Sept. 5: Iran threatens ‘more severe attacks’ against US Navy, claims to have targeted oil tankers in Hormuz

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they targeted oil tankers, US ships after American strikes

The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted three oil tankers that were traveling through unauthorized routes in the Strait of Hormuz as well as three additional US vessels in other areas, according to a statement.

There is no immediate confirmation from the US.

US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, US Central Command said, including one off the coast of Kharg Island, near Iran’s key oil export hub.

Veteran Haredi MK Moshe Gafni reportedly replaced as chief of Degel HaTorah faction

Veteran Degel HaTorah lawmaker Moshe Gafni is out as the leader of Degel HaTorah, according to Hebrew media outlets citing an on-background briefing to reporters.

Degel HaTorah is a subfaction of the Ashkenazi Haredi United Torah Judaism party and linked to the so-called Lithuanian stream of non-Hasidic ultra-Orthodox Judaism.

The reports say that as part of the shakeup, MK Uri Maklev will also not run in the upcoming election and that MK Ya’akov Asher will replace Gafni as faction leader. The reported move means Asher will also become chairman of UTJ, taking over for MK Yitzhak Goldknopf of the Hasidic Agudat Yisrael, due to the leadership rotation agreement between the two factions.

Man shot dead after firing at cops identified as Border Police officer from Netanya

Police identify the man who was shot dead in Netanya after opening fire at officers as Sgt. David Amrani, 20, a resident of the coastal city.

Amrani, who enlisted in 2024, is survived by his parents and two siblings.

The police announcement comes as details of the incident remain unclear.

Father of slain hostage says state commission of inquiry into Oct. 7 ‘not a tool to topple the government’

Michel Illouz, father of slain hostage Guy Illouz, says a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, “is not vengeance, not a tool to topple the government.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects such a commission because its members would be picked by the judiciary, which he claims is biased against him. But Illouz says the commission is “a democratic country’s way of saying, ‘a disaster happened here, we need to understand why’.”

Illouz makes the remarks at the Movement for Quality Government’s weekly protest at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, with about 150 people in attendance.

He says the demand for a state commission “also links to” the wider theme of the protest, “the identity of Israeli protest.”

“We can’t dismantle the checks and balances that ensure the government also abides by the law,” says Illouz.

“For me, this isn’t a televised debate, and it’s not a civics lesson. It’s my life and it’s my son. Guy should have been here tonight,” continues Illouz, as his voice cracks.

“I ask one basic thing: Give us the truth. Give us accountability. Give us answers,” he says. “I can never bring my Guy back. I wish I could. I can only speak in his name and demand the truth isn’t buried with him.”

As usual at the Saturday night rallies, protesters and counterprotesters clash at a street corner next to Habima Square, where right-wing provocateur Mordechai David arrives with a handful of supporters. Police try to break up the confrontation.

Officers arrested two people following the protest “on suspicion of mutual assault,” and “the circumstances are being investigated,” police say.

The Protest Detainee Legal Support Front, a group of lawyers who represent anti-government protesters pro bono, says a protester was detained after a “regime thug” falsely yelled, “he’s attacking me.”

The lawyer group identifies the accuser as Eliran Simantov, who in July gained notoriety with a video of himself berating veteran comic actor Moni Moshonov near Habima Square for “refusing to die” and satirizing Jewish and Zionist history on the Kan public broadcaster’s “The Jews Are Coming.”

Simantov in May also allegedly spat at former prime minister Ehud Olmert, a fierce Netanyahu critic, outside the Tel Aviv Cinematheque, which is down the road from Habima.

???? זו המשמרת שלנו! חודש וחצי לבחירות – אסור להישאר בבית ואסור לוותר על האמת.

הערב בכיכר הבימה חיברנו בין המאבקים שיקבעו כיצד תיראה מדינת ישראל ביום שאחרי הבחירות: הגנה על הדמוקרטיה ועל טוהר הבחירות, הקמת ועדת חקירה ממלכתית, שוויון אמיתי בנטל ושמירה על עצמאות שומרי הסף.

הבחירות… pic.twitter.com/E8STd9kNnB

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— התנועה לאיכות השלטון (@MovGov) September 5, 2026

Iran threatens ‘more severe’ attacks against US Navy until maritime blockade removed

Iran’s military vows “more severe” retaliatory attacks on US naval vessels if Washington keeps up its strikes on Iranian ships, hours after US Central Command said it had destroyed three Iranian tankers.

“The US terrorist army is warned that if the evil actions, insecurity and harassment of Iranian ships and the naval blockade of Iran continue, the strikes by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran against US military vessels in the region will be more severe than before and there is a possibility of their expansion,” the Khatam al-Anbiya central command says.

Ra’am’s Jewish candidate implies he won’t put anti-Bibi bloc over the hump if rest of party not on board

Yoav Segalovitz, the number two candidate on Ra’am’s electoral list, implies he will not be the 61st vote for a new, opposition-based coalition without the rest of the Islamist party’s lawmakers voting for it.

Asked during an interview with Channel 12 whether he would serve as the “61st vote” for a government in this manner, Segalovitch initially evades the question, saying that such an eventuality hasn’t yet transpired.

Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas interjects, however, saying “He won’t do this, I’m telling you he won’t do this,” before being asked how he could be sure.

“Because he knows me,” replies Segalovitz.

“On the values level, Mansour knows me, and I know him. If I was not sure about this man — I trust him, his heart, his motivations, his perspective. I would never do this if I didn’t think I had a partner,” Segalovitz insists.

Leaders of opposition parties, including Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman and B’Yachad leader Naftali Bennett, have said they will not form a government that is dependent on Ra’am, citing difficulties from the government Bennett led from 2021-2022.

Channel 12’s question was predicated upon a potential scenario after the upcoming elections in which opposition parties get 60 seats in the Knesset without Ra’am and then seek to persuade Segalovitz to be the 61st MK, giving them a majority in Knesset.

Both Abbas and Segalovitz also say in the interview that they didn’t consult with Bennett or Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot about their Jewish-Arab political partnership and whether Segalovitz, formerly of Yesh Atid, should have joined Ra’am.

“Throughout the years I always believed in partnership despite the difficulties,” says Abbas.

“I believe in this path, and I believe with or without Yoav that we’ll succeed in being partners to replace this government,” he continues, adding, however, that bringing Segalovitz into the Ra’am faction “helps [with this goal], no doubt.”

Reports say 3 Palestinian brothers were riding in car that was attacked by settlers

Palestinian media report that three Palestinian brothers were attacked yesterday afternoon while driving in the area of the villages of al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah, near Ramallah.

Footage circulated online shows them with injuries to their faces and bodies, while the vehicle’s windows appear to have been smashed.

HORRIFIC: Israeli settler terrorists attacked three Palestinians, including a U.S. citizen, yesterday afternoon between the villages of Al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah, severely injuring them and leaving them hospitalized.

The settlers beat them, smashed their vehicle, and stole… pic.twitter.com/Rt01BZ2djx

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) September 5, 2026

No further details about the incident are currently known.

In recent weeks, there have been two incidents on the same road in which Palestinian vehicles overturned after settlers threw stones at them, according to reports.

مليشيات المستوطنين تعتدي يوم أمس على ثلاثة أشقاء بين قريتي المغير وأبو فلاح شمال رام الله وتسرق مركبتهم. pic.twitter.com/fZVr3xkHjq

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) September 5, 2026

‘The Jew hate knows no boundaries’: Huckabee joins Israel in bashing UK’s Miliband over ‘horrific’ Gaza stories video

The Foreign Ministry bashes British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband after he put out a video on the “horrific” stories he was told about Israel allegedly blocking medications to the Gaza Strip.

The Foreign Ministry denies in a statement that Israel has blocked medicines from entering Gaza or that Palestinians there are prevented from seeking medical treatment abroad, saying Miliband “is well aware of all this.”

“The UK is a member of the International Gaza Support Center, which facilitates the delivery of medical aid to the Gaza Strip,” the statement adds, referring to the US-led coordination center in Kiryat Gat. Israel is reportedly considering expelling British representatives from the center amid growing tensions between London and Jerusalem over a controversial West Bank settlement project.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also slams Miliband, saying, “The Brits have lost it.”

“The Jew hate of their government knows no boundaries and knows no facts,” Huckabee writes on X, without noting Miliband is Jewish.

IDF says it mistakenly launched interceptor missile in response to Israeli gunfire in Gaza

An interceptor missile was mistakenly launched over the Gaza border a short while ago, the military says.

The IDF had fired the interceptor after identifying a suspicious target in the air, which later turned out to be gunfire by Israeli forces inside the Strip.

No injuries were caused, and the incident is under further investigation, the IDF adds.

Putin tells Witkoff and Kushner that Russia will do its utmost to ensure their safety

Russian President Vladimir Putin tells US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that contacts between Moscow and Washington are always beneficial, and that Russia finds it convenient to work with them.

Witkoff says US President Donald Trump sent his best wishes to Putin and thanks him for a ceasefire during the US delegation’s visit. Putin says Russia will do its utmost to ensure the safety of the mediators.

The two US special representatives arrived in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine.

TV: Days after Oct. 7, Winter claimed 15,000 IDF soldiers would be killed in Gaza offensive

Shortly after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the Israel Defense Forces couldn’t effectively carry out a ground offensive in Gaza and as a result 15,000 soldiers would be killed and thousands abducted, according to an unsourced Channel 12 news report.

Four hundred and seventy-three IDF soldiers were killed in the Gaza ground offensive.

The network quotes an unnamed former military official accusing Winter of spreading demoralizing assessments of how the military would perform in the Gaza Strip, and therefore, the offensive was delayed.

Winter denies the report, which echoes the Haaretz daily’s reporting in December 2024 that cited security officials.

‘The situation is of course not simple’: Putin meets US envoys for talks on ending Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for talks on ending more than four years of war in Ukraine.

“The situation is of course not simple,” Putin tells the US officials in footage aired on Russian state media.

Lapid names Yesh Atid candidates running on B’Yachad slate

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid reveals the members of his Yesh Atid party who will be included on B’Yachad’s electoral slate in the October 27 election.

In the No. 2 spot behind Lapid is MK Meirav Ben-Ari, followed by Maj. Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon, MK Meirav Cohen and MK Ram Ben Barak, with women holding four of the top 10 spots allocated to Yesh Atid and seven of the top 15.

As part of Lapid’s agreement with former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who leads B’Yachad, Yesh Atid will receive four of the top 10 spots on the joint list of candidates and around half of the first 15 spots overall.

The unveiling of the list comes after five sitting Yesh Atid lawmakers announced they won’t run in the coming election with B’Yachad, amid a recent slump in the polls, though sources in the party say they remain faction members and will assist the campaign.

“If we want to rehabilitate the country, there is no better way to do so than to empower these people,” Lapid says in a post to party activists.

Police say suspect in Netanya shot dead after firing at officers

Police say they have shot dead a suspect in the coastal city of Netanya who fired at officers.

There are no reports of injuries among officers.

A motive isn’t immediately clear and police say further details will be forthcoming.

Iran reports 10 killed when fuel tanker explodes after crash on highway

Ten people were killed when a fuel tanker exploded on a highway in western Iran as a result of a traffic accident, state media reports.

Video shows Huckabee filming settlers on ATV while visiting Palestinian town to condemn settler attacks

Video from the West Bank shows settlers riding in an ATV as US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya.

Huckabee can be seen holding up his cellphone to film the ATV as it passed nearby, and says “yeah” in response to being told, “There is no respect for nobody.”

Unnamed sources who were present tell Channel 12 news that Huckabee promised to personally send the video to US President Donald Trump.

אירוע חריג במהלך ביקורו של שגריר ארה"ב בתורמסעיא: האקבי תיעד הגעת מתנחלים סמוך לבית המשפחה הפלסטינית שבה ביקר.

נוכחים בביקור ל-N12: השגריר הבטיח לשלוח את הסרטון באופן אישי לטראמפ, כדי להציג בפניו את ניסיונות השיבוש של הביקור על ידי המתנחלים@mmagadli pic.twitter.com/xEQWUhNftU

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) September 5, 2026

Greek air force jet crashes during annual aerial show, sparking fire

ATHENS, Greece — A Greek air force jet has crashed at an aerial show north of Athens, starting a fire that sends large plumes of black smoke into the air in front of several thousand spectators.

There are no injuries among the attendees following the crash of the twin-seat Phantom F4 jet that occurred during a low-altitude maneuver.

Air force officials in Greece make no immediate comment on the status of the two airmen, noting that rescue crews are hampered by the fire on the grounds of Tanagra air force base, 60 kilometers (about 40 miles) north of Athens.

Eleven water-dropping planes and helicopters are assisting 85 firefighters in an effort to contain the blaze, which remains at some distance from the viewing area at Athens Flying Week, an annual air show.

Zelensky says he spoke with Witkoff and Kushner as they hold truce talks in Moscow

US President Volodymyr Zelensky says that he spoke with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have already started their talks with Russia.

The US envoys are expected in Kyiv tomorrow.

Zelensky says that Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow from now on, and also on Sunday and Monday. He says he expects Russia to do the same regarding Kyiv.

“I have just spoken with the US president’s envoys,” Zelensky says on Telegram. “From the moment of this conversation, we are ready to observe a ceasefire in airstrikes against the cities involved in the negotiation process.”

Argentina must return Nazi-looted painting to owner’s rightful heir, judge rules

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — 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 artist Giacomo Ceruti 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.

Putin orders three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv amid visit by top US officials

MOSCOW, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin orders a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv, starting today, as part of preparations for a visit by a US delegation, Interfax quotes Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

Putin is due to meet US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner today, Peskov tells the TASS news agency.

60 killed in fighting between Houthis and government forces in Yemen, sources say

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Fighting between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces and the country’s Houthi rebels killed more than 60 people today, including civilians, medical and military sources tell AFP.

According to three Yemeni military sources, 26 government troops were killed during several hours of fighting in the country’s southwest, while medical and military sources from the Iran-backed Houthis said 31 rebel fighters were killed.

One medical source in the government-held city of Taiz says a missile strike killed six civilians travelling by bus and wounded seven others.

Municipal security arrives to shut down coffee cart set up where Jerusalem cafe caved to Haredi protests

Municipal officers arrive to shut down a coffee cart set up by liberal activists at the site of a Jerusalem cafe that announced this week that it would no longer operate on Shabbat.

Activists from the Hitorerut party — a faction in the Jerusalem municipality — decided to set up the cart after Cafe Basimta said it would close its doors on the Jewish day of rest amid a weeks-long protest campaign by ultra-Orthodox demonstrators.

The activists said yesterday they were determined not to give in to Haredi religious coercion.

Footage shows a municipal security officer arriving at the cafe and telling activists the cart must be shut down due to orders “from above.”

סיעת התעוררות בעיריית ירושלים הקימה היום דוכן בית קפה מאולתר במיקום של בית הקפה ״בסמטה״, לאחר שהחליטו לסגור אותו בשבת – אלא שבהמשך פקחי עיריית ירושלים הגיעו וביקשו לפנות את הדוכן@GLZRadio pic.twitter.com/skFN1A6IQr

— נועם נקש || Noam Nakash (@nakash_noam) September 5, 2026

אז בשקט, ותחת הכותרת הנוחה של ״שמירה על החוק״, עיריית ירושלים עשתה דבר פשוט: היא פירקה מחאה. הדוכן של תנועת התעוררות לא עוד דוכן קפה. הוא היה אקט מחאתי מובהק נגד כפייה דתית.

כשאכיפה פוגעת במחאה ובחופש הביטוי, מצופה מהעירייה להפעיל שיקול דעת, מידתיות בטח כשהדוכן ניצב בסמטה צדדית,… pic.twitter.com/Qp5wwvQnvh

— לירן תמרי | Liran Tamari (@liran__tamari) September 5, 2026

Cafe Basimta said Thursday that the decision to close, starting this weekend, “was made after prolonged deliberation and with a heavy heart, out of a desire to prevent and calm the anger and restore peace to the cafe.”

The cafe has been the scene of sometimes violent protests by members of the ultra-Orthodox community who oppose work on the Sabbath. Counterprotesters have rallied in favor of the cafe staying open on Shabbat, with police on the scene to minimize friction between the two sides.

Huckabee says Israel has ‘responsibility’ to ensure safety of West Bank Palestinians

The US ambassador to Israel says that the Israeli government has a responsibility to ensure the safety of Palestinians in the West Bank after a sharp rise in settler attacks.

“One of the messages that we have been sending and we will continue to send is that people in these communities have a right to live with a level of security and safety, and that the government has a responsibility to make sure that that happens,” Ambassador Mike Huckabee tells reporters as he met Palestinian-Americans in the West Bank.

US ambassador insists there is no Israeli plan to force Palestinians out of Gaza

The US ambassador to Israel says that there was no plan underway to force Palestinians out of Gaza, after Israeli ministers laid out ideas on how to remove the war-battered territory’s two million people.

“I can tell you categorically there is no plan of the Israelis to displace people out of Gaza against their will,” Ambassador Mike Huckabee tells reporters as he visited Palestinian-Americans in the West Bank.

Huckabee calls for ‘severe consequences’ to stop West Bank violence during visit to town targeted by settlers

The US ambassador to Israel calls for “severe consequences” to stop violence in the West Bank as he met Palestinian-Americans who have reported attacks from Israeli settlers.

“Our clear message is that crime is crime, terror is terror. When people do it they should have an expectation that they will have severe consequences,” Mike Huckabee tells reporters as he visited the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, which has a high number of US citizens, but he declined to criticize Israel.

Kushner and Witkoff said to arrive in Moscow amid Ukraine peace push

MOSCOW, Russia — A business jet believed to be carrying US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner arrives in Moscow, Russia’s Interfax news agency reports, citing aviation sources.

Yesterday, Trump said the envoys were heading abroad to attempt to reach a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Chinese national rescued alive from rubble nine days after Nepal flood

KATHMANDU, Nepal — A Chinese national is pulled alive from a tunnel buried by debris in Nepal after catastrophic flooding more than nine days ago, an army spokesman tells AFP.

“A Chinese national has been rescued just now from a tunnel in the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project,” Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet says.

IDF says it struck Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure after drone attack

The IDF says its airstrikes last night in southern Lebanon, in response to a Hezbollah drone attack, targeted members of the terror group and its infrastructure.

Lebanese health authorities reported three dead in Israeli strikes near Nabatieh and Rmadiyeh.

Last night, the military said that Hezbollah launched a drone at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. The drone was shot down by troops, and there were no injuries, according to the IDF.

“In response to the launching of a drone toward our forces in the security zone, the IDF struck terrorists and infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization in southern Lebanon,” the military says in a statement this morning.

Among the targets were weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah that the IDF says were intended to be used in attacks on Israel.

צה"ל לא יאפשר לארגון הטרור חיזבאללה לפגוע באזרחי מדינת ישראל ובכוחותיו, וימשיך לפעול להסרת איומים ולהיות מחויב להסכם הפסקת האש pic.twitter.com/3VQlWHDslO

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 5, 2026

US reportedly targets Iranian tanker as blasts heard near Kharg Island

Explosions are heard near Iran’s Kharg Island in the Gulf, a key oil terminal, but their origin is unknown, the semi-official Fars news agency reports.

Fars news agency says blasts were heard by its correspondent, but that there was no smoke visible, while the SNN news agency claims “an Iranian tanker was targeted by the US” near the island.

1 dead, 11 missing in mudslide in China brought on by tropical storm

BEIJING, China — A mudslide kills one person and leaves 11 others missing in eastern China, damaging a dozen houses following days of torrential rain brought by tropical cyclone Saudel, authorities say.

The mudslide hit part of a village in Suichuan County in Jiangxi province in the early hours, prompting rescuers to rush to the scene and relocate residents to safer ground to prevent further danger, authorities say in a statement. One person pulled out was found dead, while two others were rescued alive and in good condition, it says.

Typhoon Saudel made two landfalls in Zhejiang Province on August 28 and made a third landfall as a tropical storm in Fujian Province Thursday, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported. Both provinces neighbor Jiangxi.

In Fujian, local authorities said yesterday that multiple residents were left unaccounted for after days of heavy rain, Xinhua reported. The exact number is unclear, but more than 100 houses collapsed in Huating Town in Putian city, it said. A dike overtopped and breached Thursday afternoon, flooding villages and trapping residents, it added.

About 600,000 residents have been evacuated from risky offshore and onshore areas in Fujian as of last night, Xinhua reported.

Images from state broadcaster CCTV show that some streets were turned into rivers, while rescuers deploy inflatable boats in their efforts.

A three-story building collapsed into raging floodwaters in southern China’s Fujian province after days of heavy rain, crumbling within seconds as a man watched nearby.

Severe downpours linked to Typhoon Saudel have caused widespread flooding across the region, prompting school… pic.twitter.com/CWI6N7kV88

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 4, 2026

Report: Members of US military’s Joint Staff polygraphed over leaks on munition shortages caused by Iran war

Some 50 members of the US military’s Joint Staff have been polygraphed in an extraordinary move over suspected leaks to journalists, including on the matter of the shortage of critical munitions caused by the Iran war, the New York Times reports.

The newspaper, citing officials briefed on the move, says that military officers and civilian employees were questioned in August as to whether they leaked classified information to journalists.

According to the report, 1,500-2,000 people work for the Joint Staff, “which coordinates operations, policy and war plans with combatant commanders around the world.”

“I’ve never seen polygraphs employed this broadly or at this seniority level,” Rear Adm. Donald J. Guter, a retired top judge advocate general for the Navy tells the newspaper. “In my experience, it’s unprecedented.”

CNN reported last month that the US military has used up close to 80 percent of its interceptors for the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system and approximately 50% of its Patriot interceptors, leaving the supply of those munitions “dangerously low.” Other outlets have also reported on shortages.

In a statement to the Times, the Pentagon says it “does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly.”

Police reportedly authorize Bnei Brak to block neighborhood to traffic over Shabbat

Channel 13 news reports that police have authorized the Bnei Brak Municipality to block traffic during Shabbat to a neighborhood with a significant secular population on the outskirts of the predominantly ultra-Orthodox city.

The municipality last week confirmed ordering dumpsters and other objects be placed at the entrance to the neighborhood, after complaints from secular residents of the area.

White House reviewing candidates to replace Hegseth deputy Steve Feinberg — sources

The White House has reviewed candidates to potentially replace US Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg, three people familiar with the discussions tell Reuters, a sign that more leadership change could come for a Pentagon already facing unusually high staff turnover.

The effort, which was under way in June, has included conversations with senior lawmakers in the Senate about whether the administration’s picks would have enough support to be confirmed, say two of the people, one of whom adds that the review was still going on as of late August. Reuters cannot not determine when the White House began considering candidates.

The three sources say no decision has been made to remove Feinberg from his post. They don’t say why the White House is reviewing potential replacements and don’t specify which candidates the White House is considering.

“These so-called anonymous ‘sources’ have no idea what they are talking about,” says White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.

“President Trump appreciates the work of Secretary Hegseth, Deputy Secretary Feinberg, and the entire Department of War, whose record of success in Operation Epic Fury, Operation Absolute Resolve, and Operation Midnight Hammer speaks for itself,” she says, referring to US military operations in Iran and Venezuela.

The Pentagon denies a process is under way to replace Feinberg. Asked for comment by Reuters, Hegseth says in a statement that Feinberg has his full support and “isn’t going anywhere.”

The Pentagon did not provide a comment from Feinberg and declined to make him available for an interview.

A departure by Feinberg, the billionaire co-founder of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, would be the most senior staff change for a department that has already seen a string of high-profile departures under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Lebanon reports at least 3 killed, over 20 hurt in Israeli strikes following Hezbollah drone attack

Israeli strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon late on Friday killed at least three people and injured 23, the Lebanese health ministry says, without differentiating between combatants and civilians.

The ministry says strikes hit five locations in the southern Tyre and Nabatieh regions and the Bekaa region in the east, following a Hezbollah drone attack on Israeli troops operating in the IDF’s southern Lebanon security zone.

Settlers reportedly torch Palestinian farmland, attack convoy making condolence visit

Israeli settlers torched farmland in the central West Bank Palestinian village of al-Mughayyir earlier this evening, according to Arabic media reports.

مستوطنون يشعلون النيران في أراضي المواطنين بمنطقة شعب اللوز غربي المغير شمال شرقي رام الله#فيديو pic.twitter.com/DIJg5AGmRf

— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) September 4, 2026

Reporter and activist Andrey Khrzhanovskiy also reports that settlers attacked a convoy of Palestinian vehicles traveling to al-Mughayyir earlier today in order to offer their condolences to the families of two teens shot dead earlier this week by Israeli forces.

The IDF and settlers raided al-Mughayyir on Wednesday after settlers claimed that residents had stolen their livestock. A clash broke out, leading Israeli troops to open fire.

Khrzhanovskiy posts footage from today’s attack, which shows two middle-aged men with their shirts and faces bloodied and their vehicle damaged.

The activist-journalist says the settlers blocked the convoy and then proceeded to hurl rocks at the cars, beat the passengers inside with clubs and pepper-spray them.

One of the vehicles was also stolen during the attack, Khrzhanovskiy says.

Two men were evacuated to a nearby hospital for treatment, though an ambulance trying to reach the scene was blocked by the settlers, the activist claims.

The IDF eventually arrived at the scene and fired tear gas at Palestinians from al-Mughayyir who had gathered to try and push back the attacking settlers, the activist says.

It was one of many attacks reported throughout the West Bank on Friday.

The Palestinian Authority’s official Wafa news site says several Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation during a raid by Israeli soldiers and settlers of the Bedouin Khallat al-Nahla hamlet.

مستوطنون يهاجمون محيط منازل فلسطينيين في خلة النحلة جنوب بيت لحم بالضفة الغربية، بحماية قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي pic.twitter.com/S6HABKy3Fy

— الجزيرة مباشر (@ajmubasher) September 4, 2026

Wafa says settlers also raided several homes in the Bedouin hamlet of Khirbet al-Hamma in the Jordan Valley of the West Bank.

???? שישי בלילה – מתנחבלים (אחד מהם הולך עם קסדה צבאית) פלשו לעוד כפר פלסטיני בגדה המערבית והתגרו עם התושבים באזור

זאת המטרה שלהם, להצית פה אינתיפאדה pic.twitter.com/hGaNtv0OVk

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

There are no reports of any arrests made, and there is no immediate comment from the IDF on any of these incidents.

IDF says it’s striking Hezbollah targets after explosive drone launched at troops in south Lebanon

The IDF says it is currently carrying out strikes on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon after the terror group launched an explosive drone at troops this evening.

The drone that Hezbollah launched at Israeli forces was shot down by troops of the Commando Brigade operating in the IDF’s southern Lebanon security zone, the military says, adding that no soldiers were injured in the incident.

“This constitutes a blatant violation [of the ceasefire] by the Hezbollah terror organization,” the IDF says in a statement.

In response, the military says it is carrying out a wave of strikes in southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu’s former strategic adviser gives first interview since PM revealed their affair on live TV in 1993

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former strategic adviser Dr. Ruth Bar has given her first interview since the premier revealed their extramarital affair on live national television in 1993.

Netanyahu was running in a Likud leadership primary at the time and an anonymous caller had phoned his home and threatened his wife Sara, who picked up, that if he didn’t pull out of the race, a tape would be released showing the extramarital affair.

Netanyahu decided to get ahead of the news and rushed to the studio of what was then Channel 1, where he confessed to the affair on live TV.

Bar tells the Maariv news site’s Ben Caspit that she only learned of Netanyahu’s plan to go public about their affair moments before he went on air.

Reflecting on the interview during Channel 12’s Friday evening news broadcast, Caspit notes that there never actually was a tape of the affair.

He also notes that both Netanyahu and Bar’s marriages survived the affair.

Bar managed to remain largely anonymous and was able to have a successful career as a psychologist and strategic consultant. She is about to publish a book, Moah Tahat Hashpa’ah (Brain under influence), about decision-making mechanisms and branding strategies.

Caspit says she reached out to him to conduct the interview because of the book’s imminent publication, and that the timing of the interview, less than two months before elections, is coincidental.

Caspit says Bar’s affair with Netanyahu lasted for several years but that she was completely cut out of the premier’s circle once it became public.