Sept. 27: Iran’s UN delegation has no plans to meet US again this week — source

Settlers filmed smashing cars during raid of Palestinian village as troops look on; no arrests made

Israeli settlers are filmed raiding the central West Bank village of al-Mughayyir during the Sabbath and smashing cars and hurling rocks at Palestinian locals, as Israeli security forces look on.

There are no reports of any arrests, which are rare in cases of settler violence against Palestinians, despite the phenomenon being a near-daily occurrence across the West Bank.

Masked Israeli settler terrorists attacked the village of Al-Mughayyir in the West Bank today, in front of and under the protection of the Israeli border police. pic.twitter.com/iUMr72HIex

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) September 26, 2026

Palestinian media reports that settlers also hurled rocks at an ambulance trying to reach al-Mughayyir, shattering its window.

The settlers also reportedly stolee agricultural equipment from the town.

مليشيات المستوطنين يعتدون على مركبة إسعاف بلدية #سلواد قرب قرية #المغير شمال شرق رام الله. pic.twitter.com/A9xSyJXZSK

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) September 26, 2026

US treasury secretary claims successes in sanctions campaign to isolate Iran

WASHINGTON — US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that he had sent envoys around the world to pressure countries to economically isolate Iran, hailing new restrictions targeting the country’s airlines and banks.

“At my direction, teams were dispatched across the globe to engage with countries and demand action against the Iranian regime,” he says on X. “These efforts are delivering results.”

Following the launch of Operation Economic Outcast, @USTreasury imposed targeted financial measures against banks and aviation service providers. At my direction, teams were dispatched across the globe to engage with countries and demand action against the Iranian regime.

These…

— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) September 26, 2026

Bessent notes that Turkey and Oman have halted incoming flights from private carrier Mahan Air, while the United Arab Emirates has stopped all flights by Iranian airlines.

Dubai, the UAE’s commercial hub, is a major destination for Iran’s carriers, with multiple daily flights, a large Iranian community and close business links.

Bessent also highlights new banking restrictions.

On Wednesday, the UAE central bank blocked transactions to and from Iran by branches of Iran’s Bank Melli, accusing it of violating laws on money laundering, terrorism and arms proliferation.

Last week, Turkey revoked the license of Iran’s Bank Mellat, a semi-private financial entity that has been subject to Western sanctions for years.

A Wall Street Journal article shared by Bessent says Jonathan Burke, the Treasury’s assistant secretary for terrorist financing, traveled across the Middle East and Europe over two weeks to push the plan to impose what Bessent called “economic D-Day” on Tehran.

US Treasury has held discussions with more than 50 countries, the Journal reports.

Bessent said on Monday that all Iranian airlines “will be shut down around the world.”

However, smaller Iranian carriers continue to operate international routes, particularly to China, which is refusing to yield to US pressure.

Israelis in New York protest against North America premiere of ‘NAZA’

Protesters demonstrate against the North American premier of the documentary 'Naza,' in New York City, September 26, 2026. (Courtesy/Israeli-American Council)

Several dozen protesters demonstrate against the North American premiere of the documentary “NAZA” in New York City at an Israeli-led rally.

“NAZA” purports to show that the IDF used AI for Gaza targeting and accepted high numbers of civilian deaths as acceptable collateral damage in the early stages of the war. The IDF has denied the main claims of the film.

The film’s North American premiere takes place at Lincoln Center as part of the New York Film Festival.

The Israeli-American Council advocacy group leads the protest against the film.

Demonstrators hold Israeli and American flags, and placards showing images of Hamas’s October 2023 invasion of Israel.

“Learn the facts. Know the truth,” the signs say.

Organizers also park several vehicles with LED screens showing images of hostages who were held by terror groups in Gaza.

“Context is not censorship. It’s responsibility,” the trucks say, alongside messages about Israel’s measures meant to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza.

Critics have said “NAZA” omits context such as how other militaries handle collateral damage in urban war zones.

Two survivors of the Nova music festival massacre, Rom El-Hai and Shalev Bitton, joined the rally, along with Yunis Alkarnawi, a Bedouin Israeli who saved people from the festival.

Bangkok floods force almost 5,000 people into shelters

The streets are flooded after heavy rain in Bangkok, Thailand, September 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thousands of Bangkok residents awoke in shelters this morning after flooding triggered by days of heavy rain in the Thai capital inundated homes and roads, with some starting to dry out their homes and belongings.

Nearly 4,900 people have been evacuated to shelters, with around 52,000 households affected by the floods, which prompted a disaster declaration across the capital, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

More than 330 millimeters (13 inches) of rain fell in some areas of the city between Thursday and today, the weather agency says.

Widespread deluges across the Southeast Asian country in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.

Pedestrians in plastic rain ponchos trudged through murky floodwaters in Bangkok’s east — knee-deep in some areas of a grocery store parking lot — floating their belongings in plastic tubs alongside them, AFP journalists report.

Water levels in Bangkok’s network of canals remained high this morning, with authorities working to speed up drainage, the BMA says.

More rain is forecast throughout Sunday for Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, but will begin to taper off on Monday, it saus.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt says several roads are still flooded and warns Bangkok residents in a Facebook Live post to avoid unnecessary travel.

AG’s office orders monthlong delay in E1 proposals, citing electioneering concerns

This picture taken from the E1 area northeast of Jerusalem shows vehicles moving along a highway near the West Bank settlement of Ma'ale Adumim on February 4, 2026. (AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP)

The Attorney General’s Office orders a monthlong delay in the controversial E1 settlement expansion in the West Bank, according to Hebrew media reports, citing concerns that the project could be used for electioneering.

The project has long been especially contentious internationally because E1 is a strip of land between East Jerusalem and Ramallah, so settlement expansion there would bisect territory where Palestinians hope to establish an independent state. Western governments have strenuously objected to the project, while members of Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition have trumpeted it.

According to the reports, the Attorney General’s Office has ordered a monthlong postponement of the deadline for submitting proposals for a tender to build 1,200 housing units in the area. That would put the deadline after the October 27 election.

The municipality of Ma’ale Adumim, a settlement adjacent to E1, objects to the order and will petition against it in court, according to Haaretz.

“The diplomatic decision to advance the tender was made months before the election, and since then, it has progressed via a professional process that by its nature takes time,” Ma’ale Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach says, according to the Hebrew daily. “If the claim is that continuing the tender is ‘political,’ I say exactly the opposite: Stopping it now is, in fact, an intervention with political implications.”

27 killed in 2 separate mass shootings in South Africa

South African police say they have launched a manhunt after 17 people were killed and 15 wounded in a shooting at a tavern in Wedela township southwest of Johannesburg.

Emergency medical services declared the 13 males and 4 females dead at the scene, and the motive for the shooting was not known, the South African Police Service says in a statement posted on X.

“Suspects were reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols,” the statement says of the shooting, which occurred around 9:30 p.m. (10:30 Israel time) yesterday in Gauteng province.

Fifteen other victims with gunshot wounds were transported to medical facilities, the police say.

No arrests have been made, the statement says. Suspects allegedly targeted the tavern, opening fire on customers drinking outside and then moving inside to continue shooting, the police say.

Separately, 10 people were killed and 11 wounded in an early-morning shooting in a township outside Cape Town, police say.

Gunmen entered an entertainment venue in Lwandle at 1:46 a.m. (2:46 a.m. in Israel) and “shot at patrons,” police say, adding that five of the victims died at the scene.

Hezbollah fires explosive drone at troops, prompting strikes in response — IDF

Hezbollah launched an explosive drone at Israeli troops operating in the southern Lebanon buffer zone overnight, the military says, prompting strikes on the terror group’s sites in response.

The IDF says no injuries were caused by the drone.

Several Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon were struck in the response, including drone and anti-tank missile launching posts, the military says.

צה"ל תקף תשתיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בתגובה לרחפן נפץ ששוגר לעבר כוחותינו במרחב הביטחוני

מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שיגרו הלילה רחפן נפץ לעבר כוחות צה"ל הפועלים במרחב הביטחוני שבדרום לבנון. אין נפגעים.

בתגובה לכך, צה״ל תקף מהאוויר מטרות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במספר מרחבים… pic.twitter.com/XP2DGwngZ1

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 27, 2026

Adam Brody, Jewish star of ‘Nobody Wants This,’ accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza

Adam Brody arrives at the premiere of 'Billy & Billie' at The Lot on February 25, 2015, in West Hollywood, California. (Rob Latour/Invision/AP)

Adam Brody, the Jewish actor who plays a rabbi in the Netflix series “Nobody Wants This,” is the latest celebrity to say he feels Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and to call for a “free Palestine.”

He makes the statements in an interview with the US men’s magazine GQ. Brody’s comments are significant because he has a history of playing high-profile Jewish roles and joins other prominent Jewish actors in accusing Israel of genocide, including Hannah Einbinder and Ilana Glazer.

Brody, discussing political canvassing activism he did recently with a progressive group, is asked about his “stance on Israel-Gaza.” After noting that he hasn’t spoken about the issue publicly, he makes the genocide accusation.

“Put me down as thinking it’s a genocide,” he says. “Put me down as wanting a free Palestine. It’s awful that it’s taken so much death and misery, but it does feel like it’s reaching a breaking point that it should have a while ago. I’m hopeful that another administration can really do some good and correct some of these policies that are helping that situation be as awful as it is.”

He does not specify what he means by “another administration.” Israel’s closely fought election will take place on October 27. US midterm elections will take place a week later, with the Democratic Party expected to make gains in the US Congress. US President Donald Trump’s term ends in early 2029.

IDF to ban most Palestinian workers from settlements during Sukkot, Katz says

View of the new Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Arugot in Gush Etzion, in the West Bank, September 3, 2026. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has instructed the military to impose a “general closure” on the West Bank, preventing Palestinian laborers from entering settlements.

Katz says that the IDF recommended the move, amid heightened tensions in the territory.

“As part of the directive, Palestinian workers will not be permitted to enter communities in Judea and Samaria during the Sukkot holiday,” the defense minister says, using the biblical term for the West Bank.

The holiday ends with Simchat Torah on Saturday.

Still, Katz says that “essential workers” will be permitted to enter industrial zones in the West Bank, “in accordance with the security guidelines of the IDF Central Command.”

Other exceptions for Palestinians to enter Israel or West Bank settlements may be given in accordance with “the state’s commitments to the High Court of Justice,” Katz adds.

According to data from last year, some 9,000 Palestinians have permits to work in settlements or nearby industrial zones.

Police declare major incident at UK’s Fairford air base, used by US air forces

US Air Force military ground personnel prepare Joint Direct Attack Munitions for a B-1 Lancer bomber on the tarmac at RAF Fairford in southwest England on March 12, 2026. (Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)

British police say they arrested several men on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act, and that the army is examining a number of vehicles after security was stepped up at a British air base used by US air forces in southwest England.

The British government gave authorization to the US to use RAF Fairford to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites that are attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

A Reuters eyewitness says armed police were blocking access to the main gate of the base. Around 30 emergency vehicles, including police cars, ambulances and fire engines, were stationed in the village of Fairford near the base.

“A number of properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident. It follows the arrest of several men on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act,” Gloucestershire police say in a statement, referring to a village near the air base.

“The Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal team are currently examining a number of vehicles,” the statement says.

A spokesperson for the US Air Force declines to discuss specific force protection measures.

“The 501st Combat Support Wing and our fellow UK-based Wings remain vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families,” the spokesperson says. “We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families.”

Britain said in July its armed forces were ready to protect the country from any attack after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a warning not to allow US bombers to ‌fly from Fairford.

British ministers have also briefed providers of critical infrastructure on the threat posed by Russia, with the government increasingly concerned about possible sabotage operations and cyberattacks. Russia denies mounting hybrid attacks on Western nations.

Protesters block Catholic area in Northern Ireland ahead of Orange Order march

Around 2,000 protesters block a route into the Catholic area in a Northern Irish town that a contentious Protestant parade is due to walk down this morning, a march that has historically been a flashpoint of sectarian disputes.

Northern Ireland’s Parades Commission on Friday permitted the Protestant Orange Order group to march along the Garvaghy Road, a Catholic enclave in the largely Protestant town of Portadown, overturning an almost 30-year ban on the route.

Crowds — including Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill of Irish nationalists Sinn Fein and the party’s leader, Mary Lou McDonald — gather on the road overnight after Belfast’s High Court dismissed an application by residents to stop the parade early this morning.

“This is madness,” McDonald tells reporters shortly after 8 a.m. (10 a.m. Israel time), when the march was due to begin. “This, in fact, is primitive treatment of any community in the year 2026. It is intolerable, and it will not be tolerated.

“This is a dignified and united community, and they are absolutely determined that they and we will not be drawn back into the past.”

Nationalist residents have linked arms to block the Garvaghy road in Portadown. An Orange Order parade with only 35 participants has been given the go ahead following a late night ruling by the High Court in Belfast. The parade is due to begin at 8am. #UTV pic.twitter.com/NYLsmZwVlG

— Sara O’Kane (@sara_utv) September 27, 2026

McDonald and O’Neill call on the British government and police to intervene to put a stop to the parade. O’Neill says she spoke to Britain’s minister for the region and the Irish government.

Police vans parked nearby had earlier played out a warning that anyone taking part in the protest was committing a criminal offense.

A small group of Orange Order members wearing traditional silk orange sashes and black bowler hats gathered at another part of the town, a picture posted on X by Democratic Unionist Party lawmaker Carla Lockhart shows.

The Parades Commission’s determination on Friday stipulated that a smaller-than-usual 35 people could take part in the march, that it should begin by 8 a.m. and finish by 9:30 a.m., and that no supporters or bands would be allowed.

Gallant: Hamas warned that Sinwar ‘will cause prisons to quake’ before October 7

Former defense minister Yoav Gallant arrives for a hearing at an internal Likud tribunal in Tel Aviv to present his defense against a move to expel him from the party, September 29, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/FLASH90)

A broad warning from Hamas reached Israel before the terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, Yoav Gallant, who was defense minister at the time, tells Army Radio.

Sources in the terror group passed a message to the Shin Bet intelligence agency that “Sinwar will cause the prisons to quake,” Gallant says, stressing that it was the only message to reach the Shin Bet in the lead-up to October 7.

According to Gallant, the security establishment assessed that it had to do with a possible prisoner exchange for Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli researcher kidnapped by a Shiite militia in Iraq earlier that year.

Gallant’s comments come as multiple reports have said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received warnings via Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in the leadup to the attack. He says he has been hearing about those warnings “from the media” and was not informed of them at the time.

A former Palestinian Authority minister has said he conveyed a warning about an “earthquake” to Shin Bet officials.

IDF posts footage of Palestinian child being used to transport weapon in Gaza

The Israeli military publishes drone footage showing a Palestinian child transporting a weapon in the central Gaza Strip.

The IDF says troops had spotted a terror operative “using a child to transport weapons into a civilian home.”

“The terrorist exploited the child and used him as a human shield to transport weapons so that the IDF would not attack and thwart their transfer,” the military claims.

The IDF does not say when the video was taken.

כך ארגוני הטרור בעזה משתמשים בילדים לצרכי טרור: צפו בתיעוד של ילד מעביר אמצעי לחימה לתוך בית אזרחי במחנות המרכז

כוחות צה״ל הפועלים ברצועת עזה, זיהו מחבל משתמש בילד להעברת אמצעי לחימה לתוך בית אזרחי במרחב מחנות המרכז.

המחבל ניצל את הילד והשתמש בו כמגן אנושי להעברת אמצעי הלחימה… pic.twitter.com/qeT9QGuBcQ

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 27, 2026

Iran’s army voices readiness for potential renewed US attack

The US could launch a renewed attack on Iran due to its bad regional situation, Iran’s Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia says, according to state media, adding that his country is ready for confrontation and to inflict greater damage on the US.

Dozens of Israelis reportedly trapped in Nepali mountain village due to avalanche

Dozens of Israelis have been trapped since last night in the Nepali mountain village of Samagaun due to extreme weather and an avalanche, according to Hebrew media reports.

The Israeli tourists say there is no electricity in the village, frequented by hikers and climbers, which sits in the Himalayas at an altitude of more than 3,500 meters (some 11,500 feet).

“Every few hours we hear a huge boom, as if the ground is totally collapsing,” one Israeli tourist told the Kan public broadcaster.

Kan reported, citing the tourists, that none have been injured thus far, but that despite efforts to organize a rescue, it is currently impossible to extract all of them due to the conditions. The avalanche was reportedly preceded by several days of heavy rain.

One day after they pledged not to fight, opposition chiefs split over Arab parties in coalition

The Democrats party chairman Yair Golan, right, meets with ex-Blue and White–National Unity party No. 2 Gadi Eisenkot, September 10, 2025. (Courtesy)

Yair Golan, chair of the left-wing Democrats party, says that an Arab party could be part of the next government, exposing a fault line among opposition leaders less than a day after they met to coordinate their campaigns and pledged not to attack one another ahead of the October 27 election.

“We believe that an Arab party can be part of the government. It is natural, right, appropriate and democratic,” Golan tells Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet, adding that such a partnership would represent “genuine change after years of incitement.”

Shortly after the interview, the Democrats issue a clarification stressing that Golan was only expressing the party’s position to “promote Jewish-Arab partnership and the integration of Arab citizens of Israel into the leadership of the state after the elections” and that the possibility of including an Arab party in the next coalition “did not come up” during last night’s meeting of opposition leaders.

Ahead of the meeting, Gadi Eisenkot, head of the centrist opposition Yashar party, vowed in an interview with Channel 12 not to include the Arab-led Ra’am party, which has Islamist roots, in any potential government he leads. Other opposition chiefs besides Golan have also rejected the possibility of sitting with Arab parties in their coalition.

Ra’am, which was part of a government that briefly unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2021-22, is generally seen as more moderate than the other major Arab-led party, the Joint List.

Last night’s meeting, held at Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s home, was attended by Golan, Eisenkot, B’Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman.

Golan, as opposed to the other opposition chiefs, has repeatedly advocated partnering with Ra’am, calling on the other opposition leaders to recognize Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas as a “legitimate partner.”

Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party alleges that Golan’s remarks reveal the opposition’s intentions to form a government backed by Arab parties. It repeats its campaign refrain: “Eisenkot will form a left-wing government with Yair Golan, Liberman, Bennett and the Arab parties.”

Ofer Winter’s right-wing People of Israel party also slams Golan’s comments.

Golan’s comments also come days after the Central Elections Committee voted to bar both Ra’am and the Joint List from running in next month’s election. The bans are subject to review by the High Court of Justice, which is set to hold a hearing on the matter Thursday.

Swiss appear to reject referendum proposal to tighten neutrality

Swiss voters appear to have rejected a referendum proposal to tighten their country’s vaunted neutrality, according to a projection by the gfs.bern political institute.

“The trend is to No,” the institute says on X after polling stations closed.

The proposal, which would have bolstered Switzerland’s armed neutrality in its constitution, was backed by the hard-right SVP party, the country’s largest.

Iran says it seized US underwater vehicle, state media reports

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy says it seized a US Remus 600 autonomous underwater vehicle operating in the Strait of Hormuz and which it says was conducting espionage, according to state media.

The Guards say the vehicle had been captured using intelligence and electronic warfare capabilities and was being examined by Iranian specialists to recover its data.

Man arrested on suspicion of involvement in 2025 murder of father and son in Yafia

A 29-year-old man from Yafia was arrested in his home this morning on suspicion of involvement in the murder of father and son Khaled and Majd Mhajne in the northern Arab town on December 20, 2025, police say.

The Nazareth Magistrate’s Court has extended the suspect’s detention until Thursday.

7 killed in strike on market in Yemen, Houthi-run health ministry says

Yemen’s Houthi-run health ministry says seven people were killed and 40 injured, including children, in a strike on shops at a market in Taiz province today.

Three military sources within the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed Yemeni government tell Reuters that Iran-backed Houthi operatives had recently established a military camp near the market.

Explosive-related arrests near air base used by US being probed by UK counterterror police

Police stand at a road block on the road to RAF Fairford after an incident, in Whelford, England, September 27, 2026. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

British counterterrorism police are taking the lead in an investigation into the arrest of several men over suspected explosives offenses near a Royal Air Force base used by US bombers in the Iran war.

Gloucestershire police say the men were detained on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act, and that army bomb-disposal experts are examining several vehicles.

A major incident has been declared and aerial footage from Sky News appears to show a bomb disposal robot roaming between three white trucks. The rear doors of two of the vans were open and large black items could be seen scattered around.

Police say the situation appears to be “contained” but do not confirm the arrests are linked to the base, though the proximity of RAF Fairford has raised speculation of a link.

Residents in a number of properties in Whelford, western England, have been taken to a nearby leisure center.

Whelford is near Fairford, a base that American forces have used for strictly limited strikes during the war with Iran. The UK government has allowed the American military to use the Fairford base to strike Iranian missile sites.

The arrests come at a time of heightened tensions around the threat from hostile states to the UK, with Russia and Iran among those that have used proxies to commit crimes on their behalf on British soil.

Britain’s Defense Secretary Wes Streeting thanks the emergency and specialist teams who responded to the incident.

“We can be reassured that this is being dealt with,” he says.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is receiving updates on the situation, his office says.

Man who threatened officer while escaping arrest in Tel Aviv is caught in Eilat, police say

Police announce the arrest of a Tel Aviv man who escaped to Eilat after threatening to harm an officer and his family early this month.

The suspect, 47, was arrested in Eilat last night following a report of another “incident of threats” in a shopping mall in the city. His arrest has been extended in court until tomorrow, police say.

According to police, officers who responded to the incident in Eilat last night discovered the suspect was the same man whom other officers tried to detain following a dispute between neighbors in Tel Aviv earlier this month.

During the attempted Tel Aviv arrest, the suspect refused to obey the officers’ orders and, “while escaping, threatened to harm an officer and his family,” police say.

Some 1,000 Jews ascend Temple Mount for Sukkot, openly pray at flashpoint holy site

Jewish men covered in prayer shawls hold the Four Species as they take part in morning prayers during the holiday of Sukkot at the entrance to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, September 27, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Some 1,000 Jews, including a far-right member of Knesset, visit the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem to mark the holiday of Sukkot, with footage showing some openly praying at the flashpoint holy site.

Jews are officially barred from praying at the mount, which was the location of the two Jewish holy temples in ancient times and is Judaism’s holiest site. Muslims revere the mount as the Noble Sanctuary, and it is the site of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Israel maintains overall security at the site, while the Waqf, an Islamic body, administers religious activities.

But National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the Israel Police, has repeatedly declared that Jewish prayer is now allowed at the site, despite statements to the contrary from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Beyadenu, an organization dedicated to cementing a Jewish presence at the Temple Mount, says hundreds of worshippers are making a pilgrimage to the compound today, singing and celebrating Sukkot.

The group says worshippers are praying with the Four Species – the quartet of palm, willow, myrtle and citron used ritually during Sukkot – and that it has received no reports of arrests.

Videos circulating online show large groups of Jewish worshippers praying in the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City just outside the Temple Mount, while other footage shows Jews openly praying inside the compound.

MK Yitzhak Kroizer of Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party also posts footage of himself at the site, saying he had gone there to pray and celebrate Sukkot, as well as mark two years since the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

“Precisely today, when we have proven to our enemies the strength of the people of Israel, it is important to continue strengthening our presence and sovereignty in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount,” Kroizer says.

Hundreds of Jewish worshippers also ascended the Temple Mount and openly prayed there during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur earlier this month.

Senior IDF official extends ban on using small attack drones after lethal accident

Illustration: A first-person view (FPV) drone fired by Hezbollah that landed without exploding in northern Israel, May 9, 2026. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The chief of the IDF Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan, has extended a ban on using small attack drones, following last week’s deadly accident in the Gaza Strip.

Lotan held an assessment on the Thursday incident in which a first-person view (FPV) drone known as “Atalef” — Hebrew for bat — crashed during its takeoff at an army post in northern Gaza, and exploded minutes later when its operators picked it up.

The explosion killed Master Sgt. (res.) Nadav Kali, 24, and Master Sgt. (res.) Ofek Moalem, 23.

All such drones were grounded for 48 hours following the incident, and that ban has now been extended until October 4, “as a preventive precaution.”

Next Sunday, ground troops will be able to use small attack drones again, “as required, and report on their use,” the military says.

Smotrich demands AG retract delay to E1 tender, accuses her of election interference

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visits Meir La’aretz Farm, a settlement in the West Bank, during the holiday of Sukkot, as part of his election campaign, September 27, 2026. (Hilel Ben Or/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demands that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara retract her instruction to delay the advancement of the highly contentious E1 settlement project, accusing her of interfering in the election.

He also calls on the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg, to “ensure” that the attorney general does not become an “active player” in the election, which is exactly a month away.

Baharav-Miara recently ordered a month-long postponement of the deadline for submitting proposals for a tender to build 1,200 housing units in the E1 area between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim until after the October 27 election, asserting that advancement of the project could be used in electioneering.

“Gali Baharav-Miara is trying to stop the construction in E1. She is interfering in the election campaign and working for [Yashar party leader] Gadi Eisenkot,” claims Smotrich, who has spearheaded the government’s massive expansion of West Bank settlements. Eisenkot has criticized the timing of the E1 tenders but has not said he would cancel the project.

In a letter to the attorney general, Smotrich insists that the E1 tender process has nothing to do with the election, describing it as “the direct and professional continuation of technical processes began long before the election period.”

The E1 project was approved in August 2025 after years of delays, and the Housing Ministry published a tender for the construction of the first lot of housing units in August this year.

“I call on Justice Sohlberg… [to] ensure that the attorney general and her people do not turn into active players in the election campaign in an attempt to back up the left, prevent the right from forming a government, and to enable the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger the existence of the State of Israel,” says Smotrich.

The E1 project is extremely controversial since it essentially cuts off territorial contiguity between key Palestinian population centers, from Ramallah to the north of Jerusalem, Bethlehem to the south, and the Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.

Smotrich called the approval of the E1 plan a “significant step that practically erases the two-state delusion” when it received final authorization last year.

Report: UAE authorities have access to Netanyahu aide Urich’s WhatsApp messages

Jonatan Urich arrives for a court hearing in the Tel Aviv District Court on July 14, 2026 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates can access the WhatsApp messages and media files of Jonatan Urich, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report in Calcalist.

The UAE officials have access to Urich’s WhatsApp account because he uses a third-party service, Ultramsg, based in the Gulf state to send messages, the business publication reports. Under Emirati law, that gives the government broad access to such messages, according to the report.

The arrangement came to light after Haaretz reported that Urich created an artificial intelligence system for monitoring media reports surrounding the premier and his wife that led to a security breach, exposing sensitive information before it was taken down.

The AI tool, which was created by Urich using Anthropic’s Claude engine, automatically scans around 50 news sources every 90 seconds and sends immediate summaries of the reports to one of two WhatsApp groups, one for all news surrounding the prime minister and his Likud party, and one specifically for mentions of Sara Netanyahu, the report said.

The tool, which was uploaded by Urich to the code-sharing site GitHub, was left unencrypted and completely visible to the public, the report said.

Documentary on Israel’s Hezbollah pager operation, ‘Paging Hezbollah,’ to be released next month

A documentary on Israel’s exploding-pager operation against Hezbollah will be released next month, with a trailer showing interviews with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Mossad chief David Barnea.

The documentary, called “Paging Hezbollah,” is about the lead-up to the September 2024 operation, in which thousands of beepers belonging to Hezbollah operatives simultaneously exploded, killing 39 people and wounding more than 3,400.

The movie is directed by Justin Folk, director of documentaries “Am I Racist?” and “What is a Woman?” produced by The Daily Wire, a US conservative political outlet founded by right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro.

The trailer, released ahead of the weekend, shows Barnea saying, “So, I said, you have to turn this pager into a bomb.”

At the end of the trailer, Netanyahu says, “That handful of TNT changed the world.”

Years of planning. Thousands of devices. One operation hidden in plain sight.

Paging Hezbollah – in theaters October 30. pic.twitter.com/wDTlNzoN5N

— Paging Hezbollah (@paginghezbollah) September 24, 2026

Ben Gurion Airport says parking lots at capacity, travelers should arrive by public transport only

Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main international gateway, has run out of parking spaces due to the peak Jewish holiday travel season, the Israel Airports Authority announces, calling on travelers to use public transport to reach the airport rather than private vehicles.

“Due to the high volume of travelers during the Tishrei holidays, Ben Gurion Airport parking lots are currently at full capacity,” the Israel Airports Authority says in a statement. “No parking spaces are available until further notice.”

The Israel Airports Authority is asking travelers to avoid arriving at the airport by private car and encourages the use of public transportation.

If the parking shortage continues through Shabbat — when buses and trains do not run — travelers will need to pay for taxis to reach the airport.

UK police says five arrested on suspicion of preparing ‘terrorist act’ near airbase

London’s Metropolitan Police says five men have been arrested on suspicion of preparing a “terrorist act,” after an incident near an airbase in southwestern England used by the US Air Force.

“Counter Terrorism Policing can now confirm they are leading an investigation into an incident which took place overnight near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire,” the Met says in a statement.

Counterterrorism police took the lead in the investigation earlier today, after the five men were detained over suspected explosives offenses near a Royal Air Force base used by US bombers in the Iran war.

Gloucestershire police said the men were detained on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act, and that army bomb-disposal experts were examining several vehicles.

A major incident was declared and aerial footage from Sky News appeared to show a bomb disposal robot roaming between three white trucks. The rear doors of two of the vans were open and large black items could be seen scattered around.

Democrats party threatens Likud with legal action over ‘false and fabricated’ Netanyahu campaign video

Left to right: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening ceremony of the new Knesset museum, in Jerusalem on August 11, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); The Democrats party leader Yair Golan attends a rally outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on August 4, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Democrats Party threatens legal action against Likud over a campaign video posted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu targeting party chairman Yair Golan and the opposition bloc, accusing the ruling party of misleading voters by falsely presenting Golan’s remarks to a radio station earlier today as though they were made during a meeting of opposition leaders.

In a warning letter sent to Likud, the Democrats demand that the video be removed from all platforms by 7 p.m. tonight, saying that otherwise they will pursue “all legal measures available.”

The video features a recording of Golan saying that the Arab-led Ra’am party, which has Islamist roots, could be part of the next government, and presents the remarks as though they were made during last night’s meeting between the leaders of the opposition bloc.

The recording was actually taken from an interview Golan gave to Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet this morning. Shortly after the interview, the Democrats issued a clarification stressing that Golan was only expressing the party’s position and that the possibility of including an Arab party in the next coalition “did not come up” during last night’s meeting.

The party’s legal counsel, Omri Segev, calls the video a “false and fabricated representation,” arguing that it could “mislead the reasonable voter, who may believe that the audio recording of the Democrats Party chairman was made with the agreement or acquiescence of the other participants at that meeting.”

Last night’s meeting at Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s home was also attended by Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, B’Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman. The leaders agreed to coordinate their campaigns and pledged not to attack one another ahead of the October 27 election.

The Democrats’ letter alleges that Netanyahu’s video violates the Elections Law (Propaganda Methods) of 1959, which prohibits parties from unfairly interfering with another party’s election campaigning.

Report: Lebanese president ordered security chiefs to avoid Nasrallah memorial ceremony

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun instructed the heads of the country’s security agencies not to send any representatives to commemoration ceremonies for former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah taking place today, Lebanese journalist Hasan Illaik reports.

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike exactly two years ago, the culmination of a rapid succession of strikes that have eliminated half of Hezbollah’s leadership council and decimated its top military command.

The central ceremony is starting at Nasrallah’s tomb in Dahiyeh, Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold, as thousands of supporters hold yellow Hezbollah flags and Lebanon’s national flag.

Ambassador Leiter: There are ‘promising signs’ in my son’s condition after ramming attack

Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter says his son Neria’s life “still hangs in the balance,” but there are “some promising signs that we grasp in hope.”

The younger Leiter was seriously injured in a Palestinian ramming attack last week while he was serving as a reservist in the West Bank.

“We believe in the power of prayer, that G-d hears prayer and can heal when healing appears impossible,” writes Leiter on X.

US envoy to UN dismisses latest Iranian ceasefire offer as ‘cynical attempt’

United States ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, March 11, 2026. (Seth Wenig/AP)

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz calls the latest Iranian ceasefire offer “a pretty cynical attempt to put something on the table that they knew was unacceptable.”

Speaking to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he stresses that Tehran demanded “the release of the blockades, the sanctions, international sanctions and access to billions in assets just to talk when we entered into a memorandum of agreement just a few [months] ago.”

Waltz argues that it’s “common sense” that US President Donald Trump doesn’t have confidence in Iranian offers, but says eventually the conflict will end “in some type of arrangement.”

Iran, he says, “can come to the table and in accordance with international law, in accordance with their obligations in the non-proliferation treaty and… Heck, our negotiators even offered to sell them uranium.”

Police publish footage of strike that killed terrorist who abducted hostages on Oct. 7

Footage published by the police shows the Israeli strike yesterday that killed a Palestinian terrorist who took part in abducting Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or during the October 7, 2023, onslaught.

The strike that killed Saher Nidal Saqr was carried out by the Israel Police’s elite Gideonim Unit 33.

Footage published by the police shows the Israeli strike yesterday that killed a Palestinian terrorist who took part in abducting Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or during the October 7, 2023, onslaught.

The strike that killed Saher Nidal Saqr was carried out by the Israel Police's… https://t.co/9TJsjGN3gZ pic.twitter.com/fYoNPRPFom

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 27, 2026

Families of Oct. 7 victims host ‘Sukkah of the Failure’ at Hostages Square, showcasing leaders’ failures ahead of attack

Families of the victims of the October 7, 2023, attack present the "Sukkah of the Failure" in Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, on September 27, 2026. (Sukkah of the Failure)

A group of families whose loved ones were taken hostage or killed in the October 7, 2023, attack or were murdered in captivity gather at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square during the intermediate days of the Sukkot holiday to establish what they call the “Sukkah of the Failure” — their struggle to present the truth of what happened in the weeks preceding October 7.

Speaking from a sukkah, a temporary shelter set up in the square where protests had held during the two-year struggle for the hostages’ release, the families present a document outlining the decisions of the political echelon that they say led the country to October 7, in response to recent reports published in The New York Times and The Atlantic alleging that several warnings about Hamas’s plans were conveyed to the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials by Middle East leaders.

The families will gather at Hostages Square for the next two nights, Monday and Tuesday, to speak to the public about what happened in the political and security establishments prior to October 7.

Einav Zangauker, mother of captivity survivor Matan Zangauker, says that the conspiracy of silence is being broken.

“We will not allow history to be rewritten,” says Zangauker. “Anyone who had their hand on the wheel on October 7 must go home. Everyone. Without exception.”

Gil Dickmann, whose cousin, Carmel Gat, kidnapped and murdered in captivity, says the October 7 families will no longer be silent.

“We don’t know everything,” says Dickmann, adding that what appears in the file leaves no doubt that everyone who was in the security or political establishment at the time must be removed from public life for good.

“The price of the abandonment [by the leaders] is 2,000 graves of good Israelis who should have been with us,” says Dickmann. “It is a price that the State of Israel should not have had to pay, and it is the role of the citizens to make sure that we will never again be required to pay the price of abandonment.”

Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, the main rival to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in next month’s election, arrives at the tent, where he embraces bereaved father Ruby Chen and former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz, whose husband, Oded Lifshitz, was taken hostage and killed in captivity.

Regarding warnings of a Hamas attack that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received before October 7, Eisenkot says: “I know the information that was passed to Netanyahu in the first half of September. On the 15th of the month, he got a specific warning from the Shin Bet. He decided not to take action. This must be conveyed to a state commission of inquiry, which will ask why he breached the trust [that was placed in him as prime minister].”

Shin Bet changes course, agrees to provide security coverage for Eisenkot — report

The Shin Bet has agreed to provide security coverage to Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot after agency head David Zini initially turned down a request to do so, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

The about-face comes after the Advisory Committee for Personal Security, which operates under the Prime Minister’s Office, recommended last month that the election frontrunner receive a security detail, which is not automatically granted to party leaders unless they are a sitting member of the Knesset.

Zini initially declined to provide security for Eisenkot, with the Shin Bet saying there was no intelligence justifying such a move. Eisenkot’s campaign has said he is facing growing threats as the election approaches.

The Kan report notes that the Shin Bet has not yet decided whether to provide security for Democrats chair Yair Golan, whose party has also requested coverage due to increased threats against the left-wing leader.

Irish soccer team refuses to shake hands with Israeli players at start of UEFA match in Hungary; Ireland races to early 3-0 lead

Ireland's soccer players bow their heads as the Israeli national anthem plays before their UEFA Nations League match in Debrecen, Hungary, September 27, 2026. (X screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright law)

All members of the Republic of Ireland’s national soccer team refuse to shake the hands of the Israeli national team’s players at the start of their UEFA Nations League match in Debrecen, Hungary.

The two teams separate after the anthems and before the kickoff, without the routine exchange of pennants and handshakes.

Israel’s delegation explained today that the Irish team had informed UEFA soccer authorities that its members would not shake hands with their Israeli opponents, and that UEFA accepted this.

The Irish players are wearing black armbands, as promised, in what their delegation stated was a mark of respect for “all lives lost in the conflict,” and they bow their heads during the playing of Israel’s national anthem.

The Irish players bow their heads as the Israeli national anthem plays out in Debrecen before the match. pic.twitter.com/fWPI3KZsvE

— Ben Symes (@bensymes01) September 27, 2026

Ireland’s team captain Dara O’Shea does not even shake hands with Israel’s captain Manor Solomon after the referee has tossed a coin between them to decide which team will kick in which direction.

When the game kicks off, Ireland quickly takes the lead, with a goal after 13 minutes, moves to 2-0 after 16 minutes, and scores a third in the 25th minute. The score stays 3-0 to Ireland at half time.

The Irish team only confirmed yesterday that it would play the planned match against Israel, after a “significant majority” of its players voted to move forward with the game, despite growing pressure to boycott two upcoming fixtures.

The game in Debrecen is Israel’s “home” game against Ireland as part of the Nations League, and is being played with a limited number of spectators.

The small group of Israeli fans in the stadium are seen waving flags and sporting scarves in the colors of the national team and their favored local teams.

One fan can be seen holding the Druze flag.

Ireland’s “home” game will take place in Backa Topola, Serbia, on October 4.

One Irish player, backup goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, announced his intention to withdraw from the squad over the decision to take part in the fixtures, saying it would be “wrong” for him to play, “based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.”

Suspect arrested in pepper-spraying of Christian child in Jerusalem on Yom Kippur

Police announce the arrest of a man who allegedly pepper-sprayed a 9-year-old Armenian Christian boy in Jerusalem’s Mamilla area on Yom Kippur for riding a bike and wearing headphones on the holy day.

The suspect is identified as a 22-year-old from the Haredi-majority settlement of Ganei Modi’in, near Jerusalem.

Police say the suspect was arrested in northern Israel, where he has been for several days.

The suspect is being taken to a police station in Jerusalem, where he will be interrogated overnight, police say, adding that depending on the results of the interrogation, he may be brought before a court tomorrow to have his detention extended.

“Israel Police views with great gravity acts of violence and bullying against minors — especially those carried out with a nationalist or racist motive,” police say.

‘I want to kill you’: Ben Gvir posts video of himself telling terrorist behind 1996 Jerusalem bus bombings that he wants to execute him

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir posts a video of himself telling Hassan Salamah, the Hamas operative jailed for orchestrating a pair of 1996 Jerusalem bus explosions that killed 45 people, “I want to put you to death.”

Ben Gvir has repeatedly posted videos of himself berating Palestinian inmates and touting his policy of worsening their prison conditions. Some of the videos have been removed amid criticism from organizations and the Central Elections Committee that they constitute illegal use of government facilities for election propaganda.

Ben Gvir, flanked by armed masked guards, says he feels “closure” because he protested as a teenager against the bus attacks Salamah orchestrated and now, as an adult, he can “lead a policy that has turned his life into hell.”

He tells Salamah in the video: “These are the conditions I gave you. But it’s not the end. I want to kill you. I want to put you to death.”

Ben Gvir adds that Salamah will go to hell in the afterlife, “but here I’m responsible for hell.”

סגירת מעגל ענקית עבורי!

כנער עמדתי ברחובות והפגנתי אחרי פיגועי התופת הנוראיים בקו 18 בירושלים. עשרות חפים מפשע נרצחו, ומשפחות שלמות נחרבו.

לפני כשבועיים הגעתי לכלא ופגשתי פנים אל פנים את הארכי מחבל חסאן סאלמה – מבכירי חמאס, חברו ושותפו של יחיא סינוואר ימ״ש, שנשלח בידי הצורר… pic.twitter.com/6HvGFKAroJ

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) September 27, 2026

Iran’s UN delegation has no plans to meet US again this week — source

Iran’s delegation to the United Nations has no plans to meet US officials this week, a source close to the delegation tells the state-run IRNA news agency.

US President Donald Trump told Axios earlier tonight that there would likely be another round of talks this week.

“The considerations and positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran were conveyed clearly and explicitly to the American side last Tuesday through the Qatari mediator, and Iran is awaiting the American side’s response,” says the source.

“Accordingly, there is no plan for a new round of negotiations with the American side on the agenda of Iran’s delegation, and the foreign minister will return home on Tuesday after completing his scheduled programs.”

More details emerge on PM’s secret meeting with Emirati leader

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took off for Abu Dhabi shortly after noon today and landed at 3:10 p.m., Channel 12 reports, adding to an earlier story that said the premier met secretly with the UAE president today.

Netanyahu spent four hours in the UAE, according to the report.

Girl wounded by munition launched at home in northern Arab town — police

A girl, around 16 years old, was moderately wounded by a munition fired at a home in the northern Arab town of Tarshiha, police say.

Officers are scanning the area for suspects, police say, adding that the attack is of a “criminal” nature, rather than nationalist.