveled to Washington two weeks ago to discuss the Iran war, in his first visit to the US capital since taking office, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing two unidentified sources with knowledge of the situation.
Roman Gofman met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and White House officials, the report says.
Channel 14 news — which has repeatedly been accused of violating IDF censor rules — reports that a “very important Israeli delegation” visited the US two weeks ago in an attempt to convince US President Donald Trump to bomb Pickaxe Mountain.
Trump has been threatening to bomb the site in recent days, and recent reports said Israel passed on intelligence to the US showing that Iran moved centrifuges and uranium there last year.
Iran’s Ghalibaf says no one will sell oil in the region if Iran cannot
Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf says no one will be able to sell oil in a region where Iran is not able to do so, adding that if Tehran’s security is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe.
“The equation of this war is clear: either all or none,” Ghalibaf says in a post on X, adding that the security of the Strait of Hormuz lies in the absence of American forces.
Zelensky talks with Witkoff and Kushner to ‘reinvigorate diplomacy’
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to journalists during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 3, 2026. (AP/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke today, the Ukrainian leader and a White House official say.
“It was a good, important conversation on how to reinvigorate diplomacy and bring peace closer,” Zelensky writes on X, adding that both sides will stay in close contact. He earlier spoke with US ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker.
‘Shame on you’: Leading Jewish groups slam Mamdani for claims in Netanyahu arrest video
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers a speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States at City Hall in New York, July 3, 2026. (Anna Connors/ The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Leading Jewish groups castigate New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for inflammatory claims he made yesterday in a video announcing that he could not arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Before stating that the city could not make the arrest, Mamdani said Israel was targeting “neonatal care centers,” starving “countless people,” “gunning down hundreds of aid workers and journalists,” and that Americans were paying “for the bombs that do the killing.”
The claims are largely exaggerated or based on scanty or questionable evidence.
The UJA-Federation of New York, the leading Jewish group in the city, says, “New Yorkers elected a mayor to lead this city — not to make Israel the centerpiece of your political grandstanding.”
“Your video is rife with distortions and disinformation. At a time of rising antisemitism, repeatedly singling out and vilifying the world’s only Jewish state for perceived political benefit is repugnant, puts Jews at greater risk — and leaves many Jewish New Yorkers feeling targeted and unwelcome in the city we call home,” the federation says in a statement. “Shame on you.”
Mamdani has often sparred with leading Jewish groups, but the UJA statement marked an unusually harsh criticism of the mayor.
The head of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, Mark Treyger, says, “The Mayor already knew he lacked the legal authority to carry out this irresponsible campaign promise.”
Mamdani’s video, including his call for federal authorities to arrest Netanyahu, “places the NYPD in an untenable position, further inflames tensions in the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel, and distracts from urgent local responsibilities… including responding to a deadly Legionnaires’ outbreak,” Treyger says.
The Orthodox Union, a leading national Jewish group that is headquartered in New York, says, “Mayor Mamdani’s video endangers Jewish New Yorkers.”
“He peddles lies and misinformation that risk inciting further violence against Jews. It is a betrayal of his oath of office and his own commitment to protect all New Yorkers,” the Orthodox Union says.
“The Mayor’s singular focus on Prime Minister Netanyahu is a telling reminder of his obsession with the actions of only one country, the Jewish state,” the statement says. “It is time for the Mayor to focus on the considerable needs of New York instead of playing prosecutor for the cameras.”
The Anti-Defamation League says, “Hate crimes. Rising cost of living. Legionnaires’ outbreak. Parasitic infections. Flash floods. But sure, let’s focus on trying to arrest Israel’s prime minister.”
“Glad to see the NYC mayor has his priorities straight,” the ADL says.
Trump salutes as remains of 4 slain US service members return home
US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth salute as a US Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, of Ozone Park, New York, July 22, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. (AP/Matt Rourke)
US President Donald Trump attends a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for four US service members who returned to American soil in flag-draped caskets today after being killed in Iranian attacks in the Middle East.
Trump, wearing a blue suit and red tie, stands at attention near the flight line and salutes as teams of seven service members solemnly carry each transfer case from the aircraft during the ceremony, known as a “dignified transfer.”
Family members, who arrived in a convoy of vans, watch from a short distance as the flag-draped transfer cases are carried off the aircraft one by one and placed in one of two vans.
“We’re going to honor them. For me it’s one of the hardest things to do as a president. But it has to be done,” Trump said before leaving for the ceremony.
Asked what he would tell the families of the fallen, Trump said: “All I’m going to say is, we love you. We love your child, and that’s what they are to them. They’re their children. There’s no games, no nothing.”
IDF again stops settlement activists trying to cross into Syria
Israeli settlement activists once again attempted to illegally cross the border into Syria today, before being stopped by the IDF.
The military says several Israeli civilians arrived in the Mount Hermon area in an attempt to cross the border.
“IDF troops operating at the scene prevented the civilians from advancing and detained them,” the military says, adding that they were handed over to the police.
The activists, who call themselves the Bashan Pioneers, call for the establishment of settlements in the southern Syria area. There has been an increase in attempts by the activists to cross the border into Syria in recent weeks.
“The IDF strongly condemns the incident, which constitutes another case of serious interference with operational activity in the border area. This is a criminal offense that endangers both the civilians and IDF troops,” the military says.
The IDF adds that it expects “law enforcement authorities to bring those involved to justice and act decisively to put an end to this recurring phenomenon, which repeatedly disrupts the forces’ operations.”
There have been no charges filed against the Bashan Pioneers members, and despite their illegal actions, they have also received support from some coalition lawmakers.
Yemen’s Houthis sending radio warning to ships, says shipping group
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have been recorded sending radio warnings to ships, the International Chamber of Shipping tells AFP, after the rebels announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia.
“We can confirm that the Houthis were recorded transmitting a warning message to ships in the region,” the ICS says.
Netanyahu promises to unite country ahead of Tisha B’Av fast
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video message released on July 22, 2026. (Screenshot/GPO)
Shortly before the start of the Tisha B’Av fast — the Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of the Jerusalem temples and other calamities — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will deepen national unity.
“On the eve of Tisha B’Av, we remember the destruction of the Temple,” he says in a video statement. “We remember the terrible price of hatred and division among ourselves.”
“Over the past three years, through our combined efforts, we prevented the destruction of the Third Temple,” he says, referring to the Jewish state.
“Instead of a civil war, we became brothers fighting shoulder-to-shoulder to repel those who seek our destruction. We joined forces, fought like lions, and together saved Israel.”
His messages come a day after President Isaac Herzog warned of “violence rearing its head” and pleaded with Israelis not to “cross red lines” during the election campaign season. Those comments came hours after Netanyahu shared an AI-generated ad that critics accused of attacking Gadi Eisenkot with a reference to his slain son. The premier denied that the young man portrayed in the video was meant to resemble the fallen soldier.
“As prime minister of Israel, I intend to deepen the unity among us,” says Netanyahu, adding that he “will work to establish a broad national government.”
“I know that during an election campaign there will be disagreements that make it difficult for us to see this, but I also know that we are far more united than it may seem,” says Netanyahu.
IDF reveals terror affiliations of 12 Gazan soccer players killed in Israeli strikes
Children sifting through trash at the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees and their descendants in the central Gaza Strip on May 7, 2026. (Eyad Baba/AFP)
The Israeli military provides details on 12 terror operatives killed in the Gaza Strip during the war, who had been identified as soccer players.
“Following an intelligence investigation, it is now possible to reveal the terrorists’ organizational affiliation and their roles, despite the fact that in many cases they were presented to the world solely as soccer players, without any mention of their affiliation with terror organizations,” the military says.
Some of the information was based on open sources, but all of those listed were identified by the IDF as members of the terror organizations.
Meet some of Hamas & Islamic Jihad’s “soccer players”: pic.twitter.com/nRdvM08AvG
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2026
They are named by the IDF as:
- Mohammed Barakat, a soccer player and a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who invaded Israel on October 7
- Mahmoud Kamal Mohammed Ali Al-Rifi, a soccer player and a company commander in Hamas’s aerial array
- Mohammed Mansour, a soccer player and coach, and a deputy commander in Hamas’s Nuseirat Battalion, who invaded Israel on October 7
- Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Abu al-Atta, a soccer player and a platoon commander in Islamic Jihad
- Abdullah Riyad Abdullah Khattab, a soccer player and member of Islamic Jihad’s anti-tank missile array
- Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab, a FIFA international referee and a member of Islamic Jihad in central Gaza
- Ali Mahmoud Ahmed al-Kurd, a soccer player and coach, and platoon commander in Islamic Jihad in Rafah
- Mohammed Imad Atta Hassoun, a soccer player and a Hamas terrorist who invaded Israel on October 7
- Tarek Ziad Hussein al-Hour, a soccer player and member of Hamas’s military wing
- Mohammed Ziad Hussein al-Hour, a soccer player and platoon commander in Hamas’s military wing in Nuseirat
- Mahmoud Osama al-Jazzar, a soccer player and Islamic Jihad operative
- Mohammed Nidal Mohammed al-Hawajri, a soccer player and commander in Hamas’s military wing in Nuseirat
The military says there has been a “false campaign portraying the IDF as deliberately targeting members of the soccer community, which was created as part of a broader effort promoted by various actors against the State of Israel, accompanies other false narratives advanced throughout the war.”
“In those campaigns, Palestinian terrorists struck and eliminated by the IDF were presented as journalists, humanitarian aid workers and other civilian professionals, while their involvement in terrorist activity was deliberately concealed to promote false claims that they had been targeted because of their civilian professions,” the army adds.
Palestinian family surrounded by settlers flees home after dayslong siege
A Palestinian family whose home in a West Bank village was besieged by extremist settlers says they have succeeded in fleeing the area.
Raad Nasser, head of the Jalud village council, tells The Times of Israel that the Tobasi family, from the village of Jalud south of Nablus, left their home several hours ago after settlers surrounded the house and blocked the access road in recent days. Palestinian media outlets published footage showing settlers walking around the property’s yard, apparently after the family had already left.
Earlier this week, Haaretz reported that the Tobasi family, whose home is located on the outskirts of the village, had been effectively trapped for the past two weeks after two settler outposts were established nearby. A family member said the settlers had threatened to cut off their electricity.
This afternoon, Haaretz journalists attempted to reach the family, but the army prevented them from doing so and declared the area a closed military zone. According to the Haaretz report, however, the army did not remove the settlers from the area.
The IDF has not commented on the incident.
مستوطنون يرقصون أمام منزل محمود الطوباسي في جالود جنوب نابلس، بعد نجاحهم في تهجير العائلة من منزلها، إثر حصار وضغوطات ومضايقات بدأت منذ شهر نيسان/أبريل الماضي وتصاعدت في الأيام الأخيرة pic.twitter.com/U6iXjykDFE
— Ultra Palestine – الترا فلسطين (@palestineultra) July 22, 2026
Government tells High Court it didn’t have time to pass its Oct. 7 political inquiry bill
The government tells the High Court of Justice it should not issue a ruling on petitions asking that it order the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, catastrophe before the upcoming elections, since the issue is politically sensitive.
The government’s update says it did not succeed in passing into law its legislation for the establishment of a politically appointed inquiry into the Hamas invasion and atrocities of October 7 — which it wanted to create instead of a commission appointed by the Supreme Court — due to legislative time constraints before the Knesset was dissolved last week.
Should the court acquiesce to the government’s request, it would mean that at least three years will elapse before any form of inquiry is established into the unprecedented security and intelligence disaster of October 7.
“The way in which the [October 7] events are investigated is at the heart of a political argument between the parties standing for election,” the government tells the High Court.
“For these reasons, it is not appropriate that the court issue a ruling on this issue or intervene over it at this stage,” the update continues, adding that the government, in principle, holds that the court has no authority to order it to establish a state commission of inquiry.
The government notes that it has passed its legislation for a politically appointed inquiry in a first reading, and that it intends to approve the bill in its final readings should it be able to form a new government after the upcoming election.
Last week, the government rammed through several highly contentious pieces of legislation in the final week of the Knesset’s term, including a law freezing arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers, a law removing key powers from the attorney general, and a controversial media overhaul law.
Construction said to already be underway for Ben Gvir’s prison crocodile moat
A moat meant to hold crocodiles is reportedly being dug in Ketziot Prison as part of a campaign spearheaded by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to introduce the large reptile into security wings.
According to a Ynet report citing Ben Gvir’s ministry and local officials, the physical preparations began earlier today inside the southern facility, which holds detained Hamas terrorists and other Palestinian security prisoners.
“Digging [for] the crocodile moat is underway inside the prison, around one of their special wings,” a source in the Ramat Hanegev Regional Council, whose jurisdiction the prison falls within, tells the outlet.
“It’s a moat about 170 meters (560 feet) long and you can’t see it from outside the prison. No one knows if there will indeed be crocodiles there, but preparations are being made,” the source continues.
Ben Gvir’s office also confirms to the outlet that digging for the moat has already started within the jail.
“Whoever thought this was a gimmick was mistaken,” says Ben Gvir’s office in a statement. “The Prison Service is all set. The plan exists in the finest detail, from the maintenance and care of the crocodiles to the level of the crocodiles’ resting cells.”
According to the statement, the National Security Ministry has budgeted NIS 21 million ($7 million) for the construction of the trenches.
The digging began after Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman issued a ministerial decision last week to reclassify the Nile crocodile as a “tended wild animal” to allow for their presence in security facilities, flouting the opposition of her ministry’s legal counsel.
Silman’s move also encountered stringent opposition from career environmental officials in the Nature and Parks Authority, which stressed that the move has “no professional or scientific basis” and poses physical danger to guards and prisoners alike.
“The Nature and Parks Authority found no professional or scientific basis anywhere in the world for bringing crocodiles into a detention facility for use as a security measure,” the agency says in a statement to The Times of Israel.
Introducing “a large, longevous, non-native predator into the ecosystem could create numerous and varied risks to both Israel’s natural environment and the public,” it continues.
Silman defended her decision today in an interview with the 103FM radio station, saying that “we are speaking a language our enemies know.”
She claims the penitentiary system’s acute overcrowding crisis — which worsened considerably post-October 7 — necessitates crocodiles as a deterrent for security inmates.
“At the end of the day, we must remember that as a result of October 7, the number of security prisoners increased considerably, and there is a real need to reckon with means of deterrence,” the minister tells the station.
“They [Ben Gvir and prison officials] told me that there is major deterrence in the fact that crocodiles will surround the prisons,” she adds.
Rubio dodges questions on reports of US-Saudi nuclear energy pact
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines July 22, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP)
Asked about reports that the US and Saudi Arabia have signed a nuclear energy pact, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio directs any questions to the White House.
“I’ll let the White House officials sort of put out an official statement about anything in regards to that,” Rubio tells reporters during a press conference in the Philippines.
Stumbling a bit in his response, Rubio also says: “I’d prefer it be, you know, put out when there is something to say that we will say through official channels.”
He is also asked about the risk of the US signing an agreement with a Middle Eastern country that does not include the “gold standard” promise to refrain from enriching or reprocessing uranium.
Rubio says he will not “opine directly on that agreement” with Saudi Arabia, but then says “the US is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation.”
Trump claims 4 fallen US soldiers had said Iran must not obtain nukes
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, July 22, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Departing for Dover to participate in the dignified transfer of four American soldiers who were killed last week in the Iran conflict, US President Donald Trump says each of them had spoken about the need to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“We are going to Dover to honor our heroes. All of them said very strongly we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump claims.
“We’re going to honor them. For me it’s one of the hardest things to do as president,” he adds.
Asked what he’ll tell the families of the fallen soldiers, Trump responds, “All I’m gonna say to them is we love you. We love your child.”
Trump goes on to claim that a new poll showed that while Americans don’t want gas prices to climb, “they’re not against the war” with Iran.
He does not specify what poll he is speaking about, but the comments offer an indication of his thinking regarding the Iran conflict.
To fly to Dover, Trump is using the Qatari-gifted Air Force One, which was reportedly placed temporarily out of commission earlier this month due to security concerns.
Senior IDF intel officer reinstated despite sexual harassment allegations
A senior intelligence officer who was removed from his role after being accused of sexual harassment and abusing a position of authority was recently reinstated.
The lieutenant colonel, who served in the Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 8200, faced the accusations some two years ago. Following an examination by the chief of staff’s adviser on gender issues, he was removed from his role.
At the time, the military said he would continue to serve in the military but not in any role that would see him command other soldiers, “as his conduct is inconsistent with the IDF’s values.”
However, the officer was recently appointed to a new role that will see him put in a position of command over soldiers and officers again, the Ynet news site reports.
The military, in response, says that “the incident is known, was handled through the chain of command, and disciplinary action was taken.”
The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel calls on the IDF chief of staff and the gender affairs adviser to “reverse the decision to return the officer to a command position.”
IDF confirms settler arson attack in two West Bank villages
The IDF confirms that Israeli settlers carried out arson attacks on two Palestinian villages in the West Bank overnight.
In Jalud, in the Nablus area, “Israeli citizens tried to set fire to chicken coops,” according to the military.
It says troops and Border Police officers were dispatched to the area, but the suspects fled before the forces arrived.
The forces assisted with extinguishing the fire, and no injuries were reported, the army adds.
Additionally, the military says troops and Border Police officers were dispatched to Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah, following reports of an arson attack.
“Subsequently, a violent confrontation developed involving stone-throwing between Palestinians and Israeli civilians who arrived in the area,” the army says.
The IDF says troops used riot dispersal means and fired warning shots in the air amid the clash.
Druze general Kamil Abu Rukun, a former COGAT chief, joins Eisenkot’s Yashar
Former COGAT chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Kamil Abu Rukun (left) and Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot in an undated handout photo. (Courtesy Yashar)
Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party announces that former Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Kamil Abu Rukun is joining its slate ahead of the upcoming elections.
A resident of the Druze town of Isfiya, Abu Rukun served for four decades in senior security roles, including as head of COGAT — Israel’s military liaison to the Palestinians — from 2018 until his retirement in 2021.
In a statement, Eisenkot — a former IDF chief of staff — who has known Abu Rukun for more than 30 years, calls him “an experienced security professional with an iron moral backbone” and “an asset in every security role he held.”
“The Israeli covenant — Zionist and rooted in service — requires action,” Eisenkot says, adding that Israel’s 150,000 Druze citizens and others who serve the state “deserve broad recognition and meaningful rewards for their contribution.”
Abu Rukun says he is joining Yashar because of his confidence in Eisenkot’s ability “to restore solidarity and unity to the State of Israel.”
“I am committed to working alongside Gadi to address the challenges the Druze community has faced for decades, offer hope and secure a better future for the younger generation while strengthening the historic alliance between the Druze community and the State of Israel,” he says.
Eisenkot has previously pledged to place a Druze candidate in a realistic spot on the party’s slate, though it remains unclear where Abu Rukun will be ranked.
There are currently three Druze members of the Knesset: Likud MK Afif Abed, Yisrael Beytenu’s Hamad Amar, and Akram Hasson of Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope faction, which merged into Likud last year.
Abu Rukun joins a slate that includes former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen, former Finance Ministry budget chief Shaul Meridor, former communications minister Matan Kahana, and former Mossad and Shin Bet official Dvora Sharfian Bachar.
US embassy urges caution among American citizens in Israel amid uptick in organized crime
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)
In an unusual move, the US embassy in Jerusalem issues a warning to US citizens to remain cautious amid a recent uptick in organized crime incidents.
In a statement, the embassy says it is “is closely monitoring reports of a spike in violence connected to rivalries between Israeli organized crime groups,” noting that the attacks “appear to be targeting businesses and homes associated with the groups involved, primarily in the Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Herzliya neighborhoods.”
The embassy calls on US citizens to “stay alert, especially in commercial areas during evening and overnight hours” and “avoid locations with police activity and follow instructions from local authorities.”
🚨 Security Alert for U.S. Citizens in Israel: The U.S. Embassy Jerusalem is monitoring reports of increased violence linked to rival Israeli organized crime groups, primarily affecting parts of Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and Herzliya.
U.S. citizens are encouraged to:
• Stay alert,… pic.twitter.com/kcM3XoRhsZ— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) July 22, 2026
Israeli official confirms August 4 Lebanon talks in Rome
Officials applaud following a trilateral framework signing ceremony at the US State Department with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, top center, and, seated from left, Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, counselor Dan Holler and Lebanon's Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh on Friday, June 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
An Israeli official confirms to The Times of Israel that the next round of Israel-Lebanon talks will take place on August 4 in Rome.
Italy’s foreign minister announced the talks this afternoon.
Trump: US will bomb ‘ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT’ for every attack on ship in Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office at the White House, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
US President Donald Trump threatens to bomb Iranian bridges and power plants if Tehran continues striking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz — whether it be by missile, rocket, drone or any other device or weapon — the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the capital city of Tehran,” Trump writes on Truth Social.
2 men arrested for arson attacks on Ramat Gan cafe that’s open on Shabbat
Police have arrested two young men suspected in a string of arson attacks targeting a cafe in Ramat Gan that remains open on Shabbat.
Both suspects are residents of Beitar Illit, a Haredi settlement in the West Bank.
The most recent arson attack took place at the start of the month, in which individuals set fire to the cafe’s storefront, causing heavy damage to the windows and building.
Yesterday police arrested their first suspect in the case, a 23-year-old from Beitar Illit. The young man was arrested last night and brought to court today for a remand hearing. He will remain in custody until Sunday.
And today, police arrested his 19-year-old alleged accomplice, also from the Haredi settlement, and intend to bring him to the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court tomorrow with a request to extend his remand.
The cafe, called Bandita, has been set alight three times over the past two months, causing property damage, police say. No injuries were reported in any of the arson incidents.
Speaking to Ynet, the cafe owner’s spouse speculated that the repeated arson attacks are linked to the cafe staying open on Shabbat.
After the third arson incident, the Ramat Gan municipality issued a statement condemning the attack and saying it poses a threat to “the fabric of shared life in the city.”
פרסום ראשון: המשטרה עצרה חשוד ראשון בגל ההצתות של קפה ״בנדיטה״ ברמת גן
צעיר בן 23, תושב ביתר עילית, נעצר על ידי יל״פ מרחב דן בחשד למעורבות בהצתת בית הקפה בתחילת החודש. לפי החשד, הוא פעל יחד עם מעורבים נוספים. במשטרה חושדים כי אותה חוליה מעורבת גם במקרי ההצתה הנוספים שאירעו בבית… pic.twitter.com/9TVnnZss7O
— Lee Ayash (@lee_ayash) July 22, 2026
Iran’s Health Ministry says 53 dead, close to 600 wounded since fighting restarted
Vehicles drive past a billboard depicting the clenched fist of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, July 21, 2026. (AP/Vahid Salemi)
Iran’s Health Ministry says US strikes over the past month have killed 53 people, including six women and three children, and wounded nearly 600 people.
The figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Four US servicemembers have been killed during the same period.
The US military said earlier today that it had completed an 11th night of strikes on Iran, with targets including aircraft hangars and drone storage sites.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard insists its retaliatory attacks on American targets will continue.
Bulgarian parliament votes to allow US to station refueling planes
US Air Force refueling aircraft are seen parked on the tarmac of the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
Bulgaria’s parliament votes to allow the United States to base refueling planes in the country, as Donald Trump threatens to further escalate military attacks on Iran.
Washington made the request Friday, and parliament approved it with 136 votes in favor, 13 against and two abstentions.
Bulgaria will authorize the deployment of up to eight KC-135 tanker aircraft and up to 250 military personnel, tasked with supporting operations in the Middle East.
They will be stationed at Bezmer Air Base in the southeast, from July 24 to October 1, 2026.
The move comes as Israel has sought to clear out some of the refueling planes stationed at Ben Gurion Airport, at the same time that the US is sending more to the region amid the escalation with Iran.
The presence of US military aircraft, which have been stationed at the Tel Aviv airport for months, limits the number of commercial flights that can be operated there.
Yesterday, amid news that Bulgaria may host the refuelers, Tehran warned Sofia that aiding US military operations would make it “an accomplice to aggressors and criminals.”
Bulgarian Prime Minister Roumen Radev stresses, however, that Bulgaria will not itself be used as a base for attacks on Iran.
“These refueling aircraft will be used exclusively for logistical and in-flight refueling missions outside Bulgarian airspace,” he says.
Four suspects arrested over shooting in Ar’ara Banegev, thought to be family dispute
Four men, arrested in connection to a shooting incident in Ar'ara Banegev, are seen in a handout photo on July 22, 2026. (Israel Police)
Police arrest four people suspected of involvement in a shooting in the southern town of Ar’ara Banegev yesterday.
Police suspect the shooting was linked to a violent dispute between families in the town.
The suspects will appear before the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court for a hearing to extend their remand.
Two people were lightly wounded as a result of the shooting.
After receiving a report of the incident, local police and Border Police forces worked to restore order, including by firing shots in the air to prevent an escalation.
Iran media reports US strike on Larak island in Hormuz
The Iranian news agency Tasnim reports a US missile strike on the island of Larak in the Strait of Hormuz, saying residents heard a loud explosion there.
“At 2:48 pm, the island of Larak was targeted by an American missile,” Tasnim says.
“The competent authorities are currently carrying out an investigation to determine the scale of the attack, the exact point of impact and the extent of the potential damage,” it adds.
Saudi civil defense issues early warning in Dammam; says danger has passed
Saudi Arabia’s civil defense issues an early warning for the city of Dammam ahead of potential danger. Shortly thereafter, it says the danger has passed.
The alert comes around the same time that sirens sound in Bahrain, and an explosion is reported over the city of Manama.
The sirens come amid daily attacks by Iran on Gulf countries, as fighting has escalated between the US and the Islamic Republic.
Iran denies existence of nuclear facility at ‘Pickaxe Mountain’ after threat by Trump
This June 15, 2026, photo from Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, upper right, and the construction at Pickaxe Mountain directly to the south of it. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
Iran again denies the existence of any secret nuclear complex at so-called “Pickaxe Mountain,” after US President Donald Trump threatened to strike the site in the center of the country.
“Washington’s obsessive focus on Kolang Kouh where no nuclear activity is taking place is nothing more than a fabricated pretext for aggression, destruction, and sabotage,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei says on X.
He insists “Iran’s nuclear activities have been fully declared” to the UN’s atomic watchdog.
Trump warned yesterday that the US would hit the site, but has yet to follow through on the threat.
In 2025, US media outlets including The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that Iran had accelerated construction at a secret underground nuclear site at Kolang mountain, which Tehran denied.
The mountain is near Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, which was bombed by the US during a brief war in June of that year.
Sirens sound in Bahrain, explosion heard in city of Manama
Sirens sound in Bahrain, the country’s interior ministry says.
“The siren has been sounded… Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” a post reads on X.
An AFP correspondent in Manama reports hearing an explosion.
The alert comes two weeks into renewed US-Iran hostilities that have seen daily Iranian attacks on the island kingdom.
Reports: Settlers set fire to farmland near two West Bank villages overnight
Palestinian media report that settlers set fire overnight to agricultural land near the villages of Jalud, in the Nablus area, and Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah.
No injuries have been reported.
According to the reports, the fire in Jalud was set near the home of a Palestinian family on the outskirts of the village.
According to a report published this week by Haaretz, settlers have been surrounding the family’s home for several days, preventing family members from entering or leaving.
عاجل| مسـ.tـوطنون يحرقون أراضٍ زراعية خلال اقتحامهم محيط بلدة ترمسعيا شمال رام الله. pic.twitter.com/EZ6nojJOmK
— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) July 21, 2026
Anti-LGBTQ Noam party recruits Oct. 7 bereaved father Eliyahu Libman, of Tikva Forum
Far-right lawmaker Avi Maoz, the sole MK representing the anti-LGBTQ, misogynistic Noam party, announces that Eliyahu Libman — bereaved father and former head of the religious West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba — is joining the party ahead of the October 27 election.
Libman, who also previously served as the civilian security chief for Hebron’s Jewish community, lost his son, Elyakim Libman, 23, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists while working as a security guard at the Supernova music festival during the October 7, 2023, attack.
Together with Tzvika Mor, whose son Eitan was abducted from the festival and later released from Hamas captivity, Libman co-founded the Tikva Forum, a group of hostages’ families that — unlike the larger Hostage and Missing Families Forum — consistently opposed partial hostage release agreements involving the release of Palestinian security prisoners and temporary ceasefires in Gaza.
Mor has since joined Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party.
“All the people of Israel saw and were inspired by the strength of spirit of Eliyahu Libman and his family,” Maoz writes on X.
“Beyond being a man of action, over the past two years he has also emerged as a leader with remarkable spirit, and I congratulate him on joining as a pioneer in Noam’s new team,” he adds.
כל עם ישראל ראה והתפעל יחד איתנו מעוצמת רוחו של אליהו ליבמן ומשפחתו, שמעבר להיותו איש עשייה התגלה בשנתיים האחרונות כמנהיג אשר רוח בו ואני מברך אותו על הצטרפותו כחלוץ בנבחרת החדשה של נעם.
אליהו, ברוך הבא!@ElyahuLivman pic.twitter.com/C6FWszXDdc— אבי מעוז (@AVI_MAOZ) July 21, 2026
Maoz, an outspoken homophobe who has made misogynistic statements about women’s role in society and denigrated non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, ran in the 2022 election on a joint slate with Religious Zionism and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party.
It remains unclear whether the alliance will be renewed for the upcoming election.
Israel ends Venezuela quake mission; will continue assisting remotely
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez center, meeting with Israeli representatives in a photo released on July 22, 2026. (IDF Spokesperson)
Israel’s aid delegation to earthquake-stricken Venezuela has completed its mission and returned to Israel after around three weeks operating in the South American country, the Foreign Ministry announces in a statement.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez — at whose request the delegation had extended its stay and who had approved a national reconstruction plan prepared by the Israeli team — held a meeting with representatives from the IDF and Foreign Ministry ahead of their departure, expressing her appreciation for their efforts, according to the statement.
Following the delegation’s return to Israel, Israeli expert teams will continue providing professional guidance and support to the Venezuelan authorities remotely, the ministry adds.
During the meeting, Rodriguez “thanked the members of the delegation for their contribution,” while members of the delegation “presented key elements of the recovery plan developed jointly with the Venezuelan authorities, which will continue to serve as the framework for the professional support provided after the completion of the field mission,” the ministry says.
The delegation — initially led by chief of staff of the Home Front Command, Elad Edri, and Israel’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Yoed Magen, and later by commander of the IDF National Search and Rescue Unit, Yossi Pinto, and Ambassador Gil Artzyeli — operated in several earthquake-hit areas at the request of the Venezuelan government, assessing and classifying damaged buildings and assisting with reconstruction efforts following the earthquakes that were estimated to kill at least 3,889 people.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the Israeli delegation for not only helping the country recover but also “rebuilding relations” with Caracas on a diplomatic level, nearly two decades after it severed ties with Israel.
Ships veer away from Red Sea after Houthis threaten marine traffic
Four tankers changed their navigational course in the Red Sea today with two signaling the Suez Canal as their new destination after Yemen’s Houthi militia warned it would attack vessels sailing to Saudi Arabian ports, ship tracking data shows.
The vessels all changed their direction, with the other two signaling their destination as open waters in the Red Sea, according to LSEG and MarineTraffic ship tracking data and analysis from British maritime risk management group Vanguard.
A fifth ship — a vehicle carrier — appeared to have turned away in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday after signaling the Saudi port of Jeddah as its next destination, according to shipping data.
The moves come as the European Union’s naval force Aspides advises ships with links to Israel, the United States or Saudi Arabia to avoid voyages through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, warning they are at a higher risk of being attacked by the Iran-aligned Houthis.
“EUNAVFOR ASPIDES recommends that merchant vessels linked to Israeli, U.S. or Saudi interests avoid transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the threat level decreases,” reads an advisory to the shipping industry which was seen by Reuters.
Three oil tankers loaded with Saudi crude for China and India made U-turns in the Red Sea on Tuesday, heading toward the Suez Canal rather than braving the Yemeni coast at the sea’s mouth.
Italy says Israel and Lebanon to hold talks in Rome on August 4
Rome will host the seventh round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon on August 4, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani tells parliament.
Israeli officials have yet to confirm the date.
After the previous round in Rome last week, the IDF began withdrawing from pilot zones in southern Lebanon to allow the Lebanese Armed Forces to assume control.
EU tells airlines to avoid flying over Jordan
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is recommending that airlines not operate within Jordanian airspace, as the kingdom is increasingly targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.
“Since the middle of July 2026, the security situation has deteriorated rapidly, with a sustained increase in kinetic military activity affecting Jordanian airspace,” EASA says in a statement.
EASA already suggests that airlines avoid the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.
Winds of war pump oil prices to highest levels in weeks
Oil prices are spiking, with Brent North Sea crude surpassing $95 for the first time in nearly six weeks, as hostilities between the United States and Iran roil energy markets worldwide.
Brent oil jumped 4.4 percent to $95.24 per barrel before falling back below $94, and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate rallied 4.5 percent to $88.16.
Both were the highest levels since June 11.
Rubio: US open to diplomacy, but Iran not serious about talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines July 22, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP)
The US remains open to talks with Iran, says US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but Iran is not meeting its commitments.
“The United States is always committed to diplomacy,” says Rubio at the ASEAN summit in the Philippines.
“The problem we’re having right now is that they’re not serious about talks,” he continues. “If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, then we will do what is necessary to protect our interests and also the interests of our allies.”
“The United States remains open and willing to engage in positive negotiations and talks so long as the commitments that are made are kept,” says the top US diplomat. “When those commitments are not kept, which is what’s happened in this particular case, then there will be consequences. And that has to happen.”
He says that Iranian leaders are going to continue to engage in hostile rhetoric, but “what we’re interested in is whether or not ships are moving.”
Rubio also insists that the MOU between the US and Iran actually “contemplates a conversation around proxies,” though it does not mention the issue directly.
“No doubt that that is a topic that will have to be discussed,” he says, days after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels began threatening to attack Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.
Rubio says that there is “zero support” among Gulf allies for any kind of tolls or fees in the Strait of Hormuz. “That is not going to happen,” he says.
“We will not be making any decisions or commitments that in any way undermines the prosperity, stability, or the security of our Gulf partners,” he adds.
Israel seeks to revoke citizenship of men convicted of aiding Hamas
The State Attorney’s Office requests the Central District Court revoke the citizenship of two Arab Israeli men convicted of aiding Hamas while working for the Cellcom telecommunications company, citing a law passed after their arrest.
Rani Ouf and Shadi Eidi, the two men in question, were found guilty in 2024 of conspiracy and passing information to the enemy after handing sensitive information on the Israeli cellular giant over to Hamas in a bid to sabotage communications in a future war.
They were apprehended and charged in 2022, after years of contact with Hamas agents and sustained attempts to paralyze Cellcom’s networks during wartime, according to prosecutors.
Ouf was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the plot, while Eidi was sentenced to five and a half years.
The State Attorney’s Office says that the revocation of the pair’s citizenship is justified under a 2023 amendment to the Citizenship Law, which allows for the step to be taken against those found guilty of aiding the enemy during wartime, among other security offenses.
The offenses amount to “effective treason,” says the office, arguing the two men were convicted in “an extreme and exceptional case of violating the duty of loyalty owed by citizens to the state.”
The request was filed at the behest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was approved by Attorney General Gali-Baharav Miara, the office notes.
Russia’s Lavrov to meet Rubio for talks on Ukraine, Mideast conflicts
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila on Thursday for talks set to focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“The meeting will be useful in any case. It’s good to ask questions and get answers,” Lavrov tells reporters, confirming the meeting will take place on Thursday morning on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering of foreign ministers in the Philippine capital.
Monday.com cutting hundreds of jobs as it embraces AI
The monday.com team opens trade on the Nasdaq on June 10, 2021 (Nasdaq)
Israeli workplace software company Monday.com says it is cutting as many as 620 employees, or 20 percent of its global workforce, as it adapts its operations to the era of artificial intelligence.
About 350 employees in Tel Aviv are expected to be affected by the downsizing plan, the company’s co-founders say.
Monday.com employs about 3,000 people globally, about half of whom are located in Tel Aviv.
The layoffs, which come amid widespread worries about AI agents replacing human workers in the tech industry, follow nine months of restructuring as the company adopted the use of more autonomous teams.
“This is the most painful decision we have made since founding monday.com – yet we are certain it is the right one. We made it. We own it. And we take full responsibility for it,” Monday.com co-founders Roy Mann and Eran Zinman write in a letter to employees. “The organization we built for our previous chapter is not the organization that fits the new AI era.”
Jordan says it intercepted four Iranian drones
The Jordanian military says it shot down four drones launched from Iran that had targeted the kingdom.
The interception of the drones by the Royal Jordanian Air Force “resulted in no casualties or material damage,” a military source is cited by the official Petra news agency as saying.
Earlier, Jordan said Iran fired six missiles at the kingdom, four of which were intercepted.
Iran has targeted Jordan several times in recent days amid an escalation in the conflict with the United States.
Religious Zionism announces candidates for party’s primary
Chairman of the Religious Zionism party Bezalel Smotrich, center, with party members in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, October 26, 2022. (Gershon Elinson/Flash90)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionism party announces the candidates who will compete for a spot on the party’s Knesset slate, pitting veteran lawmakers against a handful of new faces.
Voting in the primary is limited to those in the party’s central committee rather than its full member rolls, and will not include a race for party leader, which will remain in Smotrich’s hands. He also controls the placement of two hand-picked candidates for the party’s top 10 spots.
Incumbent candidates include Settlements Minister Orit Strock and MKs Michal Woldiger, Ohad Tal, Simcha Rothman and Zvi Sukkot. Also seeking slots are Omer Rahamim, who heads the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization representing West Bank settlements, Rosh Haayin Deputy Mayor Eitan Tam, Petah Tikva Deputy Mayor Tzvika Weizengrad, Rabbi Shmuel Sasson, and Natan Zaubman, who heads a program for the absorption of French immigrants.
Smotrich is expected to use one of his reserved slots for Tzvika Mor, the father of former hostage Eitan Mor, who joined the party in May.
After his son was kidnapped, Mor co-founded the Tikva Forum, a small group of hostages’ families who, unlike members of the larger Hostages and Missing Families Forum, consistently opposed partial hostage release agreements with Hamas that involved the release of Palestinian security prisoners and temporary ceasefires in Gaza.
Two of the party’s incumbent lawmakers, Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer and MK Moshe Solomon, announced last week that they would not seek reelection over the faction’s decision to support a series of laws enshrining Haredi non-enlistment to the IDF.
Smotrich previously removed Solomon from all Knesset committees for breaking coalition discipline and voting against a quasi-constitutional government bill equating Torah study with military service.
Polls project the party to win just four or five seats, or fail to cross the threshold altogether, unless it mounts a joint campaign with fellow far-right party Otzma Yehudit, which it did in the 2022 election.
Lebanese PM plants flag in town vacated by IDF, touts ‘beginning of complete withdrawal’
In this photo released by the Lebanese Government press office, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, center, raises a Lebanese flag during a visit to the southern village of Zawtar Al Gharbieh, Lebanon, July 22, 2026. (Lebanese Government press office via AP)
Pictures released by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam show him planting a Lebanese flag in Zawtar al-Gharbiya following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area.
The town sits in a pilot zone that Israeli soldiers vacated this week to allow the Lebanese Armed Forces to enter.
The planting “represents the beginning of the Israeli withdrawal from our land,” says Salam in a message shared by his office on X.
رئيس #مجلس_الوزراء الدكتور #نواف_سلام يغرس علماً لبنانياً في ساحة بلدة زوطر الغربية#لبنان #pcm pic.twitter.com/ckqJwvSUjp
— رئاسة مجلس الوزراء 🇱🇧 (@grandserail) July 22, 2026
“What we are witnessing today is merely a beginning,” he continues, “but we are determined and steadfast, and we will continue to mobilize all our political and diplomatic efforts to secure the complete withdrawal from all Lebanese territories.”
He tells residents of southern Lebanon that his government is doing everything possible to facilitate them returning to their homes.
Jordan says six missiles fired by Iran, four intercepted; no injuries
The Jordanian military says six Iranian missiles were launched at the kingdom, four of which were intercepted.
The two other missiles hit “remote uninhabited areas,” it says.
“Air defense systems detected six missiles launched from Iranian territory toward the kingdom and engaged them immediately upon their entry into Jordanian airspace,” a military source is cited by the official Petra news agency as saying.
There are no reports of injuries or damage in the attack.
Explosions had been heard in the Israeli Red Sea resort city of Eilat, which sits close to the Jordanian border, and two plumes of smoke could be seen from there in the direction of the Jordanian city of Aqaba.
No Iranian missile strikes inside Israel, IDF says after blasts heard in Eilat
A plume of smoke is seen in the distance from Eilat after an Iranian missile attack on Jordan on July 22, 2026. (Screen capture: Telegram)
No missiles or projectile shrapnel struck Israeli territory during Iran’s attack on Jordan’s southern city of Aqaba, the IDF says.
Explosions had been heard in the neighboring city of Eilat at the southern tip of Israel, and videos showed plumes of smoke rising from the mountains that separate Eilat from Aqaba.
Iran's IRGC says it targeted a U.S. installation near Aqaba, Jordan. Smoke is visible rising from the Israeli city of Eilat across the border. pic.twitter.com/LInSByK1qU
— OSINTWarfare (@OSINTWarfare) July 22, 2026
The Eilat Municipality says it has not located any impact sites nor received any reports of injuries or damage following the missile fire.
Iranian missiles attack Jordan, explosions heard in Eilat
Explosions are heard in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat amid an Iranian ballistic missile attack on the neighboring Jordanian city of Aqaba.
The results of the Iranian attack are not immediately clear.
‘Insane nuclear arms race’: In Israel, former leaders pillory reported US-Saudi nuclear pact
Yisrael Beytenu party chief Avigdor Liberman holds a faction meeting in the Knesset in Jerusalem on November 24, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)
Former defense minister and foreign minister Avigdor Liberman says Israel must fight a US agreement for Saudi Arabia to host a civilian nuclear program, warning that it will set off a nuclear arms race in the region if allowed to go ahead.
Liberman, the hawkish head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, who is seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in upcoming elections, tells the Kan public broadcaster that such an agreement would be “completely unacceptable.”
“Every military nuclear program starts off as a civilian program,” he says, pointing to Iran’s nuclear enrichment efforts.
“The agreement to allow enrichment on Saudi soil crosses a red line,” he adds. “It puts the whole Middle East into an insane nuclear arms race.”
Liberman also worries that a Saudi nuclear facility will become a target for Iranian attacks.
Noting that US and Israeli interests are not always aligned, he calls on Jerusalem and pro-Israel groups like AIPAC and others to fight the pact and convince Congress to vote against it, even if it means splitting with US President Donald Trump.
“We need to be firm and not stutter,” he says.
Former prime minister Ehud Barak says the fact that the deal does not include an agreement for Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel — according to reports — “is a sign of the loss of trust between Netanyahu and Trump.”
“The friction between them means that Trump acts without taking Netanyahu’s stance into account,” he tells Army Radio.
However, he notes that Saudi enrichment could have been acceptable had it been part of a normalization agreement, along with tight US supervision.
Iran executes man for allegedly aiding US, Israel during January protests
Iran executed a man for charges linked to protests in January, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reports.
Mizan identifies the man as Mehdi Khaneki and says he was executed for “operational actions” that benefited Israel, the United States and hostile groups.
It says he also produced and possessed weapons.
Iran claims drone attacks on US bases in Jordan, Bahrain
Iran’s state-run media says its military launched drones overnight at a military base in Jordan, targeting the same location where three US soldiers were killed in a missile attack on Friday.
The Iranian military says the drones were launched at housing and welfare units on the base accommodating US troops as well as an equipment depot, according to Iran’s Fars news outlet.
It says drones were also launched at hangars and other buildings used by US troops at a base in Bahrain.
There is no word on the alleged attack from the Pentagon, which has released only limited information about Iranian assaults on troops in the region.
Lebanese president says Hezbollah can only be disarmed if Israel withdraws
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks as he meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
Lebanon can disarm Hezbollah, but Israel’s military must pull out of the south of the country for it to happen, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun tells US congressmembers and Trump administration officials, according to his office.
Speaking at a dinner in his honor hosted by Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, Aoun says that his country cannot be secure or united until it is “one state with one army that protects all Lebanese.”
“Hezbollah’s weapons can be disarmed if we are honest about what it truly requires,” he continues, “namely the removal of the occupation and the army taking full control.”
During a White House meeting earlier Tuesday, Aoun, the first Lebanese president invited to Washington since 2009, asked US President Donald Trump for political support and continued backing for the Lebanese army, which has begun deploying in southern areas, including zones where Israeli forces retreat from, under a US-backed framework agreement with Israel.
Israeli officials have expressed skepticism that Lebanon’s armed forces are strong enough to disarm Hezbollah by force on its own, and say troops are needed in the south to provide a buffer zone keeping the Iran-backed terror group away from its border.
During the meeting with Trump, Aoun, a former army commander, said the military was “the backbone of security and stability” and the country’s most trusted institution.
Asked whether the US would provide assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces on disarming Hezbollah, Trump was noncommittal, saying that he would be discussing the matter with Aoun privately.
The framework signed on June 26 after several rounds of direct negotiations envisions a phased Israeli pullback from positions in south Lebanon and looks to pave the path toward eventual peace between the two countries.
Shipper CMA CGM to slap on fuel surcharge over Hormuz crunch
File: In this Oct. 18, 2021, photo the container ship CMA CGM Jules Verne, left, and other vessels are seen in queues from the Port of Los Angeles (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
French shipping firm CMA CGM will impose an emergency fuel surcharge following the renewed escalation of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz, effective August 1, it says in a notice posted on its website.
“Following the renewed escalation of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz over the past days, fuel prices have surged sharply again, reversing the easing observed in recent weeks. As a result, bunker costs have significantly increased across all regions and trades, impacting the overall cost of ocean transportation,” the firm says.
The surcharge, which will range from $65 to $165 per container, will be in place until further notice. The notice from the world’s third-largest shipping firm was dated on Tuesday but was sent in an email to reporters on Wednesday.
Tiny Nauru to open embassy in Jerusalem, Israel says
National flags for Nauru fly at the Pacific Islands Forum on the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru, September 3, 2018. (Jason Oxenham/Pool via AP)
The Pacific island nation of Nauru will open an embassy in Jerusalem, according to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s office.
Nauru, among the smallest nations in the world with around 10,000 inhabitants, will be the 10th country to open an embassy in Israel’s capital.
The United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Fiji, and Somaliland have embassies in Jerusalem, while Colombia announced its intention to open one last week.
Other countries — including Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia — have embassy branches in the capital.
Sa’ar and Nauruan Foreign Minister Lionel Aingimea met last June in Fiji and agreed on the move, according to Sa’ar’s office.
The embassy is expected to open in the coming months. Nauru, a firm supporter of Israel, recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2019.
Arizona congressman fends off anti-Israel challenger in Democratic primary
Rep. Greg Stanton speak at a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena, August 9, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP/Ross D. Franklin)
Rep. Greg Stanton is projected to beat progressive upstart Kai Newkirk in Arizona’s Democratic primary, fending off an opponent who had criticized Stanton for his pro-Israel stance and support from the AIPAC lobby.
Stanton will face off against Republican Zuhdi Jasser in the general election for Arizona’s fourth district, which covers parts of Phoenix and Maricopa County.
Stanton, 56, a four-term incumbent, voted against Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie’s amendment to cut military aid to Israel last week. Newkirk criticized Stanton, saying that he would have voted for the amendment, and suggested that Stanton’s vote was the result of his support from AIPAC.
The activist and meditation teacher’s platform had included ending all military aid to Israel and imposing an arms embargo on the country, which he accuses of genocide.
According to the Arizona Republic, the Democratic Socialists of America had declined to back Newkirk and other anti-Israel progressives pulled support over unspecified concerns about his past behavior and relationships.
Elsewhere in the Grand Canyon State, US Rep. Andy Biggs, a fierce ally of President Donald Trump and former head of the House Freedom Caucus, won the Republican nomination for governor.
Biggs overwhelmingly defeated fellow US Rep. David Schweikert in the primary and will face Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in what could be one of the closest governor races in November.
By choosing Biggs, who supported Trump’s failed attempt to block certification of his 2020 election loss, Republican voters risk nominating another conservative warrior who excites the party base but fails to win a general election by turning off independents. Although Republicans once dominated Arizona, Democrats now hold both US Senate seats and the top three state offices.
Police raid alleged NIS 500 million money laundering operation
Three suspects have been arrested in a sting on what police allege is a massive NIS 500 million ($164 million) money laundering ring, according to Hebrew-language media reports.
Authorities say a year-long investigation uncovered a sprawling scheme that used fictitious corporations and non-profit organizations, both in Israel and abroad, to move money around for various clients while hiding its origins, reports say.
Police and Tax authority officials raided the homes of 16 suspects on July 14, arresting the three main alleged operators of the scheme, according to reports. They have not been named.
Two of the suspects, from Kiryat Yearim and Tel Aviv, were ordered to remain in custody until Thursday, when another hearing is scheduled.
Rubio warns Iranian control over Hormuz would set ‘very dangerous precedent’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers an opening statement during the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with US on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 22, 2026. (Eloisa Lopez/Pool Photo via AP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells Southeast Asian foreign ministers that Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent with repercussions beyond the Middle East.
“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation-state can decide to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and blow up your ships if you don’t pay, we have created a very dangerous precedent that will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including this region,” he tells envoys at a Manila gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Rubio says US willing to hash out its differences but Iran unserious about talks
US State Secretary Marco Rubio says the United States is open-minded on the Middle East conflict and willing to engage, negotiate and settle differences with Iran, but Tehran is not serious about talks.
“If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, then we will do what’s necessary to protect our interests, and also the interests of our allies,” Rubio says in remarks in a meeting with Southeast Asian counterparts in Manila, who have expressed serious concern about the renewed hostilities.
Trump to seek approval of Congress for US-Saudi nuclear energy pact that lacks safeguards — sources
The Trump administration plans to submit to US Congress in coming days a pact with Saudi Arabia to share nuclear power technology that does not include safeguards the United States has said would stop materials being used in nuclear weapons programs, two sources tell Reuters.
The sources say the administration will submit to Congress a document known as a 123 Agreement signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the Saudi Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman.
The two signed a preliminary agreement in Riyadh last year.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, US President Donald Trump has formally approved the agreement, which could potentially pave the way for Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium. The report notes that unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump isn’t conditioning US-Saudi nuclear cooperation on the kingdom normalizing ties with Israel.
US names third soldier killed in Iranian attack on base in Jordan
The US military has identified the servicemember as Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York.
The confirmation brings the death toll to 18 US servicemembers killed since the war began.
On Monday, the Pentagon identified Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, as the two other soldiers who were killed in Friday’s attack on a base in Jordan.
The soldiers were killed by Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in the first troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war. They were deployed to support a US mission against the Islamic State group, a US Central Command statement says.
Iran reports air defenses activated in Tehran, strikes elsewhere in the country
Iranian state media says that air defenses have been triggered across Tehran and reports strikes across the country.
“News sources reported minutes ago that air defense activity was heard in the west, east and northeast of Tehran,” state TV posts on Telegram.
State media reports strikes in northwest and south Iran, and explosions in the city of Bushehr, which hosts a nuclear power plant.
Mamdani acknowledges he lacks authority as NYC mayor to arrest Netanyahu
(Left) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledges audience applause after his address to the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew); (right) Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a union rally on Park Avenue, in New York, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledges he lacks “the independent legal authority” to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video statement denouncing the premier as “a war criminal” who he accuses of being “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Mamdani says his administration “reviewed every avenue available” to determine if he could have Netanyahu arrested over the ICC arrest warrant against him, which he claims the US federal government has the power to enforce — though Washington is not a party to the Rome Statute recognizing the court’s authority.
“I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” claims Mamdani.
Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. pic.twitter.com/YRezmW6YVx
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 22, 2026
CENTCOM says latest US strikes on Iran targeted military ops centers, aircraft hangers and drone storage sites
US Central Command says it has completed another night of strikes that targeted “military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
“Over the past three months, Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the international waterway vital for regional and global trade,” says a statement from CENTCOM. “The unwarranted attacks have endangered hundreds of innocent mariners and undermined freedom of navigation.”
Central Command insists that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial shipping despite these attacks, touting the number of vessels and barrels of oil that have transited the key waterway since early May.
Trump on Wednesday will attend dignified transfer of US troops killed in Iranian attacks
US President Donald Trump will attend the dignified transfer of US military personnel killed in Iranian attacks in the Middle East on Wednesday, according to his public schedule released by the White House.
The ceremony will take place at Dover Air Base in Delaware at 11 a.m. local time, the White House says.
US says it launched 11th straight night of strikes against Iran
US Central Command says it has launched strikes in Iran for an 11th consecutive night, with the aim of further degrading the Islamic Republic’s “ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Over 500 American troops have been wounded in the Iran war, US official tells AP
The number of wounded US personnel in the Iran war has grown to well over 500 troops, a US official tells the Associated Press. The total is higher than the Pentagon’s official tally on the Defense Casualty Analysis System, which currently shows 482 wounded.
The US official, who isn’t authorized to discuss the matter with the media and speaks on condition of anonymity, says the system has a significant lag in reporting injuries. The official says that is a function of its design and not intentional.
Iran’s top military command threatens interests of US and its allies if nuclear sites hit
Iran’s top joint military command says it will target the interests of the US and its allies if the US targets Iranian nuclear sites, Iran’s state media reports.
The statement by Iran’s Khatem al-Anbiya Central Headquarters comes after US President Donald Trump said the US will be hitting the Pickaxe Mountain area “pretty soon.”
Ukraine’s Zelensky fires military chief after protests and names a replacement
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a family photo during the Nordic and Baltic countries meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, on June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fires Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces following days of mass protests in Kyiv and other cities nationwide demanding his removal.
Zelenskyy appoints Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new army chief, according to a statement on social media. “Our shared wish is one — victory over the enemy and conditions at the front and in pressure on Russia that would force Russia toward peace,” Zelenskyy says.
The Ukrainian leader says he made the decision after a series of meetings with military commanders. They began shortly after protests broke out demanding the reinstatement of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, seen by demonstrators as a driver of military modernization, and the removal of Syrskyi, who they said embodied the army’s old, Soviet-style command culture.
Zelenskyy thanks Syrskyi for his achievements in Ukraine’s fight against Russia and praises him for the defense of Kyiv and for operations in Kharkiv and Kursk.
“I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to every one of our warriors for Ukraine’s strong front-line positions,” he says. “I am grateful to Mykhailo Drapatyi for holding that same view.”
Zelenskyy separately meets with Fedorov and offers him what he calls a respected position in government that would unify the country’s technology sector. But it isn’t clear if Fedorov accepted the offer and whether the latest moves would satisfy protesters and bring peace to the streets.
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