Nov. 17: Netanyahu testimony in corruption trial on Wednesday canceled for ‘security reason’

Trump says US will sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia

US Air Force fighter aircraft F-35 performs aerobatic maneuvers on the second day of the Aero India 2025, a biennial event, at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru, India, February 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

US President Donald Trump confirms that Washington will be selling F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, whose Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be visiting the White House tomorrow.

A reporter in the Oval Office asks about a report on the possibility and Trump confirms that the US will be moving ahead with the sale, claiming Riyadh is pleased with Washington for the latter’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear program in June.

Israel reportedly was hoping that the US would condition the sale on Saudi Arabia agreeing to join the Abraham Accords.

Riyadh has long conditioned such participation on Israel agreeing to establish a pathway to a future Palestinian state, which the current government vehemently opposes.

Trump is still expected to raise the issue with bin Salman tomorrow.

Trump leaning toward agreeing to sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia — White House official

A squadron US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft flyover at the White House, September 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP/ Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump is leaning toward supporting the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, a senior White House official says.

Trump on Friday said that he was considering agreeing to the deal.

The development comes as Trump plans to host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House tomorrow, when they are expected to sign economic and defense agreements.

A Pentagon intelligence report has raised concerns over the potential F-35 deal, warning that China could acquire the aircraft’s technology if the sale proceeds, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the assessment.

Chief rabbis accuse High Court of interfering with Jewish law

A meeting of the Chief Rabbinate Council in Jerusalem on November 17, 2025. (Courtesy of the Chief Rabbinate)

The chief rabbis of Israel, Kalman Ber and David Yosef, accuse the High Court of Justice of interfering with matters of Jewish law, or halacha, that they state fall under the Chief Rabbinate’s competence, following recent instances where the court ruled against the rabbinate’s position.

“The members of the Chief Rabbinate Council, headed by the chief rabbis, view with severity and pain the intervention of the High Court of Justice in matters that are not within its jurisdiction,” reads a rabbinate statement disseminated by a spokesperson at the end of an emergency meeting of the council.

The statement specifically refers to the court’s decision, earlier this month, to reject the request for an additional hearing regarding its July ruling that required the rabbinate to open its rabbinical tests to women.

“All matters of testing and ordination fall within the jurisdiction of the Chief Rabbinate alone, according to the tradition of ordination and halachic rulings over the generations,” the statement adds.

The rabbinate administers tests in the major areas of Jewish law. Candidates wishing to be recognized as rabbis must pass a minimum of six tests. The rabbinate also grants other types of certificates to those who pass the tests, with significant economic and social implications.

The petitioners asked the court to allow women to take tests to be eligible for the same benefits, without advocating for them to be able to receive rabbinical ordination.

The rabbinate’s statement stresses that proving sufficient Torah knowledge is not sufficient to be recognized as a rabbi, and adds that a committee that will formulate criteria for both testing and ordination will be established. The statement does not include a specific rejection of the requirement that the tests will be open to women.

A separate rabbinate announcement yesterday ahead of today’s meeting mentioned that the council had also been set to discuss the court’s decision last week to require the rabbinate to recognize the moderate Orthodox rabbinical organization Tzohar as a kashrut certifying body and a February decision to revoke the ability of rabbinical courts to rule over child support cases. However, no specific decision has been announced today on these matters.

Israel says ICC should revoke arrest warrants for its leaders, bar prosecutor from case due to sexual misconduct allegations

Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan talks while waiting for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to appear via video link before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Israel files an appeal to the International Criminal Court asking it to bar its prosecutor, Karim Khan, from any involvement in the cases against Israeli officials.

The appeal also seeks the revocation of the arrest warrants issued by the court on Khan’s request against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, which include allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes during the war in Gaza.

Khan is currently on leave from his position, due to an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct made against him by a female staffer at the ICC, while a second woman came forward in August to make similar allegations.

The Foreign Ministry says that the appeal has been filed “due to grave information and reports that raise serious concerns that the prosecutor acted out of illegitimate personal motives to advance false and baseless claims against Israel.”

“This was [done] in order to divert public attention away from the severe allegations against him of serial sexual harassment against a worker who was subordinate to him,” the ministry asserts.

The ministry argues that the legal processes against Netanyahu and Gallant have been tainted in a “deep and irreversible manner,” and therefore requests that the appeals chamber of the court bar Khan from further involvement in the cases and revoke the arrest warrants.

In Lod, Netanyahu vows to fight surging crime in Arab community, claims AG posing obstacles

Speaking at an event in the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Lod, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government is determined to combat crime in Arab society.

“The crime in Arab society is a sin, we must overcome it, we are working on it all the time. We are committed and we will do it,” he says during a ceremony marking the extension of Lod’s umbrella agreement that is set to see thousands of new housing units built in the city.

The premier appears to blame the surging crime rates and the years-long failure to curb them on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, stating that “we have to overcome several obstacles — one of them being the attorney general.”

Lod, in central Israel, has one of the highest concentrations of violent crime in the country, and has been the site of many gang-related homicides over the past year.

During Netanyahu’s speech, one of the city council members, Michal Hen Sofir, interrupts him, lamenting that the city’s old neighborhoods have become “crime enclaves.”

“Little children are paying the price. It can’t be that people are leaving the old [neighborhoods] for the new, turning [them] into crime enclaves,” she says, before the crowd chastises her for cutting into the premier’s speech.

Netanyahu praises the councilwoman, calling her courageous, before she takes her seat.

The ceremony to expand Lod’s umbrella agreement was attended by Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Housing Minister Haim Katz, and the city’s mayor, Yair Revivo.

Report: Israel-Syria talks at dead end, with Jerusalem only willing to withdraw troops for full peace deal

Talks between Israel and Syria for a landmark security deal are currently at a dead end, the Kan public broadcaster reports, citing unnamed Israeli sources.

The sticking point is Syria’s demand that the IDF pull out of areas it seized inside Syrian territory following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime last year.

The report says Jerusalem is refusing to take such a step in exchange for less than a full peace deal with Damascus, which currently is not under discussion.

Netanyahu condemns West Bank attacks by ‘small extremist group’ of settlers

Attackers seen on CCTV footage during an alleged attack by settler extremists on the Palestinian town of Jaba in the West Bank, November 17, 2025. (Screenshot/X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasts the Jewish settlers who attacked a West Bank Palestinian village this evening, saying he views their actions “with utmost severity” and plans to promptly work out a response to the incident.

“I view the violent riots and the attempt to take the law into one’s own hands by a small extremist group – which does not represent the settlers in Judea and Samaria — with utmost severity,” the premier says in a message from his office, using the biblical term for the West Bank.

Netanyahu calls on law enforcement authorities “to apply the full weight of the law to the rioters,” adding: “I intend to address this personally and convene the relevant ministers as soon as possible in order to respond to this serious phenomenon.”

“I express my support for the IDF and the security forces, who will continue to act firmly and without fear to maintain order,” he concludes.

Sa’ar after West Bank attack: ‘The Jewish rioters harm the State of Israel, disgrace Judaism’

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemns the dozens of Israeli settlers who launched an attack on a West Bank Palestinian village this evening, calling their actions a “disgrace” and damaging to the Jewish settlement movement.

“The Jewish rioters in Judea and Samaria harm the State of Israel, disgrace Judaism, and cause damage to the settlement project. They are not us. They are not the State of Israel,” he writes on X, using the biblical term for the West Bank.

“The IDF, Shin Bet, and the Israeli Police must act decisively and firmly to stop this rampage, which is also directed at our soldiers and police officers,” he adds.

The Jewish rioters in Judea and Samaria harm the State of Israel, disgrace Judaism, and cause damage to the settlement project.
They are not us. They are not the State of Israel.
The IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Israel Police must act decisively and firmly to stop this rampage,…

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) November 17, 2025

The Israeli military is currently pursuing the civilians following the incident, which the IDF said was tied to the evacuation and demolition of an illegal outpost near the settlement of Efrat earlier today.

Katz blasts ‘anarchistic law-breakers’ after wave of extremist settler attacks

Defense Minister Israel Katz says he gives his “full backing” to the chief of the IDF Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, following the recent settler attacks in the West Bank.

“We will not tolerate attempts by a small, violent, criminal group of anarchistic law-breakers to take the law into their own hands and tarnish the settler public, and we will not allow them to harm IDF soldiers, undermine order, or divert forces from their missions of protecting the citizens of Israel and thwarting Palestinian terrorism,” Katz says in a statement.

“There will be no leniency toward anyone who resorts to violence. The security forces will continue operating on the ground, and we will continue to give them full support,” he continues.

Katz says that in the coming weeks, a decision will be brought for government approval that will give Col. (res.) Avichai Tanami, who was named earlier this year as a czar to handle extremist settlers in the West Bank, “tools and a budget” for “extensive and systemic action.”

“I am confident this will lead to a significant change on the ground,” Katz adds.

Over 80 Gazans returned to Strip, mostly patients who were hospitalized in Israel before Oct. 7 onslaught

Over 80 Gazans who have stayed in Israel for over two years, barred from returning due to the war against Hamas, were returned today to the Strip.

They are patients who entered Israel for medical treatment before the Hamas-led massacre of October 7, 2023, and their companions.

They were hospitalized in three medical centers, mostly in two hospitals in East Jerusalem.

Since the war began, Israel has not sent patients back to Gaza, nor allowed new patients to enter for treatment, as had previously been allowed.

The Times of Israel has learned that all the returning patients completed their medical treatments and agreed to go back to Gaza.

Around 30 other patients remain in those hospitals, having asked to continue their treatments, and therefore did not return to Gaza.

IDF says it is searching for perpetrators of latest settler attack on Palestinians in West Bank

The IDF says it has launched a pursuit of dozens of Israelis who launched an attack on a West Bank Palestinian village this evening.

According to the IDF, the incident is tied to the evacuation and demolition of an illegal outpost near the settlement of Efrat earlier today.

The military says that “after the evacuation of the illegal structures… IDF, Border Police, and Israel Police forces rushed to the village of Jaba following a report that dozens of Israeli civilians had set fire to and vandalized homes and vehicles in the area.”

“Security forces are searching for those involved; the incident is still ongoing,” the army says.

“The IDF views all violence of any kind gravely and condemns it, as it harms security in the area,” the military says, adding that such “acts of violence divert the attention of commanders and soldiers from defense and counterterrorism missions.”

Government to High Court: AG’s firing must be upheld to avoid ‘anti-democratic form of government’

Justice Minister Yariv Levin (left) and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, in a composite image. (Flash90)

The government requests that the High Court of Justice reject petitions against its decision to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and that it annul its interim decision suspending the attorney general’s dismissal.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli accuse Baharav-Miara of “working systematically against the elected government that it is her job to assist.”

They argue that there is no doubt that there are substantive and ongoing differences of opinion between the attorney general and the government that prevent effective collaboration, one of the primary causes for dismissal.

“The court must not assist the petitioners and Baharav-Miara in creating this original, anti-democratic form of government,” they say in their filing.

The High Court has expressed strong reservations over the manner in which the government fired the attorney general, particularly the manner in which it changed the dismissal process because it had been unable to fire her through the original process laid out in a cabinet resolution in 2000.

The court is expected to issue a final ruling in the coming months.

Prosecutors appeal to top court, demanding harsher sentence for 8 killers of Jewish man during 2021 Jewish-Arab riots

The State Attorney’s Office files an appeal to the Supreme Court against the allegedly lenient sentencing of eight men convicted in the killing of Yigal Yehoshua, a Jewish resident of Lod, in May 2021, during Jewish-Arab riots that rocked the city during a round of violence in Gaza that year.

Seven of the eight convicts have been sentenced to 12 to 14 years in prison, while the eighth has been handed a three-year sentence, after they approached Yehoshua, when he was driving home during Arab riots in the city that also saw dozens of cars and a synagogue set alight.

The men pelted Yehoshua’s car with rocks and bricks, one of which broke his car window and struck him in the head. He was rushed to the hospital while seriously injured with brain damage and a skull fracture, and succumbed to his wounds six days later.

The Central District Court has found that the attack on Yehoshua was carried out with “nationalistic motivations and as an act of terrorism.” In addition to the prison time, the court ordered the attackers to pay the deceased’s family NIS 900,000 ($268,000) in compensation. But many at the time, including Yehoshua’s widow, felt the sentences were too lenient.

At the behest of Yehoshua’s family, prosecutors are now demanding a harsher punishment closer to 25 years, the maximum sentencing for causing serious bodily harm under terrorist circumstances.

They insist in their appeal that the punishments handed down “do not sufficiently reflect the gravity of the acts, the severe harm caused to the deceased and his family, and the terror-related characteristics of the incident.”

“The sensitive timing of the offenses, during a period characterized by acts of violence and riots on a nationalist and racist basis… was not sufficiently reflected in the sentencing,” the appeal reads.

Like other mixed Jewish-Arab cities, Lod saw an outpouring of violence between Jews and Arabs in 2021, following the May 10 outbreak of a conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Settlers allegedly torch buildings and vehicles near Bethlehem, Palestinian media says

Palestinian media outlets report that settlers have set fire to several vehicles and structures in the village of Jaba, in the Bethlehem area of the West Bank.

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, 3 vehicles and 3 buildings have been set on fire.

No injuries are reported.

It is unclear whether the development is connected to the evacuation earlier today of the illegal Tzur Misgavi outpost elsewhere in the West Bank.

اللحظات الأولى لهجوم المستوطنين وإحراقهم مركبات فلسطينية في قرية الجبعة، جنوب غرب بيت لحم. pic.twitter.com/JDmdYdBvXM

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) November 17, 2025

Police say several cops injured in clashes with settlers during evacuation of West Bank outpost

A vehicle burns amid riots by settlers during the evacuation and demolition of the illegal Tzur Misgavi outpost in the West Bank, November 17, 2025. (Israel Police)

Several Border Police officers were wounded this morning, including one who was hit in the head with a rock, during clashes with settlers during the evacuation of an illegal outpost in the West Bank, police say.

The clashes took place while security forces and Civil Administration personnel began an evacuation and demolition operation against the Tzur Misgavi outpost, southeast of Efrat.

The IDF and police say that during the operation, “violent riots broke out” involving hundreds of people, including dozens who tried to barricade themselves at the site, “which included attacking security forces with stone-throwing, the throwing of iron rods and various objects, as well as the burning of tires and vehicles.”

Six suspects were detained by the forces amid the clashes, the military and police add.

IDF figures show rise in sexual harassment complaints within the military

The IDF has seen a rise in sexual harassment complaints in recent years, according to official figures provided by the military to the Hatzlacha nonprofit following a freedom of information petition.

In the first half of 2025, 1,630 complaints were submitted — 1,188, or 73%, of which were incidents of sexual harassment within IDF units, according to the data.

Another 226 complaints, or 14%, concerned sexual harassment in civilian circumstances; 10% were in civilian circumstances but before the complainant’s enlistment in the IDF; and 3% were domestic and partner violence cases.

Among the sexual harassment complaints within IDF units, the data shows that there has been a sharp increase in complaints regarding a hostile work environment, including crude and sexual discourse. In the first half of 2024, 133 such complaints were reported, while in the first half of 2025, 275 such complaints were reported.

In all of 2024, 2,092 cases of sexual harassment were reported to the IDF, including 73% within the military. The data shows that 82% of the victims were women, and most of the offenders are male soldiers in their mandatory service.

Of 2024’s complaints, only 235 became “official complaints,” and by the end of the year, only 49 indictments were filed, according to the data cited by Hatzlacha.

In 2023, 1,877 sexual harassment complaints were recorded; in 2022, 1,744; and in 2021, 1,567.

היום מסר @IDFSpokesperson להצלחה באמצעות @elad_man נתונים עדכניים הנוגעים להטרדות מיניות בצה"ל. pic.twitter.com/DIdHCSlYBj

— הצלחה – לקידום חברה הוגנת (ע"ר) (@htl2008) November 17, 2025

Saudi crown prince departs for US amid Trump’s talk of potential Israel normalization

US President Donald Trump, left, arrives with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the group photo with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders during the GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has departed for the United States, Riyadh’s state news agency says, where the kingdom’s de facto leader is likely to press for security guarantees and advanced weaponry.

The visit marks bin Salman’s first visit to Washington since the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents prompted worldwide outrage and briefly upended ties with the kingdom’s longtime ally.

“This official working visit will include a meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them in various fields, as well as to address issues of mutual interest,” reads a post by the Saudi Press Agency on X.

Prince Mohammed has fostered close ties with Trump and his family over the years — a relationship that was burnished by a lavish welcome and $600 billion in investment pledges when the US president visited Saudi Arabia in May.

In the lead-up to the prince’s trip, Trump has boasted of efforts to convince the kingdom to join the Abraham Accords and cement ties with Israel — a long-sought policy goal of his administration.

Saudi Arabia, however, is unlikely to agree to normalization at this stage, according to experts, with Prince Mohammed’s priority set for firmer US security guarantees after Israeli strikes in September on Qatar, an iron-clad US ally, unnerved the wealthy Gulf region.

The 40-year-old heir to the throne is expected to meet Trump tomorrow.

A US-Saudi investment forum spotlighting energy and artificial intelligence will take place in the US capital during the prince’s three-day visit, the event’s website says.

2 days later, Haredi party condemns targeting of ultra-Orthodox MKs by extremists

MK's Moshe Gafni and Ya'akov Asher attend a United Torah Judaism party meeting at the Knesset on July 10, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Two days after ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were targeted by Haredi extremists in two separate incidents, the United Torah Judaism breaks its silence and condemns the actions.

The crowds targeted two Haredi MKs from different parties on Saturday night, protesting their cooperation in the advancement of a bill to regulate conscription of yeshiva students.

In the first incident, at the end of Shabbat, extremists smashed a window of Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur’s vehicle as he left a weekly lesson in Jerusalem. Later that night, dozens of Haredi demonstrators protested outside the home of United Torah Judaism MK Ya’akov Asher in Bnei Brak. The protest appeared to be disorganized, with participants flanked by police vehicles and additional officers arriving to control the crowd.

The protests were the latest instances in which a hardline faction of Haredim demonstrated its rejection of any plan that would conscript yeshiva students, even though the proposed law would likey enshrine mass exemptions for the community. The attack on Ben-Tzur’s car drew condemnation from across the political spectrum, though not immediately from UTJ. Security was reportedly beefed up for Asher and another UTJ member, Moshe Gafni, due to threats against them.

The incidents were not protests, but rather were unacceptable “grave displays of violence,” the UTJ statement says.

During the party’s faction meeting, members condemn the acts as well as attempts to justify them, arguing that they are being used to smear yeshiva students as violent.

At his trial, PM claims ex-IDF top prosecutor and others received large sums while in office yet weren’t probed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives at the Tel Aviv District Court to testify in the ongoing criminal trial against him, on October 15, 2025. (Reuven Kastro/ POOL)

Giving testimony in his criminal trial earlier today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempts to defend against accusations that he received illicit gifts from wealthy benefactors by arguing that many other public officials have received large amounts of cash as gifts during their time in office, including former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi and other figures who are frequently criticized publicly by him and his political allies.

At the Tel Aviv District Court, Netanyahu alleges that Tomer-Yerushalmi, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and former Mossad director Yossi Cohen received such gifts, according to Hebrew media reports.

“We’re talking about the military advocate general [Tomer-Yerushalmi] now. She received gifts of tens of thousands of dollars from a friend of hers when she was in her post… but I don’t have any claims against her on this,” he says.

He then claims that while the law enforcement system saw “no problem” with those alleged instances, it “changed the law and stitched up a case” in order to indict the premier.

The prime minister is referring to the charges accusing him of having received hundreds of thousands of shekels worth of luxury goods from billionaires Arnon Milchan and James Packer, while having sought to advance their interests on several fronts in return.

Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman tells Netanyahu to concentrate on the specifics of his case, however, saying that “everything else will not help us make a decision in this case.”

Mamdani staffer apologizes for old inflammatory social media posts against Israel, Jews

A staffer for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani apologizes for old social media posts demonizing Israel and sharing other inflammatory statements.

“There is a barbaric nation who’s killing indigents and innocent Palestinians called ISRAEL,” Hassaan Chaudhary, a Muslim outreach director for Mamdani, wrote in 2012, according to a report by The New York Post.

In other posts, Chaudhary called Israel a “bloody country,” indicated that gay rights “doesn’t make sense,” and used a derogatory Urdu slur that translates literally as “Jew will be your father.”

He supported former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying Ahmadinejad “has declared Israel as cancer which will be eliminated very soon.”

The posts all date to around 2012. Chaudhary is now 31.

He also retweeted a post last year that suggested the Jewish Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro, supported killing children in Gaza, the report says.

???????? TOP MAMDANI STAFFER PRAISED AHMADINEJAD, SLURRED JEWS, MOCKED GAYS

Hassaan Chaudhary, a senior figure on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s team, is facing backlash over resurfaced posts praising Ahmadinejad, using “Jew” as a slur, and dismissing gay rights.

Chaudhary called… https://t.co/lAONqNFHru pic.twitter.com/hNmXNhi2V3

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 17, 2025

Chaudhary apologizes for the comments, telling The New York Post: “I apologize for my tweets, as they do not reflect my current views, or represent who I am today.”

“Those comments from over a decade ago are not in line with how I see the world, and I look back at that rhetoric and mindset with deep regret,” he says.

A Mamdani spokesperson says: “These comments from over a decade ago are reprehensible and in no way reflect the views of the Mayor-elect or this transition. The mayor-elect has made this clear internally and consistently during the campaign and transition.”

Gazan terror group says Israel killed its local leader in undercover op

The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a Gazan terror group allied with Hamas, says one of its local leaders has been killed by what it describes as an Israeli undercover force near Deir Al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip.

The group says Waseem Abdel-Hadi, a commander of its armed wing, was killed in what it calls a “cowardly and treacherous assassination operation.”

The PRC, whose members joined the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught in Israel at a later stage, says Abdel-Hadi played a role in developing its armed wing. It does not issue any direct threat of retaliation.

There is no immediate Israeli comment on the alleged killing.

The PRC is considered the third-largest terror organization operating in the Gaza Strip, after Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In recent years, the group has operated under Hamas’s directives.

In May, it similarly said a prominent member was killed in an Israeli commando raid.

Smotrich vows to block any move toward Palestinian statehood

Finance Ministry Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem on November 4, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insists that no plan paving the way to a Palestinian state will ever be implemented, shortly before the UN Security Council is expected to vote on a resolution endorsing the US‑brokered Gaza ceasefire plan.

The proposal outlines a phased process that could — if Hamas is dismantled and the Palestinian Authority undergoes major reforms — create a pathway to eventual Palestinian statehood, which Smotrich and others on the right fiercely oppose.

“The plan for a path to a Palestinian state will not happen,” he declares, speaking to the press ahead of a Religious Zionism faction meeting.

“My life’s mission is to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of our land,” the minister says, noting that he has worked hard “to kill the idea of a Palestinian state,” and vowing to continue doing so.

Smotrich adds that a Palestinian state could be pursued “in any of the dozens of Arab countries, or even in several European countries… not here.”

“This is where the Jewish state was established, and this is where it will continue to exist with full sovereignty,” he continues.

Netanyahu meets outgoing NYC mayor, thanks him for supporting Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets outgoing New York Mayor Eric Adams in the Kirya in Tel Aviv on November 17, 2025. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets outgoing New York Mayor Eric Adams in the Kirya in Tel Aviv.

According to Netanyahu’s office, he thanks Adams “for his great support for Israel and on being a true friend of the Jewish people.”

IDF says it killed 2 ‘terror operatives’ who crossed Gaza Yellow Line and ‘posed a threat’ to troops

The IDF says it killed two terror operatives who crossed the Yellow Line demarcating the military’s withdrawal and approached troops in two separate incidents in the Gaza Strip today.

In the first incident in the Strip’s north, several operatives were identified crossing the Yellow Line and “planting suspicious objects in the ground adjacent to IDF troops” in a way that “posed an immediate threat,” the military says.

The Israeli Air Force then struck one of the operatives, and the others withdrew from the area back over the Yellow Line, according to the IDF.

In a separate event in northern Gaza, a terror operative was identified crossing the Yellow Line and approaching troops, the military says.

The forces opened fire and “eliminated the terrorist to remove the threat,” the IDF says.

The IDF says it remains deployed in Gaza “in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.”

Ben Gvir calls to assassinate PA officials, arrest Abbas ahead of UN vote on foreign force for Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir during a 40 signatures debate in the Knesset, November 10, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas should be placed in solitary confinement and senior PA officials should be targeted for assassination if the UN advances recognition of a Palestinian state, hours before a scheduled UN Security Council vote on a resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump’s comprehensive Gaza ceasefire plan is set to take place.

The proposal lays out a multi-stage process that would hand Gaza over to an International Stabilization Force (ISF) and an apolitical Palestinian administration overseen by a Trump-chaired “Board of Peace,” adding that, if Gaza is demilitarized and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority “faithfully” reforms itself, a path to Palestinian statehood may be possible, which Ben Gvir and his far-right party firmly oppose.

Speaking at the opening of his Otzma Yehudit faction meeting, Ben Gvir says “a ‘Palestinian’ state of the ‘invented people’ who call themselves ‘Palestinian’ must never be established, because the aspiration of those seeking to establish such a state is to build it on the ruins of the State of Israel.”

“If they accelerate recognition of a Palestinian terror state… orders must be given for targeted killings of senior Palestinian Authority officials—who are terrorists in every respect—as well as an order for the arrest of Abu Mazen,” he says, referring to Abbas. “There is a solitary confinement cell ready for him in Ketziot Prison.”

The US led the publication of a statement issued together with Arab and Muslim states on Friday saying that Trump’s Gaza plan offers a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

Netanyahu himself welcomed the plan when it was unveiled at the White House in September, but its actual text is less clear regarding prospects for Palestinian statehood.

Ben Gvir appears to be intensifying his anti-Palestinian rhetoric as Israel enters an election year.

Israeli officials: Hamas didn’t hand over body to Red Cross, rather ‘findings’ requested by Jerusalem

Israeli officials say what Hamas is handing over is not the body of a hostage, but “findings” that Israel requested to be examined.

According to an Israeli official, Hamas is handing over something found yesterday in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood. Jerusalem asked for it to be transferred by the Red Cross so that it can be examined inside of Israel, says the official.

The clarification comes after Al Jazeera reported that Hamas had just handed over another body of a hostage to the Red Cross. There are three bodies that currently remain in Gaza.

Earlier this month, at Israel’s request, Hamas handed over partial remains of three bodies, which were not identified as belonging to any hostages.

PA official: Saudi Arabia promised it won’t normalize ties with Israel before establishment of Palestinian state

Palestinian Authority Prime minister Mohammed Mustafa, center, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, right, speak to Saudi's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, during the Cairo Ministerial Conference to Enhance the Humanitarian Response in Gaza, in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

A senior Palestinian Authority official close to PA President Mahmoud Abbas tells The Times of Israel that Saudi Arabia has assured the PA in closed-door talks that it will not normalize ties with Israel before the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 lines.

“They told us they will not abandon the Palestinians. Resolving the Palestinian issue is the gateway to normalization with Israel,” the official says.

Tomorrow, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House, where the latter is expected to push Riyadh to join the Abraham Accords.

The PA official adds that the PA trusts the Saudi commitment and is not worried about a shift in Riyadh’s position, despite past normalization agreements signed by several Gulf states under the Abraham Accords.

“Saudi Arabia’s position is stable: first a solution, then normalization,” the PA official says.

Regarding talks between Fatah and Hamas about Gaza’s future, the official stresses that the PA will not accept Hamas remaining as an armed militia in the Strip. He says the PA made clear to Hamas that it must hand over its weapons either to the Palestinian Authority or to the Arab League, but that Hamas had refused.

Woman charged with attempted murder for stabbing mother in Ra’anana apartment

Prosecutors charge a woman with attempted murder after she allegedly stabbed her 64-year-old mother several times earlier this month.

Shabnam Taklifi, a 27-year-old who lives with her parents in their Ra’anana apartment, left her mother with life-threatening injuries, stabbing her over 10 times in their living room on November 3, prosecutors say, without expanding on her suspected motives.

The victim remains hospitalized, sedated and on a ventilator with severe wounds in her chest, stomach and legs.

According to the indictment, Taklifi was stopped mid-assault by two passersby, who heard screams coming from inside the apartment and turned to see her through the window, stabbing her mother.

The two bystanders broke into the apartment through a window and shouted at the defendant to drop the knife, to which she eventually agreed. She threw the knife onto the floor as her mother lay in a pool of blood on the ground, prosecutors write.

She is charged in the Central District Court with attempted murder and causing severe bodily harm under aggravated circumstances. Prosecutors are requesting she remain in detention until the end of legal proceedings against her.

Hamas reportedly hands over body of hostage to Red Cross

Al Jazeera reports that Hamas has handed over the body of a hostage to the Red Cross in Gaza City.

Hamas has not issued any official statement today regarding the transfer of a hostage to the Red Cross. Until now, whenever such a transfer took place, Hamas issued an announcement several hours in advance.

Yisrael Beytenu to advance bill stripping prisoners, draft dodgers of voting rights

Yisrael Beytenu party chief Avigdor Liberman holds a faction meeting in the Knesset in Jerusalem on November 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman says that his party will advance a bill to revoke voting rights of prisoners, speaking before a faction meeting at the Knesset.

“We will revoke voting rights for all prisoners, and at the same time we will build enough prisons to put all the deserters in,” he says, referring to ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who evade conscription orders.

According to Liberman, several Western countries, including the UK, New Zealand, and multiple EU states, limit or fully deny voting rights to incarcerated people — a model he argues Israel should follow.

Liberman made the comments amid a stormy debate over impending legislation that would regulate Haredi conscription, which the opposition has characterized as a way to enshrine continued widespread draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.

Earlier this month, Yisrael Beytenu tried to advance legislation that would strip voting rights from Israelis who refuse to enlist in military or national service, following a 200,000-strong ultra-Orthodox protest against military conscription, but the bill failed to pass its first reading in the Knesset.

BBC ‘determined to fight’ any Trump case, chair tells staff after shakeup

The BBC is “determined to fight” any legal action filed by US President Donald Trump, the chair of the British broadcaster tells staff, saying there was no basis for a defamation case over its editing of a speech he gave ahead of the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump said on Friday he would likely sue the BBC this week for as much as $5 billion after the broadcaster spliced together separate excepts of the speech, creating the impression that he was inciting the riot.

The BBC’s boss and its head of news quit last week amid mounting pressure after an internal report by a former standards adviser was leaked to the Daily Telegraph newspaper. The report cited failings in the network’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, trans issues, and the Trump speech.

The BBC’s chair Samir Shah sent a personal letter to Trump to apologize for the edit, the BBC said on Thursday, but the broadcaster said it strongly disagreed there was a basis for a defamation claim.

Trump told reporters on Friday he would sue for anywhere between $1 billion and $5 billion. “I think I have to do that, I mean they’ve even admitted that they cheated,” he said.

Shah tells BBC staff in an email today that there is a lot of speculation about the possibility of legal action, including potential costs or settlements.

“In all this we are, of course, acutely aware of the privilege of our funding and the need to protect our license fee payers, the British public,” he writes in the email. “I want to be very clear with you – our position has not changed. There is no basis for a defamation case and we are determined to fight this.”

Police commissioner voices support for deputy interrogated for breach of trust

Commander of Lahav 433 Maj. Gen. Manny Binyamin attends a ceremony at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh, April 20, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Police Commissioner Danny Levy reportedly tells senior officers behind closed doors that he hopes the head of the police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit will get back to work soon, after he was interrogated on suspicion of breach of trust and abuse of authority.

“I hope that the head of Lahav 433, Deputy Commissioner Manny Binyamin, will soon return to his post and continue his holy work,” he says, according to Hebrew outlets.

He says that the unit has faced a series of “sensitive and challenging incidents” in recent days and that Binyamin is needed back at the helm of the investigative body. “During his tenure, Lahav was at the peak of its activity,” Levy says, stressing that the unit “must not be harmed” in his absence.

Binyamin was questioned under caution by the Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) last week on suspicion of interfering in a classified investigation in which he had a conflict of interest. He was barred from police facilities for nine days, forbidden from speaking to anyone involved in the case, and had his phone seized from him by investigators after being released.

Binyamin is one of the highest-ranking police officers in the country. He has been promoted in rank twice during National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s time in office.

He assumed his most recent position, helming Lahav 433, in September 2024. It is his job to oversee high-profile investigations, many involving politicians and other public figures.

Channel 13 reports that Deputy Commissioner Boaz Blatt, who heads the police’s investigations and intelligence division, is also backing Binyamin, but in the meantime has instructed his officers to “ignore the headlines and let the DIPI do its work.”

Binyamin’s associate in Lahav 433 tells the outlet that the probe is “an absurd investigation that went too far,” saying Binyamin complied with investigators’ questions and gave them access to his phone.

‘The best of humanity’: Hundreds attend funeral of slain hostage Meny Godard

President Isaac Herzog eulogizes slain hostage Meny Godard, at Kibbutz Be'eri, November 17, 2025. (President Isaac Herzog/X)

Hundreds of people gather at the cemetery at Kibbutz Be’eri as Meny Godard, who was murdered in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, and whose body was held hostage for more than two years, is laid to rest.

Godard, 73 at the time of his death, was killed at the kibbutz along with his wife, Ayelet. His body was returned to Israel last week.

Godard’s family says in a statement that he “loved this land, its songs and its people,” according to the Maariv daily.

The Godards are survived by four children, as well as grandchildren.

The kibbutz, where dozens of residents were killed in the October 7 attack,  held a funeral for the couple shortly after their murder, before Godard’s body had been returned.

“When we look around at the gravestones of all of the members buried in the Be’eri cemetery, we can see that on October 7, Hamas terrorists murdered the best of humanity!” President Isaac Herzog, who delivered a eulogy at today’s funeral, posts on X afterward.

“We are parting ways today with Meny and Ayelet, an inseparable couple in their love, in their lives and in their deaths,” he adds. “Now they are together again, and we, who are in pain and mourning, are by their side.”

Opposition MKs convene emergency session over plans to shutter Army Radio

MKs Gilad Kariv and Naama Lazimi at an emergency meeting of the lobby for Freedom of the Press in Israel at the Knesset, November 17, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition lawmakers are holding an emergency meeting at the Knesset following Defense Minister Israel Katz’s announcement on Wednesday that he intends to shut down Army Radio, a decision that sparked pushback from the press, civil rights organizations and opposition parties.

“This is a war — a war over freedom of the press, the right to know, and the very soul of democracy,” says left-wing Democrats chair Yair Golan. “In this war, the Supreme Court is the command post, the police and Shin Bet are defensive lines, and Army Radio is an outpost. If we abandon even one outpost, we open a serious breach.”

Katz said the move was necessary to protect the IDF’s nonpartisan status and that the operation of a civilian-style broadcaster by the military is “an anomaly.” The military’s operation and funding of a radio station with journalists responsible for investigating the IDF, as well as politicians, has long been criticized as anachronistic, expensive, and an ethical minefield.

Former Army Radio commander Danny Zaken acknowledges that the radio station is flawed, and that “there is much to fix regarding ethical, professional, standards, and journalistic fairness levels,” but urges that it be reformed, not shuttered. Army Radio is one of the most popular news stations in Israel.

“Public broadcasting, insulated from commercial pressures and almost insulated from political pressures, is crucial. Against the backdrop of the deep divisions tearing Israel apart, and especially ahead of the elections, Army Radio is important,” he says.

The session, led by MKs Gilad Kariv and Naama Lazimi, of the left-wing Democrats party, and Yesh Atid MKs Karin Elharar and Meirav Cohen, includes journalists, representatives from the Association of Journalists, former senior staff and alumni of Army Radio, and civil society organizations, many of whom express fear that the announcement is part of a wider assault on freedom of the press.

The plans to shutter Army Radio are among several coalition efforts targeting the media, including Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s controversial bill to overhaul the broadcast media landscape and Likud MK Ariel Kallner’s proposal to shutter foreign media outlets.

Sa’ar calls outgoing NYC Mayor Adams ‘true friend of Israel’

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar meets with outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams in Jerusalem, hailing him as “a true friend of Israel.”

“Mayor Adams stands, and has stood, unequivocally by Israel throughout the years,” Sa’ar writes on X, adding, “He has always expressed a clear, moral voice against antisemitism of all kinds and in favor of Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Earlier today, Adams met with President Isaac Herzog, who thanked the pro-Israel politician for his support and voiced concern over the city’s future as far-left mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a longtime anti-Israel activist, prepares to take office on January 1.

Honored to host in Jerusalem @NYCMayor Eric Adams, a true friend of Israel.
Mayor Adams stands, and has stood, unequivocally by Israel throughout the years.
He has always expressed a clear, moral voice against antisemitism of all kinds and in favor of Israel's right to defend… pic.twitter.com/52P8N4x4H5

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) November 17, 2025

South African FM: Arrival of 153 Palestinians indicates ‘agenda’ to take them ‘out of Gaza’

South Africa's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ronald Lamola attends the first meeting of BRICS Foreign Ministers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 28, 2025. (Mauro PIMENTEL / POOL / AFP)

The arrival in South Africa of 153 Palestinians on a plane last week was “suspicious” and indicated “a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank,” the country’s foreign minister says.

The group landed in Johannesburg on a chartered flight on Thursday without departure stamps from Israel on their passports.

“We are suspicious, as the South African government, about the circumstances surrounding the arrival of the plane,” Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola tells reporters.

South Africa border police kept the group on the plane for 12 hours before President Cyril Ramaphosa allowed them entry on a standard 90-day visa exemption.

It emerged later that an earlier plane carrying 176 Palestinians had arrived on October 28, according to the Gift of the Givers charity, which is assisting the Palestinians.

Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which oversees the flow of people and goods to and from Gaza, told the Haaretz daily last week that the Palestinians had received visas from South Africa ahead of time. COGAT was also cited by the newspaper as saying that, as a rule, Israel always makes sure that there is a country that will accept Gazans departing the Strip.

Reports said a shadowy organization named Al-Majd was involved in the departure from Gaza of both groups.

“We do not want any further flights to come our way because this is a clear agenda to cleanse out Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank and those areas, which South Africa is against,” Lamola says. “It does look like it represents a broader agenda to remove Palestinians from Palestine into many different parts of the world, and is a clearly orchestrated operation.”

South Africa is one of Israel’s harshest critics, and brought a suit in the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of “genocide” in its war in Gaza. Israel adamantly rejects the genocide accusation.

Knesset Finance Committee advances tax credit bill for IDF reservists

Finance Committee chair MK Hanoch Milwidsky leads a Finance committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on October 27, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset Finance Committee advances revised legislation to expand financial benefits for IDF reservists, after the bill had stalled in the committee for several weeks due to disagreements over who would actually benefit from the tax credit.

Critics argued that under the original bill, reservists who earn less than the tax threshold would see little to no financial gain, while higher-income reservists would receive the full benefit.

The delay prompted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the far-right Religious Zionism party, to announce that his faction would refuse to vote with the coalition until the bill was brought for approval.

Under the revised bill, reservists who earn below the income-tax threshold will receive a monthly supplement averaging NIS 3,000 ($925) for each month of reserve duty, topping up their monthly incomes up to NIS 9,800 ($3,000). The benefit, which currently exists as a temporary measure set to expire in December 2025, would become permanent under the new law, according to a statement from the committee, should it pass in the Knesset.

Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky, who chairs the committee, says the new bill is built on “two pillars”: first, ensuring that lower-income reservists who do not reach the tax-payment threshold receive meaningful support, and second, updating the law in future years to reflect changing reserve-duty demands.

Under the terms of the bill, those who serve at least 110 days of reserve duty per year will receive the largest tax credit. But the legislation also says that in 2028, when reserve-duty requirements are expected to shrink, the threshold for receiving the highest tier of tax credit would fall proportionally so that the benefit applies to “most reservists in practice, not only a select few,” Milwidsky says.

With committee approval secured, the bill will now advance to the Knesset for its second and third readings.

Herzog hails Eric Adams as ‘dear friend’ of Israel, Jews; NYC mayor at Western Wall: ‘I’m your brother’

President Isaac Herzog meets with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, November 17, 2025. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog meets with outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams at the president’s residence in Jerusalem, thanking the politician for his support and voicing concern over the city’s future as far-left mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a longtime anti-Israeli activist, prepares to take office.

“You are a dear, dear friend of Israel and the Jewish people,” Herzog tells Adams in a readout shared by the president’s office, recalling the mayor’s “historic visit” to Israel during the early days of the war with Hamas.

Herzog adds that Israel is concerned about New York following Mamdani’s victory in the mayoral elections in New York earlier this month. Adams, a vocal Israel advocate who has emphasized combating antisemitism, is on a visit to Israel near the end of his four-year term, which concludes at the end of 2025.

“As you know, we are worried about how things will look post the mayoral elections in New York,” Herzog says. A range of US Jewish leaders and organizations have voiced concern that Mamadani’s longtime opposition to Israel could fuel antisemitism in the city. Mamdani has pledged to combat antisemitism as mayor.

Adams responds to Herzog, saying in reference to the election results, “We want to clearly send the right message that 49% of New Yorkers made it clear that they don’t embrace the philosophy of anti-Israel. We still consider Israel as an ally and as a friend.”

“We’re not going to deny the fact that there’s an increase in antisemitism across the globe, and some of the words that are coming from New York is something that we’re not going to deny. And I think right now, we need clarity… and I’m going to provide that clarity to fight against hate wherever it shows its face,” he adds.

In Jerusalem, I stood before the Western Wall and prayed. With thousands of years of unbroken faith, this is a place of prayer for all nations.

"כי ביתי בית תפלה יקרא לכל העמים" pic.twitter.com/MtlRLTdLta

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) November 16, 2025

Yesterday, in a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the outgoing mayor also pledged his support for Israel, saying, “As I finish, I wanted to come back here to Israel and let you know that I served you as the mayor, but I want to continue to have the title that’s more important to me than anything: I’m your brother.”

Rainfall causes floods in parts of drought-stricken Iran

Rainfall causes floods in parts of western Iran, after months of drought have led to the country’s worst water crisis in decades and pushed authorities to begin cloud seeding over the weekend.

The country’s meteorological organization issued a warning for flooding in six western provinces today and said it expected rain in 18 out of Iran’s 31 provinces.

Rainfall levels across Iran are 85 percent below average, depleting reservoirs and causing taps to run dry including in parts of the capital, Tehran. Mismanagement, illegal well drilling and inefficient agricultural practices have contributed to the crisis, which authorities say has also been intensified by climate change.

Iranian media shares videos of mild floods occurring in some towns of western provinces such as Ilam and Kurdistan.

Flash flooding struck Shahrek Hezarani Village in Abdanan, Ilam Province, Iran yesterday, inundating at least 40 homes…???? pic.twitter.com/r4uxJgtdNR

— Volcaholic ???? (@volcaholic1) November 17, 2025

On Saturday, Iran was able to perform its first cloud seeding this year above the watershed of Lake Urmia, in Iran’s northwest, and further north from the areas where flooding was reported, according to the Young Journalists Club (YJC).

Cloud-seeding is a process in which chemicals are implanted into clouds to increase rainfall in an environment where water scarcity is a concern.

However, the technique can only be applied when environmental conditions improve and can only be used as a stopgap solution.

Officials have said Tehran may soon be uninhabitable if the drought gripping the country continues.

China’s foreign minister pledges support for Syria in ‘achieving peace’

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi pledges support for Damascus in “achieving peace at an early date,” as his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani makes his first official visit to Beijing.

Shaibani’s trip to China comes amid growing efforts to rebuild Syria’s diplomatic presence after years of international isolation under Bashar al-Assad. It also comes a week after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with US President Donald Trump at the White House.

Syria’s new Islamist authorities are facing significant challenges, including reconstructing the country after the overthrow of longtime ruler Assad last December.

China supports Syria in “achieving peace at an early date,” coordinating security and development, and integrating into the international community, Wang tells Shaibani, according to a readout from Beijing’s foreign ministry.

Beijing will also support Syria in finding “a nation-rebuilding plan that aligns with the will of the people” through political dialogue, Wang says.

“China is willing to work together with the international community to contribute to Syria’s pursuit of security and stability,” he says.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Mr. Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani, met in the #Chinese capital, Beijing, with his #Chinese counterpart, Mr. Wang Yi.
The meeting included discussions on bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them. pic.twitter.com/TWPByQAjut

— Qusay Noor (@QUSAY_NOOR_) November 17, 2025

Beijing has long provided Damascus with diplomatic support, particularly at the UN Security Council, where China is a permanent member.

Assad had met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the eve of the Asian Games opening ceremony in 2023, which Assad attended as part of his first visit to China since 2004.

During the talks, Xi announced a “strategic partnership” with Syria and hailed relations between the two countries that had “withstood the test of international changes.”

Germany to resume arms exports to Israel starting next week; Sa’ar urges others to follow

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (front right) walks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in front of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Julia Kloeckner, president of the Bundestag (lower house of parliament), and Stephan Harbarth (L), president of Germany's Federal Constitutional Court in the Reichstag building in Berlin on November 16, 2025. (Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)

Germany will lift an order suspending some weapons sales to Israel beginning next week, following the Gaza ceasefire agreement reached last month, a German government spokesperson announces.

“The government will, as a general rule, revert to case-by-case reviews in decisions on arms exports and respond to further developments,” the spokesperson says.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar celebrates the decision in a post on X, urging other countries to take similar measures: “I welcome Chancellor Merz’s move to revoke the decision regarding the partial ’embargo’. I call on other governments to adopt similar decisions, following Germany.”

According to the German spokesperson, starting November 24, the decision will allow the resumption of exports that Berlin suspended in August over the Israeli cabinet’s decision to conquer Gaza City in its war against Hamas in Gaza. Germany is the second-largest arms exporter to Israel, after the United States.

The spokesperson adds that Germany remains committed to supporting a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution and will continue to engage in supporting reconstruction in Gaza.

Yesterday, Merz spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on “diplomatic and regional matters,” in what the premier’s office described as a “good and friendly conversation.”

Herzog hails former minister Ron Dermer’s ‘pivotal contribution’ to ceasefire and hostage release

President Isaac Herzog speaks at a state memorial ceremony marking 30 years since the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on November 3, 2025. (Noam Revkin Fenton/ Flash90)

President Isaac Herzog sends a personal letter to outgoing strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, hailing his contribution to the release of the hostages from Gaza.

“Not many citizens were exposed to your operations,” writes Herzog in English.

“You maintained your integrity and earned the trust of world leaders and high level negotiators,” Herzog continues, “leading to your pivotal contribution to the ceasefire, and the release of our beloved hostages.”

Haifa man indicted for making death threats against attorney general

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara attends a Knesset committee meeting on November 18, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prosecutors indict a man from Haifa, accusing him of racist incitement and making death threats against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

The defendant, a 44-year-old man named Yaakov Itach, ran a TikTok account called “Kahanism,” named after the right-wing extremist ideology, prosecutors write, adding that he used the username “kobikanizem,” posting videos inciting against Arabs as well as the attorney general.

He regularly shared content about Meir Kahane, the late extremist rabbi and former MK who called for all Arabs to be expelled from the country, according to the indictment.

In one of his videos, the indictment says, the defendant is heard speaking over a picture of Baharav-Miara, saying that she will end up like former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the central suspect in the Sde Teiman leak affair.

Tomer-Yerushalmi, who confessed to the leak and resigned from her post, was recently hospitalized after overdosing on medication in a suspected suicide attempt.

“Did you see what happened to the military advocate general? Understand that we will make sure that you kill yourself. You’ll end up in a coffin,” he says in the clip, per the charges. “Legally or illegally, you will reach the grave.”

Sa’ar defends contentious bill to split AG’s powers: ‘Built-in conflict of interest’

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar speaks at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on October 27, 2025. (Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)

The power held by the Israeli attorney general has no parallel among other democratic nations, necessitating its division into multiple roles, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar argues.

Addressing the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Sa’ar insists that there is a “built-in conflict of interest in the position.”

“There is no precedent in the democratic world for concentrating so much power and authority in the hands of an unelected official as in the role of Israel’s attorney general. How is a minister supposed to conduct a discussion with someone who is meant to be both his adviser and his hangman?” he asks.

The committee is currently debating a controversial government-backed bill to split the position into three separate jobs: legal adviser to the government, prosecutor general, and government representative in the courts. The bill passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset plenum late last month.

Sa’ar’s comments are especially notable because he served as justice minister in the previous government, which was led for a time by Yesh Atid chairman and current Opposition Leader Yair Lapid. Sa’ar tapped current Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for her role.

Baharav-Miara has clashed numerous times with the current right-wing coalition, which has worked to dismiss her.

“I made it clear to the attorney general and to the state prosecutor, before their appointments, that I intended to advance this process. I don’t recall any objection in any of the meetings I held with them prior to the appointment,” Sa’ar said regarding the previous government, noting that in his New Hope party’s coalition agreements with Yesh Atid, “it was written that the parties agree that the attorney general’s role must be split.”

Responding to Sa’ar, Yesh Atid releases a statement accusing him of lying, asserting that “the proposal that was part of the coalition agreements in the previous government isn’t even remotely similar to the deranged and destructive version now before the Constitution Committee.”

Hitting back, New Hope tweets the relevant portion of the agreement, which states that the justice minister would submit a proposal splitting up the attorney general’s role for government discussion and approval.

“Lapid, as usual, has no idea what he’s talking about,” the party writes.

Netanyahu testimony in corruption trial on Wednesday canceled for ‘security reason’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv District Court for a hearing in his corruption trial, October 28, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

A hearing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his criminal trial scheduled for Wednesday is cancelled due to a “security reason.”

Netanyahu’s lawyers requested the cancellation of the hearing and handed an envelope regarding the matter to the judges overseeing the hearing, Channel 12 reports.

After examining the contents of the envelope, Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman agrees to cancel the session.

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa says he wants to play football in Jerusalem

Tua Tagovailoa, the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, says it would be “sick” to play a football game in Jerusalem.

The US National Football League star makes the comments at a postgame conference following the Dolphins’ victory over the Washington Commanders in Madrid, Spain. The NFL has hosted a series of games in international venues to boost the league’s global profile.

When asked where he’d like to play next, Tagovailoa first names his home US state of Hawaii. The he muses about other locations.

“Shoot, it’d be pretty cool to go play in Jerusalem,” he says. “I don’t know, that’d be sick.”

???? Tua Tagovailoa on where he would like to play next: "Hawaii… in Europe? It would be pretty cool to go play in Jerusalem." (@MiamiDolphins) #PhinsUp pic.twitter.com/gsHPJte27U

— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) November 16, 2025

American football doesn’t have an extensive presence in Israel, though Robert Kraft, a leading Jewish philanthropist who owns the New England Patriots, has made efforts to promote the sport in Jerusalem.

Man questioned in Histadrut corruption probe reportedly dies by suicide

A man who was questioned by police in a far-reaching corruption probe surrounding the Histadrut trade federation has died by suicide, Hebrew outlets report.

The witness reportedly took his own life yesterday. He was said to be in charge of inspection in the building where Histadrut chief Arnon Bar-David, one of the central suspects in the case, lives.

Just a few days before his death, the witness was called to the police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit where he gave testimony to Tax Authority investigators about work he did in Bar-David’s home. He was released afterwards, Kan reports.

Dozens feared killed as bus with pilgrims crashes near Muslim holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia

The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia says a “tragic” bus crash involving Muslim pilgrims occurred near the holy city of Medina overnight, with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering his condolences.

“Deeply saddened by the accident in Medina involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones,” the prime minister writes on X.

“I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance,” he adds.

Indian media report dozens had potentially been killed in the incident, though officials have yet to provide a toll.

Transporting worshippers around Saudi Arabia’s holy sites has frequently proven dangerous, particularly during the hajj, when roads can be chaotic with buses creating interminable traffic jams.

Millions also visit Saudi Arabia for the umrah pilgrimage, which happens outside of the hajj period.

#BREAKING Heart-wrenching scene on Mecca-Medina Highway near Jeddah bus with 42 Indian Umrah pilgrims collides with tanker bridge in flames! Video reveals the tragedy with many from Hyderabad among the victims.
#SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/bvZETWHfjh

— Er Shaikh Saddam (@ShaikhS63927710) November 17, 2025

Israeli cellphone giant Pelephone signs NIS 2.1b deal to acquire rival Hot Telecom

An illustration showing the logos of Pelephone and Hot Mobile displayed on a Pelephone screen in Jerusalem, November 17, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Cellphone giant Pelephone signs a non-binding agreement to buy rival Hot Telecom for NIS 2.1 billion ($652 million) from billionaire Patrick Drahi’s Altice International, Pelephone’s parent company Bezeq says in a regulatory filing.

Bezeq’s Pelephone mobile phone unit says a binding agreement for the deal will be subject to approval by Israel’s Communications Ministry and the Israel Competition Authority.

Pelephone has around 2.6 million customers, of whom over 1.5 million are 5G package subscribers.

Security forces preparing to demolish illegal settlement outpost in Gush Etzion

Security forces and Civil Administration personnel are reportedly conducting an evacuation and demolition operation against an illegal settlement outpost in the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank.

According to reports from settler activists and video footage from the scene, a large force has been dispatched to the Tzur Misgavi outpost southeast of Efrat, where some 25 families live.

Video footage sent by activists from Tzur Misgavi shows heavy machinery entering the illegal outpost and preparing to demolish structures there, accompanied by Border Police forces.

The Civil Administration — a department of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories — which has responsibility for such operations, says the evacuation is being carried out following an order signed by IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, and “following the fact that criminal activity and serious incidents of crime and violence had taken place at the site, which affected the security of the area.”

“The IDF, including the Civil Administration and all security bodies, will continue to work to strengthen security and uphold law and order in Judea and Samaria, with an emphasis on enforcing action against structures built illegally, which harm the security and public order of all residents of the area,” the Defense Ministry body adds.

A video filmed by settlers at Tzur Misgavi showing trucks entering to demolish the illegal outpost on November 17, 2025. (Courtesy)

Veteran settler leader Daniella Weiss, head of the Nachala settlement movement, issues a call to activists to go to Tzur Misgavi and to “struggle against the destruction,” according to a statement put out by activists.

“The public is called upon to urgently go [to Tsur Misgavi] to prevent the destruction of dozens of homes which were built with great toil on the hilltops close to Meitzad,” the statement says.

Ex-captive Avinatan Or details unsuccessful escape attempt, wrote ‘hostage’ on sandbag

Released hostage Avinatan Or speaks at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly, November 16, 2025. (Screenshot)

Former hostage Avinatan Or dug from a Hamas tunnel to the surface of Gaza but was caught, he details in a speech at an American Jewish conference.

Or, who was released last month as part of the ceasefire deal, was held alone during his captivity, and tells the audience at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly, taking place in Washington, DC, that he sometimes didn’t see another human being for days.

He describes his escape attempt, which was first revealed shortly after his release.

“I tried to escape,” he says in remarks to the conference last night. “I dug for weeks through sandbags, through a collapsed tunnel towards the surface. I made myself work to change my own destiny.”

He continues, “One day, as I was digging, I hit the root of a tree. I smelled it. It felt like touching life in the place of death. Then, one night, I reached the outside. I saw stars for the first time in years. I wrote ‘hostage’ on a white sandbag, planning my next step, but they found out. They beat me for days, they tied me to a chair for a week.”

He adds, “I was sure I will die there, but even then, I wrote three things next to my bed: ‘This too shall pass,’ ‘patience,’ and ‘let it be.’ These words kept me human.”

He calls the IDF soldiers fighting in Gaza heroes, and says he survived by remembering to be patient, refraining from anger and attempting to find common ground with his captors.

Leftist, far-right candidates go through to Chilean presidential run-off

Presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast of the Republican Party waves a flag during a campaign rally ahead of general elections, in Santiago, Chile, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Leftist candidate Jeannette Jara and far-right leader Jose Antonio Kast are headed to Chile’s presidential run-off after topping yesterday’s first round of voting in an election dominated by fears of violent crime.

With 99 percent of the results counted, Jara, a 51-year-old communist running on behalf of an eight-party coalition, won 26.85%, compared to 23.93% for Kast, the Servel electoral service said.

The election was dominated by deep concern over a surge in murders, kidnappings and extortion widely blamed on foreign crime gangs.

Kast, 59, has vowed to build walls, fences and trenches along Chile’s border with Bolivia to keep out migrants from poorer countries to the north, such as Venezuela.

After Sunday’s results came in, he vowed to “rebuild” Chile after four years of center-left rule, which he termed “maybe the worst government in Chile’s democratic history.”

The right also secured a majority in simultaneous elections to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, according to partial results.

Jara, who served in the administration of outgoing left-wing President Gabriel Boric, struggled to overcome strong anticommunist sentiment in one of Latin America’s most open economies.

Chile has the largest Palestinian population outside the Arab world, and Boric has been critical of Israel amid the Gaza war.

Jara’s win, by a far shorter margin than polls had predicted, was seen as an ominous sign for the second round.

Rodrigo Arellano, an analyst at Chile’s University for Development, said it seemed “unlikely” she could win the December 14 run-off.

The vote is seen as a bellwether of support for South America’s left, which has lost power in Argentina and Bolivia in the past two years, and faces a stiff challenge in Colombian and Brazilian elections next year.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

Ex-hostage Rom Braslavski says government is ‘totally abandoning me,’ gets 10 panic attacks daily

Freed hostage Rom Braslavski addresses a rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv calling for the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, November 8, 2025. (Lior Rotstein/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Released hostage Rom Braslavski writes in a wrenching social media post that he is “truly suffering,” experiences frequent panic attacks and is being ignored by government officials.

Braslavski was released on October 13 after more than two years in Hamas captivity, along with 19 other surviving hostages. Previous footage of him from when he was held in Gaza showed him in dire condition.

“I am truly suffering, maybe it isn’t visible to the naked eye, but I am suffering indescribable pain, far beyond post-trauma,” he writes late last night. “I have around 10 panic attacks per day. Panic attacks that include pounding heartbeats, sweating, stuttering, tremors and even screams and violence.”

He says he has allowed himself to “fall apart” after surviving captivity and returning to Israel, but that he feels ignored by the government, including the Defense Ministry, the police and bodies meant to care for the former hostages.

“All of the government bodies are totally abandoning me, screening me, and telling me the hour is late,” he writes. “I am abandoned perhaps in every possible aspect, every possible official, from the moment I’ve returned I’ve received nothing but derision from the state.”

He said that the total sum he has received in government funds after two years as a hostage is NIS 60,000 (roughly $18,600), which he calls “simply an embarrassment.” He praises fundraising campaigns on behalf of the freed hostages.

“The state isn’t giving enough, the Defense Ministry and state are laughing in our faces,” he writes. “It’s just because of you — millions have already been fundraised for all of the hostages.”

He adds that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have yet to contact him.

He credits grassroots movements on behalf of the hostages, and ordinary citizens, for helping him.

“You are my strength, you are what gives me energy and fuel to continue the journey back to life,” he writes. “I promise I won’t let anything break me. I love you, people of Israel.”

IDF confirms Lebanon drone strike, says it killed Hezbollah operative

The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike in southern Lebanon last night, saying it killed a Hezbollah operative.

The strike, near the village of Mansouri, south of Tyre, killed Muhammad Ali Shuweikh, who the military says served as Hezbollah’s local representative in the village. As part of his role, the IDF says, he was responsible for liaising between the terror group and the residents “on economic and military matters.”

“Additionally, the terrorist acted to seize private property for terror purposes,” the IDF says, adding that his actions “constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

צה״ל חיסל מחבל מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שפעל כנציג מקומי של הארגון באל מנצורי שבדרום לבנון

אמש , צה״ל בהובלת אוגדה 91, ובאמצעות חיל האוויר תקף וחיסל את המחבל מחמד עלי שויח’ מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה, במרחב אל מנצורי שבדרום לבנון.

המחבל פעל כנציג מקומי של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בכפר אל… pic.twitter.com/sPtrtvtzIN

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 17, 2025

Security reportedly beefed up for UTJ lawmakers due to threats from Haredi extremists

United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni attends a meeting of the Knesset Finance Committee, August 12, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Two MKs from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism faction are receiving heightened security after riots by Haredi extremists opposed to a bill regulating conscription for yeshiva students, Channel 12 reports.

The two lawmakers, Moshe Gafni and Ya’akov Asher, are receiving the second-highest level of security monitoring, including protection at home, the network reports, citing police sources that say the two have received many threats.

On Saturday night, Haredi rioters demonstrated outside Asher’s home in Bnei Brak, after another group rioted around Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur’s car, smashing its window and drawing outcry from across party lines.

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is currently debating a bill that would regulate conscription and exemptions for Haredi men.

Haredi leaders have long insisted on enshrining longstanding sweeping exemptions for their community from the military draft.

Opposition lawmakers have slammed the bill being discussed as a way to enable the yeshiva students to continue avoiding the draft while the IDF faces a manpower shortage. Coalition MKs say it offers a pathway to increasing Haredi draft numbers.

Trump defends Tucker Carlson after interview with antisemitic activist Nick Fuentes

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Palm Beach, Florida, on November 14, 2025 (Jim WATSON / AFP)

US President Donald Trump brushes aside concerns about conservative commentator Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Nick Fuentes, a far-right activist known for his antisemitic views and Holocaust denial, which has caused a schism within the Republican Party.

Trump defends Carlson, saying the former Fox News host has “said good things about me over the years.” He did not criticize Carlson or Fuentes.

Trump tells reporters before flying back to Washington from a weekend in Florida that when it comes to Carlson, “You can’t tell him who to interview.”

“If he wants to interview Nick Fuentes, I don’t know much about him, but if he wants to do it, get the word out,” Trump says. “People have to decide.”

Trump a few minutes later adds, “Meeting people, talking to people for somebody like Tucker — that’s what they do. You know, people are controversial.”

Fuentes appears to appreciate Trump’s sentiment, posting “Thank you Mr. President!” along with video of his interaction with reporters.

Trump: We have had some great interviews with Tucker Carlson but you cannot tell them who to interview. If he wants to interview Nick Fuentes—I do not know much about him

Reporter: You were with Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago pic.twitter.com/ucKsMvmNdA

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 16, 2025

It’s not the first time Trump has been asked about Fuentes. Three years ago, he hosted Fuentes at a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort, along with the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, shortly after Ye had embarked on a stream of antisemitic invective.

Trump at the time said he had not previously met Fuentes and “knew nothing about” him.

Fuentes’ visit to Trump’s estate was condemned by numerous Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, who said it was wrong for Trump “to give a white nationalist, an antisemite and Holocaust denier, a seat at the table.” Trump’s former ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, also condemned the visit.

Carlson, who has hosted Holocaust revisionists multiple timesand is a harsh critic of Israel, had an amiable sit-down on his podcast last month with Fuentes that touched off a controversy among conservatives.

Hamas rejects ‘dangerous’ US proposal at UN for Gaza stabilization force

In a statement published overnight by Hamas on behalf of the Palestinian factions — the terror groups operating in the Gaza Strip, led by Hamas — says that the resolution submitted by the US to the UN Security Council is “dangerous” and “an attempt to subject the Gaza Strip to international authority.”

The statement says the Palestinian factions reject any clause relating to the disarmament of Gaza or harming “the Palestinian people’s right to resistance.”

The statement also rejects any foreign military presence inside the Gaza Strip, saying it would constitute a violation of Palestinian sovereignty.

“Any international force must be directly subordinate to the UN and work in coordination with the official Palestinian institutions, without the participation of the occupation,” it says.

The UN will vote later today on the resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump’s comprehensive Gaza ceasefire plan, which will deliver Gaza to an International Stabilization Force (ISF) and an apolitical Palestinian administration overseen by a Trump-chaired Board of Peace.

Under the plan, Gaza is to be demilitarized and rebuilt, although Hamas has so far refused to agree on the matter of demilitarization.

In reversal, Trump says supports House vote to release Epstein files

The Dome of the US Capitol Building is visible behind a statue depicting US President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands on the National Mall on October 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harni / Getty Images via AFP)

US President Donald Trump says he backs US lawmakers’ efforts to release more files related to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite being previously opposed to the measure.

“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide,” Trump writes on his Truth Social platform, slamming the controversy over his former friend’s criminality as a “Democrat hoax.”

Some critics have accused Trump of trying to conceal details about his own alleged wrongdoing — something the president denies — by looking to block the vote, which has divided his typically loyal Republican party.

In potential detente, Trump says planning to meet with Mamdani to ‘work something out’

US President Donald Trump indicates that he plans to meet with New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and says they’ll “work something out,” in what could be a detente for the Republican president and Democratic political star who have cast each other as political foils.

Trump has for months slammed Mamdani, falsely labeling him as a “communist” and predicting the ruin of his hometown, New York, if the democratic socialist were elected. He also threatened to deport Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a naturalized American citizen, and to pull federal money from the city.

In his election night victory speech, Mamdani said he wanted New York to show the country how to defeat the president. But the day after, while speaking about his plans for “Trump-proofing” New York once he takes office in January, the incoming mayor also said he was willing to work with anyone, including the president, if it can help New Yorkers.

Representatives for Mamdani do not have an immediate comment on the president’s remarks, but a spokesperson points to the mayor-elect’s remarks last week when he said he planned to reach out to the White House “because this is a relationship that will be critical to the success of the city.”

Trump expresses a similar sentiment.

“The mayor of New York, I will say, would like to meet with us. We’ll work something out,” Trump tells reporters as he prepares to fly back to Washington after spending the weekend in Florida.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarifies shortly after that Trump was referring to Mamdani and says no date had been set for such a meeting.

“We want to see everything work out well for New York,” Trump says.

Ben Gvir heading to southern Israel following reports of heavy gunfire in Negev area

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is traveling to southern Israel following reports of heavy gunfire, heard coming from two Bedouin locales in the Negev.

In a video recorded late at night, Ben Gvir says that he will first head to Carmit, whose residents reported the gunfire, then south to Lakiya, an adjacent Bedouin town.

The far-right minister alleges that the gunfire in Lakiya is retaliation for the police’s seizure of mosque loudspeakers earlier this month.

“Police enforced the law on noise from mosques, and in response, some criminals there began to fire in the air — they think they will deter us,” he claims in the video from his car.

Shots were also heard further south in Retamim, coming from the Bedouin town Bir Hadaj. He is set to travel there after touring Karmit and Lakiya.

In his video, he touts home demolitions carried out in Bedouin areas on his watch, saying that over five thousand illegally-built houses have been destroyed this year.

He says police are also cracking down on gunfire at weddings. “We brought in the national guard… we are not allowing these sorts of weddings to go on, and taking many other actions that are aggravating the rioters,” he adds.

Weapons trafficking in the Negev has been fueling violent crime in the region for years now, particularly in Bedouin locales. Earlier this evening in Bir Hadaj, an 18-year-old resident of the town was seriously wounded in a shooting.

השר בן גביר בדרכו לנגב לאחר הירי המאסיבי https://t.co/6Qe3Bretcf pic.twitter.com/xzX2JRj2OQ

— ישראל היום (@IsraelHayomHeb) November 16, 2025

Lebanese health ministry says one killed in alleged Israeli strike

The Lebanese health ministry says one person was killed in an alleged Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Sunday night.

The Israeli military does not immediately comment on the strike, which the Lebanese health ministry says hit a car in the town of Mansouri, south of Tyre and just over 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Israeli border, and “resulted in the martyrdom of a citizen.”

A report from Lebanon’s National News Agency identifies the deceased as Mohammed Shoueikh and says he was a school principal in Mansouri.