Sept. 18: IDF says Lebanon strikes targeted elite Hezbollah unit’s weapons caches

US vetoes latest Security Council resolution on Gaza ceasefire

The United States has once again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, saying the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas.

All 14 other members of the United Nations’ most powerful body vote in favor of the resolution, which describes the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” and calls on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory.

“Colleagues, US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise,” Morgan Ortagus, a senior US policy adviser, says before the vote. “It fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council.”

She adds that other council members “ignored” US warnings about the “unacceptable” language and instead adopted “performative action designed to draw a veto.”

The resolution, drafted by the council’s 10 elected members who serve two-year terms, goes further than previous drafts to highlight what it calls the “ deepening of suffering ” of Palestinian civilians.

Algeria, one of the leaders of the resolution, expresses dismay at another failed Security Council action for Gaza, saying that it wanted to apologize to Palestinians for not doing enough to save civilians’ lives.

But Algeria’s UN ambassador, Amar Bendjama, notes that despite the failure to pass, “14 courageous members of this Security Council raised their voice. They have acted with conscience and in the cause of the international public opinion.”

The measure reiterates demands from previous resolutions, including for the release of all hostages held by Hamas-led terrorists in Gaza.

Germany to decide on backing for EU sanctions on Israel by October meeting — Merz

Germany will reach a decision on whether to back sanctions against Israel before a European Union meeting in Copenhagen in October, Chancellor Friedrich Merz says on a visit to Madrid.

Merz says Israel’s actions in Gaza are not proportional to its stated goals. But he adds that Germany does not share the view that the actions amount to genocide.

The recognition of Palestinian statehood is not currently up for debate for Germany, he says.

Mourning slain soldiers, Netanyahu vows to ‘continue striking enemies forcefully’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sends his condolences to the families of the two IDF soldiers killed in the attack at Allenby Crossing near Jordan today, as well as the four soldiers killed in a roadside bomb attack in southern Gaza’s Rafah this morning, in a statement vowing that Israel “will continue to strike [its] enemies forcefully.”

“This is a difficult evening,” the premier says in a statement from his office, condemning the “abhorrent” attack at Allenby Crossing that killed Lt. Col. (res.) Yitzhak Harosh and Sgt. Oran Hershko.

“In a battle in Gaza, four of our heroic fighters fell today,” Netanyahu adds, saying the four of them — Maj. Omri Chai Ben Moshe, Lt. Eran Shelem, Lt. Eitan Avner Ben Itzhak, and Lt. Ron Arieli — “fought bravely for the defeat of Hamas and the return of all our hostages.”

“In the spirit of the bravery and courage of our fighters, we will continue to strike our enemies forcefully until we complete all the objectives of our war [in Gaza],” Netanyahu says in the statement.

Houthis claim missile launch, drone attacks on Eilat

The Houthis in Yemen have taken responsibility for today’s missile and drone attacks on Israel.

In a statement, the Yemeni terror group says it launched a ballistic missile at a “sensitive Israeli military target” in Tel Aviv. According to the IDF, the missile was intercepted, and no damage or injuries were caused.

The Houthis also claim to have launched multiple drones at Israel today, with three aimed at targets in Eilat, and another aimed at a “sensitive target” in Beersheba.

One drone launched by the Houthis struck a hotel in Eilat, causing slight damage. The IDF reported shooting down one other drone, with the others likely falling short before reaching the country’s borders.

German store sign banning Jews sparks wide condemnation, police action

A sign in a German shop banning Jews is drawing outrage from locals and officials and being compared to messages seen on German streets during the Third Reich.

“JEWS are banned from here!!!!,” read the sign in Flensburg, which has since been taken down after a number of complaints to police. “Nothing personal. Not even antisemitism. I just can’t stand you.”

Israel’s ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor writes on X that “The 1930s are back,” expressing hopes that Jews and all other groups stay away from the store. “It’s the same old hatred, just in a different font.”

Die 30er-Jahre sind zurück!

In Flensburg hängt wieder „Juden verboten“ im Schaufenster – im Jahr 2025. Wie damals in den Straßen, Cafés und Geschäften der 1930er.

Genau so hat es angefangen – Schritt für Schritt, Schild für Schild. Es ist der gleiche alte Hass, nur in einer… pic.twitter.com/seZmJ4OPsv

— Ambassador Ron Prosor (@Ron_Prosor) September 18, 2025

Germany’s antisemitism commissioner Felix Klein tells Die Welt that “This is anti-Semitism in its purest form, and of course, there are direct references to the Nazi era, when Jews were boycotted and there were many such signs.”

Other local and federal officials also condemn the sign, and an investigation has been opened by the public prosecutor’s office, the German news outlet reports.

The sign was first noticed on Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday, it had been taken down, with the storefront now featuring scrawled signs reading “Fuck Nazis” and Nazis Out” among other sentiments, local media report.

The owner of the shop, which sells books and gothic antiques, is quoted as defending the sign in the Schleswig-Holsteinische Zeitungsverlag, saying he put it up in response to the war in Gaza.

“Jews live in Israel, and I can’t tell between them who are for and against the attacks [on Gaza],” he is quoted as saying.

Macron says France will mull sanctions on Israel unless Gaza City offensive halted

French President Emmanuel Macron accuses Israel of pursuing “a permanent war” in Gaza, and says that a debate will be held in France over economic sanctions on Israel if it continues to pursue its operation in Gaza City.

Speaking to Channel 12 ahead of his expected recognition of a Palestinian state, Macron says that France’s top priority is the release of all the hostages, and that “we recognize the right of Israel to defend itself.”

He says that “Israel restored its credibility” in the region with its military successes after the October 7 attacks, but is now wreaking damage on its image in the world itself.

Israel has had “so many successes” in Gaza, he says. “Now let’s open a new phase.”

He says France is recognizing a Palestinian state to isolate Hamas, and to “trigger a series of new behaviors and new commitments.”

Asked about the possibility of Israel annexing parts of the West Bank in response to the recognition, Macron protests that “the West Bank has nothing to do with Hamas,” and that it is being pursued to kill the possibility of two states.

US expected to veto latest Gaza ceasefire resolution at UN Security Council

Diplomats at the United Nations say the United States will likely veto a Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages when it comes up for a vote later today.

The resolution, drafted by the council’s 10 elected members who serve two-year terms, goes further than previous drafts to highlight what diplomats call the “deepening of suffering ” of Palestinian civilians in the nearly two-year war in the Gaza Strip, expressing alarm about a recent famine report and Israel’s expanding offensive in Gaza City.

In opposing similar resolutions since November, the US has complained that the demands, including a ceasefire, were not directly linked to the release of hostages and would only embolden Hamas.

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon blasts the new resolution, saying it would “not release the hostages and will not bring security to the region.”

“Israel will continue to fight Hamas and protect its citizens, even if the Security Council prefers to turn a blind eye to terrorism,” he says in a statement.

All 14 other members of the council are expected to vote in favor of the resolution, which describes the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” and calls on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory.

Security Council to vote on reimposing Iran sanctions Friday

The UN Security Council will vote Friday on whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, its rotating presidency says, after Britain, France and Germany triggered the process that led to the vote.

The three European countries, signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that lifted sanctions, allege that Iran has broken its commitments to curb enrichment under the treaty, though they have engaged in talks with Tehran in recent weeks in an attempt to stave off the move.

Diplomatic sources expect that the resolution will not have the nine votes needed to keep the sanctions lifted, meaning the measures will be reimposed.

Two soldiers slain in Allenby attack named

Lt. Col. (res.) Yitzhak Harosh and Sgt. Oran Hershko, who were killed in an attack at Allenby Crossing, September 18, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Two IDF soldiers were killed in the attack at Allenby Crossing between Jordan and the West Bank earlier today, the military announces.

The slain soldiers are named as: Lt. Col. (res.) Yitzhak Harosh, 68, a reservist in the Civil Administration, and Sgt. Oran Hershko, 20, a liaison officer with foreign forces in the IDF’s Tevel international cooperation unit.

Harosh was from Jerusalem and Hershko hailed from Tel Mond.

In the attack, a Jordanian driving a truck carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip opened fire and then stabbed the two victims to death.

The attacker was killed by security forces at the scene.

Lebanon strikes targeted elite Hezbollah unit’s weapons caches — IDF

The IDF says its strikes in southern Lebanon this evening targeted several weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.

“The Hezbollah terror organization continues its attempts to restore terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon, especially the Radwan unit with the aim of harming the State of Israel,” the military says in a statement.

The IDF says Hezbollah’s efforts to restore the Radwan Force, which suffered heavy losses in Israeli strikes in Lebanon during the war last year, are a violation of the ceasefire.

“IDF troops have been operating over the past two years against the unit’s attempts to recover and rebuild its strength,” the military says.

The strikes today were carried out in two main waves, following evacuation warnings to residents of five villages: Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Tebnit, Dibbin, Chehabiyeh and Burj Qalaouiyah.

Since the November 2024 ceasefire, the IDF says it has killed over 300 Hezbollah operatives in strikes in Lebanon, saying they were violating the terms of the truce.

The IDF says its strikes in southern Lebanon this evening targeted several weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force.

"The Hezbollah terror organization continues its attempts to restore terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon, especially the Radwan unit with… pic.twitter.com/aNb4wWQZ3R

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 18, 2025

Lebanon’s state news agency NNA confirms attacks in the area, adding that the strikes caused material damage.

Italian dock claims to block arms shipment to Israel

The Italian Adriatic port of Ravenna refused entry to two trucks said to be carrying arms to Israel today, the city’s mayor Alessandro Barattoni tells reporters.

Barattoni says the port authority had accepted the request from him and the regional government to deny access to trucks carrying explosives en route to the Israeli port of Haifa.

“The Italian state says it has blocked the sale of arms to Israel but it is unacceptable that, thanks to bureaucratic loopholes, they can pass through Italy from other countries,” Barattoni says in a statement.

He did not provide details on where the containers had come from or provide evidence of their contents.

Similar action to block arms shipments to Israel has been taken by dockworkers in other European countries such as France, Sweden and Greece.

A spokesperson from the Israeli embassy declines to comment.

On Friday, Italy’s largest trade union body, the CGIL, will hold a national half-day strike and marches in Rome and other cities, while on September 22, two other unions will halt work and try to block activity in the large ports of Genoa and Livorno.

“We won’t let a single pin through the port,” says Riccardo Rudino from the Calp dockers’ union in Genoa.

Photos show mangled Humvee after deadly Rafah bomb

A damaged IDF Humvee following a roadside bomb attack in southern Gaza's Rafah, September 18, 2025. (Social media: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A damaged IDF Humvee following a roadside bomb attack in southern Gaza’s Rafah, September 18, 2025. (Social media: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Images circulating on social media show the aftermath of a roadside bomb attack against an IDF Humvee in southern Gaza’s Rafah this morning.

The attack left four soldiers dead and three others wounded, including one in serious condition.

IDF says it successfully intercepted ballistic missile from Yemen; no reports of impacts or injuries

A ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen at Israel a short while ago was intercepted by air defenses, the military says.

There are no immediate reports of impacts or injuries. Sirens had sounded in central Israel and the Jerusalem area.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 87 ballistic missiles and at least 40 drones at Israel.

Netanyahu says two Israelis killed in Allenby bridge attack were soldiers

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reveals that the two Israelis killed in the terror attack at the Allenby Crossing were soldiers.

Speaking at a Channel 14 conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu mourns the loss of “four combat soldiers in Rafah, and two combat soldiers at the Allenby Bridge, two of our soldiers.”

There is no comment from the military, which generally waits to report on fatalities among troops until families can first be notified.

Netanyahu also demurs when asked about the possible annexation of parts of the West Bank.

“This is one of those questions of diplomatic maneuvering where it is better to speak less,” he tells the right-wing network. “Wait patiently.”

IDF says it’s working to shoot down Houthi missile, as sirens wail in central Israel and Jerusalem area

Sirens sound in central Israel and the Jerusalem area following the launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen.

The IDF says it is working to shoot down the projectile.

Missile launched from Yemen, sirens expected soon

A ballistic missile has been launched from Yemen at Israel, the military says.

Sirens are expected to sound in the coming minutes.

Judge bans Qatargate suspect Urich from Prime Minister’s Office, overturning lower court

Qatargate suspect Jonatan Urich attends a hearing at the Lod District Court on May 22, 2025. (Jonathan Shaul/Flash90)

The Lod-Central District Court rules to ban Qatargate suspect Jonatan Urich from working in the Prime Minister’s Office or contacting others involved in the affair, overturning the Rishon Lezion Magistrate Court’s decision earlier this month.

The court also bans Urich from leaving the country for the next 60 days.

The magistrate’s court ruled on September 11 that banning Urich from working in the PMO, as requested by the police, would harm his constitutional rights, and that insufficient evidence had been presented to him regarding the threat to national security posed by Urich that would justify such injury to his rights.

Judge Amit Michles of the Lod-Central District Court writes in his decision, however, that Urich maintains he has not violated any law by doing public relations work for Qatar to improve Doha’s image as a fair mediator in hostage negotiations while at the same time working as an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Since Urich claims he has done nothing wrong, the likelihood of his repeating such conduct if he returns to the PMO increases, Michles writes, “when [such actions] could cause great harm, whether to state security or otherwise.” Urich is facing possible charges of bribery and breach of trust in the case.

The judge also writes that the harm to Urich’s constitutional rights is limited, since he has already been prohibited in practice from working in the PMO due to restrictions that were previously imposed, banning him from having contact with anyone involved in the Qatargate affair, which includes several figures in the Prime Minister’s Office.

This is the fifth time Michles has overturned a decision by the Rishon Lezion Magistrate Court regarding the Qatargate affair.

IDF urges temporary halt to Gaza aid through Allenby crossing after attack

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip are seen at the Kerem Shalom Crossing in southern Israel, May 19, 2025. (AP/ Ohad Zwigenberg)

The IDF says it is recommending that the country’s political leadership temporarily halt the transport of Gaza-bound aid through the Allenby Crossing, after a Jordanian driving a truck of humanitarian assistance for the Strip through the terminal carried out a deadly attack, killing two Israelis.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir issued the recommendation following consultations with COGAT chief Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian and Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, the military says.

The military says the aid coming through the border crossing, which links Jordan to the Israel-controlled West Bank, should be halted until an investigation is completed and the inspection procedures for Jordanian drivers are updated.

Aid is still entering the Gaza Strip via other routes, a military official stresses.

According to COGAT, since the beginning of the war, nearly 10,000 trucks of aid, or over 144,000 tons, have been transferred to the Gaza Strip from Jordan using land crossings with Israel and the West Bank. The total represents some 7% of all aid deliveries.

CCTV footage shows fiery drone impact in Eilat

Surveillance camera footage shows the moment an explosive drone struck a hotel in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat earlier this evening.

The strike caused damage but no injuries, according to authorities.

The IDF said the drone was launched “from the east,” usually code for Yemen. The Houthis in Yemen have not taken responsibility.

https://twitter.com/kann_news/status/1968718507069014201

Second drone ‘from the east’ downed — air force

A drone launched at Israel “from the east” was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force a short while ago, the military says.

The IDF has previously described attacks from Yemen as “from the east.”

No sirens sounded, “according to protocol,” the army says.

Earlier, a suspected Houthi drone from Yemen slammed into the entrance to a hotel in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, causing slight damage.

ADL files fresh suit in US court over October 7 atrocities

The Anti-Defamation League and law firm Crowell & Moring LLP have filed a federal lawsuit in the US holding multiple Palestinian terror groups and their state sponsors accountable for the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel, the second such suit in as many years.

The lawsuit invokes the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which allows US victims to sue state sponsors of terrorism, and the Anti-Terrorism Act, which enables claims against foreign terror groups and their supporters.

Plaintiffs include more than 140 US citizens who were killed, injured, or lost relatives in the massacre. They are seeking compensatory and punitive damages in order to both deliver justice and deter future attacks, ADL says.

The suit names Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, and the Popular Resistance Committees as defendants, along with state sponsors Iran, Syria and North Korea.

“The world must never forget what happened on October 7,” say David and Hazel Brief, whose son Yona died of injuries sustained in the attack. “We believe it is critical that those responsible for the horrific terror inflicted that day are held accountable in a court of law, to ensure the record is clear as to who helped support, plan and carry out the violence that day.”

One year ago, ADL and Crowell filed a separate lawsuit on behalf of 180 other plaintiffs alleging state sponsors of terror Iran, Syria and North Korea provided material support to Hamas, which enabled it to commit the October 7 atrocities. That case is still ongoing, ADL says.

Macron tells Israeli TV Iran sanctions coming back

French President Emmanuel Macron says United Nations sanctions will be reimposed on Iran by the end of the month as Tehran has not been serious in its talks with European powers to avert them.

The comments are made to Channel 12 news, which releases a preview of his remarks before the full interview airs later tonight.

Asked whether the so-called snapback mechanism would take place, he answers, “Yes. I think so because the latest news from the Iranians is not serious.”

Gaza City nearly half emptied, IDF says

More than 450,000 Palestinians have so far evacuated Gaza City to the Strip’s south, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says in a press conference.

Around 1 million Palestinians were estimated to be residing in Gaza City before the IDF began its major offensive against Hamas there.

Defrin says that since the start of the offensive on Monday night, more than 1,200 terror targets have been struck.

Jordan condemns Allenby crossing attack as blow to Gaza aid effort

Israeli police stand guard near the site of an attack at the Allenby Border Crossing with Jordan on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP/Mahmoud Illean)

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry says it condemns the fatal double stabbing at the Allenby Border Crossing earlier today, indicating it could impact its ability to get humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Jordan’s security services have launched an investigation into “the shooting incident this afternoon on the other side of the King Hussein crossing, which Jordan condemned and rejected as a violation of international law, Jordan’s interests, and its ability to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the ministry says, using the Jordanian name for the crossing, which links Jordan to the Israeli-controlled West Bank.

According to Israel, a man driving a truck of aid bound for Gaza opened fire on Israelis at the crossing and proceeded to stab two people to death. He was shot and killed by security forces on the scene.

It names the suspected attacker as Abd al-Mutalib al-Qaisi, a 57-year-old man who began driving trucks of aid being sent to Gaza three months ago.

The Foreign Ministry adds that Jordan “calls for an end to the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and for a permanent ceasefire.”

Army confirms drone attack ‘from east’

The IDF confirms that a drone launched “from the east,” normally code for Yemen, struck Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat a short while ago.

The army often describes attacks launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels as “from the east.”

No injuries are reported in the attack.

Footage from the scene shows rescue forces working to extinguish a blaze sparked by the drone impact.

The apparent Houthi drone struck the entrance to a hotel in Eilat. pic.twitter.com/seEaQQZYBt

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 18, 2025

Four soldiers killed in Rafah bomb attack — IDF

L-R: Maj. Omri Chai Ben Moshe, Lt. Eran Shelem, Lt. Eitan Avner Ben Itzhak, and Lt. Ron Arieli, who were killed in a roadside bomb attack in southern Gaza's Rafah on September 18, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Four IDF soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in a roadside bomb attack in southern Gaza’s Rafah this morning, the military announces.

The slain soldiers are named as:

Maj. Omri Chai Ben Moshe, 26, from Tzafria.

Lt. Eran Shelem, 23, from Ramat Yohanan.

Lt. Eitan Avner Ben Itzhak, 22, from Har Bracha.

Lt. Ron Arieli, 20, from Hadera.

All four served with the Bahad 1 officers’ school’s Dekel Battalion. Ben Moshe was a company commander, while the other three troops were cadets and posthumously promoted to lieutenant.

According to an initial IDF probe, the incident took place during operations in Rafah’s Jenina neighborhood at around 9:30 a.m., as a D9 armored bulldozer was clearing a route while two Humvees drove behind it.

One of the Humvees then moved to the side of the road, where it was hit by an explosive device.

The blast killed the four soldiers and wounded three others, including one seriously and two moderately.

The military is still investigating what type of explosive was used, how it was activated, and when it was placed there.

While Rafah has been largely cleared of Hamas operatives and terror infrastructure, the IDF believes there are several dozen more operatives still there, mostly in the Jenina area. Earlier in the day, before the attack, different troops of the Bahad 1 school had three engagements with terror operatives, according to the army.

Houthi Telegram account praises drone attack

There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the drone that struck Eilat, though the city has been targeted repeatedly by UAVs launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

A Telegram account closely linked with the Houthi leadership posts videos of the drone attack shared by Israelis online and praises the attack, without claiming it as a Houthi attack.

Drone appears to hit Eilat

Medics and security forces are responding to reports of a drone impact in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat.

According to eyewitnesses and footage circulating online, the drone struck the entrance of a hotel.

It is unclear if there were any casualties in the attack.

Sirens had sounded in the city, warning of a suspected drone infiltration. The Houthis in Yemen have launched dozens of drones at Israel, many of them at Eilat, in recent months.

Eyewitnesses report a drone impact in Eilat. https://t.co/aURJJoma23 pic.twitter.com/5SHLNWpP5N

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 18, 2025

Army expands Lebanon strike warning

The IDF issues evacuation warnings for two more buildings in southern Lebanon, ahead of airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure.

“In the near future, the IDF will attack military infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization throughout southern Lebanon, in response to its prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area,” warns Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman.

With the announcement, the IDF publishes maps showing the locations of sites and buildings that are going to be targeted.

#عاجل ???? انذار عاجل إلى سكان جنوب لبنان
????سيهاجم جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني القريب بنى تحتية عسكرية تابعة لحزب الله الإرهابي في انحاء جنوب لبنان وذلك في مواجهة محاولاته المحظورة لاعادة اعمار أنشطتها في المنطقة
????نوجّه تحذيرًا عاجلًا إلى سكان المباني المحددة بالأحمر في الخرائط… pic.twitter.com/36fTILJ59U

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 18, 2025

“For your safety, you are required to evacuate those buildings and the adjacent buildings immediately and distance yourselves from them by no less than 500 meters,” Adraee says.

Earlier, the IDF issued warnings for four sites in southern Lebanon, before carrying out strikes.

Footage posted by Lebanese media shows one of the strikes in the town of Dibbin.

دبين – جنوب لبنان???????? pic.twitter.com/40wfVSemRh

— bintjbeil.org (@bintjbeilnews) September 18, 2025

Israel blames Allenby attack on incitement from Jordan

Israel’s Foreign Ministry says the man who attacked and killed two Israelis at the Allenby Crossing was a citizen of Jordan, blaming the assault on Jordanian incitement.

“Israel facilitates humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the terrorists exploit it to murder Israelis,” writes the Foreign Ministry following the attack, which was carried out by a man driving a truck of aid bound for Gaza as it traversed an Israel-controlled crossing from Jordan into the West Bank.

“A Jordanian who was supposed to drive a humanitarian aid truck to Gaza, murdered two Israelis at the Allenby border crossing,” the ministry writes on X, using uncharacteristically pugnacious language. “This is yet another result of the vile incitement in Jordan. This is the result of the echoing of Hamas’s campaign of lies.”

“This must stop,” adds the Foreign Ministry.

Drone alert sounds in Eilat

Sirens warning of a suspected drone infiltration are sounding in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat.

The IDF says it is looking into the details.

Yad Vashem planning Holocaust education center in Germany, first outside Israel

The Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum is looking to open a Holocaust education center in Germany, its first education center outside Israel, the organization says.

Possible sites for the center are being considered in the states of Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony. It hopes to complete the planning stage by mid-2026, Yad Vashem says.

The initiative was first discussed in 2023 between Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan and then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The new center would combat Holocaust distortion and trivialization while strengthening German-Israeli partnerships, Dayan says.

“Visiting memorial sites should be an integral part of the curriculum… [and] teachers need a lot of professional support to accomplish this,” says Education Minister Karin Prien. “That is why I am grateful that Yad Vashem wants to take this step in Germany.”

Dermer reportedly thinks Israel can annex Jordan Valley without major diplomatic backlash

Israeli security forces near the scene where two Israelis were killed in a terror shooting attack at Allenby bridge, a crossing between West Bank's Jordan Valley and Jordan, September 18, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a top confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, believes Israel can maneuver to annex the West Bank’s Jordan Valley without major diplomatic fallout in Washington and even in the United Arab Emirates, the Ynet news site reports, citing three diplomatic and political sources.

Dermer thinks the move can “pass diplomatically” if he presents it as a reaction to the recognition of a Palestinian state next week by France, the UK, and other Western nations at the United Nations General Assembly, according to the report.

He also believes US Democrats will respond relatively quietly to the move, reports Ynet, pointing to what he says is a lack of opposition from centrist opposition parties in Israel.

Dermer has reportedly made such predictions in the past, assuring counterparts that he could secure US support for annexation in January 2020 when Trump unveiled his Mideast peace plan and in July 2020, before Israel agreed to shelve the initiative in exchange for normalizing ties with the UAE.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed annexation with Netanyahu during his visit this week, according to the report, and said that the US warned European states that unilateral recognition would lead to Israel responding in kind.

While many in Israel do not support annexation of the West Bank, there has been much wider purchase for the idea that Israel will need to maintain security control over the Jordan Valley, a largely barren area of the West Bank that borders Jordan.

The report comes hours after an attack in which an assailant driving a Gaza-bound aid truck from Jordan into the West Bank via the Jordan Valley’s Allenby Crossing killed two Israelis at the border terminal.

Starmer denies Palestine recognition move timed to avoid Trump visit

US President Donald Trump (L) gestures as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a joint press conference following their meeting at Chequers, in Aylesbury, central England, on September 18, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls Hamas a “terror organization that can have no part in any future governance in Palestine,” during a press conference with US President Donald Trump, earning a smile and pat on his back from the American leader.

The comment comes in response to a question about whether recognizing Palestine may be seen as a reward to Hamas.

Starmer goes on to recognize the psychological impact Hamas’s October 7 attack had on Israelis, but notes that the terror group opposes the UK peace plan of which recognition is a part, as it envisions a two-state solution.

He also rejects a report yesterday that he is waiting to recognize Palestine until after Trump leaves the country later today, asserting that the timing of his announcement “has got nothing to do with the state visit” and that the two leaders share mutual respect for each other and like each other.

In London, Trump says he disagrees with UK leader Starmer on Palestine recognition

US President Donald Trump says he disagrees with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state but doesn’t elaborate as to why, during a press conference alongside the British leader in London.

“So I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that… One of our few disagreements,” he says.

Trump also says he wants all of the hostages released immediately, telegraphing his opposition to a phased release of hostages. “Not one, not two or ‘We’ll give you three tomorrow,'” he says.

“We have to have the hostages back immediately,” he adds. “That’s what the people of Israel want. And we want the fighting to stop, and it’s going to stop.”

During his opening remarks Trump says, “We’ve settled just about every conflict.”

“We’re working very hard on Israel and Gaza and all that’s happening over there — a complex one… It’s going to get done… But you never know with war. War is a different thing. Things happen that are very opposite of what you thought. You thought you could have an easy time or a hard time, and it turns out to be the reverse,” Trump says.

Asked whether his decision to recognize a Palestinian state is a largely symbolic move aimed at appeasing his domestic political base, Starmer says he discussed the matter with Trump and the two “absolutely agree on the need for peace and a road map.”

He says the war in Gaza is intolerable and calls for the hostages held by terror groups to be released and for aid to surge into the Strip.

“It’s within that context of a plan for peace, which we are working hard on… which hopefully takes us from the appalling situation we’re in now to the outcome of a safe and secure Israel, which we do not have, and a viable Palestinian state,” Starmer adds.

Israel launches airstrikes in southern Lebanon

The IDF announces that it has begun a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

An hour ago, the military warned residents of towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate several sites ahead of the strikes.

مباشر من بلدة ميس الجبل#ملحق pic.twitter.com/aOy2SvHYAl

— Mulhak – ملحق (@Mulhak) September 18, 2025

Haredi protesters block traffic in Jerusalem and near Tel Aviv

Hundreds of Haredi men are protesting near Bnei Brak and at the entrance to Jerusalem against the arrests of draft dodgers.

Police say traffic has been stopped at the Chords Bridge on the western edge of Jerusalem, a major artery into the city, as they attempt to remove protesters who are blocking the road.

Traffic has also been halted on Route 4, a major highway that runs east of Tel Aviv, due to protests, police say.

Officers are attempting to remove protesters from both roadways, according to police.

מפגינים חרדים חסמו את דרך גהה כמחאה נגד הגיוס ונגד מעצרם של אברכים עריקים. גשר המיתרים נחסם על ידם, המשטרה פועלת לפנותם | תיעוד@VeredPelman @YoavBorowitz pic.twitter.com/4nlQodfxCk

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 18, 2025

Judge disqualifies 2024 Acre mayoral vote over influence campaign

A Haifa court has disqualified the results of a vote for the leadership of the city of Acre in early 2024, finding in favor of a complainant who accused Mayor Amihai Ben Shlush of buying votes to win the post.

The judge orders that a new vote be held, but rejects a request to order Ben Shlush to immediately step down.

Ben Shlush and his deputy are currently under police investigation over allegations that they promised so-called vote contractors positions in city hall and assistance in winning municipal tenders in exchange for their support.

Vote contractors are political operators who run get-out-the-vote campaigns for candidates or have strong influence over how certain swaths of the public vote, such as via union ties.

Though the probe is ongoing, judge Tamar Naot Peri finds in favor of Ohad Segev, who lost to Ben Shlush in the election and had sued for the revote, saying that “there is an accumulation of data showing that a significant number of voters were illegally influenced, affecting the outcome of the vote.”

Dismissing talks with Hamas, Huckabee says allies’ pressure on Israel ‘makes no sense’

Mike Huckabee speaks at a Reichman University conference in Herzliya on September 18, 2025. (Gilad Kalaverchik/Reichman University)

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee says he is “outrage[d]” by anger at Israel over the war in Gaza and diplomacy won’t work with an organization like Hamas.

“This kind of savagery can’t be dealt with by diplomacy and talking,” Huckabee says at the Reichman University World Summit of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. “One has to have some level of morality to sit down and talk – and Hamas does not. If that’s diplomacy, I want no part of it. Diplomacy that is nothing more than babble and vanilla-coated nonsense, and believing that everyone is on the same side, with slight variations of opinion, that’s going to get us killed. We have to understand that is a difference between the forces of heaven and the forces of hell. If we don’t understand that, we’re only going to see more terrorism that will kill more innocent people across this planet.”

Israel, he says, has “no choice but to end the Hamas occupation of Gaza.”

“To do anything less than end Hamas rule in Gaza would be as ridiculous as it would have been to leave the Nazis in power in Germany after World War II,” Huckabee continues. “The Europeans, the Canadians, and others are taking a direction that makes no sense. It’s not Israel that needs to end this — Hamas needs to end this. Trump has consistently said that Hamas has no future, and that Hamas cannot rule in Gaza, and that all the hostages need to be released immediately.”

Huckabee, a longtime Christian Zionist, says allowing Hamas “even a modicum of victory… will only invite more October 7s and more hostages being taken.”

He urges Israel to prioritize its own defense over catering to the opinions of critics abroad.

“Despite the pressure you’re facing from people like the Europeans — who ought to be on your side — or from university campuses or other entities, I hope Israel never forgets that, like the US, our jobs as nations is not to live our lives so people will like us, but to live our lives so that we have a life to live. And we are willing to fight our enemies to the death for that.”

Italy says it is open to EU trade sanctions on Israel as long as civilians unaffected

Italy is open to considering European Union trade sanctions against Israel as long as they don’t affect the civilian population, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says.

Addressing the Italian Senate, Tajani also says Rome was in favor of sanctions against Israeli ministers who have “unacceptable” positions on Gaza and the West Bank.

The European Commission is mulling the possibility of curbing its free-trade agreement with Israel and putting sanctions on National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as well as violent West Bank settlers. Implementing the measures will require the support of most members of the 27-nation bloc.

Israel warns Lebanese of looming strikes on Hezbollah sites

The IDF issues a warning to residents of several towns in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure.

“In the near future, the IDF will attack military infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization throughout southern Lebanon, in response to its prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area,” warns Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman.

The IDF publishes maps showing the locations of sites and buildings that are going to be targeted in the towns of Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Tebnit, and Dibbin.

“For your safety, you are required to evacuate those buildings and the adjacent buildings immediately and distance yourselves from them by no less than 500 meters,” Adraee says.

#عاجل ???? انذار عاجل إلى سكان جنوب لبنان
????سيهاجم جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني القريب بنى تحتية عسكرية تابعة لحزب الله الإرهابي في انحاء جنوب لبنان وذلك في مواجهة محاولاته المحظورة لاعادة اعمار أنشطته في المنطقة
????نوجّه تحذيرًا عاجلًا إلى سكان المباني المحددة بالأحمر في الخرائط… pic.twitter.com/uqB401MnDa

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 18, 2025

Israeli evacuation warnings before strikes in Lebanon have been relatively rare since a November 2024 ceasefire. The last such warning was issued in June ahead of strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut.

Minister at center of graft probe said to spirit mom out of police station during grilling

Social Equality Minister May Golan seen outside a court hearing at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court on September 15, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Social Equality May Golan is being accused of helping her mother slip away from a police station during questioning in a graft investigation that has embroiled the Likud lawmaker and several people around her.

According to reports, the mother escaped the police station with Golan after asking to use the restroom, and cops on the scene declined to intervene due to concerns about parliamentary immunity.

A statement attributed to Golan’s camp carried by the Ynet news site appears to confirm that Golan took her mother out of the station, describing her as an 80-year-old woman in ill health, and saying that it only occurred due to health reasons and that police had finished questioning in relation to the case.

“After an hour of questioning, interrogators removed the mother from the investigation room. The mother was upset and shaking all over, and minister Golan immediately took her home to recover and brought in a doctor,” the statement reads, adding that medics called to the scene recommended that she avoid stress due to raised blood pressure.

The statement also accuses police of leaking details of the investigation and says “interrogators refused to allow Golan and the lawyer who came with them to ensure that the questioning will not cause irreversible damage to her health.”

According to an Israel Police statement on Monday, Golan is accused of using nonprofit organizations and government systems as a “tool for illegally extracting funds.” Several of her associates and former aides have been arrested in the case, but she has refused to answer police summons for questioning.

IDF confirms border-crossing assailant was in aid truck, troops encircling Jericho

IDF troops operate at the scene of an attack at Allenby Crossing between Jordan and the West Bank, September 18, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF in a statement confirms that the assailant who carried out the deadly attack at Allenby Crossing arrived in a truck from Jordan that was carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

“Security forces neutralized the terrorist at the scene,” the military says.

The IDF adds that troops are carrying out scans in the area and encircling the nearby West Bank city of Jericho.

Two Israelis were killed in the attack.

According to Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, since the beginning of the war, nearly 10,000 trucks of aid, or over 144,000 tons, have been transferred to the Gaza Strip from Jordan using land crossings with Israel and the West Bank. The total represents some 7 percent of all aid deliveries.

Jordan says it is monitoring reports of security incident at border crossing

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani says on X that Jordan is monitoring reports of a security incident on the West Bank side of the Allenby border crossing, after an attack in which two Israelis were killed by a stabber driving an aid truck toward Gaza.

In the first official comment from Amman on the attack, al-Momani says that the relevant Jordanian authorities are following the matter. More details will be announced once they become available, he adds.

Allenby attacker stabbed victims after gun jammed, was driver of aid truck

The Jordanian assailant who carried out the deadly attack at Allenby Crossing between Jordan and the West Bank stabbed the two victims, according to a preliminary investigation by the military.

According to the initial probe, the assailant, who was driving a truck carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, opened fire with a handgun at people at the crossing before the truck had been inspected by Israeli authorities.

The attacker then got out of the truck. After his gun apparently jammed, he began to stab the two victims. They were pronounced dead by medics at the scene.

Security guards at the crossing opened fire on the assailant, killing him.

Despite some reports in Hebrew media, the attacker is not believed to be a Jordanian soldier, Israeli defense officials say.

Turkey threatens Cyprus over purchase of Israeli-made air defense system

An undated photo of the Barak MX system. (Israel Aerospace Industries)

Turkish officials say Ankara is closely monitoring Cyprus’s reported procurement of the Israeli-made Barak MX integrated air defense system, warning that the move could destabilize a “fragile balance” on the divided island.

The officials from Turkey’s defense ministry say Cyprus’s ongoing armament efforts would threaten peace and stability on the island and may lead to “dangerous consequences,” after reports suggested that the system had been delivered to Cyprus.

The Israeli ground-based system is capable of simultaneously intercepting missiles, drones and aircraft from as far as 93 miles (150 kilometers) away. Its deployment would mark a significant upgrade to Cyprus’s defense shield, which had until recently only consisted of Soviet-era weapons, such as the BUK M1-2 missile system.

The Mediterranean island has been split along ethic lines since 1974 when Turkey invaded in the wake of a coup that aimed to unify the island with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a 1983 Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island’s northern third, where Turkey continues to maintain more than 35,000 troops.

In 1997, Cyprus’s plans to deploy Russian-made S-300 air defense missiles triggered a standoff with Turkey, which threatened military action. The tensions de-escalated after Cyprus agreed to transfer the missiles to Greece.

The defense officials say that Turkey remains committed to safeguarding the security of the Turkish Cypriots, adding, without elaborating, that all kinds of measures were being taken to ensure their safety.

Second victim of border crossing shooting dies; shooter was reportedly an aid worker arriving in truck from Jordan

The scene of a suspected shooting attack at the Allenby Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, September 18, 2025. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Medics have pronounced both victims of a shooting attack dead after they were critically injured by the gunfire, Hebrew media reports.

Security forces are still scanning the area for additional suspects.

Some Hebrew media reports say the assailant in the apparent shooting attack arrived from Jordan inside an aid truck heading to the Gaza Strip. Channel 12 reports that he is involved in the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Strip and had an Israeli permit.

After he shot the two Israelis, Israeli forces returned fire and apparently killed the shooter, according to the reports.

Medics pronounce death of 1 victim of border crossing shooting

One of the victims of the apparent shooting attack at the Allenby border crossing with Jordan has been pronounced dead, the head of the Magen David Adom ambulance service tells Channel 12 news.

2 Israelis critically hurt in shooting attack at West Bank-Jordan border crossing

An Israeli soldier stands at the entrance to the Allenby border crossing, the main border crossing for Palestinians from the West Bank traveling to neighboring Jordan and beyond, March 10, 2014. (AP/Sebastian Scheiner)

Two Israeli men have been critically injured in a suspected shooting attack near Allenby Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, the Magen David Adom emergency service says.

Paramedics say they found both victims unconscious and are currently treating the two, a man in his 60s and a man in his 20s.

Police have not yet commented on the incident.

Shooting reported at Israeli-controlled Allenby Crossing between West Bank and Jordan

A suspected shooting attack has taken place at the Israel-controlled Allenby Crossing between the central West Bank and Jordan, Hebrew media reports, adding that an assailant has been “neutralized.”

The IDF says it has received a report of a shooting incident and is looking into the details.

Mossad chief: Israel has capabilities in the heart of Tehran that haven’t been used

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Mossad Director David Barnea at the Prime Minister's Award ceremony in Jerusalem, September 17, 2025. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Israel has capabilities inside of Tehran that have not been used yet, Mossad director David Barnea said last night, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

“We have won, and we will continue to win,” said Barnea, speaking at the Prime Minister’s Award ceremony, which was given this year to the spy agency.

“Though we proved that Iran is penetrable, we are not letting up,” Barnea continued. “The Mossad has very strong operational capabilities, even more imaginative and powerful than before — especially inside Iran and even in the heart of Tehran.”

“We will continue to build and strengthen our capabilities in Iran, to keep our eyes open from within Iran on what is happening behind closed doors, and we will not allow ideas that could endanger our security to grow,” he promised.

The event, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, took place on the one-year anniversary of the “beeper” operation in which Israel detonated thousands of pagers as they were held by Hezbollah operatives.

Military prosecutors to indict ex-senior officer over deaths of researcher, soldier in Lebanon

Col. Yoav Yarom, in an undated photo. (Israel Defense Forces)

Military prosecutors announce their intention to indict the former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces’ Golani Brigade, Col. (res.) Yoav Yarom, over his involvement in the circumstances that led to the deaths of Sgt. Gur Kehati, 20, and civilian researcher Ze’ev Erlich, 71, during an incident in southern Lebanon in November 2024.

Notice of the intention to indict him, along with an invitation to a hearing, has been delivered to the officer’s legal representatives, the IDF says.

According to an initial IDF probe, Yarom had allowed Erlich to enter the western sector of southern Lebanon, in IDF uniform, to examine an archaeological site without the necessary approvals. Believing the area had been cleared of threats, Yarom led Erlich and accompanying troops to the site, where Hezbollah operatives opened fire, killing Erlich and Kehati.

Israeli researcher Ze’ev Erlich seen in IDF uniform on November 20, 2024, hours before he was killed in a gun battle with Hezbollah operatives. (IDF Spokesman)

At the time, the IDF stressed that Yarom did not have the authority to approve Erlich’s entry, and that the proper process for civilian access was not followed.

Yarom requested to resign from his position a week after the incident.

The military expresses condolences to the families and says it will continue to accompany them throughout the legal proceedings.

Syrian foreign ministry official says security deals with Israel will be reached by end of 2025

Syria will strike several security and military agreements with Israel by the end of the year, a foreign ministry official tells AFP, in what would be a major milestone after the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

“There is progress in the talks with Israel,” says the ministry official, requesting anonymity because he is not allowed to brief the media, adding that several agreements are expected to be signed “by the end of the year.”

“Primarily, these would be security and military agreements,” he says, adding that there will be a focus on “an agreement to halt [Israeli] military operations inside Syria.”

Last night, Sharaa seemed even more optimistic about the timeline, telling reporters in Damascus that the ongoing negotiations may lead to results “in the coming days.”

Syria and Israel have no diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war.

AG says ministers’ threats to defy Supreme Court are ‘a call for the crushing of democracy’

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, left, prepares to speak at a retirement ceremony for outgoing Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, September 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara reprimands the government and senior cabinet ministers for threatening not to abide by court rulings, and even having refused to do so, at a retirement ceremony for Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron.

Listing a series of what she says are efforts to undermine the independence of the judiciary, the embattled attorney general says that “worst of all are calls by senior officials in the executive branch that they do not intend to abide by judicial orders.”

Baharav-Miara adds: “A call not to honor judicial court orders is not a call for judicial reform, it is a call to crush democracy. A country without law.”

Justice Minister Yariv Levin has intimated on several occasions that he will not respect High Court rulings in certain cases, while Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has openly defied the court’s ruling that the government continue to abide by Baharav-Miara’s instructions in the wake of her dismissal and the High Court’s decision to freeze that dismissal until a final ruling.

Elron himself also apparently references the issue of abiding by court rulings in his speech, saying that “unqualified obedience to the law must be a general norm that binds all citizens and institutions in the country.”

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit says in his speech that the judiciary is “not the property of any person,” in a none-too-subtle reference to Levin and his refusal to appoint new judges to the court.

Levin has refused to appoint new Supreme Court judges since former court president Esther Hayut retired in October 2023. With Elron’s retirement, there will be four empty seats on the court bench.

“Regrettably, the judges’ bench today is not full,” says Amit.

“This is in the spirit of an understanding that the judiciary is not the property of any person; it operates in the service of the public, and for it only,” says the court chief, whom Levin has refused to recognize as such after a hostile confirmation process earlier this year.

Levin spearheaded a far-reaching and controversial law passed in March, which changed the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee and the appointments process for judges, greatly politicizing the process and removing all power over Supreme Court appointments from representatives of the judiciary on the committee.

The law will not come into effect until after the next election, and Levin is refusing to convene the Judicial Selection Committee in its current format as a result.

Retiring Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, right, and Supreme Court President Isaac Amit at a retirement ceremony for the former, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, September 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

Speaking at the ceremony, Levin repeated what he says was one of his primary motivations in passing the law, the need to diversify the judiciary. Levin contends that the judiciary and the Supreme Court are dominated by liberal, activist judges who do not reflect the will of the general public, although many court observers believe the current bench is evenly balanced between liberals and conservatives.

“Diversifying the [judicial] system and appointing judges with different backgrounds and worldviews is the path to filling the Supreme Court bench, in a way that will increase its professional strength and restore the public’s trust in it,” says Levin.

At the end of his speech, Elron laments the divided state of Israeli society at present.

“Unfortunately, we live in a time of division and polarization in Israeli society. I hope that the Supreme Court will contribute to healing the rifts in society, with rulings that will bridge the gaps and disputes brought before it,” says the outgoing judge.

Sources say UAE won’t cut Israel ties if West Bank annexed, despite warning that’s a ‘red line’

(L-R) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, Bahraino Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan pose for a photo on the Blue Room Balcony after signing the Abraham Accords during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, September 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The United Arab Emirates may downgrade its diplomatic ties with Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government annexes part or all of the West Bank, but it is not weighing the option of severing them completely, according to three sources briefed on the Gulf Arab state’s deliberations.

This is despite Emirati foreign ministry official Lana Nusseibeh telling The Times of Israel on September 3 that any annexation would be a “red line,” jeopardize the Abraham Accords, and end the pursuit of regional integration.

Israel’s government has recently taken steps that could presage annexation of the West Bank, which was captured from Jordan along with East Jerusalem in a war in 1967. The United Nations and most countries oppose such a move.

The UAE, which established ties with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, is considering withdrawing its ambassador in any response, the sources tell Reuters.

The sources, all speaking on condition of anonymity, say Abu Dhabi is not considering completely severing ties, although tensions have mounted during the almost two-year-old Gaza war.

A source in Israel says the government believes it can repair its strained ties with the UAE, a major commercial center seen as the most significant of the Arab states to establish ties with Israel in 2020. The others were Bahrain and Morocco.

The UAE foreign ministry does not respond to questions on whether it is weighing downgrading diplomatic ties with Israel.

The spokesperson at the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi says that Israel is committed to the Abraham Accords and that it will continue to work toward strengthening ties with the UAE.

China slams PM’s accusation of ‘media blockade,’ says Israel needs ‘political intelligence’

China condemns Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusation that it is helping orchestrate a “political blockade” against Israel,” saying the charge has “no basis in fact.”

Speaking to a large delegation of US officials earlier this week, Netanyahu accused China and Qatar of “organizing an attack on Israel… [through] the social media of the Western world and the United States.”

He later said to the Israeli channel i24, “There is now an attempt to impose a blockade on Israel by various entities and countries, led by Qatar. First of all, a media blockade funded with enormous sums of money, both from Qatar and from other countries such as China.”

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Israel criticizes those remarks.

“China is shocked by the declaration of the Israeli leader regarding China,” the statement says, according to Channel 12. “The remarks have no basis in fact, hurt China-Israel relations, and China strongly opposes them.”

The accusation that China is using social media to attack Israel, it says, “treats the symptom instead of the real issue.”

The statement adds that much of the international community has called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, and chides Netanyahu’s policy.

“Israel does not need endless war, but diplomacy that brings peace,” it says. “To solve the current crisis, Israel needs political intelligence and creative diplomacy, not just military operations and endless attacks.”

Pope says he cannot ‘make any declaration’ as to whether Israel committing genocide

Pope Leo XIV speaks ahead of a Holy Mass and canonisation ceremony of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on September 7, 2025 (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

In quotes from an interview published today, Pope Leo XIV says he cannot declare that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

In the interview, which was conducted at the end of July for a forthcoming biography, Leo also says he has “great concern” for the situation in Gaza.

“The word genocide is being thrown around more and more,” he says. “The Holy See does not believe that we can make any declaration at this time about that.”

The statement stands in contrast to one made by Leo’s predecessor Francis, who in November 2024 called for the genocide charge to be investigated, drawing backlash from Israel, which adamantly rejects the accusation.

“According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” Francis said at the time. “We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.”

Francis, near the end of his papacy, made the situation in Gaza a significant focus of his.

Leo, who was elected in May, has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the war and the release of Israeli hostages held by terror groups in the Strip.

Yesterday, he expressed “deep solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza who continue to live in fear and survive in unacceptable conditions, being forcibly displaced once again from their lands.”

But Leo has shown a more reserved style than his predecessor, who often gave interviews, spoke frankly about world events and sharply criticized both US President Donald Trump and Israel.

In the interview published today, Leo likewise shies away from directly criticizing Trump.

Center-right former minister Yoaz Hendel forms new ‘Reservists’ party

Yoaz Hendel testifies during a hearing of the civil investigative committee on the October 7, 2023, massacre, in Tel Aviv on August 8, 2024. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Former communications minister Yoaz Hendel announces the registration of a new political party he is calling HaMiluimnikim (“The Reservists”), which will run in the next Knesset election.

In a statement, the new party says it comprises “reservists, families of reservists, wounded IDF [soldiers], bereaved families and civilian volunteers.”

Hendel has not ruled out a partnership with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, and the statement says the party “will deal with principles and not political boycotts.” Such boycotts, the statement says, were “among the factors that led us to October 7.”

But in a thinly veiled reference to the prime minister, the statement also says those responsible for the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack “should go home and those who took responsibility that day, and since, should take control of the centers of power and lead the country.”

The new party’s platform calls for a “Zionist government,” “service for all” and the “establishment of a committee of inquiry” to investigate the October 7 attack, a step Netanyahu has resisted. “The reservists are coming to force the rehabilitation of the political system,” the party’s announcement continues.

Hendel, a battalion commander in the IDF reserves and critic of the current government who was previously affiliated with Likud, entered politics in 2019 as a member of Benny Gantz’s center-right Blue and White party. He bounced between a few factions in subsequent years, and served in the cabinet between 2020 and 2022.

After leaving politics, Hendel established a movement also called HaMiluimnikim, aimed at promoting universal military enlistment and harsh penalties for evasion.

According to a poll published this week by The Times of Israel’s sister site Zman Yisrael, if elections were held today, HaMiluimnikim would receive six out of the Knesset’s 120 seats.

Reports: Israel rearrests Palestinian terror convict released in latest hostage deal

Illustration: Palestinian prisoners, released by Israel, gesture as they arrive on a bus at the European Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip early on February 27, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Palestinian media reports that this morning, Israel arrested Murad al-Ajlouni, a Palestinian prisoner freed in a hostage-release and ceasefire deal earlier this year, in Kafr Aqab in East Jerusalem.

Al-Ajlouni was initially arrested in 2002 and sentenced to three life sentences plus 20 years for assisting the terrorist who carried out a 2002 attack at the Seafood Market restaurant in Tel Aviv, in which three people were killed. He was affiliated with the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, an armed faction linked to Fatah.

In July, four Palestinians who had been freed in the hostage deal were also rearrested, among them Samah al-Shobaki, a member of the Islamic Jihad terror group who had been serving a life sentence until he was freed in the deal.

Israeli authorities have not yet commented on the reports.

3 Palestinians illegally staying in Israel said arrested meters from Smotrich at conference

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem on August 6, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Police arrested three Palestinians illegally residing in Israel at a conference attended by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich yesterday, Channel 12 news reports.

The three men in their 20s, from the Hebron area of the West Bank, were reportedly apprehended meters away from Smotrich as he spoke at an urban renewal conference at a Tel Aviv hotel.

According to the report, the three had been employed at the company that set up the event’s stage, and were standing several meters away from the minister.

Police assisting a private security company manning the event heard the employees speaking Arabic, and decided to question them during the conference. They soon realized they had crossed into Israel illegally.

They were arrested on the spot and brought to the police station alongside their employer. Today, a judge has decided to extend the suspects’ detention.

WHO chief says northern Gaza hospitals on ‘brink of collapse’ due to new offensive

The World Health Organization chief warns that Israel’s ground offensive in northern Gaza has left already overwhelmed hospitals on the “brink of collapse” and demands an “end to these inhumane conditions.”

“The military incursion and evacuation orders in northern Gaza are driving new waves of displacement, forcing traumatized families into an ever-shrinking area unfit for human dignity,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says on X, warning that “hospitals, already overwhelmed, are on the brink of collapse as escalating violence blocks access and prevents WHO from delivering lifesaving supplies.”

Spain says it will probe ‘rights violations in Gaza’ to assist International Criminal Court

Spain will probe “human rights violations in Gaza” to assist the International Criminal Court, which has sought arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over alleged war crimes, the country’s attorney general says.

A statement says the attorney general has “issued a decree to create a working team tasked with investigating violations of international human rights law in Gaza” to “gather evidence and make it available to the competent body, thereby fulfilling Spain’s obligations regarding international cooperation and human rights.”

IDF says airstrike targeted Gaza City arms depot used to store explosives

As the IDF expands its offensive in Gaza City, the military says an airstrike yesterday directed by ground troops and the Shin Bet targeted a Hamas weapons depot that was used to store explosive devices meant to be used against Israeli forces.

The military publishes footage from the airstrike and elsewhere from the fighting.

הרחבת הלחימה במסגרת מבצע 'מרכבות גדעון ב': צה"ל ושב"כ תקפו בהכוונת כוחות אוגדה 98 מחסן אמצעי לחימה ובו מטענים שיועדו לשימוש נגד כוחות צה"ל

כוחות צה"ל בפיקוד הדרום, בהכוונת אמ"ן ושב"כ, ממשיכים בלחימה נגד ארגוני הטרור ברחבי רצועת עזה.

אוגדות 162 ו-98 מרחיבים את פעילותן בעיר עזה… pic.twitter.com/o20Ze8Ixde

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 18, 2025

The army took measures to reduce the risk to civilians, including using precise munitions, aerial observations and further intelligence.

Meanwhile, forces from the IDF’s Gaza Division are operating in Khan Younis and Rafah in the Strip’s south, and over the past day have killed terror operatives and destroyed dozens of military sites, including observation equipment and underground shafts, the IDF says.

3 Palestinians injured in West Bank clash with settlers; IDF: Incident began when an Israeli was attacked

Settlers arrived yesterday evening at the outskirts of the West Bank village of Taybeh, near Ramallah, at a place where two Bedouin families live, with videos from the scene showing them stealing sheep and goats and apparently beating a man who is behind a fence and isn’t seen in the footage.

The IDF tells The Times of Israel that “a report was received of an Israeli civilian who was attacked by several Palestinians near the village of Taybeh in the Binyamin region,” and forces rushed to the scene to resolve the incident upon receiving the report.

“The Israeli civilian was lightly injured and received medical treatment at the scene,” the military says. “Shortly afterward, another clash was reported between Israeli civilians and several Palestinians on the outskirts of Taybeh. Security forces rushed to the scene and, upon arrival, fired warning shots in the air to disperse the confrontation; no one was injured by the gunfire. Two Palestinians were identified at the scene as lightly injured from a physical confrontation and received medical treatment at the site.”

בהמשך הגיעו עוד יחד עם צבא ומשטרה ובסוף רואים אותם יוצאים מהמקום עם צאן, לפי התושבים גנבו מהם כ-100 ראשי צאן. כמו כן שלושה הותקפו- שני גברים ואישה, במכות בידיים ובמקלות. שני הגברים מאושפזים בבית חולים ברמאללה. אחד מהם זה יוסוף מליחאת שמוסתר מאחורי גדר בשעה שמפוצצים אותו מכות pic.twitter.com/93Xpse1ISX

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) September 18, 2025

Footage shows a lone settler walking with his own flock near the house and giving it water from a tank on site. Later, additional settlers arrive along with army and police forces, and settlers are seen beating one of the Palestinians.

Meflah Melihat, one of the residents whose flock was stolen, tells The Times of Israel that at the start of the incident, a single settler came to the site and entered one of the residents’ homes. A few minutes later, dozens of settlers arrived together with Israel Defense Forces soldiers, and the settlers beat Melihat’s wife, brother and neighbor, using sticks and their bare hands. The two men are now hospitalized in Ramallah.

The residents allege that over 100 goats and sheep were stolen.

The Israel Police will further probe the incident, the IDF says.

Harris cites her Jewish husband as part of why she didn’t pick ‘first choice’ Buttigieg as running mate

US Vice President Kamala Harris, right, next to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, speaks during a plenary session of the US-ASEAN Summit, May 13, 2022, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Former US vice president Kamala Harris says she would have picked Pete Buttigieg as her running mate last year, but America wasn’t ready for the pairing, according to an excerpt of her new book.

Harris writes in an excerpt of “107 Days” published in The Atlantic that former president Joe Biden’s transportation secretary was her “first choice,” adding that he “would have been an ideal partner — if I were a straight white man.”

“But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk,” she writes, referring to her husband Doug Emhoff.

Her thoughts on selecting a running mate come as potential 2028 contenders begin traveling the US in the first year of the second Trump administration.

In the book excerpt, she writes about her love of working with Buttigieg and her friendship with him and his husband, but that the two of them on the Democratic ticket would have been too risky.

“And I think Pete also knew that — to our mutual sadness,” she writes.

Police arrest 5 new suspects over this month’s torching of bins, car near PM’s home

A recycling bin and a car are heavily damaged after the bin was set alight in Jerusalem, September 3, 2025. (Israel Police)

Police say they have arrested five additional people in connection with the setting of dumpsters on fire two weeks ago near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private Jerusalem residence, during protests for a hostage deal.

The fires in the capital’s upscale Rehavia neighborhood spread, and in one case engulfed an IDF reservist’s car and forced residents in nearby buildings to evacuate. No one was hurt.

The five additional suspects have been arrested after police earlier this month nabbed 60-year-old anti-government protester Amos Doron, on suspicion of starting the fires.

The police’s exact suspicions against the five arrested are currently unclear.

A Jerusalem court has extended the detention of several suspects to allow the investigation to continue, while two suspects are expected to appear in court today for a remand hearing, police say.

Senior US diplomats on Syria abruptly let go amid pro-Damascus policy push, sources say

US Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a joint press conference following his meeting with Lebanon's president at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on August 18, 2025. (ANWAR AMRO / AFP)

Some of the most senior US diplomats focused on Syria have been abruptly let go from their posts in recent days, according to five people familiar with the matter, a shake-up that comes as Washington seeks to integrate its Syrian Kurdish allies with the central administration in Damascus.

The diplomats at the Syria Regional Platform (SRP) — the de facto US mission to the country based remotely in Istanbul — all reported to Tom Barrack, the US special envoy for Syria and a longtime adviser and friend of President Donald Trump.

Appointed in May, Barrack has spearheaded a regional policy shift that backs a unified Syrian state under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Islamist leader who swept to power in a lightning advance late last year.

One of the people speaking to Reuters, a US diplomatic source, says “a handful” of staff at the SRP have been told their tenures are ending as part of a reorganization of the team.

The person says the departures will not affect US policy in Syria, and the decision to remove them is not based on policy differences between the staff and Barrack or the White House.

However, a Western diplomat says the ousting of the US diplomats was in part driven by “a divergence” in views between staffers and Barrack on the issue of the SDF and Sharaa, without elaborating.

The sources, who also include two Western diplomats and two US-based sources, say the moves were sudden, involuntary and came toward the end of last week. Reuters is not able to ascertain the official reason given for the moves.

Barrack, the envoy, has urged the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to move more quickly to ratify a March deal with Sharaa to bring areas they run under state authority, and to integrate the SDF into national security forces.

The State Department does not comment on this issue. A State Department official says it does not comment on “personnel decisions or administrative reorganizations,” adding: “Core staff working on issues pertaining to Syria continue to operate from multiple locations.”

Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to NATO member Turkey, could not be reached directly for comment.

Some SDF leaders — having fought with the US against Islamic State during former president Bashar al-Assad’s rule — have resisted the US pressure to integrate into national security forces, especially given several flare-ups of violence across Syria this year.

The SDF, still engaged in sporadic skirmishes with Syrian and Turkish-backed forces in the country’s northeast, has continued to push for a less centralized government in the post-Assad era — one in which they would retain the autonomy they gained during Syria’s civil war.

Reports: US fired $500 million worth of THAAD interceptors to defend Israel from Iran, other foes

Illustrative: US President Donald Trump gets out of a THAAD missile truck at the White House in Washington, DC, on July 15, 2019. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

New Pentagon budget documents cited by several US media reports show that the United States fired interceptor missiles worth a total of some $500 million to defend Israel during the current war, primarily during June’s 12-day war with Iran.

According to The War Zone and Business Insider, one document seeks $498.265 million in emergency funding to replace an unspecified number of advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor missiles that have been “expended in support of Israel.” Reports have indicated the US fired between 100 and 150 THAAD missiles during the Iran war.

The budgetary demands require the approval of the US Congress.

Netanyahu blasts ‘monstrous big lie’ that Israel killed Kirk, suggests conspiracists are paid by Qatar

Charlie Kirk holds an Israeli flag outside the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron in the West Bank in an undated image (Itamar Ben Gvir/X via JTA)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again rails against unfounded online conspiracies blaming Israel for the assassination of right-wing US activist Charlie Kirk, insinuating that they may be being peddled by people paid by Qatar.

The allegation comes as Netanyahu’s office has been embroiled in a scandal over Qatari payments to some of his top advisers.

Charlie Kirk was a great man. He deserves honor – not lies. pic.twitter.com/NwEN4B2q7w

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 18, 2025

“Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, said that the bigger the lie, the faster it will spread,” Netanyahu says in a video statement published on X. “Well, somebody has fabricated a monstrous big lie, that Israel had something to do with Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder.

“This is insane. It is false. It is outrageous,” he says, praising Kirk for his enthusiastic pro-Israel activism and noting that they had spoken multiple times and that the premier had recently invited Kirk to visit Israel.

Conspiracists have been claiming, without evidence, that the Jewish state is behind the assassination due to mild criticism he voiced of Israel’s policies.

Netanyahu says that, on the contrary, he welcomed the occasional differing viewpoint because “this is the essence of Charlie, the essence of a free country,” and since he knew Kirk’s suggestions “always came from the heart, from his love for Israel, and from his love for the Jewish people.”

“Now, some are peddling these disgusting rumors — perhaps out of obsession, perhaps with Qatari funding,” the premier adds, concluding that Kirk deserves “honor, not lies.”

Confirming Lebanon strike, IDF says it killed Hezbollah member who directed attacks on Israel

The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike in Lebanon’s northeastern city of Baalbek last night, killing a Hezbollah operative.

According to the military, the Hezbollah operative Hussein Sharif was a senior weapons dealer and supplier, and worked from Lebanon to direct terror cells in Syria to carry out attacks against Israel.

His actions “constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF adds.

Trump designates left-wing Antifa movement as a terrorist organization

US President Donald Trump says he is designating the left-wing, anti-fascist Antifa movement as a terrorist organization, in a move following the assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk.

“I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices,” Trump writes on Truth Social.

Syrian FM to reportedly visit Washington this week to discuss lifting of US sanctions

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani (C) watches as US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack prepares to sign an agreement in Damascus on September 16, 2025. (Louai Beshara/AFP)

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani will meet with US lawmakers in Washington this week to discuss the lifting of remaining US sanctions on his country, Senator Lindsey Graham is quoted as saying by Axios.

Shaibani’s visit — the first by a Syrian foreign minister to Washington in more than 25 years — comes on the heels of remarks by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa that Syria’s negotiations with US ally Israel to reach a security pact could lead to results “in the coming days.”

Graham tells Axios that he and other senators are due to meet Shaibani on Thursday to discuss the permanent lifting of certain sanctions authorized by legislation, including the Caesar Act.

Shaibani is expected to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, Axios reports.

Graham says he would support the cancelling of those sanctions if Syria officially moved toward a new security deal with Israel and joined a coalition against the Islamic State extremist group.

The US State Department doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about Shaibani’s visit.

Three brothers shot dead in suspected homicide near southern Bedouin town

Three men in their 20s were shot dead overnight near the southern Bedouin town of Segev Shalom, with reports identifying the slain trio as brothers Sakr, Suleiman and Musab al-Qadi Tarabin.

Paramedics pronounced the death of two of the brothers at the scene of the shooting, while the third was declared dead after being rushed to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

Police launched a probe into the suspected triple homicide, citing initial investigatory findings that it was linked to a criminal dispute.

Trump said to tell top aides Netanyahu is ‘f–king me’ but won’t break publicly with PM

US President Donald Trump, left, meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House, July 8, 2025. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

US President Donald Trump recently told top aides that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “f–king me,” according to a report in the Wall Street Journal that says despite the American leader’s frustrations with the Israeli premier he is unlikely to publicly break with him.

A senior Israeli official quoted in the report says that Netanyahu and Trump have excellent ties and that any notion otherwise is “fake news,” while people who know them both describe them as kindred spirits.

US officials tell the paper that Trump is proud of his close rapport with Netanyahu and strong backing for Israel, and doesn’t want to publicly break with the prime minister.

Qatar says talking with ICC about legal action against Israel over Doha strike

Qatar says it held talks with the International Criminal Court about taking legal steps against Israel over the recent strike in Doha targeting Hamas leaders.

Bernie Sanders accuses Israel of ‘genocide’ in Gaza, the first US senator to do so

US Senator Bernie Sander speaks during a hearing with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on September 17, 2025, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP)

US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont describes Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza as “genocide,” becoming the first United States senator to make such a charge against the Jewish state.

While Sanders has led efforts in the Senate to block the sale of US bombs and firearms to Israel, he had previously stopped short of describing the war as a “genocide,” a charge that Israeli leaders have rejected as antisemitic “blood libel.”

But in a statement titled “It’s a genocide,” Sanders declares “the conclusion is inescapable.”

“Having named it a genocide, we must use every ounce of our leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire,” says Sanders.

US judge orders deportation of Columbia University anti-Israel protest leader Khalil

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil takes part in the 'Stand with Gaza' protest at Bryant Park in New York on August 16, 2025. (Leonardo Munoz / AFP)

A US immigration judge orders the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-Israel protest leader at Columbia University in New York City.

Khalil became a high-profile figure after his arrest by the Trump administration in March. He has waged a legal battle against deportation since then.

The immigration judge in one of his case, Jamee Comans, orders Khalil be deported to Algeria or Syria.

Comans says the grounds for the deportation include that Khalil committed “fraud” during the immigration process by deliberately concealing his ties to the UN agency for the Palestinians, UNRWA, and Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of anti-Israel campus activists.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said Khalil’s presence in the US could hurt foreign policy, the judge says.

IDF says 2 soldiers lightly hurt in ultra-Orthodox protest, one draft dodger managed to escape

The IDF says that two soldiers were lightly injured when ultra-Orthodox protesters threw stones and sprayed teargas at a van transporting draft dodgers to a military prison.

“Two IDF soldiers were slightly injured as a result of the tear gas, received medical treatment at the scene, and no evacuation was required,” the IDF says.

Hundreds of Haredi protesters surrounded a van trying to take detainees to the Beit Lid military prison, blocking its route.

“While still in the course of the incident, one of the detainees managed to escape. After initial treatment and rescue, the vehicle continued on its way to the military prison,” the IDF says.

“The IDF views the incident seriously and condemns any action against IDF service members who seek to enforce the law. The IDF will continue to act in accordance with the law as required,” the military says.

עשרות חרדים השתוללו הערב ליד כלא 10 סמוך לכפר יונה, יידו אבנים והתיזו גז מדמיע לעבר רכב צבאי. שני שני חיילים ברכב נפצעו באורח קל.

האירוע החמור הזה, התרחש בזמן הבאת משתמטים לריצוי עונש מאסר בכלא 10 ליד צומת בית ליד, משתמטים חרדים שנשלחו למכבוש. אחד העצורים, נמלט מהרכב ונמלט… pic.twitter.com/9Id2GDH7gs

— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) September 17, 2025