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The Times of Israel liveblogged Tuesday’s events as they unfolded.
US military says it struck Iranian boats, missile launch sites, cites self defense
The US military says it carried out strikes in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what it describes as defensive actions.
US Central Command says in a statement the strikes were designed “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”
“US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” says Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson.
Reports of four IRGC men killed in US strikes in southern Iran
Unconfirmed reports from Iran claim four Revolutionary Guards members were killed in American strikes in south Iran’s Bandar Abbas.
CENTCOM confirmed strikes a short time ago, saying it acted to defend its forces.
Tehran said to tell US any Israeli strike in Beirut will jeopardize negotiations
According to Al Jazeera, Iran has warned the US that any Israeli strike in Beirut will threaten negotiations to end the war and reach a regional settlement.
In call with Herzog, Canada’s Carney says treatment of Gaza flotilla activists ‘unacceptable’
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has denounced the “appalling treatment” of activists aboard the Gaza-bound aid flotilla as “unacceptable,” in a call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, according to a statement.
Last week, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked widespread condemnation and a diplomatic backlash by posting a video mocking the activists after they were seized in international waters by Israeli soldiers. In the video, dozens of activists, including 12 Canadian citizens, were forced to kneel with their foreheads to the ground and their hands tied.
In the call, Carney called for an independent investigation and “strongly condemned” remarks by Ben Gvir, according to the statement.
According to a readout from Herzog’s office, the president in turn “expressed his condemnation of the pro-Hamas flotilla,” which sought to challenge Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza, saying it “directly aimed to undermine” the US-backed plan for the disarmament of Hamas and the establishment of a new government in postwar Gaza.
Last week, Canada said it was summoning the Israeli ambassador over the incident.
After the activists were deported from Israel last week, videos circulated online purporting to show security forces in countries including Spain, Australia and Austria forcing several of them to the ground upon their return during rowdy confrontations, leading the Foreign Ministry to push back against what it viewed as hypocritical criticism of Israel’s handling of the flotilla.
Herzog adds he expressed his “deep alarm over the rise in antisemitic violence in Canada,” saying, “I called on Prime Minister Carney and his government to address the fear and sense of abandonment felt by…the Canadian Jewish community before it’s too late.”
WTI crude price falls over 5% despite new US strikes on Iran
The price of the main US benchmark for oil has fallen more than five percent, despite US forces launching new strikes on Iran.
Around 0030 GMT, the price of West Texas Intermediate was down 5.46 percent at $91.33 a barrel.
However, North Sea Brent crude was up 1.6 percent at $97.68 a barrel.
Oil prices plunged below $100 yesterday as investors raised expectations of a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, following signs that Washington and Tehran were edging closer to a deal.
But as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for talks to end the war, US Central Command said American forces had attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines, threatening a fragile ceasefire that took effect on April 8.
Sirens wail in northern community due to false alarm
Drone warning sirens were heard in the northern border community of Sassa a short time ago.
However, the military says the alerts were a false alarm, and residents are free to leave their shelters.
Rubio says Iran deal still possible within days despite US strikes
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters on board his plane at Jaipur International Airport in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that a deal with Iran is still possible despite new American strikes that cast doubt on their fragile ceasefire.
“There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress. I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days,” Rubio tells reporters in Jaipur during an official visit to India.
“The president’s expressed his desire to make it. He’s either going to make a good deal or no deal,” he says.
Rubio says Hormuz strait will reopen ‘one way or the other’
Top US diplomat Marco Rubio insists that the blockaded Strait of Hormuz will reopen “one way or the other,” after fresh US strikes on Iran cast doubt on an accord to end the Mideast war.
“The straits have to be open. They’re going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open,” Rubio tells reporters in the Indian city of Jaipur, where he is making an official visit.
“What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable,” he says.
19 Australian women and children linked to Islamic State group set to return from Syria
A group of 19 Australian women and children linked to the Islamic State group have booked flights to return from Syria and some could face charges, Australia’s government says.
The seven women and 12 children are expected to arrive on flights to Sydney and Melbourne today, less than three weeks after a group of 13 people in similar situations returned to Australia’s two largest cities.
Three of the four women on the earlier flights were charged with slavery and terrorism offenses and remain behind bars.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says anyone among the 19 on their way to Australia who has committed crimes “can expect to face the full force of the law.”
“The government has not and will not provide any assistance to this group,” Burke says in a statement.
“These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organization and to place their children in an unspeakable situation,” he adds.
Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been preparing for their return since 2014 and have long-standing plans in place to manage and monitor them, Burke says.
“The priority of the government, as always, is the safety of the Australian community,” he adds.
Home Front to test sirens in Moran, Har Halutz and Lavon
The Home Front Command says sirens will be tested today in Moran, Har Halutz and Lavon in northern Israel.
Alerts will be heard at 9:35 in the Moran area, 11:05 a.m. in Har Halutz and 1:05 p.m. in Lavon.
In case of an attack at the same time, a second siren will sound and an alert will be sent to the Home Front app.
Report: Shin Bet chief recently met PA’s exiled former Gaza security chief Dahlan in UAE
Shin Bet director David Zini at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem during Memorial Day on April 21, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Shin Bet chief David Zini met with the Palestinian Authority’s exiled former Gaza security chief Mohammad Dahlan during a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
The outlet cites regional and Israeli sources.
When asked by Kan, the Shin Bet says it will not comment on Zini’s schedule.
A 2024 report in the Wall Street Journal suggested that a number of officials, including in Israel, were pushing for Dahlan to oversee Gaza in the postwar era.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas has long withstood calls to reconcile with Dahlan, whom he had thrown out of the West Bank in 2011 following a bitter political dispute.
Dahlan moved to Abu Dhabi, where he became a close confidant of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and has been more freely able to criticize the PA’s conduct.
Schools in northern border towns stay shut amid uptick in drone attacks from Lebanon
Children in a number of communities along the northern border are home today after local leaders announced schools and kindergartens would remain shut until further notice amid an uptick in drone attacks from Lebanon.
The decisions were taken independently and without instruction to do so from the IDF Home Front Command, and studies have shifted to distance learning.
A senior US official indicated yesterday that Washington could soon greenlight a larger Israeli operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to Al Jazeera, Iran has warned the US that any Israeli strike in Beirut will threaten negotiations to end the war and reach a regional settlement.
North Korea fired several missiles toward sea, South Korean military says
North Korea fired several missiles, including at least one short-range ballistic missile, toward waters off its west coast, South Korea’s military says.
It followed another launch by the North on April 19, in which it fired multiple short-range missiles in what state-media described as a demonstration of cluster bomb warheads.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has focused on expanding his nuclear and missile arsenals since nuclear diplomacy with US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to resume talks with Kim, but Pyongyang has so far ignored the overtures and urged Washington to drop demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.
Kim has taken an increasingly hardline stance toward South Korea, which he has declared his country’s permanent and most hostile enemy while diplomacy is stalled and tensions rise over his nuclear ambitions.
Man injured in car explosion in Afula
A car blast in Afula on May 26, 2026 (Magen David Adom)
A man in his 30s is unconscious after a car explosion in Afula, medics say.
Police say that the man has not been identified and that officers on the scene have opened an investigation into the cause of the blast and possible motive.
Second High Court hearing begins over government’s decision to shutter Army Radio
An IDF soldier serving at Army Radio holds a microphone in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
A hearing begins in the High Court of Justice over petitions asking the court to annul the government’s decision to shutter Army Radio, the second hearing on the matter following oral arguments in January this year.
Following that hearing, the High Court issued a conditional order instructing the government to justify its decision to close the venerable news outlet, especially over the manner in which the decision was made.
This order followed interim orders issued by the court in December 2025, instructing the government to freeze the closure of Army Radio until a final decision is made on the petitions.
Justices Daphne Barak Erez, Alex Stein and Yechiel Kasher are presiding over the hearing.
In December last year, the cabinet unanimously approved Defense Minister Israel Katz’s controversial proposal to shut down Army Radio by March 1, 2026. The decision was based on the recommendation of an advisory committee appointed by Katz.
Several organizations petitioned the High Court against the decision, claiming, among other arguments, that the process by which the decision was made was severely flawed and that it would also harm freedom of expression in Israel.
Claims were made in particular against the manner in which the government-appointed advisory committee was formed, in particular over the committee’s Likud-aligned composition and lack of professional journalism expertise, and the manner in which it recommended closing Army Radio.
Man dies of wounds sustained in Afula car blast; police suspect criminal motive, not nationalistic
A car blast in Afula on May 26, 2026 (Magen David Adom)
A man in his 30s has died after being critically injured in a car explosion in Afula.
Medics found the man unconscious as they attempted to resuscitate him en route to HaEmek Medical Center, but he succumbed to his wounds.
Police suspect the motive is criminal, rather than nationalistic, Hebrew outlets report.
Australian inquiry into antisemitism condemns online hatred, bigotry targeting Jewish witnesses
Swastikas daubed on a synagogue in Newtown on January 11, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Screen grab via ABC News)
The head of an inquiry into antisemitism in Australia says Jewish witnesses who appeared before it are facing online harassment and bigotry and issued a condemnation.
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion was created in response to two gunmen killing 15 people in a terror attack targeting the Jewish community at a Sydney Hanukkah celebration in December. Royal commissions are Australia’s highest form of public inquiry.
The commission’s head, former High Court judge Virginia Bell, says Jewish witnesses who testified about their experiences of antisemitism since public hearings began on May 4 have been subjected to online “harassment and intimidation.”
“We have received reports from a number of witnesses concerning a dramatic increase in online hate messages after they have given evidence,” Bell says.
“Quite what this undiluted level of hatred and bigotry directed towards members of the Jewish community is thought to benefit by those who post these remarks is lost on me,” she adds.
The commission was recording the “offensive social media posts,” Bell says, and in one case the harassment has been referred to police.
“The commission has, as one of its principal objects, understanding and assessing the lived experience of antisemitism by members of the Jewish community and it is being informed by conduct of this character,” she says.
The first two weeks of hearings scrutinized the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in Australia’s institutions and society.
During the first week of hearings, a 68-year-old man was charged with wearing a shirt emblazoned with a “prohibited Nazi symbol” outside the commission in Sydney, according to a police statement.
The design appeared to incorporate a Star of David superimposed over a swastika with the slogan: “Antisemitism. Proud to be accused. Speak up!”
The commission said in a statement at the time it was “appalled” that an “antisemitic shirt” had been worn in its vicinity. The commission assured witnesses that safety protocols were in place around the building.
“The royal commission is determined to investigate antisemitism in Australia without fear or intimidation,” the statement said.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
‘Government turning a blind eye’: Northern leaders fume as businesses collapse, kids stay home
Israeli security forces are seen at a home in Metula, near the Israel-Lebanon border, that was hit by a Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle on May 25, 2026. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)
Northern officials say they have been abandoned by the government as local economies collapse and schools are shut amid increased Hezbollah drone attacks from Lebanon.
“Until what point will the government continue to turn a blind eye? Let them come here to the fields and see the economic collapse of the residents. You go to the chicken coop and don’t know if you will get a visit from a drone,” says Sami Zanti, head of the Shomera moshav, to Army Radio.
“If children are traveling on the bus on the way back from school and suddenly a drone falls, where will they hide?” he says.
Several communities along the northern border have closed schools and kindergartens until further notice amid an uptick in Hezbollah drone attacks from Lebanon.
Maaleh Yosef Regional Council Head Shimon Guetta tells the Kan public broadcaster that it was not an easy decision, but there are concerns for the safety of the children.
“It’s not easy to take away from the little routine we have here. Everything is shut down with us, tourism and agriculture are not operating,” he says. “Everything is hard. But what happened in Majdal Shams could happen here.” Twelve children were killed in 2024 when a Hezbollah missile slammed into a soccer field in the Druze town.
Elbit says it secured $1.4 billion deal to supply European nation with military modernization systems
Israeli defense giant Elbit Systems says it has secured a $1.4 billion deal to supply an unnamed European country with a broad range of its advanced military modernization systems, intended to improve the nation’s operational maneuverability and survivability on the battlefield.
As part of the five-year defense contract, the European country will be equipped with Elbit’s autonomous unmanned vehicles and ground-based electronic warfare solutions, precision-guided munitions for artillery and air-to-ground strikes, electro-optical designation systems and reconnaissance systems — all connected through software-defined radio, or SDR.
These systems will “improve the nation’s operational effectiveness towards becoming an advanced and modern army,” Elbit says in a statement.
“Our proven experience working with numerous armed forces worldwide, together with our strong in‑house development capabilities and leading‑edge technological expertise, continue to drive growing demand for our solutions and position us as a trusted partner for long‑term military modernization programs,” says Elbit CEO Bezhalel (Butzi) Machlis.
Woman found dead in Haifa apartment; 3 arrested, reportedly including victim’s husband
The scene where a woman was found dead in an apartment in Haifa, May 26, 2026 (Israel Police)
A woman was found dead in an apartment in Haifa this morning in what police are investigating as a potential homicide.
Officers have arrested three residents of the city suspected of involvement in the woman’s death.
The woman’s husband is one of the three detained suspects, Channel 12 reports.
The woman was aged around 50 years old, police say.
Her body will be transferred to the Abu Kabir forensic institute to determine the cause of her death.
Gulf nations won’t be safe haven for US bases, warns Khamenei in written statement
Iranian army soldiers stand in front of a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a pro-regime rally in Tehran, Iran, on April 29, 2026. (AFP)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei says on his Telegram channel that Gulf powers will no longer be a shield for United States bases and the US will no longer have a safe haven in the region, as Tehran and Washington discuss a framework to end their three-month-old war.
Several US bases in the Middle East were attacked by Iran during the war.
The 56-year-old has not appeared publicly since he was named as Iran’s supreme leader on March 8, issuing only written statements, fueling speculation about his health after he was injured in strikes.
His statement comes hours after US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines.
The strikes threatened an already fragile ceasefire that began April 8 as the United States and Iran struggle to reach an accord to end a war that has rattled the global economy with a severe disruption of energy flows. Washington and Tehran have played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough.
Reports: Settlers vandalized several vehicles overnight in Palestinian village near Nablus
Settlers vandalized several vehicles overnight in the village of Burin, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, Palestinian media outlets report.
Footage published online shows several vehicles with shattered windows and broken headlights.
No injuries are reported.
متابعة: مستـ.'ـوطنون يعتدون على مركبات الفلسطينيين بالقرب من مفرق بورين جنوب نابلس pic.twitter.com/jV0P8vnoYC
— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) May 26, 2026
Effigy of hanged Jew apparently displayed at anti-Israel protest in Montreal
Anti-Israel protesters display effigy of what appears to be a hanged Jew wearing a kippah in Montreal, May 24 2026. (Social media, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Protesters at an anti-Israel event in Montreal displayed an effigy of what appears to be a Jew wearing a kippah, hanged with a rope, video shows.
The display appeared at a protest that took place Sunday in the center of the Canadian city, organized by the extremist group Montreal4Palestine.
The display also appeared to include the flag of local hockey team Montreal Canadiens.
Scenes of the display were included in a video montage the group posted on social media after the event.
Canadian MP Anthony Housefather calls the display “disgusting, antisemitic and clear incitement,” while city councillor Leslie Roberts says the incident is “unacceptable.” Both say the police should investigate.
The incident comes amidst skyrocketing levels of antisemitism in Canada. Last year, Canadian Jews experienced a record 6,800 antisemitic incidents, B’nai Brith Canada said in a recent report.
Le groupe pro-Hamas Mtl4Palestine affiche le drapeau des Canadiens à côté de ce qui semble être une effigie d’un Juif portant une kippa, pendu avec une corde. pic.twitter.com/qUjHXSpILA
— Guillaume Roy (@guillaum3roy) May 25, 2026
IDF said to issue emergency reserve call-ups amid push to expand Lebanon operations
IDF troops operate at the Litani River in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo published by the military on May 12, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF has begun issuing emergency call-up orders to reservists as part of efforts to expand military operations in Lebanon amid escalating Hezbollah drone attacks, according to Hebrew media reports.
Kan News reports that recently discharged soldiers were ordered to immediately report for reserve duty, with the move reportedly coming after criticism voiced by senior military officials that the army is restricted in expanding operations due to ongoing US-mediated negotiations over a lasting ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.
Channel 13 reports that discussions have intensified in recent days over broadening the campaign in Lebanon, despite reported hesitation from Washington.
According to the report, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told ministers in a recent security discussion that “buildings in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district should be brought down” in response to Hezbollah’s drone threat. Dahiyeh, a neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, is known to be a Hezbollah stronghold.
Last night, a senior US official told The Times of Israel that the US could greenlight a larger Israeli operation against the terror group in light of the recent surge in drone attacks on troops and northern border communities.
Ex-Likud minister says he is considering establishing right-wing party, sees himself as PM in post-Netanyahu era
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan speaks during a Security Council meeting on a resolution that would have recognized the Palestinians as a full UN member state, at United Nations headquarters, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/ Yuki Iwamura)
Following months of unconfirmed media reports, former UN ambassador Gilad Erdan tells Radio 103FM that he is considering establishing a new right-wing political party to compete with Likud, stating that he sees himself as a potential premier once Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves politics.
“The goal is to establish a new right-wing party. I want to lead and head such a framework, and I am examining whether there is political feasibility for it,” says Erdan, a lifelong Likud member who served as an MK and minister in Netanyahu governments for decades.
“In the post-Netanyahu era, I see myself as a candidate for prime minister. I know what Israel needs. If I felt comfortable with what is happening in the Likud, I would return to political activity within the party,” he adds.
Erdan has been mentioned in reports about the possible formation of a new party tentatively dubbed “Likud B,” aimed at creating a more ‘statesmanlike’ alternative to the ruling party, which would eschew some of the extreme elements of Netanyahu’s current party.
According to reports, the effort involves current and former Likud figures who have had tensions with Netanyahu, including Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, who led the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee before being ousted by the coalition last year due to his blocking its draft exemption law for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students and Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who has also opposed that legislation.
In a recent conversation with The Times of Israel, a political source with knowledge of the discussions about the formation of the new party said that it aims to establish a right-wing Zionist coalition focused on economic recovery, security and settlements, which could “rein in the extremists” and include centrist elements as well. The new party would also support a judicial reform without the “political dispute” inherent in Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s approach.
The new party would be willing to sit with former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot — but not The Democrats’ Yair Golan, who is “not Zionist,” the source stated, adding that its members would also be willing to partner with Netanyahu and even far right figures like Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.
This willingness, the source explained, is based on an assessment that they would be able to moderate their worst impulses by taking the place of kingmaker currently held by the Haredi parties, which they don’t want in a coalition.
If neither the coalition nor the opposition “can make up a coalition without us, then we can force them to sit together,” the source asserted, calling Netanyahu’s Likud a “personality-based” rather than a “values-based” party.
Another source, speaking with The Times of Israel last month, said that negotiations for the formation of the new party were likely to be jump-started by that month’s announcement that Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid were establishing a united list for the upcoming elections.
Home Front Command chief meets northern leaders amid escalating Hezbollah drone attacks
IDF Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Shai Klepper meets with northern border community leaders, in a photo cleared for publication May 26, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Shai Klepper visited local authorities in northern Israel earlier this week amid escalating cross-border attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon, the military says.
During the visit, Klepper toured the Upper Galilee Regional Council, Kiryat Shmona and the Mevo’ot Hermon Regional Council, where he met with local leaders, emergency response officials and parent representatives.
“The continuous connection with local authorities and our joint work are a central component of our ability to strengthen residents’ security and provide the most precise response possible to civilians,” Klepper says in remarks released by the IDF.
“We are operating in a complex and changing operational reality that requires us to constantly learn, improve and adapt ourselves,” he adds, saying the Home Front Command “continues operating around the clock” with the goal of “saving lives.”
The visit comes after northern leaders criticized the Home Front Command last month over its decision at the time to classify northern border communities as “green” under its color-coded alert system, allowing full civilian activity despite ongoing attacks from Lebanon.
Most northern border communities are now designated as “yellow,” permitting in-person schooling and limited gatherings provided adequate shelters are accessible nearby.
Yesterday, local leaders announced schools and kindergartens would remain shut until further notice, in a decision made independently and without instruction to do so from the Home Front Command.
Hezbollah drone launched at IDF troops explodes in Israeli territory; no injuries
An explosive drone launched by Hezbollah at IDF troops detonated inside Israeli territory near the Lebanese border earlier today, the military says.
The drone exploded in a military zone and not inside a civilian community. The attack did not trigger sirens.
There are no reports of injuries.
Iran executes man for alleged espionage, intelligence cooperation with Israel
Iran has executed a man for alleged espionage and intelligence cooperation with Israel, the semi-official Tasnim news agency says.
The agency identifies the individual as Gholamreza Khani Shekarab.
Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions in the world after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.
خبرگزاری فارس، وابسته به سپاه پاسداران، از صدور حکم اعدام برای غلامرضا خانی شکرآب خبر داد؛ ورزشکار پیشین امامای، مربی و داور بینالمللی این رشته که به «همکاری با اسرائیل» و «هدایت شبکه خرابکاری» متهم شده است.
فارس با روایتی کلی از روند بازداشت او مدعی شده خانی شکرآب «سرپل… pic.twitter.com/OgL9hSJnNq
— ایران اینترنشنال ورزشی (@iranintlsport) May 26, 2026
PM’s office says Netanyahu left hospital last night after dental work; trial testimony to end early again
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a ceremony in Jerusalem's Mount Herzl, May 14, 2026 (Gil Yohanan/POOL)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem last night after receiving dental treatment, his office tells The Times of Israel.
His office stated last night that he arrived at the hospital for dental work, following reports on the matter. The premier’s health has become a major focus after several incidents exposed him to criticism over the withholding of medical information from the public, leading to considerable speculation as to the prime minister’s overall health.
His office adds that the premier will leave his hearing in his corruption trial early today due to “diplomatic obligations.”
Netanyahu’s hearing yesterday ended early as well due to “diplomatic and security reasons.” His testimony has been beset by numerous delays, with the premier frequently asking for hearings to be cancelled or cut short.
Sirens in Gaza border community were false alert, IDF says
Sirens that sounded a short while ago in the Gaza border community of Kfar Aza were triggered by a false identification, the IDF says.
Residents are told they can safely leave their bomb shelters.
European Jewish leaders call on Belgium to stop prosecution of mohels, say it undermines religious freedom
Jewish leaders from across Europe have issued an open letter urging Belgian and European officials to intervene after courts in Antwerp moved to prosecute mohels — men who perform Jewish ritual circumcision.
The letter, penned by the European Jewish Association, says the prosecution effectively criminalizes circumcision and undermines the right to freedom of religion, and calls the effort an attack on religious freedom and Jewish life in Europe.
The appeal follows a decision made earlier this month by the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office to prosecute two mohels last year. A third person, who filmed the event, was not charged, an EJA representative noted.
The court’s decision was met at the time with anger by political figures around the globe, including Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White.
Laws in Belgium require that medical procedures can only be performed by a licensed doctor, and the mohels do not have that certification, despite training in the Jewish circumcision ritual, EJA notes. Efforts to create a licensing mechanism to allow them to operate legally in the country have not been successful.
The EJA letter accuses Belgian authorities of refusing to compromise, and describes the case as discriminatory and “antisemitic in nature.” Other countries, including France, the Netherlands and Germany, have found ways to balance religious freedom with medical oversight, the letter notes.
“We remind Belgium that freedom of religion is a fundamental right,” the letter states. “The message being sent here is clear: Jews are no longer welcome in Belgium.”
“Circumcision is not a crime,” the letter concludes.
PM asked top official to examine controversial West Bank and Gaza antiquities bill, NSC official tells panel
MKZvi Sukkot leads a meeting of the Education, Culture and Sports Committee at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 26, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs to examine a controversial bill seeking to extend Israeli civilian control over antiquities in the West Bank and Gaza and present him with the government’s conclusions on the proposal, a National Security Council official tells a Knesset panel.
“Yesterday the government process requested by the prime minister started to examine the issue and convey conclusions to him, and it hasn’t ended yet,” NSC representative Gideon Shevach tells the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee during a meeting to prepare the bill for its final readings in the plenum.
Supporters of the bill, including its sponsor MK Amit Halevi (Likud) and Education Committee Chairman Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism), have been openly stating that the legislation’s goal is to extend Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank and Gaza.
If passed into law, the bill would establish a “Judea, Samaria, and Gaza Heritage Authority” under the Heritage Ministry, directly exercising powers that are currently held by the Civil Administration, a branch of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is responsible for civilian affairs in the region and staffed by the Israel Defense Forces.
According to the committee’s legal adviser, the proposal would violate Israel’s international commitments and reinforce claims of “creeping annexation.”
The army has stated its opposition to the bill.
In previous meetings, members of the opposition have repeatedly asked what Netanyahu’s and the government’s positions on the bill were, given its sensitivity and far-reaching implications.
Today marks the first time an official has openly stated that Netanyahu is aware of the proposal.
The committee is set to meet again to continue discussing the bill in the coming days.
Sukkot and Halevi express hope that the process to conclude the committee discussion and advance it to the plenum for its final readings could also happen within days, but Sukkot says he will abide by Netanyahu’s request if the prime minister wishes to delay.
AG set to indict PM’s ex-chief of staff for obstruction of justice, and fraud and breach of trust, pending hearing
The Prime Minister's Office's Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, seen in the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 11, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is set to indict Tzachi Braverman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former chief of staff, on charges of obstruction of justice, and fraud and breach of trust, pending a hearing, the State Attorney’s Office announces.
The charges relate to a meeting Braverman held with Eli Feldstein, a media adviser to Netanyahu, in October 2024, in which the prime minister’s chief of staff told Feldstein that there was an investigation being conducted into the leak of classified documents to the German Bild newspaper.
Feldstein is accused of leaking the document in order to buttress Netanyahu’s claims that it was Hamas, not the prime minister who was holding up a deal to release the hostages held by the terror group in Gaza.
Braverman asked Feldstein if the investigation might be targeting the media adviser, and said that if so, he could quash it.
Feldstein and another key suspect were arrested shortly after the meeting, and subsequently indicted on charges of transferring classified documentation.
Braverman has been designated as Israel’s next ambassador to the UK, but the ongoing investigation into the affair has prevented him from taking up the appointment.
Sirens in northern towns warn of suspected drone attack from Lebanon
Sirens sound in northern border communities, warning of a suspected drone infiltration from Lebanon.
The IDF says the details are under review.
Reports: Five Palestinians killed in clash with Gaza militia backed by Israel
Five people were killed in clashes with a militia backed by Israel in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, Palestinian media outlets affiliated with Hamas in the Strip say.
There are no further details on the incident.
In recent months, several clashes have taken place between operatives from the Hamas terror group and militias established and supported by Israel.
Explosive drone impacts in north Israel, near Lebanon border; no injuries reported
An explosive drone launched by Hezbollah fell inside Israeli territory near the border with Lebanon, the IDF says, following sirens that sounded in the communities of Netua and Elkosh a short while ago.
The drone detonated in a military zone and not in a civilian area.
There are no immediate reports of injuries.
IDF issues evacuation warning for city of Nabatieh in south Lebanon ahead of strikes targeting Hezbollah
The IDF issues an evacuation warning for the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh ahead of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
Residents of the city are instructed to evacuate north of the nearby Zahrani River.
“In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you,” warns army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.
Sirens in north warn of suspected drone attack from Lebanon
Sirens sound once again in the northern border community of Netua for the second time in half an hour, warning of a suspected Hezbollah drone infiltration from Lebanon.
The IDF says the details are under review.
Zvika Mor, father of former hostage Eitan Mor, to join Smotrich’s Religious Zionism slate
Former hostage Eitan Mor (R) and his father Tzvika speak outside a hearing on the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, May 10, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Zvika Mor, father of former hostage Eitan Mor, is joining Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party and will be placed in a high position on its electoral slate, the party announces.
Mor, a member of the Religious Zionist community and resident of the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba near Hebron, declared his intention to enter politics in March.
He led the Tikva Forum, a small group of hostage families who — unlike members of the larger Hostages and Missing Families Forum — consistently opposed partial hostage-release agreements with Hamas that involved the release of Palestinian security prisoners and temporary ceasefires in Gaza.
Smotrich repeatedly opposed hostage deals and, on multiple occasions, threatened to quit the government over proposed agreements.
In an interview shortly before his son’s release in October, Mor said that the deal to release Eitan was “very far from what we wished for the State of Israel, because we have to pay for our hostages with 250 terrorists with life sentences – murderers who will no doubt go back to murdering Israelis.”
Mor added that when Eitan returned from captivity, he would understand and support his father’s opposition to previous hostage-ceasefire agreements.
Mor has backed the probe by the state comptroller to examine the failings surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion, which critics fear will act as a largely toothless substitute for a more substantial state commission of inquiry into the massacre.
IDF says it struck over 100 Hezbollah targets across Beqaa Valley, south Lebanon overnight
The IDF says it carried out overnight strikes on more than 100 Hezbollah sites and operatives in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and across the country’s south.
According to the military, the strikes targeted weapons depots, command centers, observation posts and other infrastructure used by Hezbollah to plan and carry out attacks against troops and civilians.
In one strike in the Mashghara area of the Beqaa Valley, the military says it targeted infrastructure where Hezbollah operatives had been identified, killing them in a series of strikes carried out within seconds of one another.
בבקאע וברחבי דרום לבנון: צה"ל תקף לאורך הלילה יותר מ-100 תשתיות טרור ומחבלים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה
לאורך הלילה, צה"ל תקף יותר מ-100 תשתיות טרור ומחבלים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בבקאע וברחבי דרום לבנון.
במספר תקיפות בבקאע, הותקפו תשתיות טרור ומחסן אמצעי לחימה של ארגון הטרור… pic.twitter.com/l5xjKhE4Dx
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 26, 2026
Several explosive drones launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah hit northern Israel; no injuries
Several explosive drones launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah impacted inside Israeli territory a short while ago, the IDF says, following sirens that sounded in the border community of Netua.
There are no reports of injuries.
Kneeling with hands bound, dozens protest at Australian parliament against Israel’s treatment of Gaza flotilla activists
Dozens of protesters were removed from the parliament building in Canberra as they protested against Israel’s treatment of detained activists from the Gaza flotilla, Australian outlets report.
The protesters knelt on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs in a simulation of the images seen in a video posted by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, in which the far-right lawmaker can be seen taunting the detainees.
Protesters reportedly included three Australian citizens who joined the flotilla and were detained by Israel.
The flotilla anarchists sow chaos wherever they go.
Now in Australia. Before that in Spain, Austria, and Greece.
The flotilla = provocations and riots pic.twitter.com/A6Zxcu6iqv
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 26, 2026
Iranian hackers responsible for Los Angeles transit system breach in March, Israeli researchers say
Iranian hackers were responsible for a disruptive computer breach in March that forced Los Angeles’ transit system to shut down parts of its network, Israeli researchers say.
The saboteurs stole at least 700 gigabytes of emails, backups and other files from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), according to Gambit Security, a Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity firm that says it discovered the misappropriated data after it was inadvertently exposed online.
The company says a digital trail of evidence tied the server where the data was discovered to a previously known hacking operation that Israeli officials and researchers attributed to Tehran.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations does not return messages seeking comment. Israel’s National Cyber Directorate does not return messages.
The Los Angeles transit authority didn’t respond to questions about the findings. In a statement shared last month, its officials said they were working with law enforcement and cyber specialists as they brought their systems back online. “Attribution is part of the investigation and we will not speculate,” the statement said.
Digital security specialists have suspected an Iranian hand in the operation against the LACMTA ever since responsibility was claimed by an obscure pro-Iran outfit calling itself Ababil of Minab. The group’s name refers to the bombing of a girls’ school in the Iranian city of Minab that officials there say killed more than 175 children and teachers, and its rhetoric and modus operandi are characteristic of self-styled vigilante hacker groups that US and Israeli researchers allege are cut-outs for Iranian spies.
Senior committee re-approves Gofman’s appointment as next Mossad chief
Incoming Mossad director Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 5, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
The Senior Appointments Advisory Committee has re-approved the appointment of Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman as the next head of the Mossad, after it interviewed two key figures at the heart of a controversial affair Gofman was involved in during his service as commander of the IDF’s 210th Division in 2022.
Three of the committee members were of the opinion that Gofman’s appointment should go ahead, while committee chair retired Supreme Court president Asher Grunis again dissented, saying that the incident in question needed further clarification.
The renewed deliberations by the advisory committee were held at the request of the High Court of Justice following a hearing on petitions against Gofman’s appointment, which argued that he had lied about the affair, which constituted a violation of the ethical code of conduct for senior officials.
“The Prime Minister categorically rejects the minority opinion that the issue should be further examined, and says that General Gofman was subjected to an unjust ordeal, while the entire affair ultimately produced nothing at all,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) says in response to the committee’s decision.
The PMO adds that Netanyahu is calling on the High Court to now reject the petitions against Gofman’s decision and enable him to take up his position without delay.
It would appear unlikely for the court to intervene further on the matter, since the committee has fulfilled the court’s request to gain a fuller picture of the affair and upheld its original decision to approve the appointment.
In 2022, the IDF’s 210th Division, commanded by Gofman, authorized Ori Elmakayes to publish intelligence information on his Telegram channel in an online influence operation. Elmakayes, who was 17 at the time and therefore a minor, was subsequently arrested and indicted for espionage when the Shin Bet became aware of the information he was publishing, without being aware that he was working with the IDF.
Elmakayes was only exonerated 18 months later, during which time Gofman did not inform the Shin Bet or the prosecution services that Elmakayes had been cooperating with the IDF. Gofman was investigated by the IDF over the influence operation in May 2022 and given a disciplinary note in his record over the incident.
Sirens in north warn of Hezbollah drone attack
Sirens sound once again in the northern community of Netua near the Lebanese border, warning of a suspected Hezbollah drone infiltration.
The IDF says the details are under review.
Rome Pride Parade blocks Jewish LGBTQ groups that don’t ‘distance themselves from Gaza genocide’
The organizers of the Rome Pride Parade, which is set to take place on June 20 in the Italian capital, have announced that the Jewish LGBTQ groups Keshet Italia and Keshet Europe will not be allowed to join the parade with a float, as they did not distance themselves from what they describe as the “genocide in Gaza.”
“Anyone who shares the founding values of our movement and our community can join us in the streets,” reads a statement shared on the Roma Pride official Facebook channel. “Participation of a float in the Roma Pride therefore presupposes — regardless of the sexual orientation, identity, religion, ethnicity, or nationality of those aboard — a clear and unequivocal stance condemning the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli government.”
“We are fully capable of distinguishing between the Israeli government and the Jewish community, made up of both LGBTQIA+ and non-LGBTQIA+ people, and we could never attribute to the latter responsibility for the criminal acts of war carried out by a genocidal government,” it adds. “We do, however, hold Keshet Italia responsible for having failed, and continue to fail, to distance itself from the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
According to the statement, the decision was taken after the Roma Pride organizers met with representatives of Keshet Italia and Europe.
Israel firmly rejects the accusation of any form of genocide in Gaza, maintaining that it does its best to minimize civilian casualties in the Strip.
“The Roma Pride has shown its true colors,” Keshet Italia says in a statement. “Our crime? To be Jewish. This is just the last step in a hostile path. Last year, during the parade, we received explicit antisemitic attacks, and the Roma Pride chose to remain silent, refusing to condemn them. Today, that silence has become active complicity.”
Earlier this month, Keshet Italia published a long statement on Instagram about its position on several issues related to the Middle East conflict.
“While the conflict in the region is not our area of expertise, we feel close to the suffering of the Palestinian people,” the statement read. “However, we ask people to be careful with the language used to refer to this war.”
“The word ‘genocide’ is not neutral; it evokes a specific historic [occurrence],” it added. “We are especially concerned with the sentence that we keep on hearing that ‘the Jewish people are carrying out what they were subjected to,’ a sentence that does not just refer to a conflict or a government but ends up connecting what is happening to the whole Jewish people.”
Reports: Two killed in IDF strike in southern Gaza Strip
Palestinian media outlets affiliated with Hamas in Gaza report that two people were killed in an IDF strike on a vehicle in western Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
The IDF has not commented on the reports.
???? محدث| شهيدان مجهولا الهوية وصلا مستشفى ناصر جراء استهداف الاحتلال مركبة محيط دوار أبو علاء بحي البراق الجنوبي غرب خانيونس جنوب قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/TTGNpB7Lhp
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) May 26, 2026
Home Front Command to begin sending early warning alerts for Lebanon rocket attacks
Israelis take cover inside a bomb shelter as a rocket alert siren blares in Tel Aviv, October 1, 2024. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
Starting today, the Home Front Command will begin issuing advance warnings for rocket and missile fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon, when operational conditions allow, in an effort to give civilians additional time to prepare before sirens sound.
The system will not apply to drone attacks, which have surged in northern border communities in recent days.
According to the military, the warnings will be sent through the Home Front Command app, the National Emergency Portal and official Telegram channels.
The IDF says the warning time will vary by location, ranging from several seconds in communities near the Lebanese border, to one minute in northern Israel and up to around two minutes in other parts of the country.
The military notes there may still be cases in which sirens sound without advance warning, as well as instances in which a warning is issued but no siren is ultimately activated.
Ireland aims to pass law curbing goods trade with West Bank settlements by mid-July, FM says
Ireland's Foreign Minister Helen McEntee speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Ireland aims to pass a law curbing goods trade with West Bank settlements by mid-July, Foreign Minister Helen McEntee says.
Ireland’s government, one of the most outspoken critics of Israel, first promised to sanction Israeli settlements in October 2024. The legislation has since been held up by pressure from opposition politicians who aimed to extend the ban also to services trade, on one side, and international company lobbyists seeking to scrap the bill, on the other.
Sources told Reuters last October that the bill was set to be limited to goods. Prime Minister Micheal Martin confirmed that last week and said widening the scope to services was neither “implementable” nor “viable.”
Limiting the bill to goods only will impact just a handful of products, such as fruit, which are worth just 200,000 euros ($234,660) a year, Ireland’s Central Statistics Office said.
Business groups warned that the wider category of services could pull foreign multinational companies into unworkable sanctions.
“We have consistently advocated for a peaceful solution… but it’s very clear from the actions taken most recently by the Israeli government, but in particular the continued increase in settler violence, the escalation in settler violence in the West Bank, the continued violence in Lebanon, that they have no desire to take this particular road,” McEntee tells reporters.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
PM meets with defense minister, IDF chief at military HQ
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) meets with Defense Minister Israel Katz (L) and IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on May 26, 2026. (Maayan Toaf/ GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security consultation a short while ago at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, his office says in a statement.
Netanyahu left his testimony in his corruption trial early today due to “diplomatic obligations,” after instructing the IDF yesterday to intensify operations against Hezbollah and amid US-Iran talks on a potential deal to end the war.
IDF launched wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah across south Lebanon
The IDF has launched a series of airstrikes against the Hezbollah terror group across several areas of southern Lebanon.
Earlier, the army issued an evacuation warning for the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh.
The terror group has launched multiple drones at northern Israel and Israeli troops operating in south Lebanon in recent days.
Jordanian schools continue to teach antisemitic material, watchdog finds
Jordanian school textbooks continue to include antisemitic content, hostility toward Israel and the glorification of violent jihad, despite some limited improvements in areas such as religious tolerance and women’s representation, according to a report by educational monitoring organization IMPACT-se.
The study, examining 125 textbooks for the 2025-26 school year for K-12 students, finds that Jews are frequently portrayed through negative stereotypes and conspiratorial narratives.
One Grade 9 Islamic Education textbook describes “treachery and violation of agreements” as “traits of the Jews,” while other materials accuse Jews of using financial and political influence for harmful purposes.
The study also finds that Israel is routinely erased from maps and replaced with “Palestine,” while Zionism is described as a racist settler-colonial movement. Textbooks discussing the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel portray it as a response to Israeli oppression and primarily a military operation, while downplaying the atrocities committed.
The report noted some positive content promoting coexistence, particularly toward Christians, who are presented as an integral part of Jordanian society. Women are also increasingly depicted in professional and leadership roles.
However, violent interpretations of jihad and martyrdom remain prominent, including in new elementary-school materials, it finds.
The persistence of such themes is “especially alarming” given Jordan’s role as a Western ally and peace partner with Israel, says IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff.
IDF says several explosive drones hit north Israel, others intercepted; no reports of injuries
The IDF says it intercepted several explosive Hezbollah drones a short while ago, while others impacted in Israeli territory near the Lebanese border, following sirens that sounded in northern communities a short while ago.
There are no reports of injuries.
The military adds that a siren that sounded in the northern border community of Arab al-Aramshe was triggered by a false identification.
Elmakayes says Gofman panel ‘ignoring facts’; Gofman: Barnea caused me damage on international level
Ori Elmakayes attends a High Court of Justice hearing on a petition against the appointment of Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman as the next head of the Mossad, May 12, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Ori Elmakayes, the individual at the heart of petitions against the appointment of Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, as Mossad chief, accuses the appointments committee, which re-approved Gofman, of ignoring facts he presented regarding a controversial incident at the center of demands that the appointment be canceled.
Elmakayes was authorized by the IDF’s 210th Division commanded by Gofman in 2022 to publish intelligence information on his Telegram channel in an online influence operation.
He was, however, arrested and indicted for espionage when the Shin Bet became aware of the information he was publishing, without being aware that he was working with the IDF, and was only exonerated 18 months later, without Gofman intervening on his behalf.
Gofman was investigated by the IDF over the incident, and is accused by petitioners to the High Court of Justice of lying about whether he was aware of Elmakayes’ identity and the influence operation.
Elmakayes, one of the petitioners against Gofman’s appointment, writes on X that he told the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee that he had met with an officer from the 210th Division who apologized for having “abandoned” him, and that the officer admitted he had shown Gofman Elmakayes’ Telegram channel, and that he told Gofman that Elmakayes had been arrested just days after he was taken into custody.
“Gofman knew the whole time about the operation and about my Telegram channel, approved it, and nevertheless chose to lie in the investigation conducted by Brig. Gen. Gimmel in May 2022 — an investigation that paved the way for my wrongful arrest,” Elmakayes writes.
“The committee majority continues to systematically ignore the facts and documents that were submitted, which testify to the existence of classified material that was sent to me from the division, and Gofman’s knowledge of my identity. They neither quote them nor address them, to avoid the truth and to enable an appointment which is a danger to state security,” he adds.
Gofman himself was quoted in the majority opinion of the advisory committee, which re-approved his appointment, complaining about a letter filed by outgoing Mossad chief David Barnea in which he strongly criticized Gofman’s behavior and appointment.
The committee said Gofman asserted that Barnea’s letter was based on “non-facts” and that it had “caused him damage on an international level,” and expressed concern as to what intelligence chiefs in foreign countries would now think of him.
Smotrich welcomes Zvika Mor as party candidate: ‘Stands firm in his opinions’
Religious Zionism party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (R) with new party member Zvika Mor during a press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 26, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomes Zvika Mor as the latest candidate on his far-right Religious Zionism party’s electoral list during a joint press conference in the Knesset, praising the father of former hostage Eitan Mor as someone for whom “the national interest, the good of the people, and the state always prevail over personal interests.”
“Zvika additionally demonstrated an ability to stand firm in his opinions and correct values against immense forces acting against him, facing a campaign of poison and hatred that was also directed at us in Religious Zionism,” Smotrich says, referring to Mor’s outspoken opposition, as head of the Tikva Forum, to partial hostage release agreements with Hamas that involved the release of Palestinian security prisoners and temporary ceasefires in Gaza.
Mor is “a true educator and warrior who puts the people of Israel before himself, who acts out of a true and deep sense of mission and is not afraid to pay a personal price for his public and his principles,” Smotrich continues, comparing him to the Biblical patriarch Abraham who was tested by God by being commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac.
“Our father Abraham stood in that trial for three or four days. Zvika stood in it for two years, day after day, hour after hour,” Smotrich states. “At the moment of truth, he knew that the State of Israel comes before everything, that the people of Israel come before everything.”
Addressing reporters, Mor says that after his son Eitan was kidnapped on October 7, “the struggle to return the hostages through defeating the enemy became an inseparable part of my life. It was a struggle of pain, of sleepless nights, of prayers, of hope, and of one truth that I could not escape: the state of Israel cannot continue with the concepts that brought us to the disaster.”
“We are a nation at war. I understood that the return of the hostages must be the result of a decisive victory in the war. And indeed, only the pressures on Hamas brought back all the hostages. I believe that terror is neither appeased nor contained, but defeated,” Mor says.
“My son Eitan returned home, thank God, healthy and whole. But my responsibility did not end. Therefore, today I am joining the Religious Zionism party led by Bezalel Smotrich. I do this out of a deep sense of mission, alongside the understanding that the struggle for the Jewish identity of the state, for security, for settlement, and for the economy is not a struggle that ends with declarations to the media. It must continue in the place where decisions are made.”
IDF chief formally dismisses ex-military advocate general over Sde Teiman scandal
Former IDF military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi is released to house arrest outside Neve Tirtza Women’s Prison in Ramle, November 7, 2025. (Flash90)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has decided to officially dismiss ex-military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi from service over her involvement in the Sde Teiman leak scandal, the military says.
The IDF notes that Zamir suspended Tomer-Yerushalmi immediately after the allegations surfaced. The military says Zamir decided to move forward with her formal dismissal due to the “severity of the alleged acts and suspicions,” amid ongoing criminal proceedings.
The IDF says that her dismissal also means that Tomer-Yerushalmi will lose eligibility for financial benefits normally granted to senior officers upon completing their military service.
The military adds that Zamir believes a possible demotion in rank should be considered once “the facts in the criminal proceedings become clearer and the process is completed.”
The Sde Teiman affair centered on the leak of surveillance footage allegedly showing the abuse of a Palestinian detainee by IDF soldiers at the Sde Teiman detention facility. The scandal escalated in late October 2025, when Tomer-Yerushalmi became the prime suspect in the leak she was herself ostensibly investigating. She later resigned from her post and admitted to leaking the footage.
Tomer-Yerushalmi was also suspected of having staged a suicide attempt to dispose of her phone in the sea to cover up digital evidence related to the leaking and subsequent cover-up.
Charges against the five reservists accused of abusing the Palestinian prisoner were eventually dropped.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has been updated on Zamir’s decision.
Opposition MK demands bill to dissolve the Knesset be discussed at upcoming committee meeting
Writing to coalition whip Ofir Katz (Likud), Yesh Atid MK Merav Ben-Ari demands that a government-backed bill to dissolve the Knesset be put on the agenda of the Knesset House Committee in order to advance it further.
Demanding an “immediate convening” of the committee, Ben-Ari writes to Katz that “following the publication of the agenda for the Knesset House Committee meeting expected to convene tomorrow, I would like to inquire as to why the committee is not meeting to discuss the issue of dissolving the Knesset, but is instead dealing with other issues on its agenda.”
The legislation passed its first reading 110-0 last week but has yet to be advanced further, with the coalition appearing in no rush to prepare it for the subsequent readings needed for it to become law.
While the bill has not been added to the agenda of the House Committee, which Katz chairs, the parliamentary panel has announced it will convene tomorrow to choose a temporary replacement for Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana while he is abroad and on June 8 to discuss conferring parliamentary immunity on Likud MK Tally Gotliv following her recent indictment.
Iran accuses US of violating the ceasefire with recent strikes
Iran’s foreign ministry says in a statement that the United States has violated the ceasefire with strikes in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province.
The US military has carried out strikes in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what it described as defensive actions. Iranian media reported early this morning that sounds of explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas in the province.
“The United States committed a gross violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region in the past 48 hours… Iran holds the US regime responsible for all the consequences resulting from these aggressive and unjustified actions,” the statement says.
IDF issues evacuation warning for two southern Lebanese towns ahead of strikes against Hezbollah
The IDF issues evacuation warnings for the southern Lebanese towns of Mashghara and Sohmor ahead of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah terror infrastructure.
Residents are instructed to evacuate north to the Beqaa Valley area, which was the target of overnight strikes.
“In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you,” warns army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.
Knesset plenum convenes, but no legislation is on the agenda amid push to dissolve parliament
The Knesset plenum convenes for a session with no bills on the agenda, with only speeches scheduled, commemorating the birth of the father of political Zionism Theodor Herzl and the 1941 Farhud massacre of Jews in Baghdad.
Since the May 20 session when lawmakers voted in favor of a preliminary reading on a bill to dissolve the Knesset, almost no legislation has been on the plenum agenda, save for a single opposition bill yesterday afternoon.
The coalition cannot currently count on the support of the Knesset’s ultra-Orthodox parties, which led the push to dissolve the Knesset, to back its legislation.
Soldier was found lifeless yesterday in southern Israel, IDF says; immigrated from Canada to serve
Benjamin Vais (NbN / FIDF)
A soldier was found lifeless yesterday morning in southern Israel, the IDF announces.
The Tzofim Garin Tzabar program, which assists young immigrants to draft to the IDF, identifies the soldier as Cpl. Benjamin Vais, 19, a lone soldier from Canada serving in the Givati Brigade who resided in Kibbutz Shluchot in northern Israel.
According to the IDF, an investigation has been opened into the circumstances of Vais’s death.
He will be laid to rest today in Beit Shemesh.
Levin rejects High Court proposal to make urgent appointments to Beersheba, Haifa district courts
Justice Minister Yariv Levin speaks a ceremony for outgoing Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, September 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Justice Minister Yariv Levin rejects the High Court of Justice’s proposal to make urgently needed appointments to the Beersheba and Haifa district courts, arguing that the short timeframe before elections are called makes it impossible to complete the necessary due diligence for evaluating candidates.
“At this time, in view of the political timetable and the need for due diligence by all members of the Judicial Selection Committee… the possibility of proceeding with the publication of names in the state gazette — and convening the committee for the purpose of selecting judges for the district courts — is not realistic,” Levin’s lawyer tells the court.
The Judicial Selection Committee, which Levin chairs as justice minister, cannot make judicial appointments after the Knesset is dissolved and elections are called.
Levin has proposed instead to appoint temporary judges to the district courts to help with the case load they face while lacking a full complement of judges.
The High Court was critical of Levin’s refusal to make the appointments in a hearing on Sunday, accusing him of proposing an inadequate solution to a problem he created.
Levin has refused to convene the Judicial Selection Committee for 16 months despite an acute lack of judges on numerous magistrates and district courts around the country.
Levin spearheaded legislation passed by the Knesset last year that greatly increases political influence over judicial appointments. That law will, however, only come into effect after the next election, which must be held by October.
IDF says 11 kilometers of tunnels destroyed in Gaza’s Beit Hanoun in recent months
Troops operate in the Beit Hanoun area of the Gaza Strip, in a photo cleared for publication May 26, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF says troops have completed a major engineering operation in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza, during which forces located and destroyed some 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) of tunnel routes used by Hamas.
According to the military, forces from the 252nd Division and the Combat Engineering Corps’ elite Yahalom unit operated for months on the Israeli-controlled side of the Yellow Line, carrying out hundreds of drillings to uncover and demolish underground infrastructure, alongside hundreds of above-ground terror sites.
The IDF says an additional three kilometers of tunnels had been destroyed in previous fighting in the area throughout the war.
The military describes Beit Hanoun as one of the war’s most significant and complex combat zones, and says the area had long served as a major Hamas stronghold, with tunnel infrastructure embedded beneath homes, public buildings and roads.
Iran threatens to retaliate after US strikes; Khamenei said to declare ‘Death to Israel’ as ‘slogan of the Islamic nation’
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they reserve the right to retaliate, after Tehran accused the United States of violating the ceasefire with strikes in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province.
The US military has carried out strikes in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what it described as defensive actions. Iranian media reported early this morning that sounds of explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas in the province.
The IRGC also says air defense units have downed a US drone and fired at another drone and a fighter jet, which they say had entered Iranian airspace over the Gulf region.
In comments posted on his Telegram channel on the occasion of the annual hajj pilgrimage, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei purportedly says: “The clock cannot be turned back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer be a shield for American bases.”
“From now on, the slogans ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ will be the slogans of the Islamic nation and the oppressed people of the world, especially the youth,” the statement adds.
Security forces arrest terrorist tied to 2007 West Bank shooting attack
Israeli security forces say they have arrested a terrorist involved in a 2007 shooting attack near the West Bank village of al-Funduq, in which Israeli civilian Ido Zoldan was killed.
According to a joint statement from the IDF, Shin Bet and Israel Police, Shadi Jumaa was arrested in the heart of the West Bank city of Qalqilya following a lengthy intelligence and operational effort by the military, the Shin Bet and the police’s elite Gideonim unit (Unit 33).
The statement says Jumaa had recently been released from detention by the Palestinian Authority, where he had been held until now.
He was transferred to the Shin Bet for questioning following his arrest, the statement says.
IDF expands ground operations north of security zone in Lebanon
An Israeli soldier walks through a village in southern Lebanon during an Israeli military operation, May 17, 2026. (David Cohen/Flash90)
The IDF tells The Times of Israel it has expanded ground operations beyond the designated security zone in parts of southern Lebanon in recent days, with Hebrew media saying it is part of an effort to push Hezbollah operatives farther north and reduce the threat of explosive drone attacks on northern Israeli communities.
According to the reports, troops have been carrying out targeted intelligence-based raids both beyond the forward defensive line and north of the Litani River, focusing on areas where Hezbollah maintains infrastructure and operational footholds.
The military believes distancing Hezbollah forces from the border could help reduce the threat to residents of northern communities.
The operations come alongside intensified IAF airstrikes across southern Lebanon, with the IDF striking more than 100 Hezbollah sites overnight.
Incoming drone alarm sounds in northern Israeli town; IDF says incident is over
Sirens sound in the northern community of Malkia near the Lebanese border, warning of a suspected Hezbollah drone infiltration.
The IDF subsequently says the incident is over and residents can leave bomb shelters.
Iran sees ‘partial restoration’ to internet after three-month shutdown — monitor
Iranian authorities have partially restored internet connectivity in Iran after an almost three-month shutdown against the backdrop of the war against Israel and the US, a monitor says.
“Live metrics show a partial restoration to internet connectivity in Iran on day 88 of the shutdown, Netblocks says on X, saying it is “unclear” if this means a permanent end to the “longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history.”
Iran’s vice president confirms first steps taken to restore internet after 3-month shutdown
A person holds a phone after activating a virtual private network (VPN) service to access the internet while in Tehran on September 11, 2023. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Iran’s vice president says the government has taken the first steps to restore the internet after a near-total blackout since war with the United States and Israel broke out in late February.
“The first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken,” Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref says in a post on X, adding that the demands of Iranians “will be fulfilled.”
IDF says it detected suspected drone near northern town, then lost track of it; incident has concluded
Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in the northern border community of Malkia, the IDF says it identified a “suspicious aerial target” before later losing contact with it.
The statement implies that the military was no longer able to track the apparent drone on its surveillance systems, possibly after it left the monitored area, or that it fell.
The incident has since concluded, as an immediate threat is no longer detected. There are no reports of injuries.
Ex-members of Bratslav community testify about child marriages, abuse before Knesset panel
Committee Chairman Meirav Cohen leads a Knesset Committee on the Status of Women meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 26, 2026.
(Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Women and men who grew up in an insular Hasidic sect in northern Israel allege widespread forced child marriages during a charged hearing of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women, as lawmakers press Welfare Ministry and police representatives over what they describe as years of inadequate enforcement.
Testimony is given by adults who grew up in the Bratslav community in Yavne’el, following reports last month about a government panel established in 2023 to look into the community and the failure of welfare and police authorities to address the issue.
One woman, Sarah Maimoni, tells lawmakers she was married at age 15 and became a mother at 16, describing her experience as “a reality of rape in every sense of the word.” She says she continues to live with the trauma and that welfare authorities have failed to protect children in the community.
A mother of eight and grandmother of five, Maimoni calls for a joint Welfare Ministry-police task force, arguing that authorities have allowed the phenomenon to continue unchecked. She says there are nearly 300 families in the community and that its leaders wield enormous influence.
Another victim, Nachman Bolotin, says children in the community were “brainwashed for years” into viewing child marriage as normal, adding that some 13-year-olds actively sought to marry.
He says that after leaving the community and getting divorced, he reported the issue to the police, but was met with indifference.
Welfare and police representatives admit to difficulties enforcing the law, saying systematic efforts to tackle the problem only began in recent years.
According to a special report recently published by the Knesset Research and Information Center, the Population and Immigration Authority submitted 321 reports of child marriages to police between 2023 and 2025, resulting in just four indictments.
Israel to bar entry to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor members following much-panned NYT op-ed — report
Mazen Kahel and Ramy Abdu, among the leadership of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor NGO, are seen posing with Hamas officials, including Ismail Haniyeh, in Gaza, in 2011. (NGO Monitor)
Israel will bar entry to 40 activists affiliated with the organization Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, placing them on a blacklist of prohibited entrants, according to the Walla news site.
Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli reached an agreement with the Population and Immigration Authority to block the Geneva-based nonprofit following its appearance as a key source in a recent New York Times column that alleged systematic sexual abuse of Palestinian security prisoners and has been slammed by Israel and others as a blood libel, the report says.
Among those barred is the group’s founder and chairman, Ramy Abdu, along with senior officials, board members and staff, the ministry is said to say. The list also includes lower-level employees such as media assistants and translators.
Questions about the organization’s political agendas and accuracy of reporting have swirled even before it served as a primary source in Nicholas Kristof’s graphic allegations of sexual abuse in Israeli prisons earlier this month. Israeli officials rejected the article’s accusations and called it “one of the worst blood libels ever to appear in the modern press.”
Euro-Med’s leaders have long drawn accusations from Israel of being Hamas operatives, and the group has faced scrutiny for referring to the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas as having been “arrested and moved to the Gaza Strip” and for claiming that Israel steals the organs of deceased Palestinians.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has previously rejected allegations of bias, describing itself as an independent human rights organization focused on documenting violations in conflict zones.
US said to renew Navy operation to guide ships through Strait of Hormuz
Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026. (AFP)
The United States has renewed its initiative for the Navy to help guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing unnamed US military officials.
Dubbed “Project Freedom,” the operation was frozen earlier this month 36 hours after it began.
Now, as US-Iran talks on potentially extending the ceasefire and reaching a broader deal reach a focal point, the report says the US Navy plans over the coming days to help about a dozen vessels, including supertankers and container ships, cross the vital waterway used for oil shipping.
It says a Greek supertanker carrying two million barrels of crude oil has already been guided through the strait.
Trump to hold rare cabinet meeting at Camp David tomorrow to discuss Iran
US President Donald Trump pumps a fist as he boards Air Force One before departing for Camp David from the Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, June 8, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
US President Donald Trump is set to hold a rare cabinet meeting tomorrow at the Camp David presidential retreat as Iran talks near a critical point, a White House official tells AFP.
The choice of the secluded retreat in the Maryland mountains — which Trump hardly ever visits, in a break with previous presidents — reflects the sensitive nature of discussions.
The New York Post reports that Iran is set to dominate the meeting, which is expected to be attended by all cabinet members. The economy is also on the agenda, it says.
Trump said Saturday that a deal with Tehran to end the Middle East war was close, but negotiations are still tense, with the US leader warning that strikes on Iran could resume.
Camp David has been the scene of major US-led diplomatic developments in the past, including the 1978 accords between Israel and Egypt under President Jimmy Carter and a failed 2000 Israeli-Palestinian summit under Bill Clinton.
Trump has however been an infrequent visitor.
It will be only the second time that Trump has gone to Camp David in his second term. The first was just days before the United States launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear program in June 2025.
During his first term, Trump said he had canceled a planned summit with Taliban leaders at the retreat following an attack on US forces.
Jewish groups to stage protest at Mamdani’s residence for first time
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a May Day rally at Washington Square Park in New York, May 1, 2026. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)
US Jewish groups will protest tonight outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s official residence on the Upper East Side for the first time.
The rally at 7 p.m. is organized by the activist group EndJewHatred, with the backing of groups including the Israeli American Council, the Catholic League and the Zionist Organization of America.
“We will not be intimidated. Take back our streets,” organizers say in a statement.
Mainstream Jewish groups have long been at odds with the anti-Zionist Mamdani, tensions that have escalated in recent weeks.
Last week, Mamdani released a Nakba Day video that Jewish leaders decried as “propaganda,” and also backed legislation targeting Jewish charities linked to “settlement activity.”
Jewish leaders have said previous incarnations of the legislation would effectively ban a swath of Jewish nonprofits that have links to settlements, but do not promote settlement expansion, such as social service groups.
Mamdani has refused to participate in the Jewish community’s annual parade, called Israel Day on Fifth, taking place this weekend.
Elbit CEO says defense firm is developing hardware to combat Hezbollah drones
Bezhalel Machlis, president and CEO of Elbit Systems, speaks at the annual Globes Business Conference at the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv on December 6, 2015. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)
Israel’s largest defense contractor is developing hardware to combat explosive Hezbollah drones that have killed Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, including through the potential use of laser-based defense systems, its CEO tells Reuters.
The Iran-backed Lebanese terror group has used the cheap, easy-to-assemble kamikaze drones to attack Israeli troops who have remained in southern Lebanon since an April 16 truce. Difficult for air defenses to thwart, the drones are also being used to deadly effect in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Under pressure to address the threat, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged yesterday to escalate attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. But he did not spell out a plan to address the drones, which can evade Israel’s high-tech jamming technologies.
In an interview, Bezhalel Machlis, chief executive of Elbit Systems, says the defense giant is actively working with the Defense Ministry to develop a quick solution to the drone challenge.
He says that could involve an “energy weapon solution,” adding that the company is “very active in energy weapons such as lasers.”
“There are other means, which are also relevant to this threat. We are heavily involved in the development of a solution [to] this challenge” of explosive drones, Machlis says after Elbit reported big gains in first-quarter revenue and profit. Its Nasdaq-listed shares rose 8% in morning trade.
Israel has been using low-tech solutions like nets to stop the First-Person-View drones, controlled with fiber-optic cables, from hitting troops.
Machlis says Elbit is seeing rising demand in Europe, the US and the Asia-Pacific, as well as from the United Arab Emirates.
“We are active in this region,” Machlis says of Elbit’s Middle East business. “It is fast-growing.”
Israel says French-Palestinian lawyer operated a terror network in Jerusalem from overseas
Palestinian-French lawyer Salah Hamouri talks to reporters at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris after being deported from Israel over his ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror organization on December 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
The Shin Bet and Israel Police say they have uncovered a terror network in East Jerusalem operated from overseas by the French-Palestinian lawyer Salah Hamouri.
Hamouri, whose Jerusalem residency the government revoked five years ago over his ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group, allegedly recruited five Palestinians from the city to “promote militant terror activity within Israel.”
Two of the five suspects, brothers Yazid and Said Dadu, were charged today with active membership in a terrorist organization, conspiracy to commit a crime and conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.
Hamouri spent years in prison after being convicted in a PFLP-linked plot to assassinate former Sephardi chief rabbi Ovadia Yosef in 2005. Israel maintains that even after he was freed in a 2011 hostage-prisoner swap with Hamas, Hamouri continued to be active in the banned group.
“Hamouri exploits his origins and ties to Israeli territory to recruit local terror operatives, while simultaneously conducting open activity related to the Palestinian issue,” say the Shin Bet and police. “The terror activity he advances is conducted in a covert manner in parallel, under the guise of legitimate activism.”
Hamouri allegedly met with members of the cell in various locations throughout Europe from 2024 to 2025 and equipped them with encrypted mobile phones with the aim of carrying out attacks in Israel.
The five suspects in the alleged network were arrested in November and December last year.
Likud minister says resettlement of Gaza should be on party’s official election platform
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, third from right, meets with leaders of the Nachala pro-settlement organization on May 26, 2026. (Courtesy: Nachala)
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli says that establishing settlements in northern Gaza should be part of the election platform of the Likud party.
Chikli makes his comments in a meeting with the heads of the Nachala organization, which promotes the establishment of settlements in the West Bank and Gaza and whose activists have illegally crossed into Gaza several times since the war with Hamas began following the terror group’s October 7, 2023, invasion and massacres.
“Settling the northern border area [of Gaza] should be a part of our election manifesto,” Chikli, a member of the Likud party, told Nachala co-chairs Daniella Weiss and Tzvi Elimelech Sharbaf, Nachala says in a statement.
According to Nachala, the meeting dealt with “advancing practical and political activity for Jewish settlement in the northern Gaza strip.”
Several cabinet ministers, including multiple Likud ministers, have expressed strong support for establishing settlements in Gaza since the war with Hamas broke out, and have done so repeatedly at Nachala rallies and conferences.
Rubio says US-Iran talks will take several more days
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio disembarks his plane at Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, Armenia, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says talks with Iran on extending a ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz will take several more days.
Speaking to reporters before leaving India after the US launched new strikes against Iran in the south despite the ceasefire, Rubio says there is “a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document.”
“So, it’ll take a few days,” he says. He adds that US President Donald Trump will not accept a bad deal and says the critical point at the moment is reopening the Strait of Hormuz without Iran being allowed to charge a toll for ships to pass through the crucial waterway.
“The straits need to be open, unimpeded, without tolls,” he says.
US military denies report that it renewed escorts for ships through Strait of Hormuz
The US Central Command flatly denies a report by The Wall Street Journal that a Navy initiative to help guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz has restarted.
“FALSE,” CENTCOM says in a post on X. “Project Freedom has not resumed, and US forces are not currently escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.”
????CLAIM: Recent media reporting claims that the U.S. Navy has restarted escorting or assisting commercial vessels during transits through the Strait of Hormuz. FALSE.
✅TRUTH: Project Freedom has not resumed, and U.S. forces are not currently escorting commercial vessels through… pic.twitter.com/JD9cY5FUNN
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 26, 2026
Rubio promotes Mike Needham, who helped broker Israel-Lebanon talks, to top White House national security post — source
(L to R) US State Department Counselor Michael Needham, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Lebanon's Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter stand together before meeting at the State Department in Washington, DC, on April 14, 2026. (Oliver Contreras / AFP)
US State Department Counselor Michael Needham, a longtime aide to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has been promoted to the post of assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser, a source familiar with the matter says.
In the post, Needham would serve along with Rubio, who is President Donald Trump’s acting national security adviser as well as the top US diplomat.
Needham was chief of staff to Rubio in the US Senate, and before that served as chief executive of Heritage Action for America, a grassroots group dedicated to promoting conservative values and policies.
Needham has been an influential aide to Rubio, who has largely kept a low profile but has been front and center on a number of key policy issues such as US interest in Greenland as well as the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades.
Axios first reported the appointment.
Park Slope Coop BDS vote to take place virtually due to security concerns
A divisive vote aimed at boycotting Israeli products at the Park Slope Food Coop in New York City will take place tonight via Zoom due to security concerns and crowding.
The coop is a major institution in the Brooklyn neighborhood known for its progressive politics and has around 17,000 members.
The yearslong dispute over the boycott has become a focal point in anti-Israel politics in the US city, drawing in Congress members, leading Jewish groups, anti-Zionist activists and local rabbis.
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin tells The Times of Israel that “this proposed boycott serves to further divide New Yorkers.”
“I hope the Coop rejects BDS and instead remains focused on the mission that has guided it for more than 50 years,” Menin says.
Coordinators at the coop told members last week that tonight’s general meeting will take place via Zoom due to security concerns and the expected large turnout.
“Staff, presenters, Chair committee and other members have all raised explicit concerns about their safety, attending the meeting in-person,” the coordinators said in an email obtained by The Times of Israel.
In an internal email to members last week, the coop’s management said that disagreements over the vote had “escalated into verbal confrontations and, in some cases, physical altercations” between members.
The coop has also received threats that “required coordination with the NYPD,” the email said.
Starting today, the coop is hiring security personnel and instituting a “check-in station” for parts of the building, the email said, while asking for members to “approach one another with the cooperative spirit that has sustained this community for decades.”
The vote aims to bar the sale of goods produced in Israel proper and in settlements, alleging genocide, apartheid and international law violations. Among the campaigners’ demands was the “right of return” for the descendants of all Palestinians displaced in the 1948 war, which would effectively end Israel’s existence as a Jewish-majority state.
Jewish members who oppose the boycott have reported harassment and antisemitism.
The organizers said the boycott would apply to eight products, such as three tahini brands and Osem Bamba, plus “Israeli produce.”
IDF issues evacuation warnings for 13 towns in Lebanon ahead of strikes targeting Hezbollah
The IDF issues evacuation warnings for 13 towns and villages in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
Residents of Sidon, Burj Qalawiya, Jibshit, Al-Qusaibah, Froun, Aabra, Deir Kifa, Kafr Sir, Srifa, al-Ghandouriyah, an-Naffakhiyah, Qaaqaait al-Jisr and Adshit Al-Shaqif are instructed to evacuate north of the Zahrani River.
“In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you,” warns army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.
Netanyahu convenes security cabinet, says IDF ‘intensifying operations’ against Hezbollah, taking ‘strategic positions’ in Lebanon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a security cabinet session on May 26, 2026. (Screenshot/Itay Beit-On/GPO)
Delivering opening remarks at a full security cabinet session, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is “intensifying [its] operations” in Lebanon by taking strategic positions and reinforcing the security buffer zone amid the recent surge in drone attacks by Hezbollah.
“We are intensifying our operations in Lebanon. The IDF is operating with significant forces on the ground and taking control of strategically dominant positions. We are reinforcing the security buffer zone in order to protect the communities of northern Israel,” Netanyahu says in a video released by his office.
“At the same time, we are carrying out a major national effort to advance creative and innovative solutions against explosive drones,” he adds.
The session follows Netanyahu’s security consultation earlier today with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The IDF confirmed to The Times of Israel earlier today that it had expanded ground operations beyond the designated security zone in parts of southern Lebanon in recent days.
IDF says Hezbollah operatives, rocket launch sites hit in southern Lebanon
The IDF says it killed several Hezbollah terror operatives and destroyed rocket launch sites belonging to the terror group, as it continues striking Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon, publishing footage of strikes targeting Hezbollah sites.
A short while ago, the military issued evacuation warnings for 13 towns and villages in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes, after previous waves of strikes against the terror group.
צה״ל ממשיך לתקוף תשתיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בדרום לבנון: חוסלו מחבלים שקידמו מתווי טרור נגד כוחותינו והותקפו תשתיות מהן פעלו לשיגור רקטות pic.twitter.com/3sN2DuMA9U
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 26, 2026
Palestinian stone-thrower shot, killed by troops in Jenin refugee camp, IDF says
Troops opened fire on a Palestinian suspect who threw stones at them during an operation earlier today in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, the IDF says.
According to the military, the suspect entered the area where troops were operating and threw stones at them.
“The troops initiated a suspect arrest procedure, during which they opened fire at the terrorist and neutralized him in order to remove the threat,” the military says.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA identifies the man as Nasser Ali Kamel al-Saadi, 45.
According to WAFA, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society says it received al-Saadi’s body and transferred it to the Jenin Governmental Hospital.
There were no Israeli injuries.
Reports: Concerned for Iran talks, US has warned Israel against striking Beirut in expanded op against Hezbollah
Smoke rises from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the village of Rmadiyeh in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon on May 26, 2026. (Kawnat HAJU / AFP)
Washington approved Israeli plans to expand fighting against Hezbollah in the coming days, but warned Jerusalem against striking in Beirut amid concerns of hurting US talks with Iran on a deal, multiple Hebrew outlets report, citing Israeli officials.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee updated the White House last night on Israel’s intention to expand operations in Lebanon, and the American message in turn was “not to bring down buildings in Beirut,” according to a Channel 12 report.
A senior Israeli official tells the network that “There is approval for targeted assassinations in Beirut if an operational opportunity presents itself.”
Senior Israeli officials similarly acknowledge to Channel 13: “We have freedom of action in southern Lebanon – less so in Beirut. We do not want to be perceived as undermining President Donald Trump’s agreement with Iran.”
An Israeli security official is cited by the Kan public broadcaster as saying that if operation plans remain limited to southern Lebanon, the IDF “will hurt Hezbollah – but it will not stop the explosive drones” attacks that were the cause for the planned intensification of fighting.
Kan cites a senior IDF official expressing frustration with the apparent restrictions from Washington, saying: “We need to do much more. Israeli sovereignty is being violated every day. The IDF is exercising significant restraint because we are operating under understandings with the United States and the Lebanese government. We cannot accept the current reality without the ability to respond.”
Man killed in car explosion in central Israel; police investigating
A car goes up in flames after it exploded, causing the death of its driver on Route 2, near Or Akiva on May 26, 2026. (Screenshot/Magen David Adom)
A man has been killed after his vehicle exploded on Route 2 near Or Akiva, in the second apparent car bombing to occur within a day.
The man is pronounced dead by medics hours after a similar explosion rocked the northern city of Afula this morning, killing a man in his 30s.
Police are operating at the scene near the coastal city and have begun investigating the circumstances of the blast.
UK said withholding approval of Israel’s envoy nominee Braverman amid legal scandal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, at the funeral of Asher Hayon, a former chief of staff and adviser to the premier, at a cemetery in Modiin, February 17, 2026. (Tal Gal/Flash90)
British officials recently informed Israel through unofficial channels that the United Kingdom does not currently intend to approve the diplomatic credentials of Israel’s ambassador-designate to London, Tzachi Braverman, while legal proceedings against him remain unresolved, Channel 13 reports, citing diplomatic sources.
According to the report, the officials say that while London was willing to accept Braverman, formerly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, when he was nominated around nine months ago, its position has shifted in light of the legal proceedings.
Earlier today, the State Attorney’s Office announced that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara intends to indict Braverman pending a hearing on charges of obstruction of justice, fraud and breach of trust. The case centers on a meeting Braverman allegedly held in October 2024 with Netanyahu aide Eli Feldstein, during which prosecutors allege he informed Feldstein of an investigation into leaked classified documents published by German tabloid Bild and suggested he could halt the probe if Feldstein was involved.
Approval of diplomatic credentials is formally granted on behalf of the British monarchy following recommendations from the UK Foreign Office, the Channel 13 report notes, saying one diplomatic source has said Israel may ultimately need to consider appointing a different candidate.
An Israeli official, however, tells the Hebrew network that Braverman could still take up the post even if indicted and will only leave in the event of a conviction.
The British embassy in Israel and the Foreign Ministry do not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.
Israel targets Hamas’s new military chief, say Netanyahu and Katz, 11 days after killing his predecessor
Mohammed Odeh, right, along with senior Hamas leaders Rafa’a Salameh, Abu Obeida, and Mohammed Deif, in an undated photo. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Israel carried out a strike this evening on Hamas’s new military chief Mohammed Odeh, say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz in a joint statement.
Reports from Gaza a short while ago said a residential building in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City was struck. There are initial reports that two people were killed and 10 wounded.
مدينة غزة هذه اللحظات.. الاحتلال استهدف عمارة سكنية بحي الرمال غرب مدينة غزة.
هذا الشارع يشهد ليلة العيد، ومنذ عدة ليالي ازدحاما كبيرا بالناس، كونها منطقة تجارية.. حتى اللحظة نقل شهداء ومصابين pic.twitter.com/wo9DLENSfA
— Mohammed Haniya (@mohammedhaniya) May 26, 2026
According to the joint statement, Odeh was head of Hamas intelligence during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and last week was appointed to succeed Izz al-Din al-Haddad as the terror group’s leader in the Gaza Strip and chief of its military wing.
Al-Haddad was killed in an IDF strike in Gaza City on May 15.
“Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction and injury of many Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” say Netanyahu and Katz.
According to the Saudi A-Sharq Al-Awsat outlet, Odeh was close to al-Haddad and worked with him to “renew the organizational structure” of Hamas following the assassination of its former leaders Muhammad Deif and Muhammad Sinwar during the ensuing war.
Citing a source familiar with the details, the report said Odeh was initially approached to lead the al-Qassam Brigades following Sinwar’s assassination in May 2025, but declined. However, the two other sources said they could not confirm that it was the case.
“We will continue to pursue everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre,” say Netanyahu and Katz. “Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all.”
Drone alarm sounds in northern town of Baram
Sirens sound in the northern community of Baram near the Lebanese border, warning of a suspected Hezbollah drone infiltration.
The IDF says the details are under review.
Katz reverses cuts to Gaza border communities’ security funding after backlash – report
Defense Minister Israel Katz has reversed a decision to freeze funding for several security components in Gaza border communities following widespread backlash from local authorities and security officials, Channel 12 reports.
The reversal comes a day after the Home Front Command informed communities that, due to budget constraints, it would halt funding for items, including security vehicle maintenance, fuel and perimeter fence lighting.
The original decision sparked outrage among local leaders and security coordinators, who warned the cuts would severely undermine the safety of frontline communities.
Echoing killed father, Mojtaba Khamenei calls Israel a ‘cancerous tumor’ about to meet its demise; Sa’ar: ‘Sounds familiar’
Iranian army soldiers stand in front of a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a pro-regime rally in Tehran, Iran, on April 29, 2026. (AFP)
Continuing his slain father’s rhetorical line, the X page for Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei posts that Israel is a “cancerous tumor” that is about to meet its demise.
“The shaken Zionist regime and the cancerous tumor of Israel are approaching the final stages of their wretched existence,” he tweets.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar mocks him in response, saying the language “sounds familiar.”
“I remember someone with a similar surname who used to say it,” he says, referring to predecessor Ali Khamenei, who was killed in late February in US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
“BTW, where are you?” adds Sa’ar, referring to the fact that Mojtaba Khamenei hasn’t been seen or heard since his appointment, reportedly hunkering down in a secret location after sustaining lasting injuries in the attack that killed his father.
US Justice Department sues UCLA, alleging antisemitic educational environment
A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer detains a protestor while clearing a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel encampment after dispersal orders were given at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, on May 2, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (MARIO TAMA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
The US Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has filed a lawsuit against the University of California Los Angeles, alleging it has tolerated a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.
In its complaint, the Justice Department accuses UCLA of violating Title VI — a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance — “through its deliberate indifference to this pervasive on-campus antisemitism.”
The lawsuit points to an encampment that was built on the university’s campus in April 2024. The Justice Department describes the move as illegal and alleges that Jewish students were attacked.
“Universities have an obligation to maintain safe and inclusive campuses for all students,” said Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney for the Central District of California. “Universities that violate our nation’s civil rights laws by repeatedly failing to shield Jewish students from antisemitism will be held accountable.”
UCLA does not immediately respond when reached for comment.
The Justice Department announces the lawsuit shortly after a federal appeals court earlier today partially upheld an injunction that required it to restore grants awarded to the University of California that the Trump administration had terminated last year because it perceived they supported diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.
The lawsuit is the latest legal action taken by the Trump administration to crack down on what it has described as antisemitism at US universities in the wake of Hamas’s onslaught of October 7, 2023.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Netanyahu, Trump said talking after security cabinet meeting ends
US President Donald Trump, right, speaks to reporters as he greets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the president's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 29, 2025. (AP/Alex Brandon)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking on the phone with US President Donald Trump, Hebrew media reports.
The reported call comes after the end of a security cabinet meeting amid an intensified military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and as the US has reportedly barred Israel from striking Beirut so as to not sabotage the US-Iran talks.
PM seeks to tap hardline aide critical of progressive Jews to serve as NY consul general
Caroline Glick, international affairs adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attends the FOZ Ambassadors Summit in Jerusalem, December 7, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is aiming to appoint his hardline aide Caroline Glick to serve as Israel’s next consul general in New York, Channel 12 reports.
Glick — a former conservative pundit who has served as Netanyahu’s international affairs adviser since early 2025 — would replace Ofir Akunis, who is slated to wrap up his term in New York in the coming weeks.
The US-born Glick, who currently resides in the Efrat settlement, would fill a role whose responsibilities include leading Israel’s engagement with US Jewry.
But she will likely face backlash due to her long-held criticism of the Reform and Conservative movements, which make up a majority of US Jews.
Glick has also been heavily critical of liberal Jewish and Israeli organizations, accusing them of undermining the state, and has argued that “Palestinians were only invented to annihilate the nation of Israel.”
While Glick ran on former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s New Right slate in 2019, her subsequent alliance with the current coalition makes it unlikely that she would stay on as consul general past the fall unless Netanyahu wins the upcoming election.
Her appointment has not yet been announced and would still have to be approved by the cabinet, though the pushback she’ll likely face will not come from ministers tasked with voting to okay Netanyahu’s pick.
Responding to the Channel 12 report on Netanyahu’s plan, The Democrats MK Gilad Kariv calls it “a terrible idea and a testament to the deep contempt and disdain that Netanyahu and his partners hold toward millions of American Jews.”
“The Israeli consulate in New York is the true embassy of Israel to the Jews of America,” Kariv tweets, adding that the reported plan to appoint Glick to head the mission shows that “there is no eye that this government does not try to poke.”
IDF says it identified suspected drone near Baram in north; incident now over
Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in the northern border community of Baram, the IDF says it identified a “suspicious aerial target” before later apparently losing contact with it.
The statement implies that the military was no longer able to track the suspected drone on its surveillance systems, possibly after it left the monitored area, or that it fell.
The incident has since concluded, as an immediate threat is no longer detected. There are no reports of injuries.
France probes alleged election interference by an Israeli company
Paris prosecutors have opened a probe to investigate whether an Israeli company interfered in local French elections, after several far-left candidates charged they were targeted by disinformation campaigns.
The probe will examine allegations by three members of the far-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party that they faced smear campaigns of false accusations, social media manipulation and fake campaign visuals.
They include Sebastien Delogu from Marseille in the south and Francois Piquemal in Toulouse in the southwest, who lost their election bids, and David Guiraud in Roubaix in the north, who won the vote to become mayor.
“You get in your car and you see a billboard with your name and a QR code that links to false accusations of rape,” Delogu told reporters last week.
Piquemal said his campaign faced “the creation of pages on social networks spreading the worst rumors,” along with the publication of his social media passwords.
The trio claim they were targeted because of their support for the Palestinian cause.
The case has been opened after Viginum, France’s government body responsible for combatting online disinformation, said that it had noted a “system of artificial or automated dissemination to spread manifestly inaccurate or misleading content.”
“This malicious campaign, involving an actor located abroad, is liable to undermine the fundamental interests of the nation, insofar as it deliberately seeks to distort citizens’ access to information,” the agency said.
A source connected with the case tells AFP that the campaigns appeared to be conducted from Israel, with two left-leaning dailies — France’s Liberation and Israel’s Haaretz — naming companies that were allegedly responsible.
AFP is not immediately able to confirm the reports.
Prosecutors say that up to now, they have not seen indications that the Israeli government was involved.
“The notion of interference does not concern the interests of a foreign individual or company, but of a foreign state, and no suspicion of such an intervention… has been reported.”
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