June 23: PM says hoping for diplomatic answer to Hezbollah attacks but Israel ready for war

PMO: Hamas is rejecting the hostage deal offer on the table, not Israel

After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells Channel 14 that he will agree to temporarily pause fighting in Gaza for the release of some hostages, but won’t end the war until Hamas is destroyed, the Prime Minister’s Office says it is Hamas that is rejecting the deal on offer, not Israel.

“Hamas is the one opposing the deal, not Israel,” the PMO says. “Netanyahu made it clear that we will not leave Gaza until we return all 120 of our hostages, both living and dead.”

Netanyahu’s comments to Channel 14 would appear to contradict the terms of Israel’s latest ceasefire and hostage deal proposal, some of whose details were presented by US President Joe Biden last month, which reportedly provides for a temporary ceasefire in the first phase of the deal, to be extended into “a sustainable calm (cessation of military operations and hostilities permanently)” in the second phase. However, Netanyahu has repeatedly denied that the Israeli proposal provides for ending the war before Israel achieves its two declared goals of destroying Hamas and bringing home all the hostages.

Netanyahu asked Shin Bet to provide lifelong security details for wife and sons – report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested earlier this month that his wife Sara Netanyahu and their two sons Avner and Yair receive lifelong Shin Bet security details, even when he is no longer prime minister, Walla news reports.

According to the report, Netanyahu approached the Advisory Committee for Personal Security with the request earlier this month, and was told that it would not be discussed further “at this time.”

The Prime Minister’s Office says in response that the Walla report is “full of lies and slander about the Netanyahu family and the prime minister.”

At the same time, Ynet reports that Yair Netanyahu, who has been in Miami, Florida since the outbreak of war in Gaza, was recently seen backpacking in Guatemala with two Shin Bet security guards in tow.

Netanyahu says he’ll agree to a pause in fighting for the return of some hostages, but war won’t end until Hamas is destroyed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells Channel 14 that Israel is prepared to pause fighting in Gaza for a partial deal in exchange for the return of a number of hostages held by Hamas, but insists that the war will not end until Hamas is destroyed.

Asked whether he is prepared to reach an agreement with Hamas after the high-intensity phase of the conflict is over that would constitute a commitment to end the war, Netanyahu says: “No. I’m not prepared to end the war and leave Hamas in place. I am prepared to do a partial deal, that’s no secret, that would return some of the people to us,” he says. “But we are obligated to continue the fighting after a pause in order to complete our goal of destroying Hamas. I’m not prepared to give up on that.”

Gunmen fire at police car in Russia’s Dagestan as deadly shootouts continue

The interior ministry in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan says attackers shot at a police car, wounding one officer, as deadly shootouts with police continue in two cities in the region.

The Dagestan interior ministry’s spokeswoman says that in the central square of the village of Sergokal, 65 kilometers from the region’s main city of Makhachkala, “unknown (attackers) fired on a police car. One is wounded,” RIA Novosti news agency reports.

IDF confirms two anti-tank missiles were launched at Metula from Lebanon

The military confirms that two anti-tank missiles were launched from Lebanon at the border town of Metula a short while ago.

The IDF does not immediately provide information on two reported casualties in the incident.

Netanyahu: There’s hope for diplomatic solution to Hezbollah attacks but Israel prepared for all scenarios

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to Channel 14 in the first interview he's given to an Israeli news outlet since October 7, on June 23, 2024. (Screenshot, Channel 14, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Israel can fight a war on multiple fronts, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in his first interview with Israeli media since October 7.

Speaking about the possibility of a full-blown war against Hezbollah on the Channel 14 program “The Patriots,” Netanyahu says that he hopes there won’t be a need to do so, “but we will meet this challenge too. We can fight on several fronts, we are prepared for this.”

Israel will enforce any deal with Hezbollah to ensure that its forces are not on the border, he says: “It won’t be an agreement on paper.”

“It will include the physical distancing of Hezbollah from the border, and we will need to enforce it… We are committed to returning the residents of the north to their homes,” he says.

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told him there is hope for a diplomatic solution after their trip to Washington last week, says Netanyahu.

Turning to the question of who will rule Gaza after Hamas, Netanyahu claims that the IDF approached him 5 months ago with the idea of using local clans to rule the Strip.

“Now they brought me another plan, which we are trying,” he says, “I won’t go into details so that it will work.”

Netanyahu calls settling Gaza “not realistic” and says that it would not serve war goals.

He says that after the current phase of the war in Gaza, more IDF troops would be transferred to the north.

Netanyahu also blasts National Unity leaders and former coalition partners Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot for leaving the government in the middle of a war and begin attacking the war leadership they were recently part of. “There need to be limits to the opposition as well,” he says.

He adds, “no one will rush to topple the government in the middle of a war.” He argues that the fall of the government would bring about a left-wing coalition that would create a Palestinian state.

Asked about Israel’s ability to withstand strikes on its electricity infrastructure, Netanyahu says that “there will be no catastrophe.”

“We are working to protect it, unique protections that I cannot go into,” he says.

Derbent Synagogue engulfed in flames after deadly terrorist attack

Fires burn after an attack at a synagogue in Derbent, in Russia's Dagestan region, June 23, 2024. Some initial reports say the synagogue and an adjacent church were set on fire. (Screenshot: X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The only synagogue in the city of Derbent in Russia is on fire following a deadly and coordinated terrorist attack that also included several other targets in the restive state of Dagestan.

“The synagogue is on fire,” the official news service of the State of Dagestan said in an update about Sunday’s attack, which authorities say is the work of jihadist extremists. Two people, both security officers, are dead as a result of the attack in Derbent, Interfax reports.

Footage of the burning synagogue published on Carmel News, a Telegram channel, shows tall flames completely engulfing the redbrick building of the synagogue and Jewish community center of Derbent, which was built in 2010.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry is not aware of any casualties from the local Jewish community of several hundred people, a spokesperson says in a statement, adding that the synagogue had been “burnt to the ground.”

Casualties reported in anti-tank guided missile attack against Metula in northern Israel

Casualties are reported in an anti-tank guided missile attack against the northern community of Metula.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, a building in Metula was struck by a missile fired from Lebanon.

The conditions of the casualties are not immediately known.

Netanyahu says intense fighting against Hamas reaching its end but war still not won

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to Channel 14 in the first interview he's given to an Israeli news outlet since October 7, on June 23, 2024. (Screenshot, Channel 14, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the phase of intense fighting against Hamas is coming to an end but that the war will not end until the terror group no longer controls the Gaza Strip.

Once the intense fighting is over in Gaza, Netanyahu tells Channel 14, this will allow Israel to deploy more forces along the northern front against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“The intense phase of the fighting against Hamas is about to end,” Netanyahu says. “It doesn’t mean that the war is about to end, but the war in its intense phase is about to end in Rafah.”

“After the end of the intense phase” in Gaza, he says, Israel will “redeploy some forces to the north… primarily for defensive purposes.”

When asked about post-war scenarios for Gaza, Netanyahu says it is “clear” that Israel will maintain “military control in the foreseeable future.”

“We also want to create a civilian administration, if possible with local Palestinians” and regional backing “to manage humanitarian supply and later on civilian affairs in the Strip”, Netanyahu adds.

Netanyahu to Channel 14: Calls for IDF reservists not to serve were partially to blame for Oct. 7

Asked by Channel 14’s Patriots program whether calls by IDF reservists to refuse to serve, in light of the government’s controversial judicial overhaul legislation, had led in part to the October 7 Hamas onslaught, Netanyahu responds that the months of anti-government protests were “a disaster,” which “came from the left.”

In the first interview the prime minister gives to a Hebrew-language outlet since the outbreak of the war with Hamas, Netanyahu says: “I said it [protests] endangered Israel at the time.”

The reservists’ refusal to serve was “an important factor” in the failures surrounding the October 7 massacre, Netanyahu says, “but not the main factor.”

With no chief and most staff gone, Israel’s Public Diplomacy Directorate falling apart, TV report claims

File: Then-director of the Information Center Ministry of Culture and Sport Moshik Aviv speaks during a press conference ahead of Israel's 75th Independence Day Ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, on April 19, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Israel’s Public Diplomacy Directorate, which is run out of the Prime Minister’s Office, is falling apart, with nobody in charge and most of its staff having left in recent months, some of them because they’ve not been paid, Channel 12 news reports.

Moshik Aviv, the head of the directorate whose resignation was reported in early May, has not been replaced, the TV report says, alleging that Sara Netanyahu is “solely responsible” for the failure to bring in a successor.

An ex-senior staffer in the directorate, speaking anonymously, says that “super talented people were recruited” to the directorate immediately after October 7, but that most have departed, partly because of disputes over work conditions and, for some, months of delays in pay. “Some people have not been paid to this day.”

The report says that Avi Hyman, an English-language spokesman, left this week, apparently because of a dispute over employment conditions, and that Tal Heinrich, a spokeswoman who has given hundreds of interviews, especially to US media, has not appeared in the past two weeks, also apparently because of issues regarding her work conditions.

Israeli government spokesperson Tal Heinrich in a Fox TV interview, March 2024 (Fox TV screenshot)

“Over 20 people have left along the way,” the ex-staffer tells Channel 12. “A group of the most talented people in the country in the field are no longer there… Today there’s nobody apart from two or three PMO people and a couple of volunteers who believe they’ll be paid in the end.”

The report adds that a private company that built a studio for the directorate is out of pocket to the tune of about $1 million and that a supplier of key data is also awaiting payments.

The ex-staffer likens the situation to the army coming under fire on the ground in Gaza and the state deciding that the air force won’t provide cover: “Not only are we not going on the offensive [in public diplomacy],” he says. “We’re not even defending.”

“The international media airs only one side [of the war narrative], the Palestinian side, that hates Israel,” says the ex-staffer. “That’s all that’s heard, and that’s the basis on which the world has to make up its mind” about what is going on.

Sara Netanyahu in Jerusalem, May 18, 2023 (L) and official Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90 / Haim Zach/GPO)

The TV report reiterates claims that Sara Netanyahu pushed for the ouster of highly regarded former spokesman Eylon Levy more than two months ago, and says she has been similarly interventionist in preventing the recruitment of a successor to Moshik Aviv at the head of the directorate.

The prime minister’s wife regards the public diplomacy directorate “not as a vital tool for Israeli foreign policy but as an internal body for her public relations benefit,” the TV report quotes a senior source in the directorate saying, “and has not found someone sufficiently loyal to that approach.”

Related: The stunning rise, curious suspension and insistent return of Israel’s star spokesman

In response to the report, the directorate says it is functioning as usual, and that most payment and other issues have been resolved and the others will be soon.

The Prime Minister’s Office says that the prime minister is currently interviewing candidates for a new head of the directorate, and denies that Sara Netanyahu has any involvement in the issue.

IDF says fighter jets struck Hezbollah observation posts in southern Lebanon

Israeli fighter jets struck a building used by Hezbollah and one of the terror group’s observation posts in southern Lebanon’s Khiam in the last few hours, the military says.

Earlier today, the IDF says, fighter jets struck another building used by Hezbollah in Ramyeh.

מטוסי קרב תקפו בשעות האחרונות מבנה צבאי ועמדת תצפית של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב אל-חיאם.

מוקדם יותר היום, מטוסי קרב תקפו מבנה צבאי של הארגון במרחב רמיה שבדרום לבנון.
כמו כן, כוחות צה"ל ביצעו ירי ארטילרי למרחב עלמא א-שעב שבדרום לבנון pic.twitter.com/0YZMagLnQ6

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 23, 2024

Netanyahu said to brush aside Smotrich call for Israeli military governance of Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich during a cabinet meeting convened to approve the 2024 amended state budget, January 15, 2024. (Haim Zach, GPO)

At this morning’s cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed aside a demand by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for Israeli military governance in Gaza, and indicated that Israel is working on fresh ideas for non-Israeli civil governance of the Strip, Israel’s Channel 12 reports.

The TV report asserts, furthermore, that Israel has taken a decision in principle to install an alternative to Hamas in the governance of northern Gaza.

It cites an exchange between ministers at this morning’s cabinet meeting at which Smotrich demanded that the IDF take responsibility for distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza. In response, Netanyahu reportedly said that Israel has been trying to work with local Gazan clans to distribute aid, that this effort has failed, and that Israel is now making “other efforts” to resolve the issue.

According to the TV report, the head of the IDF’s strategic branch, Eliezer Toledano, told the ministers that over 1,000 trucks filled with humanitarian aid are stuck inside Gaza, not being distributed, because UN aid agencies are afraid to try to do so, fearing they will be attacked by various armed gangs.

Far-right Religious Zionism party leader Smotrich retorted that Israel needs to “stop being afraid of military governance” by the IDF in Gaza, and that “the entire humanitarian issue, including distribution of aid, should be transferred to the responsibility of the IDF.”

“If I was the prime minister, I would have compelled you to do this long ago,” Smotrich reportedly added. “We won’t achieve the war goals if we continue to send in food and fuel [that ends up in] the hands of Hamas.

Smotrich has for months been advocating long-term Israeli military and civil governance of Gaza, a policy publicly opposed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, while Netanyahu has advocated a post-war civil administration run by Gazans.

Responding to Smotrich, Netanyahu reportedly told the meeting: “We’ve made efforts with local clans [to take a role in distributing aid]. We know they’ve been brutally eliminated by Hamas. This is not the forum in which to expand on this, but we are making other efforts to advance this.”

Russia opens criminal probes into ‘acts of terror’ at synagogue, two churches

Russia’s Investigative Committee says it has opened criminal probes over “acts of terror” after gunmen attacked a synagogue and two churches, killing a priest and six police officers in Russia’s Caucasus region of Dagestan.

The attacks took place in Dagestan’s largest city of Makhachkala and in the coastal city of Derbent.

“This evening in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala armed attacks were carried out on two Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a police check-point,” says the National Antiterrorism Committee in a statement to RIA Novosti news agency.

“As a result of the terrorist attacks, according to preliminary information, a priest from the Russian Orthodox Church and police officers were killed.”

In all, six police officers have been killed and another 12 wounded in the attacks, the spokeswoman for Dagestan’s interior ministry, Gayana Gariyeva, told RIA Novosti.

A 66-year-old priest was killed in Derbent, the press secretary of Dagestan’s interior ministry, Gariyeva told the agency.

The leader of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, writes on Telegram: “This evening in Derbent and Makhachkala unknown (attackers) made attempts to destabilize the situation in society.

“They were confronted by Dagestani police officers.”

Russian media reports five dead in Dagestan attack, including Orthodox priest

At least five people are reported dead, including two police officers and an Orthodox priest, in the aftermath of a shooting attack targeting a synagogue and an Orthodox church in Russia’s Dagestan region.

The state-owned RIA news agency reports that two of the attackers were killed by law enforcement.

Private bill that would make Al Jazeera Law permanent will advance to preliminary reading

File: An employee of Qatar-based news network and TV channel Al Jazeera is seen at the outlet's Jerusalem office on July 31, 2017. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a decision to advance a preliminary reading of a private bill that would turn the so-called Al Jazeera Law, which is currently a temporary order, into a permanent piece of legislation, Haaretz reports.

The bill, which would permanently give the government power to prevent foreign news networks from operating in Israel if they are deemed by the security services to be harming national security, was put forward by Likud MK Ariel Kellner.

According to Haaretz, Kellner argues that the legislation must become permanent “due to the fact that the State of Israel has faced serious security threats since its establishment, and is expected to continue to face them in the future.”

At present, the order must be renewed every 45 days to remain in effect.

Derbent synagogue set on fire during shooting attack, local officials say

Fires burn after an attack at a synagogue in Derbent, in Russia's Dagestan region, June 23, 2024. Some initial reports say the synagogue and an adjacent church were set on fire. (Screenshot: X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The synagogue targeted in a shooting in Russia’s Derbent a short while ago was set ablaze during the attack, local officials say.

Several reports add that the Orthodox church next to the synagogue was also set on fire.

Emergency services are battling to extinguish the fire, the state-owned TASS news agency reports.

Footage on social media shows smoke pouring from a building surrounded by trees in the middle of a residential area.

Unknown assailants have attacked an Orthodox church and a synagogue in Derbent (Dagestan). It's the only synagogue in the city. Both were apparently set on fire.

There was also a shooting in Makhachkala targeting policemen at the same time — unclear if they are related. pic.twitter.com/m569l9mDt5

— Aric Toler (@AricToler) June 23, 2024

At least 2 police officers killed, six people injured in attacks on synagogue, church in Russia’s Dagestan region

Two police officers were killed when gunmen opened fire at a synagogue, an Orthodox church and a police post in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan, the Russian Interior Ministry is quoted as saying.

Six people were wounded in the attacks.

The reports say one officer was killed when shots were fired at a synagogue in Derbent, home to an ancient Jewish community in the North Caucasus. An exchange of fire also took place in an Orthodox Church in the town, a UNESCO heritage site.

Another exchange of shots took place at a police post in Makhachkala, about 125 kilometers (75 miles) to the north along the Caspian Sea coast and the main city in Dagestan, a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia.

Responding to Netanyahu, White House says it looks forward to meeting Gallant

Responding to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest claim that the US has been slowing weapons shipments to Israel, the White House says it looks forward to hosting Defense Minister Yoav Gallant later this week.

“We have made our position clear on this repeatedly, and we aren’t going to keep responding to the Prime Minister’s political statements. We look forward to constructive consultations with Defense Minister Gallant in Washington this week,” says a White House official who again rejects the premier’s claim.

The White House insists that it has only withheld one shipment of high-payload bombs it was worried Israel would use in the densely populated southern Gaza city of Rafah, while all other transfers have continued at regular pace.

Netanyahu has yet to specify which weapons shipments the US has allegedly withheld.

A source familiar with the matter says there has been no halt in shipments. However, emergency procedures that fast-tracked the transfer of weapons toward the beginning of the war are no longer in place, as the Biden administration remains concerned about Israel sparking a regional war.

IDF says it struck site used by Hamas, PIJ which was previously part of UNRWA’s Gaza City HQ

A site where Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives were gathered, previously part of UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City, was struck by the Israeli Air Force this morning, the military says.

The IDF says it carried out aerial surveillance ahead of the strike carried out by fighter jets, used a “precision munition” and used various intelligence, to prevent harm to civilians.

According to the military, the Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives “operated out of buildings that were previously used as UNRWA’s headquarters, in order to use them as a shield for terror activity.”

“This is another example of Hamas’ systematic exploitation of civilian infrastructure and the civilian population as a human shield for its terrorist activities,” the IDF says in a statement.

According to Palestinian media, at least five people were killed in the strike.

Gunmen open fire at synagogue in Russia, one police officer killed – Russian media

Screen capture of a video allegedly taken at a shooting at a synagogue in Derbent, in Russia's Dagestan region, June 23, 2024. (Screenshot: X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Gunmen opened fire at a synagogue in Derbent, home to an ancient Jewish community in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan, and one police officer was killed, news agencies quote the Interior Ministry as saying.

The reports say shots were also fired at a police post.

The state-owned TASS news agency reports that the attack also targeted an Orthodox church, situated next door to the synagogue.

The identities of the perpetrators are not yet clear, the report adds.

#BREAKING Possible terror attack reported on a synagogue and a church in Derbent, Dagestan, Russia.

According to preliminary information, one police officer was killed and one was injured.

Unknown people in black are shooting at police cars. pic.twitter.com/QMyMYKHtOc

— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 23, 2024

High Court demands update on prison conditions at Sde Teiman detention facility

Members of the Israel Prison Service stand guard next to Hamas terrorists caught during the October 7th massacre and the ensuing war in Gaza, at a prison in southern Israel, February 14, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The High Court of Justice orders the state to update it on the prison conditions of Hamas and other terrorist combatants in the Sde Teiman detention facility.

The decision comes in response to a petition by several human rights organizations demanding the closure of the Sde Teiman facility owing to allegations of severe human rights abuses against detainees.

The court demands in particular to be informed of conditions regarding the food provided to prisoners, health care, and hygiene, among other terms of incarceration laid out in the 2002 law for unlawful combatants.

Israel is holding some 1,000 “unlawful combatants,” meaning Hamas and other terrorist operatives captured in Israel on or after October 7 during the fight to clear southern Israel of invading forces, or in Gaza during the IDF’s ongoing campaign there.

The government has already committed to shuttering Sde Teiman in the wake of the petition, but the court’s decision on Sunday appears to demonstrate its concern over the situation at the facility.

The petitioning organizations have alleged that the physical abuse of detainees at Sde Teiman and the poor conditions of their incarceration could constitute war crimes.

Hezbollah-affiliated transport minister claims ‘nothing to hide’ in Beirut airport, invites press to tour facilities

Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh holds a press conference at the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport after whistleblowers allege that it is used by Hezbollah to store Iranian weapons.

Dismissing the “ridiculous” allegations, Hamieh says his office is in the process of filing a lawsuit against UK newspaper The Telegraph, which published the report, and says details of the lawsuit would be “announced later.”

Hamieh then invites journalists and ambassadors to take a tour of the airport’s facilities on Monday morning, to prove that “there is nothing to hide,” Lebanese media reports.

Comptroller visits Supernova massacre site amid investigation into Oct. 7 failures

State Comptroller Matanyahu Engleman visited the site of the Supernova festival, close to Kibbutz Re’im, earlier today, Hebrew media reports, as part of his investigation into the failures surrounding the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel.

More than 360 festival-goers were murdered at the music festival by invading Hamas terrorists, and dozens more were seized as hostages.

After visiting the festival site-turned-memorial, Engleman visited several other sites targeted by Hamas on October 7 and concluded his visit to the south at the wreckage of the old Sderot police station, which was demolished after it was overrun by terrorists, resulting in the deaths of 35 people.

Investigating the multi-level failures of October 7 is “critical in order to learn lessons,” Engleman said at the end of his visit. “The failures that took place on October 7 require a thorough correction, both for the residents who will return to their homes in the south and for the residents of the north. And the sooner it happens the better.”

IDF says rocket sirens in southern community of Shlomit were false alarm

Rocket sirens that sounded in the southern community of Shlomit near the Gaza border a short while ago were determined to be false alarms, the military says.

UK Home Office investigating complaint after Israelis ‘harassed’ by staff at Heathrow Airport

The UK’s Home Office is investigating a complaint against Heathrow Airport Border Force staff which alleges that Israeli passengers were “harassed” upon their arrival to the UK, the Telegraph reports.

According to the complaint, filed by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), the passengers were made to undergo additional baggage checks at customs due to an Israeli flag on a passenger’s luggage.

UKFLI says that after a member of the Border Force noticed the Israeli flag, the group was made to undergo luggage checks in a separate room, leading them to feel “harassed” and subjected to “degrading treatment.”

The Telegraph reports that the Home Office is investigating the incident after the complaint alleged that it was in breach of the Equality act.

“This matter has been passed to the Home Office professional standards unit and an investigating officer will now investigate the matters you raised about the incident on 10 June 2024, in accordance with the Home Office’s formal complaint procedures,” the Telegraph reports the Home Office as saying.

IDF says it demolished Hamas training complex in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood

Troops of the 401st Armored Brigade operate in southern Gaza's Rafah, in a handout photo published June 23, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it has raided and demolished a Hamas training complex in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

The so-called Abu Said outpost, belonging to Hamas’s Tel Sultan Battalion, was captured by the 401st Armored Brigade.

The IDF says that at the Hamas base, troops located the office of the commander of the Tel Sultan Battalion, Mahmoud Hamdan, as well as a weapons depot and several tunnel shafts.

The tunnels are being investigated and demolished, the army says.

Also in the outpost, the IDF says troops raided the office of Yasser Natat, a Hamas commander responsible for the Rafah Brigade’s rocket fire on Israel and troops in Gaza.

The 401st Armored Brigade raided a separate training site in the area, where weapons, additional tunnels, and intelligence materials were found, the military adds.

Vessel southeast of Yemen’s Nishtun abandoned by captain and crew after heavy flooding

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says that the captain and crew of a vessel 96 nautical miles southeast of Yemen’s Nishtun were forced to abandon ship after it suffered flooding that could not be contained.

The crew has been recovered by an assisting ship while the abandoned ship remains adrift, it adds.

UKMTO earlier reported that it had received a report of a distress call from the vessel and that it was investigating the incident.

Hezbollah using Beirut Airport to store Iranian weapons cache, whistleblowers claim to Telegraph

Planes at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Lebanese whistleblowers have come forward with allegations that Hezbollah is using Lebanon’s international airport in Beirut to store large quantities of Iranian weapons, The Telegraph reports.

According to the report, the Iran-backed terror group is using the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport to store a variety of weapons, including ballistic missiles, unguided artillery rockets and laser-guided anti-tank guided missiles.

A highly explosive and toxic white powder known as RDX is also being stored at the airport, the whistleblowers say.

Speaking to The Telegraph, an airport worker says that the weapons arrive at the airport on flights from Iran in “mysterious large boxes.”

“When they started to come through the airport, my friends and I were scared because we knew that there was something strange going on,” he says, adding that the situation is “extremely serious.”

According to the whistleblowers, the shipments from Iran increased dramatically since the start of the war in Gaza, leading to fears that the airport could become a military target if war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah.

“If they keep bringing in these goods I’m not allowed to check, I really believe I’ll die from the explosion or I’ll die from Israel bombing ‘the goods,'” one of the whistleblowers says. “It’s not just us, it’s the ordinary people, the people coming in and out, going on holiday. If the airport is bombed, Lebanon is finished.”

Knesset to vote this week on bill extending retirement age for IDF reservists

The Knesset is expected to approve a bill delaying retirement for IDF reservists this week, extending a temporary measure passed last December by another three months.

The proposal, a Defense Ministry-backed “draft Security Service Law,” calls to extend a temporary measure raising the exemption age for reserve military service from 40 to 41 for soldiers and from 45 to 46 for officers for several additional months due to an ongoing manpower shortage. Specialists such as doctors and air crewmen will be required to continue serving until 50, instead of 49.

It was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation last Sunday and on Monday it is slated to be debated by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in preparation for the first of three meetings it must pass to become law.

If eventually approved by the Knesset, the draft bill would mark the second extension of the measure, which was intended as a stopgap solution to prevent a mass release from the reserves of those soldiers reaching the exemption age amid ongoing combat operations in Gaza.

The latest proposed extension was initially supposed to last for six months but has been reduced to three months after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara stated that the bill was legally unacceptable unless an immediate effort is made to draft extra military power “from the entire population,” a reference to the tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who receive blanket exemptions from military service.

The government has faced harsh public backlash over extending reservists’ service while appearing to take little action to draft the ultra-Orthodox. The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is also currently debating a bill lowering the age of exemption from mandatory service for Haredi yeshiva students.

In a tweet, Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman protests that “the government is exempting tens of thousands of eligible young men from regular service with one hand while extending the service of reservists with the other.”

IDF soldier seriously wounded by Hezbollah explosive drone in northern Israel

An IDF soldier was seriously wounded by a Hezbollah explosive drone impact near the northern community of Ayelet Hashahar earlier today.

The military says the soldier was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Hezbollah claimed to have attacked an army base with several explosive-laden drones. The IDF reported intercepting one of them.

Meanwhile, the IDF says that sirens that sounded in Ramot Naftali a short while ago were triggered by an interceptor missile launched at a target that was later determined to have been a “false identification.”

Police investigators say probing officer violence toward reporter at anti-government protest

The Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) announces it is examining an incident last night in which Channel 12 reporter Yollan Cohen was violently slung against a tree by a police officer while covering the anti-government protests in Tel Aviv.

In video footage of the incident, Cohen can be seen speaking with Border Police officers, and then grabbed by another police officer and hurled aside toward the tree.

It is the latest of many such incidents, including others recorded during the Saturday night protests.

In an apparent response to criticism of DIPI by the Public Defender’s Office earlier in the day, the DIPI statement adds that all complaints against the police are “thoroughly, professionally and comprehensively examined,” and that the department often opens up investigations of its own accord.

DIPI also states that the State Attorney’s Office and DIPI’s directorate have recently issued instructions to give priority to allegations of police violence during demonstrations. “In light of the importance the State Attorney’s Office ascribes to dealing with police violence in general, and in incidents during protests in particular,” it says.

Earlier today, the Public Defender’s Office said that police violence was a result of “a lack of enforcement against violent police officers” and an attitude of leniency toward such officers.

גם הערב המשטרה לא מאפשרת לעיתונאים לסקר את המחאה: כך דוחף שוטר את כתבת חדשות 12 יולן כהן@yollancohen

צילום : עידית פחימה הרשקוביץ pic.twitter.com/XHyhcwmaX5

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) June 22, 2024

Report of distress call from vessel southeast of Yemen’s Nishtun, maritime agency says

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says it received a report of a distress call from a vessel 96 nautical miles southeast of Nishtun, Yemen, adding that authorities were investigating it.

Netanyahu said to yell at Wasserlauf in appointment row: I will not accept ministers threatening the PM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on June 23, 2024 (Screen grab/GPO)

During a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly yells at far-right lawmaker Yitzhak Wasserlauf, who is the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister, and accuses him of threatening not to vote with the coalition over a disagreement regarding a government appointment.

“I heard that you do not agree with political appointments for the northern project director and you are threatening not to vote in the government,” the Ynet news site quotes Netanyahu as saying to the minister. “I am telling you that this is not acceptable for me. I am not ready for ministers to threaten the prime minister and will not accept such a thing.”

In response, Wasserlauf is reported to have told Netanyahu that he had “a lot to say but because I respect you, Mr. Prime Minister, I will not open my mouth in this forum and will tell you in person.”

Shortly before verbally sparring with Wasserlauf, Netanyahu announced the appointment of Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Yiftach Ron-Tal to head the Tekuma Authority in the south and Vice Admiral (Res.) Eliezer Marom as the official in charge of the rehabilitation of northern communities damaged in fighting with Hezbollah, a position originally supposed to go to Avi Cohen-Scali.

Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf a meeting at the Knesset, June 26, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Wasserlauf, who is a member of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party, was one of multiple coalition and opposition lawmakers to protest delays in the appointment of Cohen-Scali.

The Kan public broadcaster reported last week that Netanyahu was reconsidering Cohen-Scali for the role due to pressure from various people within his circle, a day after officials in his office said the prime minister had made the choice.

Otzma Yehudit announced it would cease voting with the coalition earlier this month to force Netanyahu to reveal details of a proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal. The party reversed itself several days later following Hamas’s reported rejection of the agreement.

IDF: Several explosive-laden drones launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel

Several explosive-laden drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel, setting off sirens in the Upper Galilee between 12:05 p.m. and 12:12 p.m., the military says.

According to the IDF, one of the drones was shot down by air defenses, while several more impacted, sparking fires.

The IDF does not immediately provide information on possible casualties in the attack.

Footage circulating on social media shows one of the Hezbollah drones impacting before a second one is shot down by air defenses.

Hezbollah has launched several explosive-laden drones at northern Israel today.

Footage circulating on social media shows a Hezbollah drone impacting in northern Israel, before a second drone is shot down by air defenses. pic.twitter.com/YPhz9o1CI6

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 23, 2024

Israeli tanks stationed overlooking Rafah’s Mawasi humanitarian zone, residents say

Israeli tanks have advanced to the edge of the Mawasi displaced persons’ camp in the northwest of the southern Gaza city of Rafah in fierce fighting with Hamas-led operatives, residents say.

Images of two Israeli tanks stationed on a hilltop overlooking the coastal area went viral on social media, but could not be independently verified.

Residents say Israeli tanks pushed deeper into western and northern Rafah in recent days.

Last week, the Israel Defense Forces said it dismantled about half of Hamas’s fighting force in Rafah, killing at least 550 gunmen in the area, as the operation against the terror group in the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city continued.

Hezbollah claims responsibility for drone attack on military base near Ayelet HaShahar

Hezbollah claims responsibility for another drone attack on northern Israel in the last hour.

In a statement, the terror group says it launched several explosive-laden drones at a military base near the northern community of Ayelet HaShahar, about 10 kilometers from the border.

The IDF has not yet commented on the incident. The fire service said it was battling a blaze in the area.

Fire services work to extinguish blazes sparked by projectiles, interceptions in north

Fire and Rescue Services say teams are working to extinguish blazes in three locations after projectiles were launched at northern Israel from Lebanon.

The projectiles or their interceptions sparked fires near Dishon, Misgav Forest and Ayelet HaShahar.

Jump in generator purchases after electricity official warned Israel not ready for Hezbollah war – report

Firefighters try to extinguish a burning electricity pole at the scene where a rocket fired from Gaza landed in an open area in central Israel, October 26, 2023. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

There was a dramatic rise in the number of generators purchased at the end of last week following a warning that Israel is not prepared for the damage its electricity infrastructure would sustain if a full-scale war were to break out with Hezbollah, Channel 12 reports.

The Machsanei Hashmal chain tells the outlet that its website saw five times the normal number of searches for generators after the comments by Shaul Goldstein, who leads Israel’s Independent System Operator Ltd, known by its Hebrew initials NOGA.

The chain says it saw a 108 percent jump in generator sales on Friday compared to normal Fridays.

Most of the sales were in Haifa and other northern towns, as well as Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion and Ashdod.

After his Thursday comments began grabbing headlines, Goldstein sought to walk some of them back, telling the Kan public broadcaster: “I made irresponsible remarks that I shouldn’t have.”

His warning came amid increasing concern that the situation on Israel’s northern border could escalate to a full-fledged war between Israel and the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah. The Shiite militia is believed to possess some 150,000 rockets that it could use to target Israeli infrastructure.

PM defends video criticizing US, alleges there was ‘dramatic drop’ in arms shipments to Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on June 23, 2024 (Screen grab/GPO)

At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defends his decision to release an English-language video last week panning the United States for holding up weapons shipments, saying that he had gone public after quiet attempts to solve the problem failed.

After emphasizing his appreciation for US President Joe Biden’s support during the war, Netanyahu alleges that four months ago, there was a “dramatic drop” in the weapons pipeline to Israel.

“For many weeks,” says Netanyahu, “we appealed to our American friends to speed up the shipments. We did it time and time again. We did this at the senior echelons, and at all levels, and I want to emphasize — we did it in private chambers. We got all kinds of explanations, but we didn’t get one thing: the basic situation didn’t change.”

According to the premier, “certain items trickled in, but the bulk of armaments were left behind.”

Netanyahu’s allegation stands at odds with the version put out by the White House, which insists that there is a hold-up over one shipment of heavy bombs over its potential use in urban areas, while everything else is flowing as usual.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is meeting with top US officials over the issue today in Washington, DC.

“After months with no change in the situation, I decided to express it publicly,” Netanyahu continues, adding that his “years of experience” have taught him that doing so was key to unblocking the aid.

Netanyahu says that — as occurred around his public opposition to the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 and to a Palestinian state — he had expected to come under fire after releasing the video.

“I am ready to suffer personal attacks for the sake of Israel’s security,” Netanyahu declares.

He adds that he believes the issue will be resolved soon.

Netanyahu also announces the names of directors of the commissions tasked with returning displaced residents to their homes and rebuilding communities where needed: former Israel Navy commander Eli Marom for the Tekuma Authority in the Gaza border area, and former IDF Ground Forces commander and Israel Electric Corporation director Yiftah Ron-Tal for the northern authority.

IDF shoots down apparent Hezbollah drone near major defense factory in Lower Galilee

Screen grab of footage of an apparent drone interception over the lower Galilee, June 23, 2024 (X/Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The IDF confirms that it shot down an apparent Hezbollah drone over the Lower Galilee a short while ago.

The device had entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon, but the IDF says that drone infiltration sirens did not sound “according to protocol.”

It was shot down by air defenses in an area that houses a major factory belonging to the Rafael defense contractor.

Rocket sirens had sounded in several towns near Sakhnin, some 25 kilometers from the Lebanon border, over fears of falling shrapnel following the interception, the IDF says.

Footage shows apparent drone interception near major defense factory

Footage posted to social media shows an apparent interception over the Misgav area in the Lower Galilee, after sirens sounded.

The area houses a major factory belonging to the Rafael defense contractor.

According to media reports, a drone was shot down over the area.

The IDF has not responded to requests for comment on the incident.

הותר לפרסום: כטב״ם חיזבאללה יורט ככל הנראה בהצלחה במרחב מכון לשם, ששייך לחברת רפאל, באזור משגב
(אורלי אלקלעי) pic.twitter.com/wxEHWtE5MR

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) June 23, 2024

Sirens warn of suspected drone attack on northern border towns

Sirens warning of a suspected drone infiltration sound in a number of communities close to the northern border.

Public Defender’s office denounces police violence against demonstrators, failure to probe incidents

Mounted police officers disperse demonstrators blocking a road during a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and a call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas terror group, in Tel Aviv, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

The Public Defender’s Office strongly denounces police violence against demonstrators and what it calls the failure of the Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) to adequately tackle the problem.

The comments come after repeated cases of police violence at demonstrations against the government, including last night when police officers were seen shoving, pushing and violently manhandling protesters in Tel Aviv, including a Channel 12 reporter.

“The public defender totally condemns all police violence,” the office of Public Defender Attorney Anat Meyassed Cnaan in a statement to the press.

“This violence does injury to the body and the soul and tramples human rights. Unfortunately, police violence affects all parts of Israeli society, and it leads to a lack of trust in the law enforcement system.”

Meyassed Cnaan’s office also stated that she been warning that DIPI must improve its handling “for years,” and that “unfortunately, DIPI’s behavior allows the continuation of police violence against citizens.”

Aweka Zena, a senior department head in the Public Defender’s office dealing with DIPI, said that police violence is the result of excessive lenience toward officers who break the law.

Sirens in northern communities some 25 kilometers from Lebanon border

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the Misgav Regional Council in the Lower Galilee.

The alerts are activated in several communities near the city of Sakhnin, some 25 kilometers from the Lebanon border.

There is no immediate update from the military on the cause of the sirens.

The last time sirens sounded in that area was on October 13, after a long-range rocket launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip was intercepted by air defenses over the Galilee.

Doctor files complaint over violent detention by police at anti-government protest

Police violently arrest a doctor who had been treating an injured anti-government protester during a rally in Tel Aviv on June 8, 2024. (Social media/X. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A doctor who was violently detained by police at an anti-government protest three weeks ago has filed a complaint at the Department of Internal Police Investigations, Channel 12 news reports.

“When you look in-depth at the incident I went through, the police acted against the law,” Dr. Udi Baharav tells Channel 12.

“Even in policing there are clear laws,” he says. “There are laws on how the police should treat medical teams, and how the police should act with medical teams. Their duty is to help save human lives, their duty is to clear the area for this purpose, and what they did was exactly the opposite.”

“[The police] see people lying on the ground and instead of helping them, they just push and hit them,” he says.

The Department of Internal Police Investigations is under the auspices of the Justice Ministry, and investigates allegations of police brutality. It launched a probe of the incident involving Baharav following a demand by member organizations of the Israeli Medical Association.

Baharav, a 71-year-old retired internist and general practitioner, volunteers with an informally organized group of physicians, nurses and mental health professionals who attend rallies and protests.

Their purpose is to be on-hand within the crowd to treat anyone — protesters and police alike — injured or ill. The group members are visible by their clearly labeled orange or purple vests and headlamps that identify them as health aid personnel, and they make themselves known ahead of time to both civilians and security forces.

The June 8 incident involving Baharav provoked condemnation from opposition politicians.

IDF says its fighter jets shot down drone heading toward Israel from the east

Israeli fighter jets shot down a drone heading toward Israel from the eastern direction overnight, the military says.

The IDF has described past attacks from Iraq as “from the east.”

According to the IDF, the drone did not enter Israeli airspace, and therefore sirens did not sound in any towns.

The announcement comes after the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed to have launched a drone at Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat early this morning.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed dozens of drone attacks on Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with the IDF reporting downing many of them. Many of the militia’s claims have been exaggerated, but in one case it managed to hit an Israeli Navy base in Eilat, causing damage.

Police reiterate Israeli citizens should not enter Area A in the West Bank

Israeli army vehicles close off the entrance to the West Bank city of Qalqilya after an Israeli civilian was shot and killed on June 22, 2024 (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

A day after an Israeli man was killed in the West Bank city of Qalqilya, police reiterate that it is against the law for Israeli citizens to enter areas of the West Bank under Palestinian Authority control.

“In recent times we have witnessed many cases of Israeli citizens entering Area A, which is under the control of the Palestinian Authority,” police say. “Entry into these areas is prohibited by law for citizens of the State of Israel and may cost human lives, as has happened in recent days.”

Police note that some Israelis enter these areas for shopping, trading and repairing their cars, leaving them at risk of being targeted.

Police also say that some Israelis enter these areas due to mistakes in navigation, and urge vigilance.

“The Israel Police reiterates that entry into area A is prohibited by law and constitutes a real danger to life,” the statement concludes.

The statement comes after Amnon Muchtar, 67, of Petah Tikva was shot in his vehicle by unknown gunmen in Qalqilya yesterday. The army said it was probing the shooting along with police as a potential terror attack, but was also exploring the possibility it could have been criminally motivated.

On Thursday, Moshe Dadoush died after he apparently collapsed during a violent car-jacking at the entrance to Qalqilya.

Area A of the West Bank is officially under complete Palestinian Authority control, though the Israeli military regularly enters despite Palestinian opposition.

IDF says dozens of terror targets hit across Gaza over past day

Troops operating in the Gaza Strip in an undated photo released by the military on June 23, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli Air Force fighter jets and drones struck dozens of targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military says in a morning update.

The IDF does not, however, provide an update on yesterday’s airstrikes in Gaza City that reportedly targeted senior Hamas official Raad Saad.

Sites struck by Israeli aircraft in Gaza over the past day included infrastructure and buildings used by terror groups, as well as cells of gunmen, the army says.

The strikes come as troops continue to operate in southern Gaza’s Rafah and the Netzarim Corridor in the Strip’s center.

In Rafah, the IDF says troops killed several cells of gunmen and located weapons and tunnel shafts. In the Netzarim Corridor, several more gunmen were killed, according to the military.

Merchant ship damaged by drone attack in Red Sea near Yemen, says maritime agency

A merchant ship was damaged by a drone attack in the Red Sea near Yemen, though no injuries were reported, according to a British maritime security agency.

Vessels in and around the Red Sea have come under repeated attack for months by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen who say they are acting in support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The attack occurred about 65 nautical miles (120 kilometres) west of the Yemeni port city of Hodeida, says the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by the British navy.

“The Master of a merchant vessel reports being hit by uncrewed aerial system (UAS), resulting in damage to the vessel. All crew members are reported safe, and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” says a bulletin from the agency.

“Authorities are investigating,” it adds, offering no attribution for the attack.

Metula mayor: ‘The government has disappeared, the PM is probably busy with other things’

View of a fire started by missiles launched from Lebanon at Metula, northern Israel, June 18, 2024. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

Metula Mayor David Azoulay says that his town on the northern border has been abandoned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

“Just yesterday, three houses were damaged and an entire street of yards was burned,” he tells Army Radio “Forty percent of residents’ houses have been damaged, almost 200 houses were burned in the last eight months.”

“The Israeli government has disappeared, the prime minister is probably busy with other things,” he says.

Since October 8, Hezbollah has attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a daily basis with rockets, drones, anti-tank missiles and other means.

IDF: Interceptor missile failed to stop Beit Hillel drone; jets hit Hezbollah sites in south Lebanon

An explosive-laden drone launched from Lebanon struck the northern community of Beit Hillel this morning, the military and local authorities say.

The IDF says an interceptor missile was launched at the drone, although it failed to intercept the device.

There are no injuries in the incident.

Hezbollah takes responsibility for the drone attack, claiming to have targeted an Israeli military base adjacent to the community.

Meanwhile, fighter jets struck a building and an observation post used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Kafr Kila last night, the IDF says.

A separate strike targeted a group of Hezbollah operatives in Taybeh, the military adds.

במהלך שעות הערב אמש מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו מבנה צבאי של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב כפר כילא ועמדת תצפית נוספת במרחב.
בנוסף, הותקפה חוליית מחבלי חיזבאללה אשר זוהתה במרחב א-טייבה על ידי כוחות מיחידה 869>> pic.twitter.com/eYWSzoqwYw

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 23, 2024

Heading to Washington, Gallant says meetings will be ‘critical for the future of the war’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant makes a statement before flying to Washington, June 23, 2024 (Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant heads to Washington, touting the importance of Israel’s relationship with the United States and saying that the meetings will be decisive for the war.

“The relationship with the US is more important than ever,” Gallant says in the newly-released statement, filmed shortly before he left for the US.

“The meetings with the senior government officials are critical for the future of the war,” he says.

“During these meetings I plan to discuss developments [on the southern and northern fronts], in Gaza and Lebanon,” he says. “We are prepared for any action that may be required in Gaza, Lebanon, and in additional areas.”

“The transition to ‘Phase 3’ in Gaza is of great importance. I will discuss this transition with US officials, touching on how it may enable additional things [to take place], and I know that we will achieve close cooperation with the US on this issue as well,” he says.

According to Hebrew media, Gallant is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA Director William Burns and Special Envoy Amos Hochstein.

The main aim of the whirlwind is to get the US to unfreeze a shipment of heavy-duty bombs it has been withholding from Israel.

The trip comes amid a public spat between US President Joe Biden’s administration and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Tuesday issued a video statement attacking the US for its “inconceivable” weapons holdup, claiming that more arms shipments have also been held back.

The White House has since repeatedly insisted it has “no idea” what Netanyahu was referring to besides the one shipment, though the premier has since doubled down.

Some analysts have speculated that Netanyahu’s video was aimed at ensuring the premier would receive the credit if the US agreed to move forward with the transfer following Gallant’s visit.

Suspected drone explodes near Beit Hillel, close to northern border

An apparent hostile aircraft launched toward Israel exploded close to Beit Hillel, near the northern border.

There are no reports of injuries.

The suspected drone had triggered sirens in a number of communities.

After quiet night, alarms sound in several evacuated northern communities

Rocket and aerial invasion alarms are sounding in the north, after a quiet night.

The sirens sound in several evacuated communities east of Kiryat Shmona.

IDF says interceptor fired toward aerial target overnight, in false identification

The IDF says an interceptor missile was launched during the night toward an aerial target identified over the Mediterranean Sea, near the Krayot area near Haifa.

However, a short while later the target was determined to be a false identification, the military adds.

Israel said to believe Hamas ‘playing for time’ in hope war breaks out in Lebanon before truce deal reached

The leader of the Hamas terror group in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, is stalling on the negotiations for a hostage-ceasefire deal with Israel in hopes that a new full-blown war will erupt on the Lebanon front before a deal is finalized, an unnamed Israeli official involved in the talks is quoted as saying by the Haaretz news site.

“Hamas doesn’t want a deal now,” the source says. “It doesn’t want to release the hostages, but rather to play for time. Yahya Sinwar… wants war to erupt in the northern border and therefore will not move toward a ceasefire.”

The report also says mediator Qatar is holding talks with the Hamas leadership to try and bridge the gaps between the latest Israeli proposal — endorsed by the US and the UN Security Council — and the reservations listed by the Palestinian terror group, some of which were cast by Washington as not workable.

While foreign sources are expressing cautious optimism about the prospect of a breakthrough, senior Israeli officials are pessimistic, the report adds.

US CENTCOM says it destroyed 3 Houthi vessels over past day

The US Central Command says in a statement that its forces have over the past day successfully destroyed three Houthi uncrewed service vessels in the Red Sea.

The vessels “presented an imminent threat to US, coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” the statement says, adding: “This action was taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.”

The statement reiterates that claims by the Iran-backed Yemeni rebels that they have hit the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier are “categorically false.”

June 22 U.S. Central Command Update

In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed three Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed surface vessels (USV) in the Red Sea. 

It was determined these systems presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition… pic.twitter.com/JiWhrCki61

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 22, 2024

Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez slam AIPAC at Bowman rally in NYC; pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt event

Progressive US lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders have spoken at a New York City rally promoting the primary election of Rep. Jamaal Bowman, and Israel critic who is facing AIPAC-backed Westchester County Executive George Latimer in this coming week’s high-profile primary, which has focused on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

In a profanity-laden speech, Bowman leads a “ceasefire now” chant and says: “I’m not supposed to fight back? We’re gonna show them who the fuck we are.”

"I'm not supposed to fight back? We gonna show them, who the fk we are!" Spoke Rep. Bowman along with Rep AOC and Bernie Sanders at a rally in the Bronx as Pro-palestine protesters chant to disrupt the rally.

Video by Ed Quinn Desk@freedomnews.tv to license pic.twitter.com/0UmNJN7FQs

— Oliya Scootercaster ???? (@ScooterCasterNY) June 22, 2024

Sanders slams the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby’s $14 million contribution to Latimer’s campaign, telling the crowd: “What this campaign is about is telling the billionaire class and their greed and their super PACs that they are not going to destroy American democracy.”

I was pleased to join Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nydia Velázquez and others in support of Jamaal Bowman’s campaign.

The temperature at the rally was high, and so was the passion. The people of NY-16 are determined not to let billionaire super PACs buy this election. pic.twitter.com/oy7JiJL0xf

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 23, 2024

Ocasio-Cortez similarly says: “These Wall Street people don’t give a damn about us. AIPAC doesn’t give a damn about us. AIPAC doesn’t give a damn about the Bronx. They don’t give a damn about Westchester.”

About 1,200 people attend the rally, according to Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign.

A group of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters demonstrate against the trio, accusing them of not being sufficiently critical of the Jewish state and of supporting US President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign. They deface several campaign buses and chant, “Intifada Intifada!” and “Genocide Joe has got to go.”

#NYC As AOC/Bernie/Bowman Bronx rally ended, protesters rushed to the campaign busses, defacing them with markers and stickers as they chanted "Intifada Intifada!" and "Genocide Joe has got to go!"

Desk@freedomnews.tv to license pic.twitter.com/QRwOFKol3H

— Oliya Scootercaster ???? (@ScooterCasterNY) June 22, 2024