Sept. 4: Eisenkot, Bennett reportedly met to discuss merger but decided against it for now

Report claims it took PM at least 2 hours to leave home, head to IDF HQ, after October 7 onslaught began

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir at an IDF officers’ course graduation, October 30, 2025. (Noam Revkin Fenton/FLASH90)

Channel 12 reports that it took Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at least two hours to leave his Caesarea home and head to the IDF’s Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv after Hamas-led terrorists began invading Israel at 6:29 a.m, on October 7, 2023.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu’s office published what it claims were the minutes from the premier’s schedule from that day.

Those minutes showed that Netanyahu, alerted at 6.29 to the Hamas invasion, didn’t leave his home until 7:30 a.m. because it took time to prepare his convoy.

The minutes then stated that the premier arrived at the Kirya at 8 a.m., though they also noted that the Shin Bet’s minutes documented the arrival time as having been 8:22 a.m.

However, Channel 12 says that unpublished minutes from the prime minister’s office diary placed the actual time of arrival at 9 a.m., while a “credible source” tells the network that the real arrival time wasn’t until 9:30 a.m.

This would mean that Netanyahu likely did not leave his house until 8:30 or 9 a.m.

Netanyahu also declared this week that had the security chiefs woken him up in the middle of the night to share the indications they were receiving about a potential Hamas invasion, he would have “immediately” mobilized the IDF and the Air Force.

However, Channel 12 states that after he was woken up by his military secretary at 6:29 a.m., Netanyahu did not phone the IDF chief of staff or Shin Bet chief, and did not speak to them until he arrived at the Kirya over two hours later.

Netanyahu did not hold his first situational assessment at the Kirya until 9:55 a.m., according to the minutes released this week by his office.

Netanyahu has blocked efforts to establish a state commission of inquiry into October 7, which would strive to fill in such blanks.

Channel 12 also reveals that then-defense minister Yoav Gallant arrived at the Kirya at 7:30 a.m., one hour after being alerted to the Hamas invasion.

Gallant lives in the town of Amikam, 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Kirya, while Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea is 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) closer to the military HQ.

Trump again claims that US may soon hit Iran’s Pickaxe mountain nuclear site

US President Donald Trump again claims that the US may soon hit Iran’s Pickaxe mountain nuclear site.

“We may hit Pickaxe Mountain very soon… if there is anything going on with Pickaxe,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump has been threatening to strike Pickaxe for months, declaring already in July that the US may do so soon.

Speaking about the Iran conflict, Trump says, “A lot of people don’t call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it’s small potatoes for us.”

Hours earlier, Trump called the conflict a “war” in a Truth Social post.

Settlers filmed tearing down fence meant to keep them from raiding Palestinian village

Settlers are filmed this afternoon pulling down a fence that Palestinian residents built around the West Bank village of Burqa in order to try to prevent Israeli extremists from raiding the town.

Earlier this week, settlers invaded the village and beat an elderly woman.

???? שגרת שישי – היום בצהריים, מתנחבלים ניסו להרוס גדר של חקלאי פלסטיני בכפר בורקה. כנראה הבינו שמצלמים אותם וברחו משם

אפס מעצרים, כמובן – הצבא של בן גביר pic.twitter.com/KYtxsGqYJx

— Arbel – ארבל ???? (@ArbelReports) September 4, 2026

Report: Eisenkot and Bennett met to discuss merger but have decided against it for now

Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, right, and B'Yachad party chief Naftali Bennett meet at the Herzliya Conference at the Reichman University in Herzliya, July 1, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Channel 12 provides a series of political updates ahead of Tuesday’s filing deadline for parties planning to run in the upcoming election.

The network reveals that Yashar chief Gadi Eisenkot and B’Yachad chair Naftali Bennett met last weekend at the latter’s home in order to discuss a potential merger.

On the one hand, Eisenkot likes the idea of heading a party that is overwhelmingly larger than any other one in the anti-Netanyahu bloc, with the logic being that it would prevent Bennett or Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman from demanding the premiership after the election.

On the other hand, Eisenkot saw the results of Bennett’s merger with Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid, which were not particularly encouraging. B’Yachad has been polling well below what the two parties were receiving on their own before they decided to merge earlier this summer.

The poor showing for B’Yachad has led to mass resignations in Yesh Atid of serving legislators who see no chance of retaining their seats, with the latest being MK Michal Shir.

Channel 12 says a decision on an Eisenkot-Bennett merger will be made at the last minute, though it is currently less likely to happen.

Eisenkot’s Yashar is slightly ahead of, or neck-and-neck with, Netanyahu’s Likud in recent polls, and both men would like to lead the biggest party in Israeli politics, which could help when President Isaac Herzog has to decide who has the best chance of building a governing coalition after the elections.

Meanwhile, Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party has announced that it plans to remain in the race until the end, hoping to pick up some supporters of Gilad Erdan’s Unity Party, which declared earlier today that it was bowing out of the race due to lack of backing.

Gantz’s party is still polling consistently below the electoral threshold.

Channel 12 also reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has offered one of his reserved spots to former member and finance minister Moshe Kahlon. However, Kahlon has decided to stay out of politics for the time being, the network says.

Israeli strike reportedly kills two young men riding motorcycle in southern Lebanon

An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed two people on Friday, Lebanese officials say.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reports the strike hit near the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge, which the Israeli army said it had captured, though Hezbollah did not confirm losing it.

Two young men were “targeted while riding a motorcycle” in the city of Nabatieh, NNA says, adding that rescuers transported their bodies to a local hospital.

Israel announced on Thursday that it had taken control of the ridge. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military would work to “prevent the enemy from re-establishing itself in the area.”

US said crafting post-Iran war strategy to create regional alliances against Tehran, expand Abraham Accords

US President Donald Trump prepares to depart after speaking in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, August 31, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

US President Donald Trump’s administration is crafting a post-Iran war strategy that will aim to build a regional alliance of US allies against Iran, while also expanding the Abraham Accords, the Axios news site reports.

The plan is still in its initial stages of being formed, and the administration doesn’t plan to implement it until after the October 27 Israeli election and November 3 US midterms, Axios says.

Given that it is framed as a postwar strategy, it ostensibly will require an end to the conflict with Iran, which the US has struggled to reach on its terms after launching the war with Israel over six months ago.

The plan will seek the formation of a regional alliance, with the US serving as a guarantor, a US official tells Axios, without elaborating on what that would mean.

The plan will also call for a regional effort to implement the Board of Peace’s Hamas disarmament plan, which has stalled amid opposition from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The plan envisions a security agreement between Israel and Syria and further implementation of the US-brokered framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon. Both will likely require Israel to withdraw from buffer zones it has established in Syria and Lebanon.

It also envisions expanding the Abraham Accords, including through a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The latter objective will be particularly difficult to achieve, given that Riyadh insists on the establishment of an irreversible pathway to Palestinian statehood — something both Netanyahu and many of his political rivals have ruled out completely.

While sources acknowledged that the results of the upcoming Israeli election will likely impact the chances of the initiative succeeding, they insist that the administration will be moving ahead regardless of who is in power in Jerusalem.

Turkey prosecutors indict comic for Erdogan insult

Turkish prosecutors say they have charged a popular comedian with insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other offences during a stand-up performance in June that, if proven, could see him jailed for years.

Deniz Goktas, a 32-year-old comedian known for his dry wit and political satire, was arrested by police in early July, a week after he released a YouTube video of his performance, which was watched nearly nine million times.

He has been held in pre-trial detention ever since.

Initially accused of insulting Erdogan and incitement to public hatred, Goktas was last week hit with the additional charge of praising crime and criminals, according to a copy of the September 3 indictment.

His arrest was the latest in a widening crackdown on anyone seen as critical of Turkey’s Islamo-conservative government or its values that have netted hundreds of politicians, artists, musicians and journalists among others.

???? Kur'an-ı Kerim ile alay eden Deniz Göktaş hakkında iddianame hazırlandı.

???? 2 yıl 2 aydan 9 yıl 8 aya kadar hapsi istendi.https://t.co/SytVNKRKYW

— Yeni Şafak (@yenisafak) September 4, 2026

Although the indictment did not clearly outline the sentence, calculations by the Turkish media suggested that if convicted on all charges, he could face up to a decade or more behind bars, Anka news agency reports, with other outlets giving a similar figure.

The first hearing has been scheduled for September 28.

In the indictment, prosecutors say some of the statements Goktas made about Erdogan in his show “exceeded the limits of criticism and were of a nature to damage the president’s honour, dignity and reputation in society”.

He also made jokes about fasting suicide bombers and women wearing modest swimwear that prosecutors said “openly incited” against a religious sector of the public, that were “divisive and polarising in nature.”

And on the third charge, they pointed to a joke about hiring a contract killer through Telegram in which he mentions a criminal gang that they said “praised, legitimized and facilitated access to criminal acts.”

Goktas — who said he was on holiday abroad at the time the investigation was opened — flew back to Turkey on July 2 and was arrested at the airport.

Thousands of Lebanese students still displaced by war as school year nears

Displaced children participate in a colouring activity organised by the NGO Save the Children at a school turned into a shelter for displaced families in Tyre, southern Lebanon, August 27, 2026. (Mohamad Azakir/Reuters)

The schoolyard in southern Lebanon echoed with the squeals of playing children despite the beating sun and distant booms of Israeli airstrikes. But for most of the youth there, the public school isn’t where they learn. It’s where they live.

Thousands of children remain displaced from their hometowns in Lebanon’s south six months after the Hezbollah terror group sparked a war with Israel. Many still live in schools-turned-shelters, while others are squeezed into rented apartments with their extended families.

As schools gear up for a new academic year beginning on September 15, families who sought shelter in public schools are wondering where they will go — and how their children can pick up schooling amid so much uncertainty.

Najah Ammar, a grandmother of four school-aged children, hails from the coastal village of Mansouri, but fled Israeli strikes to the public school in the city of Tyre, about 10 km (6 miles) north. About 200 other families now live in the school.

Ammar, 62, has two worries: where she’ll live if the school reopens, and how her grandchildren can catch up after losing years of schooling during repeated conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah since 2023.

“They’ve been out of school for two years — the last war and this war. My son’s daughter, the poor girl, is eight years old. She was a second year and she’s still a second year,” said Ammar.

Since March 2, Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300 people in Lebanon, including more than 250 children, and wounded another 12,000, including 1,000 children, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, which doesn’t specify how many of the casualties were combatants.

At the fighting’s peak, more than one million people — nearly a quarter of the population — were displaced. Most have returned home but more than 340,000 remain displaced, because their hometowns are destroyed or fall within territory occupied by Israel’s military.

Out of nearly 80 public schools still used as shelters as the school year approached, almost half have been emptied and will reopen as schools, Lebanon’s education ministry tells Reuters. About 30 will partially reopen while continuing to serve as shelters, leaving nine schools still fully used as shelters.

Another 50 Lebanese public schools have been destroyed or severely damaged in the war, and more than 200 others have suffered moderate or minor damage, the ministry said. The United Nations said the impact on schools would jeopardize the new school year for at least 100,000 children.

Last month, the Lebanese army said Israeli troops had blown up a public school and a kindergarten in the southern village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to Reuters questions on the school.

Israeli investors in crosshairs of Argentina’s Milei over Falklands oil project

Illustrative: Argentine President Javier Milei listens to speeches after the signing of a Board of Peace charter during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Argentine President Javier Milei’s push for sanctions on oil companies drilling offshore in the British-controlled Falkland Islands has put Israeli investors at the center of a sovereignty dispute over which Britain and Argentina went to war in 1982.

Milei, a proclaimed ally of Israel, on Thursday singled out the Sea Lion offshore oil project as he announced measures targeting companies involved in Falklands oil and gas activities, with penalties potentially extending to shareholders, directors and suppliers.

The project’s two owners have strong Israeli ties. Sea Lion is operated by Tel Aviv-listed Navitas Petroleum, which holds a 65% stake.

Gideon Tadmor, a prominent figure in Israel’s energy sector and also the company’s chair, holds about 9% of shares in the company, according to LSEG data.

The remaining 35% of Sea Lion is owned by London-listed Rockhopper Exploration with Israel-based Noked Capital, Brosh Funds and ION Fund Management among its top five investors, owning between 4.6% and 9.2% each.

Navitas and Rockhopper said the Sea Lion project had valid licenses and that they did not expect Milei’s comments to have a material effect on the project’s development.

“The Partnership operates pursuant to valid petroleum licenses lawfully granted to it by the Government of the Falkland Islands, a self-governing UK Overseas Territory, and with the full and ongoing support of the UK Government,” Navitas says in a statement.

Both companies had already been disqualified from operating in Argentina for 20 years over taking up the licences, which Buenos Aires says are illegal, according to a December 2025 statement on the website of the Argentine embassy in Britain.

Shares in Navitas and Rockhopper fell as much as 6% and 12%, respectively, on Friday.

Arab-majority Hadash party pulls candidate facing sexual harassment allegations off its slate

Arab-Israeli NGO worker Jafar Farah, who alleges a police officer broke his knee after he was arrested, in court on May 20, 2018. (Hadashot screenshot)

The Arab-majority Hadash party has announced that it has pulled its No. 2 candidate Ja’far Farah off of its slate for the upcoming election amid allegations of sexual harassment by several women.

Hadash says in a statement that Farah informed the party of his decision to resign earlier today and that a meeting will be held tomorrow to select another candidate to replace him.

Hadash is running on a joint slate with the Arab-majority Ta’al and Balad parties, in which he is positioned in the fourth slot.

UAE pardons Egyptian-Turkish poet facing 10 years in jail

Egyptian-Turkish poet Abdulrahman Youssef al-Qaradawi was pardoned by United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday, state news agency WAM says, a week after receiving a 10-year jail sentence following his extradition from Lebanon.

Qaradawi, the son of late senior Muslim cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi, was arrested in Lebanon in December 2024 after making critical comments about the UAE, Saudi Arabian and Egyptian authorities in a video posted online.

He was extradited in January 2025, facing charges of “engaging in activities that aim to stir and undermine public security,” WAM said at the time.

Rights groups and UN experts had called for Qaradawi’s release, saying he had been arrested after exercising his right to free expression.

His father, who died in 2022, was a spiritual guide to the Muslim Brotherhood, championed the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, and drew the ire of rulers in Egypt and the Gulf with his Islamist preaching.

UAE pardons Egyptian-Turkish poet facing 10 years in jail
Qaradawi, the son of late senior Muslim cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi, was pardoned by UAE President after being arresting in Lebanon in December 2024 and extradited to the UAE after making critical comments about the Gulf…

— Middle East Online (@MeoNews) September 4, 2026

US, allies want IAEA board to report Iran to UN Security Council, diplomats say

The US and its allies Britain, France and Germany are pushing other countries on the UN nuclear watchdog’s board to pass a resolution next week reporting Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years, diplomats said on Friday.

If passed, the resolution would follow up on one adopted on June 12 of last year declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for not fully cooperating with an investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites.

Israel started bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities the next day, soon joined by the United States, destroying or badly damaging Iran’s uranium-enrichment plants.

Iran has not let International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors return to the bombed sites since then or verify what remains of its stocks of enriched uranium, some of which was enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.

A resolution by the IAEA’s 35-nation board reporting Iran to the Security Council would also be the culmination of a standoff over IAEA access to those sites, since the board has passed two resolutions in the past year demanding Iran declare its enriched uranium stocks and grant the IAEA full access to verify them.

A draft text for the resolution has yet to be formally submitted to the board and negotiations between countries over the exact wording are ongoing, diplomats said. A draft is usually formally submitted early in the week of a board meeting.

As a party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran has the right to develop nuclear technology, including enrichment, for peaceful purposes. Iran says it would never produce nuclear weapons.

It is, however, the only country to enrich to 60% without making a bomb. The amount it has enriched to that level is “a matter of serious concern” to the IAEA.

The IAEA believes well over 200 kg of that highly enriched uranium has survived the bombardments and is held in a tunnel complex at Isfahan and at the Natanz facility.

Argentina to return Nazi-looted painting to heir of Jewish art collector

Argentina must return an 18th century painting stolen by Nazis from a Dutch Jewish art collector to the rightful owner’s heir, a judge rules.

“Portrait of a Lady” by Italian baroque painter Giuseppe Ghislandi was missing for eight decades before being photographed last year hanging in the home of the daughter of a senior SS officer, who had fled to Argentina after World War II.

US envoys Witkoff, Kushner due in Kyiv Sunday

US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to arrive in Kyiv for a first-time visit on Sunday, a senior Ukrainian official tells AFP.

Witkoff and Kushner — Trump’s son-in-law — have been involved in shuttle diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine, travelling to Moscow multiple times, and are expected to visit Kyiv this weekend, the source tells AFP on Friday.

US targets Turkish entities in latest Iran-related sanctions

The US Treasury Department issues new Iran-related sanctions, targeting three Turkey-based entities, according to the department’s website.

The entities targeted are Golden Global Portfoy Yonetimi Anonim Sirketi, Golden Global Varlik Kiralama Anonim Sirketi, and Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi.

The Treasury Department also issues a general license to allow the wind down of transactions with the sanctioned entities.

The action is the latest in the Trump administration’s campaign to economically pressure Tehran six months into Washington’s war with Iran, which has pushed energy prices higher worldwide.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who last month announced an “economic onslaught” against Iran’s financial links around the world, has said Washington is seeking to force Tehran back to the negotiating table.

Last week, Washington moved to cut off Egyptian lender Banque Misr’s branches in the United Arab Emirates from US dollar transactions over their dealings with Iran.

In an interview with Reuters on Sunday, Bessent said the Treasury Department was likely to roll out new secondary sanctions every week, initially focusing on banks, as part of a broader campaign to intensify economic pressure on Iran.

Eisenkot hints at ‘surprise’ party unifications ahead of Tuesday deadline to file slates

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party speaks during an election campaign rally in Nordiya, Israel, August 31, 2026. (Gili Yaari/Flash90)

Yashar head Gadi Eisenkot, who is polling as the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hints that the next few days could see “surprise” mergers of several opposition parties.

Speaking at an event in Rishon LeZion, Eisenkot says he is “convinced we will build a winning political system. Our victory will be large, over 60 seats.”

Recent polls have shown both the coalition and the opposition bloc struggling to gain a majority in the 120-seat Knesset after the October 27 vote.

Asked about party mergers before the  deadline to submit finalized electoral slates  on Tuesday evening, Eisenkot says: “I’m talking to everyone; if I publicize it now, it won’t be serious.”

“We are preparing surprises in the next few days. I’m convinced it will happen and be to the benefit of the State of Israel,” he says.

Foreign Ministry says Israeli woman assaulted in Paris hotel, attack not believed antisemitic

An Israeli woman staying at a hotel in Paris was assaulted overnight, the Foreign Ministry says in a statement.

According to Hebrew media reports, the woman is 80 years old and was attacked by an intoxicated man.

Israel’s consul in Paris and the Foreign Ministry’s Department for Israelis in Distress Abroad have been in continuous contact with the woman and her family and are coordinating with local authorities to “assist her in every way possible,” the ministry says.

The ministry adds that “based on the circumstances of the incident as currently known, it does not appear that the assault was antisemitic in nature.”

At this stage, no official details have been released regarding the circumstances of the incident, the identity of the assailant, or the woman’s condition.

US diesel prices hit new high amid Iran war disruption, organization reports

Gas prices for regular and diesel fuel are displayed at a BP gas station, in Mundelein, Illinois, April 15, 2026. (AP/Nam Y. Huh)

The price of diesel — the vital fuel used for road hauling, agriculture and construction — hits a new record in the United States today, the AAA motorists’ association says amid disruption from the US war with Iran.

The price is now $5.85 a gallon, up from $3.71 a year ago, the AAA says.

Russian-Israeli historian said to be detained by Israel reportedly suspected of espionage

Artyom Kirpichenok. (Social media, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Representatives of a Russian-Israeli historian who has reportedly been held in Shin Bet custody since disappearing upon his arrival in Israel early last month say he is suspected of espionage and contact with a foreign intelligence agent.

Artyom Kirpichenok, who lives in Russia and is known for his criticism of Israel, came to Israel on August 4 for a conference but hasn’t been seen since getting off the plane. Family and friends who have tried to contact him have been unsuccessful.

Representatives of Kirpichenok tell Russian news site Meduza that “according to unofficial information,” the historian was investigated over suspicions he “engaged in espionage and communicated with an agent of a foreign intelligence service.”

Meduza reports that “the charges in question are classified as serious,” but Kirpichenok’s lawyer “does not know exactly what the historian is being accused of.”

According to the report, an indictment against Kirpichenok was set to be filed today, “at which point the defense would be able to access the investigation materials.”

This morning, Israeli authorities announced that an indictment was filed by the State Attorney’s Office against an Israeli civilian for “security offenses” involving a “foreign influence” campaign, without providing any further details.

Gantz, Erdan reportedly decide not to run together ahead of election

Unity party chairman Gilad Erdan (left) and Blue and White party head MK Benny Gantz in a photo montage. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90; Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Negotiations for a union between Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party and Gilad Erdan’s Unity party appear to have fallen apart.

According to Hebrew media reports, following a meeting today between the two, Gantz said he is not interested in joining their parties together.

The deadline to submit finalized electoral slates for the October 7 election is Tuesday evening.

A number of parties who are seen in polls as unlikely to cross the electoral threshold have been engaged in last-minute merger talks ahead of the deadline.

Settler accused of attack on Palestinians arrested again for violating terms of his release

Administrative detainee Tal Yinon Dardik arrives at the Jerusalem District Court for a hearing on IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth’s appeal against a decision to release him from administrative detention, August 6, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

A settler accused of a violent attack on Palestinians in the West Bank was arrested yesterday for violating the terms of his release.

According to his lawyer, Tal Yinon Dardik was arrested yesterday in northern Israel after he failed to show up twice a day at a police station in the West Bank city of Modiin Illit, as the terms of his release required.

His attorney Nati Rom, from the far-right Honenu legal organization, says in a statement that prosecutors have filed an indictment against Dardik and are now seeking to keep him in custody until the end of proceedings.

Dardik is suspected of a brutal attack in March in Khirbet Humsa, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, where he, along with other extremist settlers, allegedly stripped a Palestinian victim, zip-tied his genitals, and paraded him around the village. Dardik denies taking part in the incident.

Last month a court ordered Dardik freed after 38 days in custody after he had previously repeatedly violated a house arrest order. His case has become a cause célèbre among many right-wing politicians, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, who reportedly visited him in prison.

Ad tracking disabled on devices of US Mideast forces after reports location data used to target them

This screen grab from footage released by the US Central Command on July 25, 2026 shows what CENTCOM says are operations enforcing its naval blockade against Iran. (US CENTRAL COMMAND/ AFP)

US military officials say they have disabled advertising trackers on a range of phones and computers, according to letters released today by US Senator Ron Wyden and statements given to Reuters, a development that follows reports that commercially available location data had been used to target American forces in the Middle East.

The Air Force told Wyden it disabled the advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones two months ago.

US Special Operations Command says in a separate letter that it had “recently” disabled them on its Windows devices. The Army tells Reuters that advertising IDs tied to mobile devices had been disabled since earlier this year.

Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has pressed the Pentagon on the issue for months.

The disclosures highlight a growing national security concern: that location data collected by the advertising industry and sold by data brokers — companies that collate and resell personal data — can be used to track and target military personnel deployed to war zones.

The Air Force and Special Operations Command declined further comment. Similar letters from the Army and Navy to Wyden said they disabled advertising IDs on military devices but gave no indication of when the restrictions were imposed. The Army said in a statement that advertising IDs had been blocked on Windows computers “since before 2021” but that Android and Apple mobile devices had only had it disabled by default “since at least February 2026.”

Messages seeking comment from the Navy went unreturned.

Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic remains low as fuel prices rise

Ship traffic on the Strait of Hormuz remains low after the renewed US attacks on targets in Iran earlier this week and Iran’s retaliatory attacks in the region, including firing at US Gulf ally Kuwait yesterday.

Fuel prices are again affected. Diesel hit a new record price in the US today, soaring to an average of $5.85 a gallon for the first time ever.

The benchmark US crude price rises above $91 a barrel with the new wave of uncertainty around traffic on the strait, which Iran continues to use as leverage after six months of war with the US.

Ben Gvir places Likud defector Gotliv in No. 2 spot on Otzma Yehudit list

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, left, and Likud MK Tally Gotliv at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, November 10, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says that Tally Gotliv — who joined his Otzma Yehudit party in a deal with Likud — will be number 2 on the faction’s electoral slate.

In a joint statement to the press, Ben Gvir says Gotliv is “one of the bravest and most insistent ideologues in the Knesset. Everyone can agree that Tally is not just a member of Knesset but a true force multiplier.”

After she was placed in the 20th spot on the Likud list following the party’s primary, Gotliv indicated she was open to joining another faction. Yesterday, Likud announced a deal to have her move to Otzma Yehudit without facing any consequences, seemingly helping her preserve her parliamentary immunity and avoid prosecution for exposing the identity of a Shin Bet agent.

In her own comments today, Gotliv praises Otzma Yehudit for “reaching legislative heights” in the Knesset and Ben Gvir for being a “fearless minister.”

Israeli man indicted for being part of a ‘foreign influence’ campaign

An indictment was filed today by the State Attorney’s Office against an Israeli civilian for “security offenses” involving a “foreign influence” campaign, authorities announce.

Following the filing of the indictment, the Central District Court permits few details of the case to be published, while all other details are currently under wraps.

The State Attorney’s Office says the civilian was arrested and questioned by the Shin Bet security agency and police “on suspicion of security offenses.”

“During his interrogation, it emerged that the [suspect] had been operated by foreign intelligence elements and had been involved in foreign influence activity,” the statement reads.

“Upon completion of his interrogation, an indictment and a request for detention until the end of [legal] proceedings were filed against him for security offenses attributed to him in light of his being operated by foreign intelligence elements against the State of Israel,” the State Attorney’s Office adds.

Activists deliver aid to Qusra homes blocked off by IDF for nearly a month

Around 100 Israeli activists deliver food packages to Palestinians in homes on the outskirts of Qusra, south of Nablus, that have been blocked off for close to a month.

The activists, from Peace Now, Standing Together, Rabbis for Human Rights and Looking the Occupation in the Eye arrived this morning at the homes with food.

עכשיו בקוסרא. זה היום ה-28 למצור על הכפר.

כמאה פעילים הגיעו כדי להעביר מים, מזון וציוד למשפחות הנצורות. הצבא מונע מאיתנו להגיע אליהן בטענה שמדובר ב"שטח צבאי סגור".

הצו הזה, משום מה, אף פעם לא מונע מהמתנחלים להגיע.

המפקד בשטח בינתיים מסרב אפילו לאפשר לנו להכניס את הציוד.… pic.twitter.com/W3pVLEhMIm

— שלום עכשיו (@PeaceNowIL) September 4, 2026

According to Peace Now, the activists were barred from approaching the homes because the area has been declared a closed military zone. The supplies were instead taken from them by IDF troops and delivered to the families.

For around three weeks, the IDF has stationed troops at the entrance to the homes to prevent the reestablishment of a settlement outpost that had blocked the residents in for several days. However, the residents cannot enter or leave their homes without prior coordination, and others are barred from reaching them.

Meanwhile, settlers continue to frequent the area, according to testimonies of Palestinians and footage from recent weeks.

IDF: 10 Palestinian suspects arrested, weapons manufacturing tools seized in West Bank raid

Lathes used to make weapons seized by the IDF during a West Bank raid, in a handout photo released September 4, 2026. (IDF)

The IDF says it has arrested 10 people and seized and destroyed more than 30 machines used to produce weapons during a raid this week in the West Bank.

The military says it has wrapped up a 48-hour counterterror operation in and around the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank.

IDF forces, guided by the Shin Bet, “searched hundreds of locations, questioned dozens of suspects, and arrested more than 10 wanted individuals,” the military says.

Troops destroyed more than 30 lathes used to manufacture weapons and also seized rifles, handguns and ammunition, the IDF adds.

At least 81 killed in clashes between Houthis and Yemeni forces, sources say

Clashes between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and government forces have killed 81 combatants since yesterday, according to two military officials and medical sources in rebel-held territory.

A military official on the Red Sea coast reports 24 of his men killed, while another in the inland Taiz area says 15 had been killed there. At least 42 Houthi militants were also killed, according to medical sources in areas under their control.

Jerusalem attacker said to have tried to stab civilians before police intervened

A man who attempted a stabbing attack overnight in Jerusalem reportedly tried to first stab civilians who managed to get away.

According to an unsourced report in the Ynet news site, the attacker arrived via motorcycle, parked nearby and attempted to stab civilians who ran and called the police.

Border Police officers who were nearby were dispatched and “neutralized” the attacker. It was not immediately clear if the suspect was killed.

The report says the attacker had a blue Israeli ID card, meaning he is either a citizen or permanent resident.

Two trapped tunnel workers rescued alive in Nepal

People salvage their belongings from a building damaged by flash flooding in Nuwakot district of Nepal, September 1, 2026. (AP/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Two hydropower workers in Nepal were pulled out today from tunnels buried by debris in catastrophic flooding more than a week ago, say Nepali government ministers.

Energy Biraj Bhakta Shrestha confirms a “person was just safely rescued from the tunnel of Trishuli 3A,” followed by a second shortly after.

“We have just received news that another person… has also been rescued,” Home Minister Sudan Gurung says in a statement.

Authorities have been searching for days for any survivors feared trapped inside several hydropower tunnels. The work is ongoing using excavators and other heavy equipment to look for any survivors in the tunnels, the army said yesterday.

Trump meets with delegation of Hasidic rabbis, including from anti-Zionist sect

US President Donald Trump met on Thursday in the Oval Office with a delegation of Hasidic rabbis, including a pair of prominent leaders of the anti-Zionist Satmar sect.

The meeting represented Trump’s annual engagement with the Jewish community ahead of the Rosh Hashanah holiday.

The delegation included long-estranged brothers Aharon and Zalman Teitelbaum who represent rival factions of the Satmar sect.

US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Jared Kushner and Republican Representative Mike Lawler also joined the meeting.

The Satmar Rebbe, his son Rabbi Mendel Teitelbaum and other leading Rabbis met with Vice President Vance
Afterwards, the Rebbe, accompanied by Kiryas Joel Administrator Gedalye Szegedin, met privately with President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner in the Oval Office pic.twitter.com/AvUXirv4qX

— Rabbi Moishe Indig (@MoishIndig) September 4, 2026

Rights groups push US lawmakers to drop provision for deeper defense ties with Israel

Dozens of civil rights and advocacy groups are urging Congress to scrap a defense bill provision that would deepen US-Israeli military technology ties, according to a letter seen by Reuters, at a time of growing US skepticism toward the longtime ally.

The provision would deepen cooperation between the US and Israeli defense sectors by accelerating joint military technology development and other partnerships. The bill passed the House of Representatives in July and awaits Senate action.

The provision of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, known as Section 219, seeks to set up frameworks for joint ventures, licensing agreements and US-based co-production partnerships with the Israeli industry.

In Thursday’s letter addressed to leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, 56 groups say deeper integration with Israel’s defense sector will be “exceptionally dangerous” and urge lawmakers to remove the provision.

The groups include Amnesty International USA and the civil rights network National Lawyers Guild as well as Arab and Jewish advocacy groups.

“At a time in which American interests are increasingly diverging from those of Israel, and American public opinion is turning increasingly against unconditional support to Israel, creating new points of influence for Israel in the US defense-technology ecosystem is exceptionally dangerous,” says the letter, which hasn’t been previously reported.

Israel is one of Washington’s closest allies in the Middle East, and the two countries cooperate extensively on defense and intelligence issues. Supporters say deeper ties could help speed military innovation and technology development.

A spokesperson from the Israeli Embassy in Washington doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a May interview with CBS that he hoped to wean Israel off U.S. military support within a decade. In a June letter to a US congressman he wrote that the time has come for Israel “to move from aid recipient to partner.”

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen told Reuters that it was not in US national interests to deepen such cooperation with the Netanyahu government.

“This provision … threatens to compromise sensitive technologies and, based on our prior experience, risks giving the Government of Israel the ability to interfere in US defense decisions,” Van Hollen says.

30-year-old shot dead in Nazareth, the fourth man murdered there in less than a day

A 30-year-old man was shot and killed in Nazareth this evening, the fourth homicide victim in the northern Arab city in less than 24 hours.

He is identified in Arabic media as Mahmoud Biatra.

He was reportedly pronounced dead at Nazareth’s Holy Family Hospital, where medics rushed him after finding him without a pulse and not breathing, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

Earlier Thursday, police announced the arrest of 15 people suspected of involvement in gang violence, after three men were shot dead in Nazareth on Wednesday night in what police said was part of an “internal dispute between criminal gangs in the city.”

Israeli triathletes barred from race in Northern Ireland after organizer objects

Israeli athletes who were due to compete in an international triathlon in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry this weekend will no longer be taking part, race organizers say.

North West Triathlon Club (NWTC) says it made “strong representations” that it cannot support the participation of four Israeli athletes in the Europe Triathlon Cup.

But Julie Middleton, a member of the legislative Northern Ireland assembly for the pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party, says the fact the Israeli quartet was barred from a race set to feature up to 200 athletes from around the world is “an awful reflection on Londonderry.”

Middleton adds: “An international sporting event that should showcase our city’s hospitality and openness has instead become associated with the exclusion of athletes because they are Israeli.”

NWTC, in a social media statement, says it became aware of the potential participation of Israeli athletes only when the provisional entry list for Saturday’s race was published on the World Triathlon website.

“NWTC immediately made strong representations to Triathlon Ireland and Europe Triathlon and made clear in the strongest possible terms that it could not support their participation in the circumstances,” the organization says.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, athletes representing Israel will not be participating in the City of Derry Triathlon on Saturday…There will be no Israeli representation competing at this event.”

The NWTC says their stance isn’t “directed at anyone because of their religion or ethnicity, but is a position “concerning representation of the State of Israel in international sport and the attempt to present normality on the international sporting stage while Palestinians continue to suffer.”

A statement from the Police Service of Northern Ireland said it “became aware of potential protest activity in relation to the event through social media.”