June 4: Trump says progress being made on Lebanon ceasefire, claims Hezbollah did not reject offer

Trump says he spoke to Hezbollah, predicts progress on ceasefire

US President Donald Trump says he spoke with the Hezbollah terror group about a possible ceasefire in Lebanon, indicating that he believes progress is being made toward stopping fighting there.

“They didn’t reject me,” he says of a US-brokered ceasefire proposal that Hezbollah appeared to refuse earlier in the day. “They called us, and they said, ‘ How about stopping.’ And I think you’re going to see things happen over there.”

“It would be really nice if Lebanon could have some peace,” adds Trump, addressing reporters from the Oval Office. “I spoke to Bibi Netanyahu about that, and I speak to [Lebanon] about it and I actually spoke to Hezbollah about it. And I think progress is made.”

Two killed in shooting near Nazareth

Two young men were killed in a shooting in Yafia, an Arab village just south of Nazareth, first responders say.

Medics found the men, both around 25 years old, lifeless and soon declared them dead on the spot.

Police have not yet commented on the shooting.

The apparent double homicide occurred several hours after a man was moderately injured in a shooting in Nazareth, as the number of murder victims continues to climb in Arab society.

According to the Abraham Initiatives watchdog, 121 members of the Arab community had been killed so far this year in violent circumstances before Thursday’s slayings, marking a 17% rise over the previous year’s record pace.

Tonight’s lethal shooting hikes the number to 123 victims.

Pew survey finds world increasingly sour on Israel, Netanyahu

A Pew survey finds views of Israel continued to sink over the last year in several countries where most already held negative opinions of the country, including among allies such as the US and Germany.

From 2025 to 2026, the percentage of respondents who hold unfavorable views of Israel climbed by 9 points in Italy, Germany, Argentina and Nigeria. In Nigeria, unlike in most countries, positive feelings toward Israel continue to outpace negative ones.

The number climbed 10 percent in South Korea, while the UK saw an 8% jump and 7% more US respondents said they held unfavorable views of Israel.

Poland, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia and Canada all had unfavorable views rise by 5-8%, while Turkey, where 93% already held unfavorable views, saw that number climb to 97%.

The 2026 polling took place between February and May, a period in which the Iran war’s unpopularity may have contributed to people’s negative views of Israel.

Of the 36 countries included in the full survey, none have a majority who view Israel favorably, with Kenya the closest at 50%.

Kenya is also one of only two countries where a majority express confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at 56%. The other is the Philippines, at 53%. In Europe, Italy leads the way in expressing no confidence in Netanyahu, with 88% saying they don’t trust him. In the US, 59% say they don’t have confidence in the prime minister, while 27% do.

The survey was based on questions posed to over 3,500 respondents in 36 countries from February 8 to May 13.

NYC speaker laments swastika graffiti in meet with Holocaust survivors

New York City Speaker Julie Menin meets with Holocaust survivors for an event marking Holocaust Survivor Day.

Menin’s mother and grandmother survived the Nazi genocide, and Menin is leading the fight against antisemitism in the city council.

“My grandfather was killed in the Holocaust just because he happened to be born Jewish, and now here we are in New York City dealing with the scourge of antisemitism on not a monthly or a weekly basis, but a daily basis,” Menin says.

She tells the room of 36 survivors about recent trips she made to the sites of swastika graffiti around the city, such as a playground used by Jewish children and on synagogues and Jewish homes.

She highlights measures the city is taking to combat antisemitism, such as buffer zone legislation meant to protect houses of worship from protests and school visits to the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

“Thirty-four percent of young people believe the Holocaust is a myth or is exaggerated,” Menin says. “It’s shameful, it’s shocking, it’s unacceptable and we can’t allow that to continue.”

The event, at the Manhattan office of the UJA-Federation of New York, honors SelfHelp Community Services, a social welfare group that assists survivors.

“Our world is shifting, including here in New York. We’re increasingly targeted and isolated for being Jews, for being supportive of Israel, as a Jewish and democratic homeland,” says the head of the federation, Eric Goldstein.

After the speeches, the survivors gather in the center of the room to dance to tunes including “Hava Nagila” and “Dancing Queens.”

Holocaust Survivor Day was established in 2021 to celebrate survivors, in contrast to more mournful remembrance ceremonies.

Iran says much still unclear in proposed deal to end war

The current draft of the memorandum of understanding being negotiated to end the war between Iran and the United States has ambiguities that have to be clarified, Mohsen Rezaei, adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, says in an interview with State TV on Thursday.

Trump wants to pressure Iran to accept his conditions and keep Tehran’s conditions in a vague state, Rezaei adds.

Survey shows voters prefer Eisenkot over Netanyahu for prime minister, in first

A Channel 12 survey tonight shows former minister and IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the new Yashar party, preferred to Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister for what it says is the first time.

Asked which of the two men is more suited to be premier, 38% of respondents say Eisenkot, while 35% say Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is preferred to former prime minister Naftali Bennett by 38% to 31%. Israel does not directly elect its prime ministers.

The survey also asks opposition voters who should lead the anti-Netanyahu opposition, and they plump for Eisenkot over Bennett by 46% to 39%.

Asked whether Bennett’s Together party and Eisenkot’s Yashar should unite for the elections, 53% of opposition voters say yes, and 33% say no.

In terms of party support, the Channel 12 survey shows the anti-Netanyahu Zionist bloc winning 59 seats, the pro-Netanyahu coalition at 51 seats and the Arab parties holding the other 10.

It scores the parties as follows: Likud: 23; Together: 21; Yashar: 19; The Democrats: 10; Shas: 9; Yisrael Beytenu: 9; Otzma Yehudit: 8; United Torah Judaism: 7; Hadash- Ta’al: 5; Ra’am: 5; Religious Zionism: 4.

It puts Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party below the Knesset threshold, along with the Reservists and Balad.

Asked if they support yesterday’s chaotic and contentious election by MKs of Netanyahu’s lawyer Michael Rabello as state comptroller, 18% of respondents are in favor, and 45% are against.

Asked if they fear the general elections due this fall will be “disrupted,” 57% say yes and 35% say no.

The Channel 12 poll was conducted by the Midgam polling firm on June 4. The sample size was 505, and the margin of error was ±4.4%.

Soldier killed in Hezbollah anti-tank missile attack, IDF says

An IDF officer was killed in a Hezbollah anti-tank guided missile attack in southern Lebanon earlier today, the military announces.

The slain officer is named as Cpt. Eitan Shmuel Lemberg, 21, of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 75th Battalion, from Mishmar HaShiv’a.

At around 4 p.m., a Hezbollah operative fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli tank operating north of the Litani River, killing Lemberg.

Immediately following the incident, the IDF says that it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the area from the air and with artillery.

US embassy in Israel issues security alert, tells citizens to use caution, know where shelters are

The US Embassy in Jerusalem issues a security advisory, warning US citizens in the region to show increased caution, and highlighting Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

“Due to high tensions in the region, the security environment remains complex and can change quickly,” it says in a “security alert” posted on X and addressed to US citizens abroad, regarding Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.  “We remind U.S. citizens in the Middle East of the continued need for caution and encourage them to monitor the news for breaking developments,” it says.

“U.S. citizens should know the location of the nearest shelter in the event of hostilities,” it adds.

The advisory notes that travel to Israel and most Gulf countries should be reconsidered and says travelers should avoid Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and Yemen, in line with existing warnings.

There is no indication of what triggered the advisory.

Ahead of the latest Iran war, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned citizens to leave the region and similar advisories were issued.

On February 27, the embassy issued a security alert authorizing the embassy’s non-emergency personnel and the family members of those stationed in Israel to leave the country due to “safety risks.” The joint Israel and US strikes on Iran began the next morning.

Two days later, on March 2, the US State Department urged Americans to immediately leave all of the Middle East from Egypt eastward, including Israel.

On March 3, Huckabee advised US citizens in Israel wishing to leave the country to do so via Egypt, while acknowledging that “the options are fairly limited” for those seeking to get out of Israel.

Ex-husband of woman killed in car bomb arrested

Police have arrested the ex-husband of the woman killed earlier today in a car bombing in Tel Aviv on suspicion of involvement in her death.

The victim, 35-year-old Lia Malka, was pronounced dead by medics near her car, which went up in flames when a bomb exploded as it was on the Ayalon highway.

Police reportedly suspect the 32-year-old ex-husband killed Malka following their messy divorce.

He had recently been questioned on suspicion of threatening the victim’s relatives in the same context, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Malka leaves behind a 2-year-old son, who was not in the car when it exploded.

Judges fear growing violence in wake of attack on Supreme Court justice’s home

Dozens of judges have contacted their court administrators to express worries in light of the attack on Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg’s home yesterday by Haredi extremists, saying they fear the violence will reach their homes and families as well, Channel 12 news reports.

Judges also say they are concerned that the attack on Sohlberg will make it harder to do their work, chilling the justice system, the channel reports.

The Israel Judges’ Association, which represents the interests of judges in dealings with the Israel Courts Administration, has announced meetings in all courts around the country on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. to discuss the impact of the attack on Sohlberg’s home and the need to ensure that judges can perform their duties without fear.

Former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak tells the channel that the attack has made him very worried about the safety of judges, warning that Israel was on a slippery slope that could lead to the murder of judges.

Barak also expresses concern with increasing violence in Israel in general, and the possibility that societal divisions could even lead to a civil war.

“It started with protests in the courtrooms, and… continued on to what happened with Judge Sohlberg, and it could come to the murder of a judge,” Barak says.

“Our society has become more violent for reasons that are known and we are heading for a growing national schism, and I will not be surprised that if the necessary steps aren’t taken… principally by the government and principally by the prime minister, then we will even get to a civil war,” he continues. He adds that he does not believe such an eventuality will happen in the immediate future.

Government attacks on the heads of law enforcement agencies are in part responsible for the increase in antipathy toward anyone involved in checking government power, mentioning the legislation being advanced by the coalition to gut the position of the attorney general of almost all authority.

“It’s clear that there are attacks on the courts, and when there are attacks on the court and on a judge, be he conservative, activist, whatever his position is, the very fact that he acts as a check on the governing authorities bothers them and they want to be rid of him,” says Barak, who also expressed concern for the integrity of the upcoming elections.

After pro-Israel PM forms government, Sa’ar announces opening of Israeli embassy in Slovenia

Shortly after Slovenia’s parliament approved the formation of a government under newly elected prime minister Janez Jansa, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announces that Israel will open an embassy in the Central European country, after years of sour ties with outgoing premier Robert Golob.

“Janez Jansa is a clear and steadfast friend of Israel, and his election creates a unique opportunity to advance bilateral relations between our countries, which have been at a low point in recent years due to the hostility of the previous government in Ljubljana,” Sa’ar says in a statement, adding that the Foreign Ministry will “act without delay” to implement the embassy opening.

Golob’s government had increasingly tense ties with Israel over its war against Hamas in Gaza. It recognized a Palestinian state in May 2024, becoming one of the few EU countries to claim Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to a “genocide,” a claim that Israel has strongly rejected. Citing the war in Gaza, Slovenian public broadcaster RTV was also the first in Europe to demand Israel’s exclusion from the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest and boycotted it in 2026 over the issue.

Jansa, a former nationalist premier, is known as an admirer of US President Donald Trump and a supporter of Israel.

Poll by ToI’s sister site shows anti-Netanyahu bloc winning Knesset majority

A new poll published by The Times of Israel sister site Zman Yisrael shows the bloc of Zionist parties that are not aligned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mustering enough seats for a majority on their own if elections were held today, a first for a major survey in recent months.

The survey of 500 respondents gives the anti-Netanyahu Zionist bloc 62 seats, including Benny Gantz’s Blue and White, which squeaks into the Knesset with four seats.

Parties aligned with Netanyahu win 50 seats in the survey, with the two mainly Arab parties, Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al, winning the remaining 8 seats in the 120-member Knesset.

Israel must hold elections by October 27, but may do so a little earlier.

The rise in support for the anti-Netanyahu Zionist bloc comes despite Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, a member of the current coalition, also crossing the threshold in the poll and winning four seats.

Previous surveys have shown anti-Netanyahu parties falling short of 60 seats without the support of Arab parties.

The survey scores the parties as follows: Likud: 23 seats; Together led by Naftali Bennett: 21; Yasher led by Eisenkot: 19; Yisrael Beytenu: 10; Shas: 9; The Democrats: 8; United Torah Judaism: 8; Otzma Yehudit: 6; Ra’am:4; Hadash-Ta’al: 4; Religious Zionism: 4; Blue and White: 4. The poll finds Arab party Balad and the Reservists party falling below the threshold.

The survey also shows Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar continuing to close in on Bennett’s Together as the largest anti-Netanyahu Zionist party.

Were the Arab parties to unite and run on a Joint List, they would together win 13 seats, the survey also found, in which case the parties in the pro-Netanyahu bloc would fall to a combined 48 seats, and the anti-Netanyahu Zionist bloc would fall to 59 seats.

The Zman Yisrael poll was conducted on June 3-4 by Tatika Research and Media in collaboration with the Adgenda panel. The sample size was 500 and the margin of error was ±4.4%.

Court frees 18 arrested at riot outside judge’s home, keeps 44 suspects in custody

Eighteen suspects stopped during last night’s riots outside the home of High Court Justice Noam Sohlberg by ultra-Orthodox extremists opposed to the military draft have been freed to house arrest, police say.

Another 44 of the 62 suspects arrested outside Sohlberg’s house in the West Bank settlement of Alon Shvut were ordered to remain in custody until the middle of next week, though five minors among them will be released tomorrow.

Haredi extremists protesting the arrest of draft dodgers descended on the judge’s home last night, breaking windows, smashing flower pots and vases on the front porch and causing damage to his car.

Many of the Haredi demonstrators tried to flee the scene on a bus but were stopped by police.

Police say that rioters derided officers as “Nazis” upon their arrival at the scene.

The incident was the latest riot by ultra-Orthodox extremists at the home of a top official, which is part of a planned campaign, according to Channel 12 news.

Mossad reportedly gave Kurds arms seized from Hamas, Hezbollah, to use against Iranian regime

In an effort to bring about the fall of the Iranian regime, the Mossad spy agency, working with the CIA, carried out an initiative to arm Kurdish militias with weapons seized in conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah, according to Hebrew media reports.

The reports by Channel 12 and Ynet, which did not cite sources, emerge days after David Barnea stepped down as Mossad chief after five years in the role.

Under the plan, the Kurds received financial assistance and vehicles, and were armed with small arms, anti-tank launchers, grenades and mortar bombs. The Mossad was responsible for delivering the weapons and ammunition to the Kurds, the reports say.

There have been reports since late March of a US-Israeli plan for Kurdish militia forces to enter Iran early in the campaign against Tehran, in the hope of spurring a rebellion that would bring down the Islamic Republic.

But leaks to the media, lobbying by international actors — including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — and wariness among the Kurds themselves reportedly led US President Donald Trump to pull the plug on the idea.

Trump has himself said that the US tried to transfer weapons to protesters against the Iranian regime via the Kurds, but appeared to accuse Kurdish separatists of keeping the weapons for themselves.

Military attaché to US named, filling six-month-old vacancy

Rear Adm. Tal Politis has been appointed by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir as Israel’s next defense attaché to the United States, after the role was vacant for some six months.

Politis will be promoted to the rank of vice admiral, the naval equivalent of major general, upon entering the role. He most recently served as chief of staff at the Navy.

Maj. Gen. Hidai Zilberman completed his term as defense attaché in December, but no replacement was named due to disagreements between Defense Minister Israel Katz and Zamir.

Katz had sought to promote his own military secretary, Brig. Gen. Guy Markizeno, but Zamir did not believe he would be a good fit for the role.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Markizeno would be his next military secretary, which includes a promotion to the rank of major general, something that Katz has sought for months.

Additionally, Zamir says he has appointed Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, the commander of the Gaza Division, to head the Operations Division, another vacant role.

Brig. Gen. Yisrael Shomer suddenly stepped down as Operations Division head this week and retired from the military after being suspected of “moral offenses.”

Hiram is known for his controversial involvement in the battle at Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7 onslaught, including decisions that risked the lives of hostages. An IDF tactical investigation has since cleared him of any wrongdoing.

The appointments of Politis and Hiram were approved by Katz, the military says.

IDF says it hit senior Hamas support staff in Gaza strikes overnight

Overnight, the Israeli Air Force and Israeli Navy carried out strikes in the Gaza Strip, killing top commanders in Hamas’s general security mechanism, the military announces.

Hassan Labad, the deputy head of the security mechanism, along with senior officials Asem Shabir, Abdullah Abu Kaloub, and Mohammed Abu Marek, were killed in the strikes, the IDF says.

“The senior officials of the general security mechanism were eliminated to remove a threat, after they had recently been involved in attempts to rebuild the Hamas terror organization and in assisting the organization’s senior leadership in advancing terror activity against the State of Israel and IDF troops,” the military says in a statement.

The security mechanism, according to the military, is a clandestine Hamas body responsible for security for top Hamas officials, communications between them, coordinating their meetings, and transporting them between emergency sites.

The mechanism is also responsible for producing intelligence assessments, “which assists the organization’s senior leadership in decision-making and in carrying out terror plans against the State of Israel,” the IDF adds.

Pride parade participants bring political message to march on Knesset

Thousands are marching to the Knesset in Jerusalem under heavy security as part of the city’s annual LGBTQ Pride March.

The march’s route is different from that of past years and has taken a distinctly more political tone, with a large contingent of marchers calling to replace the current, right-wing government.

Participants sport pride memorabilia, waving gay and transgender flags while chanting “democracy” to the beat of drums.

Several at the front of the procession hold ballot boxes, marching with a banner that reads: “Choosing a liberal Israel.”

At Jerusalem's pride march, participants chant "democracy" while holding ballot boxes in a procession to the Knesset pic.twitter.com/pHb2zT3QaI

— charlie summers (@cbsu03) June 4, 2026

Thousands of police and Border Police officers have been deployed to secure the march route, which is completely sealed to outsiders amid worries about anti-LGBTQ violence.

Meanwhile, a small group of counterprotesters with the far-right Lehava group who have set up camp across the street chant, “Jerusalem is not Sodom.”

EU pledges 100 million euros to bolster Lebanese army

The European Union has signed off on a new 100-million-euro ($116 million) support package for the Lebanese army, as it seeks to bolster the military amid a fragile ceasefire in the country.

“The latest ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon offers a chance to prevent a return to full-scale hostilities,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas posts online.

“But the death of a UNIFIL peacekeeper and continued skirmishes underscore the tenuous nature of what was agreed,” she adds.

Kallas said, “The best way to reduce the threat posed by Hezbollah is to strengthen the Lebanese state, empower its institutions, and restore its monopoly on the use of force.”

The new assistance comes on top of 82 million euros provided by the EU for the Lebanese armed forces in recent years.

Four Iranian tankers seen taking oil through Hormuz for first time since April

Four Iranian-flagged oil tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, a first since April 15 and the US blockade of Iranian ports, according to maritime tracking firm Kpler.

In data published on Thursday, the firm detected the passage of the Hilda I, the Amber, the Silvia 1, and the Happiness I, which were carrying a total of seven million barrels of oil.

They all loaded their cargo in mid-April on Kharg Island, the country’s main oil terminal, through which 90 percent of the Islamic Republic’s crude oil normally transits.

The ships crossed the strait on Monday with their AIS transponders turned off.

Kpler relies primarily on satellite imagery to track ships transporting raw materials.

The four oil tankers typically transport Iranian crude to an offshore area off the coasts of Malaysia and Singapore, where they transfer the cargo at sea to other tankers (ship-to-ship) tasked with delivering it to the final customer, often in China.

Tehran adopted this practice to circumvent international sanctions.

Three other oil tankers linked to Iran had already defied the blockade on April 15, according to Kpler. None had attempted to do so since then.

IDF says two rockets fired at troops in Lebanon, no injuries

Hezbollah launched two rockets at troops in southern Lebanon a short while ago, triggering sirens in several border communities in the Galilee Panhandle.

According to the IDF, one rocket was intercepted while the second struck near the forces.

No injuries were caused in the attack, the army says.

Religious Zionism MK filmed trying to saw way into Arab school

Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot is seen on video attempting to force his way into a school in the northern Arab town of Tuba-Zangariyye, using a circular saw to cut through a fence after local officials block his entry.

Footage of the incident shows Sukkot, who chairs the Knesset Education Committee, holding the saw and trying to cut the school’s perimeter fence while students are reportedly inside.

לא הספיק לח"כ צבי סוכות להקים סוכה בחווארה ערב הטבח.
גם לא הספיק לו לפרוץ לבסיס צבאי בזמן מלחמה.
אפילו לא הספיק לו לסכן כוחות של צה"ל השבוע לטובת ביקור פוליטי ופופוליסטי בקבר יוסף.
עכשיו יו״ר ועדת החינוך של הכנסת מנסה לפרוץ את השער של בית הספר בטובא-זנגריה עם מסור דיסק.

אלה… pic.twitter.com/K3S9uMlcnr

— גלעד קריב (@KarivGilad) June 4, 2026

The Knesset says the far-right lawmaker arrived for a pre-coordinated tour, but local council head Muaid Hayeb says he canceled the tour after concluding it was “a personal, political, racist visit serving [Sukkot’s] own interests, and not a professional visit,” according to a Haaretz news report.

“[Sukkot] knew the visit was canceled and arrived anyway,” Hayeb says, accusing the MK of exploiting the school for political purposes.

The lawmaker had previously alleged, without providing evidence, that students at the school were being taught “violence, crime and bullying.”

Responding to the incident, Sukkot defends his actions, arguing that no part of Israel should be off-limits to elected officials.

Opposition lawmakers condemn the incident as a cynical pre-election stunt.

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv says Sukkot’s conduct reflects “the insane and dangerous coalition that governs us,” accusing coalition members of seeking to “ignite a fire within Israel before the elections.”

Hadash MK Ofer Cassif calls Sukkot a “serial intruder” and says he “belongs in prison.”

The incident is the latest in a series of controversial acts by Sukkot.

Yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir slammed the lawmaker’s “political” visit to Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus for diverting military resources during wartime.

Sukkot also took part in the July 2024 break-in at the IDF’s Sde Teiman base, where a mob demanded the release of soldiers suspected of abusing a Palestinian detainee.

Netanyahu poaches top Katz aide Markizeno as new military secretary

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has appointed Brig. Gen. Guy Markizeno as his next military secretary.

Markizeno, who currently serves as the military secretary to the defense minister, succeeds Roman Gofman, who this week entered the role of Mossad director.

In a statement, Netanyahu says he notified Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir of his decision.

Markizeno will be promoted to the rank of major general upon entering the role of military secretary to the prime minister.

Netanyahu says Markizeno “has acquired extensive experience in coordinating between the political echelon and the military echelon, and therefore will be able to assume his position immediately without the need for a transition period.”

Markizeno, 47, began his military service in the Artillery Corps, where he rose through the ranks and commanded two regiments. He later served as head of planning in the IDF Ground Forces and as chief of staff of the Northern Command, before being appointed military secretary to the defense minister, first under Yoav Gallant and later under Israel Katz.

Newly elected comptroller meets with outgoing ombudsman, amid bid to block contentious pick

Michael Rabello, who was elected as the next state comptroller in highly controversial circumstances on Wednesday, meets with outgoing comptroller Matanyahu Englman for a transition briefing in the State Comptroller’s Office in Jerusalem.

Rabello, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s longtime personal lawyer, is scheduled to be sworn in on July 1.

At least one petition to the High Court has been filed against his appointment; however, after coalition MKs recorded themselves voting for Rabello, reportedly at the request of Likud party officials and in apparent violation of the law requiring a secret ballot for the state comptroller election.

That petition has requested the court issue an order to block Rabello from taking up the post until the High Court can issue a final ruling.

Jerusalem LGBTQ community gathers for Pride March to Knesset

Jerusalem’s annual Pride March is set to get underway, with thousands gathering at the city’s Sacher Park for a procession that will take them to the Knesset’s gates.

The route is different from that of past years, where participants would typically march from Liberty Bell Park to Independence Park, much further from government buildings.

Security for the event is tight, with a heavy police presence, as has been the norm for the last 10 years. In 2015, an ultra-Orthodox man carried out a stabbing attack during the march, killing one person and injuring several, days after being released from prison over an attack on the parade a decade earlier.

The march, organized each year by the Jerusalem Open House, is being held this year under the banner of “demanding change,” with elections on the horizon. The government, in power since late 2022, includes a number of lawmakers allied with homophobic figures.

Pride events in Jerusalem, as opposed to Tel Aviv, often take on a political tone due to the capital’s religious and conservative bent.

Among those scheduled to speak in Sacher Park ahead of the march are Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and The Democrats lawmaker Naama Lazimi.

Yossi Havilio and Adir Schwartz, both liberal-leaning deputy mayors of Jerusalem, will also address the crowd ahead of the march.

A counter-protest organized by the far-right Lehava group, denouncing the event as an “abomination march,” is set to be held outside a gas station near the entrance to Sacher Park.

Troops kill Hezbollah gunman in firefight north of Litani, IDF says

Israeli troops killed a Hezbollah operative in an exchange of fire during ground operations north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon yesterday, the military says.

According to the IDF, the Hezbollah gunman was armed with a Kalashnikov rifle. Troops of the Givati Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit identified and then killed him in a close-quarters fight.

The IDF says that several hours later, Givati soldiers raided a Hezbollah weapons cache in the area, where they located dozens of weapons, including firearms, anti-aircraft missiles, and other military equipment.

Separately, overnight, the Israeli Air Force struck two Hezbollah cells of operatives in Tyre on Lebanon’s coast and in the town of Shaqra near Bint Jbeil, the military adds.

Rocket sirens sound in Kiryat Shmona, other northern towns

Sirens warning of rocket fire from Lebanon sound in several communities near Kiryat Shmona in the Galilee Panhandle.

The IDF says the details are under review.

Hezbollah confirms rejection of truce, but Lebanon says forces readying to take ‘pilot zones’ anyway

A Hezbollah official tells AFP that the group has informed Lebanese authorities that it rejects a ceasefire announced after Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington a day earlier.

The official says on condition of anonymity that the position was passed on “to parliament speaker Nabih Berri,” a Hezbollah ally acting as an intermediary who “shares this position.”

Though the truce was to be contingent on Hezbollah’s agreement, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says that the army will begin deploying in “pilot zones” free of both Israeli forces and Hezbollah in the country’s south.

“The next step is practical and tangible: the deployment of the Lebanese army in pilot zones as a first phase,” Salam said, according to remarks read out by Information Minister Paul Morcos after a cabinet meeting, adding that “this does not prejudice our right to a full (Israeli) withdrawal, but brings us closer to it.”

According to a joint statement released after the Washington talks, Israel and Lebanon agreed to create “pilot zones” in south Lebanon where the Lebanese army forces “will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors.”

IAEA calls again for Iran to clarify fate of enriched uranium

The UN nuclear watchdog has sent a report to member states repeating its calls for Iran to urgently inform the agency of the fate of its enriched uranium since its atomic sites were bombed a year ago, and let inspections resume fully.

“The [International Atomic Energy Agency] Director General has emphasized to Iran that it is indispensable and urgent to implement effectively the [Non-Proliferation Treaty] Safeguards Agreement… and that its implementation cannot be suspended by Iran under any circumstances,” the confidential report seen by Reuters says.

Drones fired at troops in Lebanon triggered northern alarms, IDF says; no injuries

Several suspected Hezbollah drones struck near Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon a short while ago, the IDF says.

No injuries were caused in the attack, according to the army.

The “suspicious aerial targets” and attempts to shoot them down triggered sirens in several border communities in the Western Galilee.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been visiting the community of Shlomi half an hour before sirens sounded there.

Additionally, the IDF says a siren in the border community of Metula a short while ago was a false alarm.

Netanyahu tells northern leaders he’s committed to recovery, continuing fight

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is committed to northerners’ security, promising to invest in their recovery, “just as we did in the south,” during a meeting with northern leaders this afternoon in the Western Galilee town of Shlomi, according to a statement from his office.

“We will continue to act decisively against all threats,” Netanyahu says.

A video from the meeting published by the Ynet news site shows local regional council head Moshe Davidovich, who has been an outspoken voice demanding more support for the north, praising an NIS 12 billion plan for the north’s recovery from war-related economic issues.

In the short clip, he is heard thanking lawmaker Ze’ev Elkin, who holds a junior ministerial position in the Finance Ministry charged with funding recovery efforts in the north and south. He is not heard thanking Netanyahu or Defense Minister Israel Katz, who are both seated next to him.

Earlier, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that drone warnings sounded in the town some 30 minutes after the premier’s visit.

Netanyahu was in northern town shortly before drone warning

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting the northern town of Shlomi some 30 minutes before drone warning sirens sounded in the community, the Prime Minister’s Office confirms to The Times of Israel.

The premier was unharmed and has since left the area, the PMO says.

Meanwhile, fresh sirens sound in the border community of Metula.

The IDF says the details are under review.

Bondi Beach hero charged with assaulting father — local reports

The Sydney man credited with saving dozens of lives during December’s deadly mass shooting on a Hanukkah gathering on Bondi Beach has been charged with assaulting his father in March this year, local media and police say.

Ahmed al Ahmed was widely praised as a hero for wresting a gun from one of the attackers during the antisemitic assault, in which 15 people were killed.

Local media including national broadcaster ABC said Ahmed, 44, had been charged after allegedly assaulting his father.

Asked to confirm the reporting, New South Wales police tell AFP: “On Sunday 15 March 2026 police received a report of an alleged assault at a home in Bankstown on Monday 9 March 2026.”

They add that a 44-year-old man had then been charged this week with assault and stalking.

He will face court on June 29, police say.

Australian police as a rule do not identify individuals charged with crimes to the media.

Ahmed, who was shot during the Bondi Beach attack, tells ABC that the alleged incident was “fake information… it’s not true at all.”

“I don’t have any information at all,” he is quoted as saying.

Netanyahu to huddle with top ministers on Lebanon truce gambit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a security cabinet meeting at 5 p.m. at the Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel, after Washington announced overnight that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to renew their fragile ceasefire in Lebanon, pending Hezbollah joining the truce.

Netanyahu has yet to officially comment on last night’s joint statement with Lebanon, which stated that the two sides agreed to establish several pilot security zones in southern Lebanon from which Hezbollah would be barred.

The two sides said the ceasefire “is contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives” from areas south of the Litani River, a prospect that Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has now appeared to reject.

An Israeli government official declines to provide further details on the terms of the agreement, saying only that “negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are advancing in regards to a ceasefire. This is based on the mutual understanding that Hezbollah needs to be disarmed and southern Lebanon needs to be demilitarized.”

Drone warning sirens sound in northern towns

Sirens warning of a suspected drone attack from Lebanon sound in several communities in the Western Galilee.

The IDF says the details are under review.

Trump calls House vote limiting Iran war powers ‘meaningless’

US President Donald Trump says a symbolic House vote approving a war powers resolution that would halt the US military action against Iran was “meaningless.”

He expresses anger at Republicans for joining Democrats in supporting the measure, and hints that it will harm ongoing negotiations with Iran to end the war.

“Who would do such an unpatriotic thing. They know where the negotiations stand,” Trump says in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“The Democrats are fueled by Trump Derangement Syndrome,” he adds. “They would rather have our Country fail than give me another, of many, victories. The four Republicans, that’s a whole other story – They’re GRANDSTANDERS! They should be ashamed of themselves.”

Hezbollah leader appears to reject Lebanon truce offer as ‘surrender’

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem says that his group will keep bombarding northern Israel as long as strikes continue in Lebanon, in comments that appear to reject a US-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Beirut.

In a written statement read on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV on Thursday, Qassem says the agreement’s demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean “surrender, defeat and achieving the enemy’s goals.”

As long as Lebanese villages are being bombed and people are being killed, northern Israel will not be safe, he says.

“What we are concerned about is an end to the aggression, ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal,” Qassem says. “We did not make any commitment to any party to stop resisting as long as there is occupation.”

Qassem also urges the Lebanese government to quit the “farce” of direct talks with Israel.

Barred from UK, Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker to address Oxford Union remotely

Progressive US political commentator Cenk Uygur and leftist streamer Hasan Piker will address the Oxford Union on Saturday by livestream, after the UK banned them from entering the country.

The UK government did not explain its decision to ban the two commentators, except to say that “their presence in the UK may not be conducive to the public good.”

Arwa Elrayess, president of the Oxford Union, says: “This event will not be cancelled. The Union will ensure this discussion takes place. Free speech does not require a visa.”

“The Oxford Union was founded on one principle: that ideas are challenged through debate, not silenced by decree. We have never turned a speaker away because of their political beliefs, nor have we sought a permission slip from the state. We will not start now,” she says.

A statement from the President, Arwa Elrayess: pic.twitter.com/3daG29vZtY

— Oxford Union (@OxfordUnion) June 1, 2026

Uygur, host of “The Young Turks” news show on YouTube, frequently accuses Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and commandeering US policy. The show — which has come to place Israel at the center of much of its coverage since 2023 — regularly shares debunked claims about Israeli attacks, and its hosts have amplified conspiracy theories linking the Jewish state to events including 9/11.

Piker, a streamer who is also Uygur’s nephew, is a self-identified socialist who has endorsed terror groups and regularly implies support for political violence. He has described Hamas as “a thousand times better than Israel.”

Elrayess, for her part, has also come under scrutiny for leaked messages in which she said of Hamas, “Any resistance group will inevitably be deemed a ‘terrorist’ organization by the West until they achieve their liberation (by which time, they’ll be lauded as heroes, as history has repeatedly proven).”

The Oxford student, a Palestinian who spent part of her childhood in Gaza and has lost family members in the recent war, has rejected calls to step down in the wake of the leaks.

She’s noted that the messages were sent in private, and that, in her role at the Oxford Union, she has actively facilitated the speech of people she disagrees with, such as anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson and a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.

Police backtrack, no longer suspect terror motive in double homicide last month

Police backtrack on their previous assessment that the Arab Israeli teenager suspected in the killing of a married couple in central Israel acted on nationalist motives.

In light of “the latest developments and the evidence gathered, the suspicion that the incident has a criminal background is strengthening,” police say.

Ruslan and Olga Prihodko, a couple in their 40s from Rishon Lezion, were found shot dead in their car last month near Mishmar Ayalon in the Judean foothills. The couple is survived by their teenage son.

Police initially probed the case as a murder-suicide, then began investigating terror suspicions after it emerged that the husband’s licensed gun was not used in the killing.

The central suspect in the case, a 17-year-old Arab Israeli, was arrested last week on suspicion of involvement. Police now reportedly believe that the teenager had prior acquaintance with the couple.

According to Channel 12 News, the married pair would often travel for pleasure in the Judean foothills in search of antiquities. They ran into the suspect several times while he shepherded in the area, the outlet says.

Police are reportedly trying to figure out how the suspect acquired the gun he allegedly used in the killing.

The teenager’s father and three brothers, who were arrested on suspicion of involvement, were released today under restrictive conditions.

Four other suspects remain in custody, including the central suspect in the killing, police say.

Report names senior cop accused of harassment as Lior Abudraham, of spokesperson’s unit

The high-ranking cop suspected of sexually harassing a senior female officer is reportedly Assistant Commissioner Lior Abudraham, the head of the Police Spokesperson’s Division.

Abudraham was questioned yesterday by a special investigative team appointed to assess whether or not he has a conflict of interest in a separate case concerning Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi, his former boss.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, the officer was summoned to respond to questions about his role in the case, where it emerged he is also suspected of sexual harassment.

התת-ניצב שחשוד בהטרדה מינית של קצינה – ראש חטיבת הדוברות במשטרה ליאור אבודרהם@_Gitsis_ pic.twitter.com/gVCdBJFRcQ

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) June 4, 2026

Abudraham is serving as a witness against Yaakobi, charged with obstructing an investigation into a high-ranking West Bank cop by tipping him off about the probe.

In an apparent bid to undermine the witness, Yaakobi accused Abudraham of having a separate affair with an investigator in the Department of Internal Police Investigations, the body tasked with probing him.

Because the investigation cannot be probed by police or the DIPI due to conflicts of interest, Abudraham is being questioned by investigators in the Competition Authority, Hebrew outlets report.

Abudraham’s lawyer, Sharon Vaknin, calls the complaint part of a “smear campaign” against his client after he “told the truth in his testimony” about Yaakobi.

“This smear campaign will not last much longer, and everyone who has had any role in the matter will be brought to justice,” he tells Kan.

Lebanon’s president says deal announced in DC ‘last chance’ for comprehensive truce

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says an agreement on implementing a ceasefire announced in Washington after talks with Israel is the “last chance” to reach a comprehensive truce.

“The results of the fourth round of negotiations, and the statement issued from it, which included very important points in Lebanon’s favor, represent the last chance to enter into a final, comprehensive ceasefire. Each party bears responsibility” if it fails to respond positively, Aoun says, according to a statement from his office.

Aoun says Lebanon will inform the United States of its position “as soon as responses are received from the concerned internal parties, particularly Hezbollah,” referring to the Iran-backed terror group that attacked Israel on March 2, starting the ongoing conflict.

He adds that the US would determine the ceasefire’s start date and “President Donald Trump will be the direct guarantor of its implementation.”

Launch trajectory shows Hezbollah fired mortars that struck UNIFIL post, IDF says

The IDF says the mortars that struck a UN position in southern Lebanon, killing a peacekeeper, were launched by Hezbollah.

Overnight, the IDF says, it identified several mortar launches “from the Qotrani area, carried out by the Hezbollah terror organization, which fell inside a UNIFIL outpost in the Dibbin area in southern Lebanon.”

UNIFIL announced earlier that one of its observers was killed and two were wounded by the mortar strikes, but did not assign blame.

“An examination of the launch trajectory clearly indicates that the fire was carried out by the Hezbollah terror organization,” the IDF says.

In first, female IDF combat soldier completes training for elite Sayeret Matkal unit

In a first, a female combat soldier has completed training in the military’s elite Sayeret Matkal unit, the IDF announces.

The pilot program for women to serve in Sayeret Matkal began in December 2024, as part of efforts by the IDF to open up more roles for female fighters.

One servicewoman who passed preliminary screenings and “met the required criteria,” today completed a “training track specifically designed for her, which lasted more than a year and a half,” the IDF says.

The soldier will soon be integrated into the unit’s operational activities, in accordance with “operational needs” and subject to the IDF’s protocols on men and women serving together.

The IDF says it “congratulates the soldier on her significant and groundbreaking achievement.”

The army has insisted that it is allowing more women to serve in combat positions out of practical considerations, not due to a progressive social agenda.

“At this time, maximizing the service potential of male and female soldiers from all sectors and populations is an imperative, and the IDF will continue to work toward this goal,” the military adds.

‘Jews are eating kids!’: NYC subway passenger assaults 23-year-old Jewish woman

A passenger on a New York City subway is seen yelling “Jews are eating kids!” then assaulting a 23-year-old Jewish woman, in a recording the latter shared with the Combat Antisemitism Movement.

The perpetrator, a young Black woman, appears to be wearing a military-style camouflage coat with a patch depicting the German tricolor flag.

In the video, she can be seen telling the Jewish woman, who is filming, “I smell the kids.”

After a jump-cut, the woman behind the camera is heard saying “Don’t touch me,” after which the harasser appears to reach out to touch her, declaring once again that “Jews are eating kids.”

When other passengers react, and lightly restrain the assailant, she responds: “Whoa, whoa, whoa, it’s okay for her to eat a kid, but I can’t choke her down?”

Then, the Jewish woman turns the camera around and — her face blurred in the video posted online — declares, “I was just assaulted!”

???????? NYC, May 31, 2026: A 23 year old Jewish woman sent CAM footage of her assault on a subway train.

Around 2:15 PM, a woman told her she could “smell the babies” she had eaten and yelled that “Jews eat babies” before choking her, throwing her to the ground, and beating her. pic.twitter.com/4yMygy3EEb

— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) June 3, 2026

According to CAM, the incident took place on Sunday.

“Around 2:15 PM, a woman told [the victim] she could ‘smell the babies’ she had eaten and yelled that ‘Jews eat babies’ before choking her, throwing her to the ground, and beating her,” the organization says, though the clip does not include footage of those events.

The group also posts photos of what appears to be a ball of hair torn from the victim’s head during the assault.

Iran says Hezbollah seeks Israeli withdrawal to prewar positions in Lebanon

The baseline demand in Lebanon is for Israel to withdraw to positions it held prior to the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani says, according to state media.

He adds that Lebanese fighters will soon see the results of their resistance and says supporting the terror group’s activity is the duty of all Muslims.

Four minors indicted over fatal stabbing of Destao Tzakul, 19, in Beersheba in April

Four minors are indicted in the Beersheba District Court on suspicion of involvement in the stabbing death of Destao Tzakul, 19.

Due to their status as minors, the suspects cannot legally be identified.

The accused knew the victim before the attack, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Tzakul was outside his home in the early hours of April 24 when “Defendant A,” 16, contacted the other defendants with the goal of attacking him.

“Defendant A” and “Defendant B,” 17, were armed with knives, while “Defendant C,” 16, and “Defendant D,” 15, carried iron rods.

Tzakul was sitting with a friend listening to music and drinking when the four assailants attacked them. Tzakul’s friend fled.

According to prosecutors, “Defendant C” hit Tzakul with an iron rod. Tzakul tried to escape, but tripped and fell to the ground. At this point, “Defendant A” and “Defendant B” stabbed him with their knives. Afterward, all four fled, and also sought to remove evidence of the crime.

“Defendant A” and “Defendant B” are charged with intentional murder; “Defendant C” is charged with negligent murder; “Defendant D” is charged with causing death with diminished responsibility.

They are all charged with possession of a knife and obstruction of justice.

UK to bar NHS workers from wearing political badges, in effort to fight antisemitism

Britain’s National Health Service will ban staff from wearing political badges, under new rules aimed at fighting antisemitism within the health system.

Health Secretary James Murray says the NHS will accept the recommendation of an independent review by Lord John Mann of antisemitism and other forms of racism within the health system.

The review found that some Jewish patients and NHS staff feel the need to hide their religious identity due to fear of harassment. It also recommended stronger accountability for NHS managers and improved recording and monitoring of racist incidents.

Murray tells journalists that allowing staff members to display political symbols in medical settings risks undermining trust and deterring some patients from seeking care. The guidance will be published “shortly,” he says.

“When you have a situation where political views can be brought into the NHS, that can cause Jewish patients to think twice about whether to go to the NHS for their treatment,” he tells local media.

Three reportedly killed in Israeli strike on east Lebanon town of Sohmor

Three people are reportedly killed in an Israeli strike in the eastern Lebanon town of Sohmor.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reports that the strike in the Beqaa Valley town wounded several others.

NNA reports several more Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including in the Nabatieh area.

The IDF has not yet commented, but earlier warned Lebanese civilians to remain north of the Zahrani River.

UN peacekeeper killed in Lebanon was Serbian, says Belgrade

A UN peacekeeper killed in southern Lebanon was Serbian, the Serbian defense ministry confirms.

“Senior Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic was given emergency medical care at a hospital inside the base after being wounded and then transported by helicopter to the University Medical Center in Beirut, where he died,” a statement says.

Hamas operative accused of keeping Oron Shaul’s body in a fridge in Gaza indicted

Hamas operative Ibraim Hilu is charged today in court with holding the body of slain soldier Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul in the Gaza Strip for over a decade on behalf of the terror group.

The 46-year-old Gaza resident is indicted in the Beersheba District Court on charges of aiding the enemy in war, membership in a terrorist organization and using a gun for terrorist aims.

Shaul, 20 at the time of his death, was killed in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood during the 2014 Gaza War when the armored personnel carrier he was traveling in came under fire from anti-tank missiles launched by Hamas.

His body was dragged away from the scene by Hamas operatives and subsequently held in Gaza for over a decade.

State prosecutors say that Hilu, a shopkeeper formerly active in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, was enlisted by his higher-ups to hold Shaul’s body in a large meat freezer in one of his businesses in Gaza City.

He was instructed to distance himself from the terror group’s military activity so as to not call attention to himself, and according to the indictment, he later transferred Shaul’s body to a fridge with a lock.

Hilu held Shaul’s body until October 2023, when he fled south during the fighting in Gaza and relocated to a displaced persons camp in Deir al-Balah.

Israeli forces captured and interrogated Hilu, who provided information on the whereabouts of Shaul’s remains. He has been in Israeli custody since then.

Shortly before a ceasefire went into effect on January 18, 2025, a Palestinian informant working on Israeli orders extracted Shaul’s body from the fridge and brought it on foot to IDF forces awaiting him.

Chief rabbi condemns rioting, after Haredi mob attacks High Court judge’s home

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber condemns violent demonstrations “even if in the pursuit of sacred values,” after dozens of ultra-Orthodox extremists smashed windows and damaged property while trying to break into High Court of Justice deputy head Noam Sohlberg’s house in the Alon Shvut settlement in the West Bank last night.

“The honor of the Torah is upheld by conducting struggles in a manner that does not lead to the desecration of God’s name,” he says in an open letter disseminated by a rabbinate spokesperson. “There is absolutely no permission, Heaven forbid, to raise a hand against another person, damage their property, or prevent them from reaching their destination.”

“Even a struggle in pursuit of sacred values does not permit harming others,” he adds. “The manner in which disagreement and struggle should be conducted must be one of patience and restraint.”

Ber does not explicitly mention last night’s incident in the letter.

Sohlberg and his wife were both home at the time of the attempted break-in. Images show shattered windows, broken flowerpots by the front door of the house, a car in the garage with a smashed windshield, and a small Israeli flag with a swastika in place of the Star of David.

It was not immediately clear why the rioters chose to protest Sohlberg, though he has been highly critical of the government for failing to enforce Haredi conscription.

Hezbollah drone struck IDF Northern Command chief’s convoy in Lebanon weeks ago

An explosive-laden first-person view (FPV) drone launched by Hezbollah struck near IDF Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo as he was visiting southern Lebanon several weeks ago, according to the military.

The IDF says that “no damage was caused and there were no casualties” in the incident, although reports indicate that the drone hit one of the vehicles in Milo’s convoy shortly after he exited his car.

Since the incident, the IDF has changed its protocols for visits of officers to southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu said to have balked at IDF proposal for Lebanon ground op, amid US pressure

During a limited security meeting convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night, the IDF presented the premier and other ministers with a proposal for a large-scale ground maneuver in Lebanon, but Netanyahu expressed reservations amid US pressure against further escalation, Army Radio reports.

Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir supported the proposal, while Netanyahu hesitated after US President Donald Trump intervened earlier this week to prevent planned strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut and broader operations in Lebanon, the report says.

Overnight, the US State Department announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to renew their fragile ceasefire and establish several pilot security zones in southern Lebanon from which Hezbollah would be barred. Under the arrangement, the Lebanese Armed Forces would assume full control of those areas, though details of implementation remain unclear.

The Prime Minister’s Office does not immediately comment on the Army Radio report or further clarify the ceasefire understandings.

Victim of Tel Aviv car-bombing was 35-year-old woman, cops say; terror not suspected

The victim of this morning’s deadly car explosion in Tel Aviv is a 35-year-old woman, police say.

Speaking at the scene of the suspected homicide, Tel Aviv District police chief Haim Sargaroff says the driver was killed when a bomb weighing half a kilogram (roughly one pound) detonated in her vehicle.

Medics found the woman next to her burning car on Ayalon Highway near Holon Junction. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

UNIFIL says one peacekeeper killed, two hurt in south Lebanon; doesn’t assign blame

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon says one of its peacekeepers was killed and two others were wounded in a mortar attack in southern Lebanon last night.

UNIFIL says mortar shells struck one of their positions near Marjayoun, critically injuring one member of the observer force who was flown to a hospital in Beirut, where he succumbed to his wounds this morning.

“Two other peacekeepers, who also sustained injuries, are being treated at a medical facility in the UNIFIL base,” it says.

UNIFIL says it has launched an investigation “to ascertain the exact circumstances that led to this tragic incident.” The statement does not mention either Hezbollah or the IDF.

Khamenei to Iranians: Any action that creates pessimism amounts to aiding the enemy

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says in a message that Iran’s enemies, having been defeated on the battlefield, are now seeking to undermine public resilience and sow internal divisions.

Khamenei calls for national unity in the face of those threats and says any action that creates pessimism or frustration among the public amounts to helping the enemy.

The message is read on his behalf during ceremonies marking the anniversary of the death of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ruhollah Khomeini, as well as a major Shiite holiday.

High-ranking cop interrogated over sexual harassment, after colleague’s complaint

A high-ranking police officer was interrogated on suspicion of sexual harassment after a female colleague, also senior in the force, filed a complaint against him.

The Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI), which usually probes cops on criminal suspicions, tells The Times of Israel it has no role in probing the complaint.

The officer was released after questioning subject to restrictions including a two-week suspension from work and a ban contact with the complainant.

Knesset passes law extending tax benefits for West Bank settlements

The Knesset votes 32-23 overnight in favor of a law granting extended tax benefits to dozens of West Bank settlements, amid fierce criticism that the coalition is prioritizing the measure while delaying aid for northern communities devastated by more than two years of Hezbollah attacks.

Sponsored by Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot and lobbied for by party leader Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the law creates a new “eastern confrontation line area” designation, expanding tax benefits to roughly 59 settlements located east of the security barrier, including Kedumim, where Smotrich lives.

Opposition lawmakers have accused Smotrich, whose party draws much of its support from the settlement movement, of using the measure to funnel state resources to his political base ahead of elections.

According to the law’s explanatory notes, many West Bank settlements facing security threats are already included in the government’s national priority areas. However, unlike some communities along the Gaza and Lebanon borders, they are not eligible for tax breaks based on those security threats, which this law addresses.

To qualify, communities must be located more than two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the barrier and meet additional security and socioeconomic criteria, including a requirement that school transportation be conducted exclusively in bulletproof vehicles.

The law will take effect retroactively from January 2026 and remain in force through December 31, 2027. The Israel Tax Authority has estimated that the law will cost NIS 130 million ($35 million) annually.

The law was passed amid an ongoing dispute over long-delayed assistance for northern border communities who remain under daily bombardment. According to Hebrew media reports, a long-promised rehabilitation package for the north was delayed last week due to Smotrich’s insistence that the tax benefits measure for settlements be passed first.

Sukkot’s original proposal focused exclusively on West Bank settlements, while a later version was amended to include a handful of northern communities within two kilometers of the Lebanese border, prompting opposition lawmakers and local leaders to accuse the coalition of using the needs of northern residents to build support for a measure primarily benefiting settlements.

Smotrich vetoed extending the benefits to communities within nine kilometers (5.6 miles) of the border and the proposal was dropped after northern leaders insisted on including either all communities or none.

Supreme Court president: Haredi rampage at justice’s home was attack on rule of law

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit denounces the attack on Deputy President Noam Sohlberg’s home last night by ultra-Orthodox rioters, calling it an attack on the entire legal system and the rule of law.

In a letter to judges and other staff in the court system, Amit extends his support to Sohlberg, who was at home with his wife, children and grandchildren during the assault, and says that efforts to frighten and intimidate judges will not work.

“The serious acts of violence directed at the deputy president [of the court] and his family are, in effect, an attack on the entire judicial system and on the rule of law in the State of Israel,” writes Amit, together with Judge Tzahi Ouziel, director of the Court’s Office.

“Attempts to exert pressure on, intimidate, or deter judges will not affect the performance of their duties. Israel’s judges will continue to carry out their work professionally, independently, and without fear, in accordance with the law and their duty to the public,” Amit and Ouziel write.

They add that the judicial authority will take any action necessary to protect judges and other court staff.

Speaking to Kan News, former Supreme Court president Dorit Beinisch says the attack on Sohlberg’s home was another stage in the decline of Israel’s democracy and the rise of violent lawlessness.

“This is a severe deterioration of democratic rule. This is the transformation of Israel into a state in which violence, thuggery, and the abolition of the principles of the rule of law are part of the norms of our lives,” says Beinisch.

The retired Supreme Court president blames the top political leadership for the deterioration in adherence to the rule of law, pointing as  one example to a comment by Justice Minister Yariv Levin earlier this week indicating that he would not abide by a High Court ruling.

“We should not be surprised [by such events], when a government minister can announce that a ruling of the High Court of Justice is illegal and that he will not comply with it,” says Beinisch. “Because if there is no need to obey the judiciary, the law, then anything is permitted — lawlessness. This is the atmosphere we are living in, and it endangers everyone.”

IDF’s General Staff Forum holds weekly assessment joined by northern mayors

The IDF’s General Staff Forum is joined by the mayors and leaders of local councils on the northern border at its weekly assessment this morning.

“Our mission is clear, to restore peace and security to you for the long term. We are committed to creating a better security reality here over time,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir tells the mayors, according to remarks provided by the military.

Car explosion kills one on Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv; terrorism not suspected

A person has been killed in a car explosion on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway, first responders say.

Medics found the victim lifeless near Holon Junction, after his vehicle caught fire as a result of the explosion.

Police are probing the incident as a homicide and say the background to the incident is criminal, as opposed to terror-related.

IDF still targeting Hezbollah in south Lebanon amid truce, urges civilians to stay away

Despite the ceasefire in Lebanon, the IDF says it continues to target Hezbollah in the south of the country.

“The fighting in southern Lebanon is ongoing, as the IDF continues to target Hezbollah facilities and infrastructure located in and near your villages,” warns army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.

He warns residents of southern Lebanon not to travel south of the Zahrani River “until further notice.”

“Anyone traveling south is putting their life at risk,” Adraee adds.

‘Hitler, run away!’: Supreme Court judge’s neighbor describes Haredi rioters’ slurs

Beni Gesundheit, the neighbor of Supreme Court justice Noam Sohlberg, recounts being spat on and shouted at by the ultra-Orthodox anti-draft rioters who attacked the judge’s home in Alon Shvut last night.

“I heard a terrible noise. My wife and my daughter ran to the safe room,” he tells Army Radio, referring to the bombproof part of his home.

“I told [the rioters], ‘Go away’! [This is a] chilul Hashem!” he continues, using a Hebrew term for unbecoming behavior that Jewish tradition deems a desecration of the name of God.

“There were youths who spat in my face, and two of them shouted at me: ‘Hitler, run away!’ I managed to chase away at least some of them,” he says.

Study: Instagram pushes ‘mainstream’ wellness users toward antisemitic content

Instagram’s recommendation algorithm can easily direct users from mainstream self-improvement content to virulent antisemitic material and Nazi propaganda, according to a study published yesterday by the Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Antisemitism Research Center (ARC).

For the project, ARC used two neutral persona accounts following mainstream creators in the field of fitness and wellness, engaging in three daily sessions of 45 minutes online.

Without any active user intent, both accounts were rapidly served content promoting conspiracy theories and explicit hate speech. By the third day, 31% of the wellness account’s content and 18% of the fitness account’s content consisted of explicit antisemitism, ARC says. Over the three days, 32% of wellness videos and 24% of fitness videos contained coded or explicit antisemitism.

The study found certain “narrative bridges,” such as distrust of the food and medical industries, that led content to escalate from mainstream content to anti-establishment framing to conspiratorial content to coded antisemitic narratives and explicit antisemitism, the study found.

“You don’t have to search for antisemitic content to find it on Instagram,” said ARC Research Associate Oliver Marks. “When platforms optimize for engagement without sufficient safeguards, they can end up amplifying hate to vast audiences.”

You don’t have to search for antisemitic content to find it on Instagram.

In a new study, CAM’s Antisemitism Research Center found that Instagram’s algorithm can push ordinary wellness and fitness users from self improvement content to antisemitic conspiracies in just days, with…

— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) June 3, 2026

Petition filed against result of state comptroller election, after MKs filmed ‘secret ballot’

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel files a petition to the High Court of Justice against the appointment of Michael Rabello, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal lawyer, as the next state comptroller, after his election by the Knesset yesterday was beset by a severe violation of the voting process.

During a second round of voting, required because neither candidate won 61 votes in the first round,  Likud MKs — voting in what was supposed to be a secret ballot — were reportedly ordered by a Likud party official to photograph or film their votes to prove they had voted for Rabello.

The vote was canceled amid an uproar, and started anew, but some Likud MKs still took photos and videos of themselves voting for Rabello, who then won 61-57, with some coalition MKs having apparently switched their vote.

The Movement for Quality Government argues in its petition that the vote was not secret because of these actions, and is therefore not valid. Basic Law: The State Comptroller states that the vote in Knesset must be by secret ballot.

The organization argues in its petition that having a secret ballot for the position of state comptroller is designed to safeguard Knesset members’ freedom to vote without pressure or political dependence, in order to preserve the status of the state comptroller as an independent and impartial oversight authority over government agencies.

“An election conducted in explicit violation of a Basic Law provision cannot stand,” said Stav Livne, an attorney for the Movement for Quality Government. “When a secret ballot is turned into a test of loyalty, it is not only one particular outcome that is harmed, but the public’s trust in the integrity of the democratic process itself.”

Katz hails Lebanon truce: ‘We promised security to residents of the north, and we delivered’

Defense Minister Israel Katz hails the US-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon, declaring that “members of the opposition should apologize, and acknowledge this great achievement in Lebanon, on the ground and also on the diplomatic level.”

The agreement, he says in a statement, is “an expression of the reality we’ve created in Lebanon up until now. A reality that can lead to a peace deal with the state of Lebanon.”

“We promised security to the residents of the north, and we delivered,” he says.

“The declaration includes an unequivocal statement on the disarmament of Hezbollah, the removal of Hezbollah terrorists from the area south of the Litani River, the continued presence of the IDF in the security area, and freedom of action for Israel,” he says.

A joint Israeli-Lebanese statement last night said the truce was “contingent” on Hezbollah ceasing fire and withdrawing north of the Litani.

Since then, Israel has intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” near the Lebanon border, and Lebanese media have reported Israeli drone strikes in the country’s south.

Police seek to extend detention of 62 arrested during Haredi anti-draft riot

Police will bring 62 suspects, arrested last night during an anti-draft riot outside High Court Justice Noam Sohlberg’s home, before a judge this morning with a request to extend their detention.

Last night, a mob of Haredi rioters descended on the justice’s home in the West Bank settlement of Alon Shvut, breaking the windows of his home and car and shattering flower pots on his doorstep.

Officers arrested 65 suspects in wake of the riots, police said. Sixty-two remain in custody, according to the Walla news outlet, and will be brought to the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court this morning.

Police reportedly seized drones and GoPro cameras in the suspects’ possession, Ynet reports.

Lebanese media report Israeli strikes in south Lebanon, amid conditional truce

Lebanese official media report Israeli strikes on the country’s south on Thursday morning, hours after an announcement that Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a conditional ceasefire following talks in Washington.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reports Israeli drone strikes along roads at several south Lebanon locations, saying at least one caused casualties.

The agreement announced in Washington says the ceasefire is “contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives” from areas south of the Litani River.

It is not immediately clear how the security zones are to be established, but the agreement calls for the Lebanese army to take full control of those areas.

Ben Gvir: Lebanon ceasefire a ‘grave mistake,’ Beirut is a ‘partner to Hezbollah’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir denounces the US-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon, declaring it a “grave mistake.”

“Hezbollah has not left the area south of the Litani River, and the Lebanese army has no way of enforcing their removal,” the far-right minister writes on X.

“The state of Lebanon is a partner of Hezbollah. There are ministers in its government representing Hezbollah, and family of Hezbollah members serve in the Lebanese army,” he continues.

Ben Gvir predicts that “in practice, Hezbollah will only get stronger, and instead of defeating it, Israel is accepting the fact of its existence.”

“There are moments when you must say ‘no,’ even to the president of the United States, and when we don’t do that — we’ll meet Hezbollah next time, when it’s stronger and more dangerous,” he warns.

The minister calls for a full cabinet meeting and vote on the ceasefire.

US senator demands release of US citizen seized by IDF in West Bank on Tuesday

US Senator Chris Van Hollen calls for the release of Sama Safi, a 20-year-old American citizen, who was among the Birzeit University students arrested by the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday.

“Israeli security forces came to her home at 3 a.m. in the morning, and just took her without explanation. She told them she was an American citizen. They didn’t care,” Van Hollen reports, in a video posted to X.

The IDF said at the time that the four women were suspected of “promoting terrorist activities and additional terrorism-related activities.”

Safi has a medical condition that needs treatment, Van Hollen reports he was told by the student’s mother.

The Democratic senator says Israel is holding Safi without charges, and has not told her family or the US Embassy where she is being held or why.

He calls on US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to ensure the American’s immediate release.

“We’ve seen this happen before. In fact, we’ve seen American citizens killed by violent Israeli settlers and by security forces without accountability,” he says.

“I am really sick and tired of the Israeli government — the Netanyahu government — taking American taxpayer dollars and then mistreating Americans,” the senator concludes.

Yesterday, the IDF seized 4 students from their homes in the West Bank, including 20-year-old American, Sama Safi.

The Israeli govt didn’t tell her family or the U.S. Embassy where or why she was being taken & is holding her without charges.

America must secure her release NOW. pic.twitter.com/sh4dI7JGP3

— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) June 3, 2026

Trump says he will nominate ex-personal lawyer as permanent attorney general

US President Donald Trump says he intends to nominate his former personal lawyer as attorney general on a permanent basis.

Todd Blanche currently serves as acting chief of the Justice Department after Trump fired attorney general Pam Bondi following scrutiny over her handling of the release of investigative files regarding late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Blanche, the former number two in the Justice Department, has since pursued indictments for Trump’s perceived enemies, including former FBI director James Comey.

“Tomorrow, I’m instructing… that we are going to make him permanent attorney general,” Trump says in a clip shared by Dan Scavino, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, from a White House dinner.

Israeli strikes kill at least eight in Gaza City, says Hamas-run civil defense

Israeli attacks in Gaza kill at least eight people, a spokesman for the Hamas-run civil defense agency tells AFP.

“At least eight martyrs as a result of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City at dawn,” with seven killed in strikes on residential buildings and one in the Al-Shati refugee camp to the west of Gaza City, says spokesman Mahmoud Bassal.

Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also reports 15 people wounded in the strikes, he adds.

The figures are not independently verified, and they do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

דיווחים בעזה על ארבע תקיפות שונות הלילה בעיר עזה שהביאו למספר גבוה יחסית של 8 הרוגים ו-15 פצועים. התקיפות בעזה נמשכות באופן כמעט יומיומי בחודשים האחרונים אבל בדרך כלל (למעט חיסולים של בכירי חמאס) היקף הנפגעים נמוך יותר pic.twitter.com/pSGTLy1Iv3

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) June 4, 2026

IDF says ‘suspicious aerial target’ triggered sirens in northern community hours after ceasefire declared

The IDF says it identified a “suspicious aerial target” which triggered sirens earlier in the northern community of Kfar Yuval, hours after a ceasefire was declared between Israel and Lebanon.

The statement does not say what happened to the target, only that the incident is over without any injuries caused.

In addition, the military says that sirens that sounded in the town of Arab al-Aramshe were a false alarm.

PM’s wife Sara took part in interview for husband’s next military secretary while he wasn’t in room — report

Sara Netanyahu, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, participated in an interview of a candidate for the position of her husband’s new military secretary while the premier himself was not in the room, Channel 12 news reports.

According to the report, Netanyahu’s wife was in the room with her husband’s chief of staff, Ido Norden, for the interview with Brig. Gen. Guy Markizeno, who currently serves as the military secretary to the defense minister.

Sara Netanyahu has repeatedly been accused of being involved in political and professional appointments during her husband’s terms as prime minister.

Netanyahu is expected to soon announce a successor to Roman Gofman, his previous military secretary, who he recently appointed as director of the Mossad.

Ex-Supreme Court justice Elron said to believe judges will nix Knesset vote picking PM’s lawyer as state comptroller

Retired Supreme Court justice Yosef Elron believes that the High Court will overturn yesterday’s controversial Knesset vote to elect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal lawyer, Michael Rabello, as state comptroller, instead of him, Channel 12 news reports.

“Judge Elron intends to be a formal respondent and will agree to come to the High Court as part of the petitions that will be filed,” associates of the former justice tell Channel 12.

He “believes that the High Court will overturn the decision on the appointment. He is not angry or disappointed and actually seems encouraged,” the sources say.

The election, initially conducted by secret ballot as required by law, descended into chaos after Elron won the first round 60-57, falling just one vote short of the 61 needed for victory, meaning that several coalition lawmakers had defected.

Rabello’s win came after the second round of voting was halted and rerun amid allegations that Likud lawmakers were pressured and ordered to photograph — and even film — their ballots to prove they had voted for Rabello and not “betrayed” Netanyahu, despite the law requiring a secret ballot.

Although nominated by opposition parties, Elron was also seen as popular among some coalition lawmakers. A conservative jurist appointed to the Supreme Court in 2017, he retired in 2024 after unsuccessfully seeking the court’s presidency with the backing of Justice Minister Yariv Levin. Both Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara have praised Elron for his contributions to Israeli criminal jurisprudence.

Ariela Karmel contributed to this report.

NYC Jews announce second protest against New York Times over column alleging abuse of Palestinians

Jewish activists in New York City announce a protest against The New York Times tomorrow, following a similar rally at the newspaper’s headquarters in Manhattan two weeks ago.

The protesters are demanding the retraction of a widely-criticized New York Times column that alleged systematic sexual abuse of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

The demands also include disclosing the column’s editorial timeline, retraining staff on anti-Zionism, and the dismissal of the column’s author, Nicholas Kristof.

The protest, tomorrow at 5 p.m., is led by the EndJewHatred advocacy group, alongside several relatively new activist groups — the Movement Against Antizionism, Brooklyn BridgeBuilders, Hineni, Stop Antizionism, and IMPACT.

Aside from EndJewHatred, the groups all launched in the wake of the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, to counter the ensuing surge in anti-Jewish discrimination in the US.

“Stop the presses. End the lies,” advertisements for the rally say.

Trump tells aides he would end ceasefire if Iran kills US troops — report

US President Donald Trump has told aides privately that he would consider ending the ceasefire with Iran if Tehran kills American troops, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials.

Reuters cannot immediately verify the report.

Israel, Lebanon agree to renew truce, create ‘pilot’ zones where Hezbollah is banned

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israel and Lebanon agreed yesterday to renew their fragile ceasefire and create a number of “pilot” security zones inside Lebanon from which Hezbollah terrorists would be banned.

In a joint statement released after a fourth round of US-mediated talks at the State Department, the two sides say the ceasefire “is contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives” from areas south of the Litani River. It is not immediately clear how the security zones would be established, but the agreement calls for the Lebanese army to take full control of those areas.

“These steps will enable progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement,” the statement says. “All countries reaffirmed that the future of the relationship between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by the two sovereign governments. They rejected any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to hold Lebanon’s future hostage.”

The latter is a reference to Iran, which supports Hezbollah and has insisted that Israeli attacks on Lebanon be halted as part of a tentative agreement with the US to end the conflict with Iran. Hezbollah is not part of the Israel-Lebanon talks.

The fresh announcement suggests that Trump’s declaration on Monday that Washington had brokered a fresh truce between Israel and Hezbollah, after the one reached in April unraveled, did not extend beyond halting planned Israeli strikes in Beirut.

The new announcement also attempts to separate efforts to reach a deal to end the conflict with Lebanon and the war with Iran. Trump appeared to undercut that effort with his announcement two days ago, which came after Iran threatened “consequences” over escalating Israeli strikes.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Mamdani praises leftist Israeli peace activist at Jewish progressive group’s gala

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani praises the progressive Jewish group T’ruah and an Israeli activist honored at a T’ruah gala yesterday.

Mamdani attended T’ruah’s “Celebration of Human Rights,” an annual gala, yesterday at the B’nai Jeshurun synagogue in Manhattan, T’ruah says.

The event recognized “five Jewish human rights heroes,” including Gili Getz, an Israeli peace activist and photographer based in New York City.

“This year’s honorees, including New York’s own Gili Getz, remind us that solidarity is a practice,” Mamdani says in a statement.

Getz is affiliated with leftist Israelis in the city who promote dialogue and coexistence with Palestinians, and protest against the Israeli government, while supporting Israel’s continued existence.

The leftist Israeli group, Israelis for Peace, is to the left of the Jewish center, but also outside the mainstream anti-Israel movement in the city, which calls for Israel’s destruction.

T’ruah says its members “care deeply about Israel’s future as a Jewish, democratic state, and as a safe haven for the Jewish people,” while recognizing “the impact and consequences of Israel’s creation for the Palestinian people.”

The T’ruah gala was also attended by city Comptroller Mark Levine, a Jewish centrist.

Mamdani, who has identified as an anti-Zionist, is often at odds with mainstream Jewish groups due to his antagonism toward Israel.

US House backs Democratic-led symbolic resolution aiming to halt Iran war

WASHINGTON — The US House of Representatives backs a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the Iran war until hostilities are authorized by Congress, reflecting growing congressional concern, even among US President Donald Trump’s Republicans, over the war.

The House voted 215 to 208, as four Republicans voted with Democrats in favor of the war powers resolution.

Human bones found in Kfar Aza; family hopes they belong to son murdered on Oct. 7

Human bones have been found in the Gaza border community of Kfar Aza, including part of a skull, according to Hebrew media reports.

The remains were taken for identification.

The family of murdered resident Nirel Zini, 31, say they hope the remains are his. Zini’s head was cut off by terrorists during the October 7, 2023, attack on the community, and his body was buried without it.

Zini was murdered alongside his girlfriend Niv Raviv, 27.

Trump says he wants to separate Lebanon, Iran talks

US President Donald Trump says he wants to separate talks on the conflict in Lebanon and those on the war between the United States and Iran, although Tehran insists the conflicts are linked.

“I’d like to separate it, I’d like to have a separate thing because it is, it is separate,” Trump tells reporters.