Sept. 14: Hezbollah warns of ‘hundreds of thousands more’ displaced people if Israel launches war

US, UK foreign ministers reaffirm commitment to Israel’s security, Gaza ceasefire in joint statement

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, gestures as he participates with Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, in a strategic dialogue meeting at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London, September 10, 2024. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy reaffirm their commitment both to Israel’s security and to achieving a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in a joint statement summarizing the discussions held during a US-UK Strategic Dialogue in London last week.

During the Dialogue, the two diplomats “underlined their support for Israel’s security and the importance of avoiding any escalatory action in the region which would undermine the prospect for peace and progress towards a two-state solution,” the statement reads.

It adds that the two discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for “all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and for Israel to facilitate the flow of aid,” while at the same time welcoming the ongoing polio vaccination campaign, the first stage of which was declared a success by the World Health Organization.

Lammy “expressed the United Kingdom’s clear support for the ongoing mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to conclude the agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages,” the statement adds.

The two also discussed the threat that both Iran and Russia pose to the West, after Russia received ballistic missiles from Iran to use in its war against Ukraine.

To that end, the statement adds that Blinken and Lammy noted the continued instability that Iran brings to the Middle East “through its proliferation of advanced weaponry, alongside providing financial and political support to its partners, including Lebanese [Hezbollah], Hamas, the Houthis, and other groups in Iraq and Syria.”

Asked who won US presidential debate, Israel’s top diplomat says bluntly, ‘Kamala Harris’

Foreign Minister Israel Katz awaits the arrival of his French and British counterparts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, August 16, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Foreign Minister Israel Katz said bluntly earlier this evening that Kamala Harris won Tuesday’s debate against US presidential rival Donald Trump.

Interviewed on Channel 12 news, Katz was asked: “Who won the debate? Did you watch it?”

“Who won it? Kamala Harris,” Katz responded.

“Even he says so,” marveled one of his interviewers, surprised that Katz would be so undiplomatically definitive.

“I watched the debate,” Katz went on, but then hurriedly added that Harris won “in the debate. There’s still a long time to go” till the elections.

He was then asked about Trump’s assertion in the debate that if Harris wins the election, Israel will not exist two years from now, and did not directly address the question.

“Israel will be and will exist forever,” he said, adding that Trump “wanted to show his great commitment to the State of Israel. And that’s how he presented it.”

Katz also denied that government discussions have related to concerns over a potential Harris election victory, saying there were no discussions of that nature, “formal or informal. It’s not Israel’s business to deal with that. We’ll await the results of the election. The assumption has to be that we don’t intervene there [in their domestic politics] and they don’t intervene here.”

Hezbollah: If Israel launches war, ‘prepare to deal with hundreds of thousands more displaced’

Hezbollah's deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Hezbollah’s second-in-command warns that an all-out war by Israel aimed at returning 100,000 displaced people to their homes in areas near the Lebanon border would displace “hundreds of thousands” more.

Naim Qassem, number two in the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group, says in a speech in Beirut: “We have no intention of going to war, as we consider that this would not be useful.

“However, if Israel does unleash a war, we will face up to it — and there will be large losses on both sides,” he says. “If they think such a war would allow the 100,000 displaced people to return home… we issue this warning: prepare to deal with hundreds of thousands more displaced.”

7 arrested at anti-government Tel Aviv rally; right-wing agitators berate protesters, steal shirt

Protesters against the government and for a hostage deal rally on Tel Aviv's Begin Road, September 14, 2024. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

The anti-government, pro-hostage deal rally on Tel Aviv’s Begin Road, which organizers say drew hundreds of thousands, disperses relatively peacefully but not without arrests, after police arrested seven people according to the Detainee Support Organization, which represents people arrested at anti-government rallies.

Reports say that according to police, they were caught with shredded tires and a substance suspected to be flammable.

Meanwhile, young right-wing agitators clash with some protesters who remain even as traffic resumes on the central traffic artery, though none of the agitators are arrested.

For the second straight time, this week’s rally merges with — or rather, subsumes — the weekly anti-government rally on neighboring Kaplan Street.

Officers chase away a band of youth who come at the end of the rally to taunt and clash with the few remaining protesters, ripping down posters in their wake.

Passing a stand offering free water to protesters, a pair of youths shout: “For leftists it’s with cyanide.”

Some 20 of them steal a shirt from an anti-government vendor’s stand. The youth, pushed off to Kaplan Street, attempt to hold the shirt to a flame until officers once again come to chase them off.

They linger for another 45 minutes on the Kaplan-Begin interchange, where they taunt a group of protesters that headed home remaining in front of the IDF headquarters’ Begin Road entrance.

https://twitter.com/noamlehmann/status/1835044182269804655

Earlier, near the interchange, various left-wing groups outside the rally’s mainstream demanded an end to the killing in Gaza.

A woman walked around wearing a sign that assails protesters for ignoring the “criminal killing in the West Bank and Gaza.” On her mouth was another sign reading: “Silence is a crime.”

A 20-strong group called on Israelis to refuse military service as they waved flags of the far-left Antifa movement and hoisted a banner of Hadash, an Arab-Jewish communist party.

Protesters wave Antifa flags and hoist a @hadash banner on the outskirts of Tel Aviv's pro-hostage deal rally.

'Soldier – attention! Refusal is an option!'

The banner reads: 'In Gaza and Sderot, children want to live.' pic.twitter.com/dlsmNyuz7j

— Noam Lehmann (@noamlehmann) September 14, 2024

Nearby, a man lay in a pool of mock blood next to a rubber head of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Tomatoes cost NIS 22.90 [$6], but blood is free,” read a sign on the installation.

Netanyahu said expected to address UN on Sept. 27, spend 5 days in US, including Shabbat

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address the UN General Assembly on Friday, September 27, and will therefore spend the weekend in the United States due to Shabbat, the Ynet news site reports, without citing sources.

The report says the premier will fly aboard the “Wings of Zion” official plane to New York on Tuesday, September 24, and will spend five days away from the country amid preparations for a potential war in Lebanon.

Netanyahu previously spent an unplanned weekend in the US in July after meeting both candidates in the country’s elections, in meetings that were held later in the week than initially expected.

Report: Netanyahu at odds with Gallant over impact of Lebanon war; Israel lobbying for legitimacy

Hebrew media reports that a security cabinet discussion planned for tomorrow will be postponed to Monday.

The Kan public broadcaster says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes a full-on war in Lebanon won’t diminish Israel’s military pressure on Hamas in Gaza, while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant contends that though the IDF is ready for such a war, it will require some forces to be taken out of Gaza and will harm the chances of returning hostages.

The report says Israel is readying to lobby countries to boost international legitimacy for launching a war in Lebanon, including persuading the US that everything has been done to reach a deal that would prevent a war.

Kan says Washington is aiming to delay a full-blown war until at least after the US election on November 5. It says Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein will soon present progress with Lebanon on efforts to avert a war, while quoting Israeli and foreign sources as saying these efforts aren’t sufficient to resolve the current tensions and daily skirmishes.

Report: Netanyahu said in meeting Israel facing ‘large-scale confrontation’ in north

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on September 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a strategic discussion with security chiefs on Thursday that Israel is facing “a large-scale confrontation” with Hezbollah in the north, Channel 13 news reports.

The network cites an unnamed Netanyahu associate as saying no timing has been set for the move, which has been promised by top officials for months, adding that it could be weeks or a few months from now.

Various officials, including security chiefs, reportedly said during the meeting that a diplomatic solution alone cannot bring about the return of tens of thousands of northern residents displaced since October 7 to their homes.

The report says they added that Jerusalem’s aim is to start a war front with Lebanon as soon as possible based on the IDF’s preparedness and international legitimacy. Security officials are quoted as believing the expansion of the northern war front will require a reduction in forces fighting in Gaza.

Man shot dead in Qalansawe after exiting relative’s wedding

A man in his 40s has been murdered in the Arab town of Qalansawe, as the crime wave in the Arab community persists.

Witnesses say the man was exiting a family wedding and entered his car when assailants shot him dead at close range.

He was taken to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba in critical condition, but medics pronounced him dead.

IDF confirms striking Hezbollah weapons depots deep in Lebanon, other targets

The IDF confirms carrying out airstrikes deep in Lebanon this evening, targeting what it says were Hezbollah weapons depots in the Beqaa Valley and Baalbek region.

Additional strikes targeted weapons depots and buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the IDF adds.

The military releases footage of the strikes.

מטוסי קרב תקפו בשעה האחרונה, בהכוונת אמ״ן ופיקוד הצפון, מחסני אמל״ח של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בבקעא ובבעלבכ שבעומק לבנון.

בנוסף, מטוסי קרב תקפו מחסני אמל"ח ומבנה צבאי של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בשבעה מרחבים שונים בדרום לבנון. pic.twitter.com/cxvwtukSbD

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) September 14, 2024

‘Philadelphi is reversible; the life of a murdered hostage isn’t’: Relatives speak at Jerusalem rally

Richelle Tzarfati, mother of dead hostage Ofir Tzarfati, speaks at a rally for a hostage deal at Paris Square in Jerusalem, September 14, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/Times of Israel)

Family members of hostages held by Hamas speak at Paris Square in Jerusalem near the prime minister’s official residence.

Eyal Calderon, cousin of hostage Ofer Calderon, chastises the government over “the horror video” that showed the tunnel where six hostages were executed last month. A day later, Calderon alleges, cabinet members told him in a private meeting that the Philadelphi Corridor is a strategic asset that must not be forfeited.

Richelle Tzarfati, the mother of Ofir Tzarfati, whose body remains in Gaza after being killed on October 7, says the bodies of dead hostages must also be returned so that their families can lay them to rest.

Omri Shtivi, brother of hostage Idan Shtivi, addresses his brother in his speech. He says the government is not working for his release to preserve itself.

“Can you believe it?” he says.

Shtivi addresses the government: “Ask yourselves what’s reversible. Philadelphi is reversible; the life of a murdered hostage isn’t.”

‘Military pressure has only killed them’: Hostage relatives, activists urge deal at mass rally

Masses of anti-government, pro-hostage deal protesters rally in central Tel Aviv, September 14, 2024. (Jonathan Perry/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

The Hostages Families Forum claims the anti-government, pro-hostage deal demonstration on Tel Aviv’s Begin Road has drawn hundreds of thousands of people.

At the rally, Anat Angrest, mother of captive soldier Matan Angrest, reveals an audio clip recently discovered in Gaza of her son pleading with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring back the hostages — the first sign of life from him since October 7.

Along with Anat Angrest, the rally features speeches from Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker; Michal Lobanov, wife of slain hostage Alex Lobanov; Raz Ben Ami, wife of hostage Ohad Ben Ami who was herself released from captivity in the November ceasefire; friends of hostages Gali and Ziv Berman, identified only as Sapir and Iddo; and, via video message, Adina Bar-Shalom, daughter of the late former chief rabbi and Shas party spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef, and herself a celebrated educator.

Speaking at the rally, Einav Zangauker charges that her son was snatched and is held captive by none other than Netanyahu, “a single lying leader.”

She repeats her weeks-old statement that Mossad chief David Barnea had told her that “in the current political constellation there is no chance for a deal”— a claim denied by the spy chief.

“Deny as much as you want,” she says.

Michal Lobanov, wife of slain hostage Alex Lobanov, speaks at a rally against the government and for ahostage deal, September 14, 2024. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Michal Lobanov, who was pregnant when her husband Alex was kidnapped from the Re’im-area Supernova rave on October 7, tells the crowd her “heart was murdered in Gaza.”

Alex Lobanov was one of six hostages Hamas executed two weeks ago, as the IDF closed in, sparking public outrage at the government’s failure to secure a hostage deal.

“They will stay, forever and eternally, several meters underground,” says Michal Lobanov.

Her and Alex’s son Kai — born months after Lobanov was abducted — looks like a “copy of dad,” she says.

“Will he ever feel safe without his father?” she asks. The crowd yells: “Sorry!”

Raz Ben Ami says that already in November, when she was released, she knew that if the hostages “don’t come back now, they’ll come back in coffins.”

“In the meantime I was right,” she adds. “I’m sick of the military pressure, which so far has only killed them.”

Raz Ben Ami, wife of hostage Ohad Ben Ami and a former hostage herself, speaks at a rally against the government and for a hostage deal, September 14, 2024. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Iddo and Sapir, friends of Gali and Ziv Berman from the southern Kibbutz Kfar Aza, noted that the twin captives turned 27 this week.

“Do they even know they had a birthday this week?” asks Iddo.

“Be strong. A little more and you’re home,” he says. Addressing the government, he says: “You have no moral right to continue abandoning them.”

Bar-Shalom, who has publicly criticized her late father’s party of failing to press for a deal, says in a video message that she was raised to put human life before all else.

“‘Anyone who saves a soul from Israel — it’s as though they upheld an entire world,'” she quotes the Talmud.

“Do we have to put these values aside?” she asks. “What makes us Jewish?”

Urging concessions as part of a hostage deal, Bar Shalom says: “Don’t think what will come later. The certainty of now trumps any future worries.”

Bar-Shalom’s brother Yitzhak Yosef — until recently Israel’s Sephardic chief rabbi— has also publicly called for far-reaching concessions to secure the hostages’ immediate release.

Cops arrest at least 1 amid skirmishes in Jerusalem protest for hostages

Protesters calling for a deal to release hostages march in Jerusalem, September 14, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/Times of Israel)

Police arrest at least one protester in Jerusalem for allegedly violating the conditions of their probation.

Officers pull the protester out of the crowd marching toward Paris Square in Jerusalem.

Small skirmishes break out between police and protesters, and police push the crowd toward the sidewalk.

In response, protesters chant, “Where were you in Sde Teiman?” a reference to a large uninhibited break-in into a jail in protest of the arrest of soldiers accused of sodomizing Palestinian terror suspects.

Family airs first sign of life from hostage Matan Angrest, speaking in Hamas-dictated recording

Anat Angrest, mother of captive soldier Matan Angrest, speaks at a rally against the government and for ahostage deal, September 14, 2024. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Anat Angrest, mother of captive soldier Matan Angrest, plays an audio clip of the hostage addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from Gaza, where he is in Hamas captivity — the first public sign of life from him since October 7.

According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the roughly 30-second-long clip was found recently in Gaza.

In the clip, Angrest uses terminology highly likely to have been dictated by his Hamas captors, referring to the hostages as “prisoners.”

“Netanyahu,” he says in the clip, “you must, must do this exchange between the [Palestinian] prisoners in Israel and the prisoners here. I very much want to see my family and friends, it’s very important.”

“I think you’re capable of it,” he says. “I trust you.”

Anat Angrest plays the clip of her son after her own address to the prime minister.

“Bibi,” she begins, drawing boos from the audience at the mention of the premier’s nickname.

“I thought that maybe after a year you could help me answer my children,” she says.

“Mom, is Matan eating?” goes one question asked by her kids. “Mom, do you still believe Matan will come back?” goes another.

“And the most important question: who are Ben Gvir and Smotrich” — referring to far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who harshly oppose what they term a “surrender deal.” She says that due to the two “crazies,” her son hasn’t come back yet.

“Bring me back Matan in a deal now!” she finishes.

Cop-probing body investigating arrest of trio who placed hostage flyers at Likud MK’s synagogue

Leaflets urging the release of hostages held by Hamas placed on the seats at a synagogue in Herzliya, September 13, 2024 (Courtesy)

The Justice Ministry’s Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) announces that it has launched a probe into the incident in which three women were arrested for placing leaflets on seats at MK Yuli Edelstein’s synagogue calling for the release of the hostages held in Gaza.

The women were questioned on suspicions including breaking and entering, but security footage showed that the synagogue was open when they entered to place the leaflets on congregants’ seats. One of the three said she was arrested and handcuffed at home in front of her young children.

Police said earlier today that “in light of the allegations” about the case’s handling, new police chief Daniel Levy had ordered a probe into the arresting officers’ conduct.

But the Kan public broadcaster says that probe will be halted now that DIPI has announced its own investigation.

A spokesperson for the State Prosecutor’s Office tells The Times of Israel that multiple probes into the same incident “usually” don’t continue in parallel, appearing to indicate the police probe is likely to close.

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.

IDF strike reported 140 km into Lebanon, in northern part of border with Syria

Lebanese media reports Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanon-Syria border, in the northeastern part of the country.

The strikes are reported near the Syrian village of Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali, adjacent to Lebanon’s Hermel District, some 140 kilometers (85 miles) from Israel.

غارتان معاديتان على الهرمل منطقة حوش السيد علي pic.twitter.com/gSYNBLhq1v

— موقع النبطية (@Nabatiehorg) September 14, 2024

IDF chief said to tell parents of soldier-hostages: As more time passes, I’m not sure there’ll be anyone to bring home

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi speaks to troops at a Hamas tunnel uncovered in the Egypt-Gaza border area, August 14, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has reportedly told parents of soldiers who are held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, living and dead, that he is “not sure there will be anyone to bring home” as time passes without a deal, and that he has underlined this concern to the “political echelon.”

According to Channel 12 news, Halevi made the comments in a conversation yesterday with the parents of several soldiers who are held hostage in Gaza.

The TV channel reports several brief excerpts from the interaction, as follows:

First parent: “Military pressure is killing the hostages. We fear that our children will also come back as bodies, like the six hostages who were executed [by their captors two weeks ago]. We’re not prepared to have the IDF approach an area where the child is held.”

Second parent: “You are my son’s commander. You are also endangering my son, because if there is a chance of bringing him out in a deal, you have to protect him. We are not interested in [IDF] rescue operations. We and our children will not be able to live in peace if soldiers die in a rescue operation. We don’t want another Arnon Zmora” — an IDF officer who was killed in a June operation in which four hostages were rescued alive.

Third parent: “The responsibility is on you. You are the commander who sent him into battle. He is alive and you have to bring him back alive. And if other considerations are directing you, than that’s on your hands.”

Halevi, in response: “We will always be able to fight Hamas. Returning the hostages becomes more difficult the more time passes, and I’m not sure there’ll be anyone to return. I’ve said this to the political echelon as well.”

“So long as there is no hostage deal, we will act as much as possible to bring home the hostages. Still, we won’t be able to bring them all via military operations. We will make every effort to bring home as many as possible.”

“We are investing a great deal of effort to establish where the hostages are, and taking considerable risks as well to gather intelligence in a responsible way.”

“As regards ending the war, I can’t tell you when that will happen. We are not near the end. I think that if we don’t fight and pressure Hamas, it will take its time and it’ll be a lot harder to bring home hostages.”

“An agreement for the return of hostages is a government decision. We are doing everything to create the best conditions. That’s our responsibility to your children, I remember, and we are working in every way to return them.”

Protesters for hostage deal gather in Jerusalem as rallies held around country

Protesters call for the release of hostages at Zion Square in Jerusalem, September 14, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/Times of Israel)

Demonstrators calling for a deal to release hostages are gathering at Zion Square in Jerusalem.

The protesters are carrying Israeli flags and yellow flags representing the hostage release movement and chanting for a deal.

The rally begins marching toward Paris Square, which is adjacent to the prime minister’s residence.

Similar demonstrations are being held throughout the country.

Week after alleged largest rally in Israel, thousands gather in Tel Aviv to urge hostage deal

Thousands of anti-government, pro-hostage deal protesters rally on Tel Aviv's Begin Road, September 14, 2024. (Dana Reany/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Thousands of anti-government, pro-hostage deal protesters have begun gathering on Tel Aviv’s Begin Road, outside the IDF headquarters.

This is the second week running where the Begin Road rally is merging with the weekly anti-government protest on nearby Kaplan Street.

According to organizers, about half a million people attended last week’s rally — the first weekly rally held after the return of six recently slain hostages sparked public outrage — which if true was the largest demonstration in Israeli history.

Set to speak are Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker; Michal Lobanov, widow of slain hostage Alex Lobanov; and Anat Angrest, mother of captive soldier Matan Angrest.

The rally will also feature an audio clip of Matan Angrest urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to save his life.

Protesters accuse Netanyahu of insisting Israel retain control of the Philadelphi Corridor, along the Egypt-Gaza border, with the intention of thwarting a deal that could threaten the integrity of his right-wing government.

Jimmy Miller, cousin of hostage Shiri Bibas, rallies the crowd, accusing Netanyahu of protracting a catastrophe ill-befitting a developed nation.

“What are we, in Africa?” he roars. He leads the crowd in a chant: “[Return] everyone — now! In a deal — now!”

An anti-government, pro-hostage deal protester hoists a model Knesset and a sign reading ‘Enough with human sacrifice on the altar of the [Knesset] building,’ on Tel Aviv’s Begin Road, September 14, 2024. (Noam Lehmann/Times of Israel)

Closer to the stage, a man holds a list of ministers’ names, under the title “Philadelphi criminals to justice,” surrounded by mock bloodstains.

An anti-government, pro-hostage deal protester holds a list of ministers’ names surrounded by mock blood stains under the caption ‘Philadelphi criminals to justice,’ on Tel Aviv’s Begin Street, September 14, 2024. (Noam Lehmann/Times of Israel)

Israeli strike reported near Lebanon’s Sidon

Lebanese media report casualties in an Israeli drone strike on a motorcycle in the coastal village of Sarafand, south of Sidon.

No further details are immediately available.

Opposition party head: Netanyahu has passed up ‘3 clear-cut opportunities’ for hostage-ceasefire deal

The Democrats leader Yair Golan attends a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on July 22, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition MK Yair Golan, head of the Democrats party, charges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has passed up “at least three clear-cut opportunities” for a hostage-release deal — including “certainly in March.”

Interviewed on Channel 12 news, Golan, a former deputy IDF chief of staff whose Democrats party is a merger of Labor and Meretz, Golan says that, for Netanyahu, “maintaining his coalition is much more important than the lives of 101 hostages.”

Golan says that Hamas has been destroyed by the IDF as an organized fighting force in Gaza. All military doctrine now indicates that the time has come to secure the diplomat benefits of the military achievements, “and as far as I am concerned, that starts with the release of the hostages.”

A Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, he says, would also bring a ceasefire in the north, the rehabilitation of Israeli society could begin, Israel could determine its role in post-war Gaza, and general elections could be held here.

Israel needs to maintain operational freedom of action in Gaza, “as an iron-clad rule,” he says, but must not rule Gaza.

Golan says the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border should be transferred to the control of an American-led multinational force, also involving trustworthy Arab forces. He calls Netanyahu’s claim that Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor is essential to Israel’s future “an insufferable lie” and says it must not be allowed to prevent a hostage deal.

Golan says IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi should not resign mid-war, and that he does not trust the political echelon to make appropriate appointments at the top of the security establishment.

He also says civil disobedience is legitimate in the face of a government that is “destroying” the State of Israel. He rules out sitting in a unity government under Netanyahu. It is “unpatriotic” to help Netanyahu remain in power, he says.

Lapid to travel to US, meet politicians to keep hostage deal on int’l agenda, his office says

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid will travel to Washington, DC this week to meet senior White House officials, senators and officials from both major parties.

“The goal of Lapid’s visit is to ensure the subject of a deal to return hostages remains present on the international public agenda,” his spokesperson says in a statement.

Hostage families accuse PM of abandoning loved ones for war in north, creating ‘101 Ron Arads’

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “decided to shift the center of gravity of the war to the north and to abandon the hostages to die in the tunnels,” at a weekly press conference of a group of hostage families in Tel Aviv.

Instead of returning the hostages, Netanyahu is giving the country “101 Ron Arads,” referring to an Israeli Air Force officer who was captured in 1986 by Lebanese terrorists and has since disappeared and is classified as missing in action.

“Everyone sees that the military pressure is killing the hostages and that there is a deal on the table that is ready to be signed now. This is the deal that Netanyahu proposed in May, and [US President Joe Biden] and the United Nations adopted in June, and Hamas agreed to in July. This week Hamas again repeated its agreement. But Netanyahu continues to insist on his hollow Philadelphi spin to sink the deal,” she says, referring to the prime minister’s insistence IDF troops remain stationed along Gaza’s border with Egypt.

Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is held hostage, says the public was “horrified” by footage released by the IDF this week showing the conditions in which six executed hostages were held.

“The hostages are experiencing unimaginable horrors. They are dying there,” he says.

“In order to save the hostages’ lives, Netanyahu must be removed from power,” says Merav Svirsky, whose brother Itay was murdered in captivity, adding that pressuring the prime minister into a deal is in Israel’s “best interests.”

Yifat Calderon, whose cousin Ofer is held captive, calls out members of the coalition for staying silent on the issue.

“How do you look at yourselves in the mirror every morning? How are you afraid of Netanyahu, but your hand doesn’t shake when you approve the abandonment of civilians and soldiers to die?” she says.

Omri Lifshitz, whose father Oded is a hostage says the public is giving families hope and strength by joining them in mass rallies.

“Thanks to you the pressure for a deal will continue to grow. Keep taking to the streets, every day, everywhere,” he says, inviting people to join the weekly rally at Begin Road in Tel Aviv.

Two drones hit north of Kiryat Shmona, military says

Two drones launched from Lebanon impacted an area north of Kiryat Shmona a short while ago, the IDF says.

No injuries were caused in the attack.

Drone infiltration sirens sound in Kiryat Shmona, nearby community

Sirens warning of a hostile drone infiltration sound in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona and the community of Margaliot.

חדירת כלי טיס עוין (14/09/2024 17:52-17:53): מרגליות, קריית שמונה pic.twitter.com/KyoREboriy

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) September 14, 2024

UAE official rejects report it will try to revive talks to buy F-35 jets if Trump elected

Israeli F-35 fighter jets return to the Nevatim Airbase after carrying out an airstrike in Yemen, July 20, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates does not expect to resume talks with the US about a multi-billion dollar deal for F-35 warplanes, irrespective of who is elected to the White House in November, a senior UAE government official says.

Reuters reported on Friday that the UAE was planning to resume negotiations to purchase F-35s and armed drones if Donald Trump wins a second presidential term, according to several people familiar with the matter.

Trump had signed off on a deal to allow the purchase to go ahead in the final days of his presidency in 2021, but the UAE suspended talks at the end of that year, unable to agree terms with the Biden administration.

The UAE has long sought the most advanced fighter jet, built with stealth technology allowing it to evade enemy detection.

If the US did approve the transfer, the UAE would be only the second Middle East state, after Israel, to operate F-35s.

The UAE official says the same factors that caused it to suspend the talks in 2021 have not changed and the government does not plan to re-open negotiations.

“Our position remains unchanged and we do not anticipate discussions regarding the F-35 being reopened for the foreseeable future, irrespective of the outcome of the upcoming US elections,” the senior UAE official says in a statement to Reuters.

“Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, and cost/benefit analysis led to the reassessment at that time, and those considerations underpin our ongoing position.”

The official does not comment on the possibility of fresh talks to purchase armed drones.

Woman arrested for placing hostage flyers in shul says she was cuffed and taken away in front of her young kids

Idit Alexandrovich, one of three women detained after placing flyers calling for a hostage deal on seats in a Herzliya synagogue attended by Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, speaks to Channel 12, September 14, 2024. (Channel 12 screenshot: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Idit Alexandrovich, one of three women detained after placing flyers calling for a hostage deal on seats in a Herzliya synagogue attended by Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, tells Channel 12 she found out about her imminent arrest from her young children who were home alone when police came to take her away.

“It’s insane. I have no other word… We’re in the State of Israel, the country of the Jewish people. I went with my friends to a synagogue, a place of prayer for Jews, where everyone can go, ” Alexandrovich says.

“We distributed flyers for the hostages, calling to ‘Let My People Go’. What could be more Jewish than that? The synagogue was open. We went in. We put the leaflets on the seats. We left, via the main entrance, there were people around, and we went home, happily hoping that maybe we’d done something that could help bring the hostages home.”

“And then, look at what Israel Police busies itself with. Yesterday, Friday afternoon, two police officers — a man and a woman — came to my home. I wasn’t home. I have four young kids. They called from the phone of my almost-nine-year-old and said the police are waiting at my home… waiting to arrest me.”

When she got home, she says, the officers told her she was “being arrested for breaking and entering and conspiracy to commit a crime… I was put in handcuffs. I was taken to the patrol car.” There, her feet were also cuffed, she says.

At the police station, she waited hours to be questioned, and then the police changed the allegations to trespassing, she says, “which is also false; the synagogue is open to everyone…”

And how could it possibly be a crime to distribute leaflets in a synagogue urging the release of the hostages? she asked.

“And for that, they arrested me, in front of my children?” Alexandrovich says. She adds the arrest was “plainly political,” and that she would not be intimidated.

“This is my country… I’m battling for the future of my children in this country.”

IDF says it struck Hamas command room inside former Gaza City school

The IDF says it carried out an airstrike against a group of Hamas operatives at a command room embedded within a former school in Gaza City a short while ago.

According to the military, Hamas was using the Shuhada al-Zeitoun School to plan and carry out attacks against troops and Israel.

The school has been serving as a shelter for displaced Gazans, and Palestinian media report several casualties in the attack.

The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike and accuses Hamas of “systematically” using civilian sites for terror.

Rocket sirens blare in northern kibbutz

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern community of Kibbutz Yiron.

צבע אדום (14/09/2024 17:08): יראון pic.twitter.com/X8UIF3Jw3e

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) September 14, 2024

IDF says troops have killed over 100 gunmen in Rafah neighborhood in recent days

IDF troops with the 162nd Division are seen operating in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in this handout photo published on September 14, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

In recent days, troops of the 162nd Division have killed more than 100 gunmen during operations in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF says.

Also amid the operations, the military says soldiers have located rocket launchers, weapon caches, and other infrastructure belonging to Hamas.

Iran’s FM says he is open to dialogue, but won’t respond to West’s ‘threats and pressure’

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Tehran, Iran, August 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s foreign minister says that Tehran is open to diplomacy to solve disputes but not “threats and pressure,” state media reports after the US and three European powers imposed sanctions against the country’s aviation sector.

Abbas Araqchi’s comments come a day after The European Union’s chief diplomat said the bloc is considering new sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector, in reaction to reports Tehran supplied Russia with ballistic missiles in its war against Ukraine.

“Iran continues on its own path with strength, although we have always been open to talks to resolve disputes… but dialogue should be based on mutual respect, not on threats and pressure,” Araqchi says, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Araqchi said on Wednesday that Tehran had not delivered any ballistic missiles to Russia and sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States and three European powers would not solve any problems between them.

The United States, Germany, Britain, and France on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on Iran, including measures against its national airline Iran Air.

IDF issues evacuation order for Gaza’s Beit Lahiya after rockets fired at Ashkelon

Following rocket fire from the northern Gaza Strip at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon today, the military is calling on Palestinians in Beit Lahiya to evacuate.

Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, publishes a map of the zones that need to be evacuated.

He says that “the specified area has been warned many times in the past” and it is “considered a dangerous combat zone,” following repeated rocket attacks on Israel.

Two rockets were launched at Ashkelon in the attack, with one being intercepted and the other impacting the sea.

The IDF in recent months has repeatedly issued evacuation orders for areas from which terrorists launched rockets at Israel.

#عاجل ‼️ الى كل المتواجدين في أحياء المنشية، الشيخ زايد ومشروع بيت لاهيا:

⭕️المنظمات الإرهابية تطلق مرة اخرى القذائف الصاروخية وتواصل العمليات الإرهابية نحو دولة اسرائيل.

⭕️تم تحذير المنطقة المحددة مرات عديدة. المنطقة المحددة تعتبر منطقة قتال خطيرة

⭕️نؤكد ان الاخلاء لا يشمل… pic.twitter.com/ZECOTJNhvj

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 14, 2024

UAE FM vows country will not take part in Gaza’s ‘day after’ without Palestinian state

Then-opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu meets with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed in Tel Aviv on September 16, 2022. (Benjamin Netanyahu/X)

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed says his country will not play any role in the “day after” in Gaza unless a Palestinian state is established.

“The United Arab Emirates is not ready to support the day after the war in Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state,” his post on X reads.

It is not the first time the UAE’s top diplomat has set red lines over its potential involvement in Gaza.

Bin Zayed in May denounced a suggestion by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Abu Dhabi might assist local Palestinians in managing Gaza after the war.

Bin Zayed tweeted a denunciation of Netanyahu’s proposal his country “participate in civil administration of the Gaza Strip, which is under Israeli occupation.”

“The UAE stresses that the Israeli prime minister does not have any legal capacity to take this step, and the state refuses to be drawn into any plan aimed at providing cover for the Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip,” he added.

Rocket sirens sound in northern kibbutz

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern community of Kibbutz Bar’am.

צבע אדום (14/09/2024 15:40): ברעם pic.twitter.com/lP1FZqiUWO

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) September 14, 2024

Funeral for US activist shot dead in West Bank held in Turkey

Mehmet Suat Eygi (L), father of US-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi who was shot dead in the West Bank, mourns at the house of her grandfather before the funeral ceremony at the Didim district in Aydin on September 14, 2024. (Ozan Kose/AFP)

DIDIM, Turkey — Mourners gather in southwest Turkey for the funeral of a US-Turkish activist, who was shot dead while protesting Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The killing last week of 26-year-old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi has sparked international condemnation and infuriated Turkey, further escalating tensions over the war in Gaza that began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.

Eygi’s body, wrapped in the Turkish flag and carried by uniformed officers, arrives at its final resting place in the Aegean town of Didim.

A picture of Eygi is placed near the coffin during the funeral at the local mosque.

A large crowd gathers during the prayers including Eygi’s family, members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted AKP party, and activists advocating the Palestinian cause.

Protesters chant slogans near the mosque showing their support for Palestinians.

Eygi, 26, was shot dead Friday while taking part in a protest against Israeli settlement activity at Beita Junction, near Nablus in the northern West Bank.

On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said the activist had in all probability been mistakenly hit by troops aiming at another individual. “The incident occurred during a violent gathering of dozens of Palestinian suspects, who burned tires and threw stones at forces at Beita Junction,” the military said, adding that it “expresses its deepest regret over the death.”

The Washington Post reported that Eygi was shot over half an hour after the peak of the protests and some 20 minutes after the demonstrators had moved down the road, meaning she was approximately 180 meters (200 yards) away from the troops when she was killed and could not have posed a threat.

Woman detained for placing hostage flyers says police signaled arrest was politically motivated

Rama Enav, one of three women detained after placing flyers calling for a hostage deal on seats in a Herzliya synagogue attended by Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, tells the Kan public broadcaster police hinted to her that the arrests were politically motivated.

“It was hinted to us more than once by the police that they were receiving orders from above,” Enav says.

The three women were released overnight after they were detained and handcuffed for some eight hours.

The flyers showed the pictures of four of the female soldiers taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, along with Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the two young children who remain captive in Gaza.

In the center is a picture of Edelstein from his time in a Soviet prison, with the caption “Let my people go,” a popular rallying cry by supporters of Jewish refuseniks.

“I don’t understand how Edelstein, someone who sat in a Soviet prison and knows what it is like to be a detainee, can be indifferent to this plight,” Enav says. “I don’t understand how someone who was there can be angry when he sees these flyers, that all they have on them are kidnapped women and children.”

Israeli jets strike Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon building

Israeli fighter jets struck a building in southern Lebanon’s Blida where the IDF says it identified a group of Hezbollah operatives.

Another building used by Hezbollah in Blida was also hit, the military added.

מטוסי קרב תקפו מוקדם יותר היום מבנה צבאי בו פעלו מחבלים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה ומבנה צבאי נוסף של הארגון במרחב בליידא שבדרום לבנון.

בנוסף, צה"ל תקף בירי ארטילרי במרחב עייתא א-שעב שבדרום לבנון pic.twitter.com/VveFrnYk30

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 14, 2024

IDF says rocket fired from Gaza at Ashkelon intercepted, another lands in sea

Two rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip at Ashkelon a short while ago, the IDF says.

According to the military, one of the rockets was shot down by air defenses, while the second landed in the sea.

There are no injuries in the attack.

התראות צבע אדום הופעלו בעיר אשקלון, לא רק באזור התעשייה בדרום העיר, אלה גם בחלקה הצפוני. תושבים מדווחים על שני יירוטים. עדכונים בהמשך pic.twitter.com/N2m8rcXouw

— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) September 14, 2024

Rocket sirens sound in northern kibbutz

Incoming rocket sirens are activated in the northern kibbutz of Kfar Szold.

צבע אדום (14/09/2024 14:01): כפר סאלד pic.twitter.com/iFuqxHmBG9

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) September 14, 2024

Rocket sirens blare in Ashkelon

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the southern city of Ashkelon.

צבע אדום (14/09/2024 13:56): אשקלון – דרום, אזור תעשייה הדרומי אשקלון, אשקלון – צפון pic.twitter.com/elCzKyc3yy

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) September 14, 2024

IDF says it struck Hamas sites used to carry out attacks, make weapons near Gaza City school

Two buildings used by Hamas in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, close to a school used as a shelter for displaced Palestinians, were struck by Israeli fighter jets earlier today, the IDF says.

The military says the buildings were used by Hamas operatives for various attacks and to manufacture weapons.

The IDF denies some Palestinian reports that the strike targeted a fuel facility in the area, near the Dar al-Arqam School.

The Hamas-run civil defense reports five dead in the strike.

The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike and accuses Hamas of “systematically” using civilian sites for terror.

آثار غارة الاحتلال التي استهدفت مصنعا لتدوير البلاستيك قرب مدرسة دار الأرقم شمال غربي مدينة غزة pic.twitter.com/8WY2nr0Dq1

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) September 14, 2024

Police probing arrest of women who placed hostage flyers at MK’s synagogue

Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy launched an investigation into the arrest of three women who put flyers calling for a hostage deal on seats in a Herzliya synagogue attended by Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, according to a statement by the police spokesperson.

The three women were released overnight after they were detained and handcuffed for some eight hours.

Police say they received a call that someone had “broke into the synagogue” and searched for suspects, as in any suspected criminal incident. Security camera footage of the incident shows the women entering the synagogue while it was open.

Police say action will be taken if officers are found to have acted incorrectly in response to the call. The statement adds the events will be examined and lessons will be taken accordingly.

The flyers showed the pictures of four of the female soldiers taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, along with Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the two young children who remain captive in Gaza.

In the center is a picture of Edelstein from his time in a Soviet prison, with the caption “Let my people go,” a popular rallying cry by supporters of Jewish refuseniks.

תיעוד ש @JoshBreiner ואני מביאים של הנחת תמונות החטופים בבית הכנסת אוהל משה בהרצליה, המקום פתוח, אחת הפעילות נכנסת פנימה, פותחת דלת צדדית וממנה נכנסות השלוש לשים את הפליירים על כסאות בית הכנסת. שווה שמונה שעות בתחנה?

הפעילות השתחררו למעצר בית והרחקה מבית הכנסת ואדלשטיין pic.twitter.com/Sth7acdRHU

— Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) September 13, 2024

Hezbollah says it fired dozens of rockets at IDF base in latest barrage

Hezbollah takes responsibility for dozens of rockets fired from Lebanon at northern Israel this morning claiming it targeted an Israeli artillery base northwest of the Sea of Galilee.

Hezbollah says it fired dozens of katyusha rockets at the base. There were no reports of injuries in the attack.

רקטות התפוצצו בשטחים פתוחים בגליל, שורה של פטריות עשן מעל הכינרת | תיעודhttps://t.co/PaWDfjmN9f pic.twitter.com/44M2djYK9N

— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) September 14, 2024

Poll finds 58% of Israelis would vote for Trump if they could take part in US election

Then-US president Donald Trump addresses the Israeli American Council National Summit at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Fla., Dec. 7, 2019. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images via JTA)

A majority of Israelis would vote for former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump if they could participate in the US elections, a Channel 12 poll finds.

According to the survey, 58 percent would vote for Trump, 25% would vote for US Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, and 17% answered they didn’t know who they would choose.

Meanwhile, most respondents (43%) want Israeli elections to happen now, 19% want opposition party leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz to enter the existing government in place of far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, while 28% said they would prefer the current government to continue to serve, the poll finds.

The poll also surveys respondents on who they would prefer as prime minister.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett is the most preferred option over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, beating him 40-28%. Gantz is preferred by 34% of voters over Netanyahu’s 30%, while the current premier is preferred by 31% of the public over 29% who support Lapid.

Iran says it sent Revolutionary Guard research satellite into space

Iran sent a research satellite into orbit with a rocket built by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the state-run IRNA news agency reports.

The report says the Chamran-1 satellite has a weight of 60 kilograms and successfully reached a 550-kilometer (341-mile) orbit in space. It says testing space hardware and software is the main mission of the satellite.

IRNA says land stations received signals from the satellite.

It says the satellite-carrier rocket Qaem-100, using solid fuel, was designed and made by the Guard aerospace division. Iran says it has 13 more satellite launches in a row.

Though Iran has long planned to send satellites into orbit, this is the first launch under Iranian President Masoud Pezezhkian.

In January, Iran said it successfully launched three satellites into space with a rocket.

The program is seen by the West as part of the improvement of Tehran’s ballistic missiles.

The United States has previously said Iran’s satellite launches defy a UN Security Council resolution and called on Tehran to undertake no activity involving ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. UN sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic missile program expired last October.

Some 55 rockets fired toward Safed area, sparking fires; IDF jets hit launchers in south Lebanon

A number of fires are sparked after multiple rocket barrages are fired toward Safed and the surrounding area, September 14, 2024 (Kan/used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Some 55 rockets have been fired toward Safed and the surrounding areas this morning, the IDF says.

In the first barrage, around 20 rockets were fired and in the second, some 35. A number were intercepted while others fell in open areas. There were no reports of injuries.

According to the Hebrew-language media reports, a number of the impacts sparked fires.

The military says a short time later, jets hit the rocket launchers in south Lebanon.

Rocket sirens sound in Safed, surrounding towns

Rocket sirens sound in Safed and multiple surrounding communities, warning of incoming fire from Lebanon.

The area has seen rocket fire throughout the morning, in addition to overnight.

Hundreds protest as Edelstein walks to synagogue, day after women arrested for placing hostage flyers where he prays

Protesters surround MK Yuli Edelstein as he walks to synagogue in Herzliya the day after three women were arrested for placing hostage flyers in the house of worship, September 14, 2024 (Yair Palti/Pro-Democracy Protest groups)

Hundreds of people protest as MK Yuli Edelstein walks to synagogue in Herzliya after three women were arrested yesterday for putting flyers calling for a hostage deal on seats in the house of worship, the Ynet news site reports.

The demonstrators wave Israeli flags and shout “shame” and “forsaker of Zion,” the outlet says.

The chant is a reference to the fact that the Likud lawmaker was a Prisoner of Zion — a Jewish refusenik jailed in the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

The three women were released overnight after they were detained and handcuffed for some eight hours.

The flyers showed the pictures of four of the female soldiers taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, along with Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the two young children who remain captive in Gaza.

In the center is a picture of Edelstein from his time in a Soviet prison, with the caption “Let my people go,” a popular rallying cry by supporters of Jewish refuseniks.

כמו תמיד באירועים מהסוג הזה, המעצר מאתמול הגביר את המחאה באזור. הנה כך זה נראה היום בנתיב ההליכה של אדלשטיין לבית הכנסת בהרצליה. אם עד השבוע היו עשרות שעומדים במחאה שקטה, היום המספר גדל והמחאה לא שקטה pic.twitter.com/f3oduH7rBq

— Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) September 14, 2024

Sirens in Safed and surrounding area warn of incoming rocket fire

Incoming rocket sirens are activated in northern city of Safed and several other nearby communities.

The alerts come after the area was targeted overnight for the second night in a row.

Rocket sirens sound in Dovev, Yiftah near northern border

Sirens sound in the northern border towns of Dovev and Yiftah, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The alerts come less than an hour after the military said air defense systems intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” from Lebanon, after sirens sounded in the Western Galilee town of Gornot HaGalil.

IDF intercepts ‘suspicious aerial target’ from Lebanon, after sirens sound in northern town

The military says air defense systems intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” from Lebanon, after sirens sounded in the Western Galilee town of Gornot HaGalil.

There are no reports of injuries.

CENTCOM says 4 Islamic State leaders recently killed in joint US-Iraqi raid

Four Islamic State group leaders were killed in a joint US-Iraqi raid in western Iraq last month, including the head of the jihadist organization’s operations in the country, CENTCOM says.

“This operation targeted ISIS leaders and served to disrupt and degrade ISIS’ ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians,” CENTCOM says in a statement on X.

Biden and UK’s Starmer express concern about Iran providing Russia with weapons

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (second right) and Foreign Secretary David Lammy (third right) meetiwith US President Joe Biden (second left) in the Blue Room at the White House on September 13, 2024, in Washington. (Stefan Rousseau - Pool/Getty Images/AFP)

US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed concern during a meeting on Friday about Iran and North Korea providing lethal weapons to Russia amid its ongoing war with Ukraine, according to a White House readout.

IDF says 5 rockets fired from Lebanon at Safed area, with all intercepted or landing in open

After warning sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee city of Safed and nearby communities, the IDF says a salvo of five rockets was fired from Lebanon toward the area.

According to the IDF, some of the rockets were intercepted and the rest fell in open areas.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Rocket sirens sound in Safed and neighboring towns for second night in a row

For the second night in a row, incoming rocket sirens are activated in northern city of Safed and several other nearby communities.

UK’s Jewish Chronicle removes stories by writer accused of fabrications about Gaza war

In a statement posted online Friday night, the Jewish Chronicle announces that it has wrapped up “a thorough investigation” into Elon Perry, a freelance writer alleged to have fabricated claims relating to the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas.

Perry also faced questions about his biography, including his claims to have served as a commando soldier during Operation Entebbe and that he was a professor at Tel Aviv University for 15 years.

“While we understand he did serve in the Israel Defense Forces, we were not satisfied with some of his claims,” says the Jewish Chronicle, without further elaborating. “We have therefore removed his stories from our website and ended any association with Mr Perry.”

“The Jewish Chronicle maintains the highest journalistic standards in a highly contested information landscape and we deeply regret the chain of events that led to this point. We apologize to our loyal readers and have reviewed our internal processes so that this will not be repeated.”

The British newspaper launched the investigation after publishing an article by Perry this month in which he alleged a document had been uncovered in Gaza proving that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning to smuggle himself and some of the remaining Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7, out of Gaza via the Philadelphi Corridor and from there to Iran.

However, the Israel Defense Forces said it was unaware of any such document actually existing, and as the claim was similar to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent talking points, some have speculated that false information was being distributed as part of a disinformation campaign.

IDF says UNRWA worker killed in West Bank raid was throwing explosives at troops

Activists protest against United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) outside their offices in Jerusalem, March 20, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

The IDF says that a worker for the UN agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) who was killed in a West Bank raid was throwing explosives at troops and was a known terror operative.

Earlier, UNRWA said that one of their employees was “shot and killed on the roof of his home by a sniper,” and that it was “the first time a UNRWA staff member has been killed in the West Bank in more than 10 years.”

The incident took place in the Far’a camp in the northern West Bank. It identified the slain employee as Sufyan Jaber Abed Jawwad, who “worked as a sanitation laborer” in the camp.

In an English language statement, IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani accuses UNRWA of “not telling the full story.”

Shoshani says that during an IDF operation in Far’a a terrorist was identified hurling explosive devices that posed a threat to the forces operating in the area. IDF troops opened fire toward him to remove said threat, and he was killed.

“The terrorist was subsequently identified and it was discovered he is also an UNRWA employee named Sufyan Jaber Abed Jawwad. It should be noted that after receiving his details, it was found that the terrorist was known to Israeli security forces and he had been complicit in additional terrorist activities,” Shoshani says.

“This is yet another example of an UNRWA employee taking active part in terrorist activities against Israel, as has been proven in several other cases in the past, including employees who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre,” he says.