Netanyahu says facts of reported settler assault on US photographer remain unclear and are under investigation | LIVE BLOG
IDF says it killed Hamas commander who took part in October 7 attack and an Islamic Jihad operative in two Gaza strikes
Syrian officials have released an official response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement on his call with President Ahmed al-Sharaa last July. After Netanyahu claimed he was responsible for helping stop the massacre against Druze people, Syria officials claim to, “categorically reject any attempt to politicize or involve it in Israeli propaganda and elections.” Syria says that its Druze community in Sweida “has been, and will remain, an integral and inseparable part of the national fabric.” They also accused Israel of targeting civil peace in Sweida and arming militias to provoke chaos.
Meanwhile, it i widely reported that US President Donald Trump has asked about strike plans for Iran which include possible use of ‘mother of all bombs,’ officials tell CNN. The US military has reportedly developed plans for potential strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites that could include the GBU-43/B, known as the “MOAB.” The plans depend on President Donald Trump ordering combat operations to resume. Sources familiar with the discussions questioned whether the weapon would achieve his strategic objectives or shift the course of the war. READ MORE FROM WEDNESDAY
Trump says Israel-Saudi normalization 'back on the table,' Riyadh 'very happy' with Israel's defensive support against Houthis
IDF: Interceptor launched toward suspicious aerial target in southern Lebanon; no sirens sounded
Netanyahu says facts of reported assault on Washington Post photographer remain unclear
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the circumstances of the reported assault on Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine near the West Bank village of Abu Falah remained unclear and were under investigation.
He condemned violence and said those responsible would be held accountable.
Netanyahu cited reports that about 200 Palestinian and far-left activists had confronted around 40 Israeli youths. He also said footage appeared to show Levine being knocked down and immediately helped to her feet by the same unidentified person.
He said investigators needed to establish who initiated the violence and warned against exploiting “disputed incidents” to “demonize” law-abiding West Bank settlers.
IDF eliminated Maher Walid Omar al-Husseini, Nukhba Force member who took part in Oct. 7 massacre
Eisenkot, Lapid harshly condemn settler attack that left US photographer injured
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Israeli police say they have opened a probe into West Bank attack that injured Washington Post photographer
Police opened an investigation into suspected stone-throwing and vehicle arson in the West Bank villages of Abu Falah and Turmus Ayya, the force said.
Officers and forensic investigators were preparing to enter the sites under IDF escort to collect evidence and take witness statements.
Police said a foreign journalist was taken to a hospital with light injuries following the violence. The force condemned violence against journalists carrying out their work and pledged to bring those involved to justice.
Report: Settlers attack and injure Washington Post photographer in West Bank
Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was injured in a settler attack on Palestinians harvesting olives in Abu Falah, a West Bank village near Ramallah, Reuters reported.
Levine said she was pushed to the ground and repeatedly kicked before Palestinian colleagues intervened. She was hospitalized in Ramallah in stable condition.
Reuters witnesses said masked settlers burned olive trees and threw rocks at Palestinians. The IDF did not immediately respond to the agency’s request for comment.
Northern Israel: Security forces hunt for possibly armed terror suspect in IDF uniform and face veil; public urged to stay alert
IDF says it killed Hamas commander who took part in October 7 attack and an Islamic Jihad operative in two Gaza strikes
The IDF said it struck in northern Gaza on Thursday and killed Muhammad Muhammad Abdul Khalik Khalla, a commander in Hamas’ military wing who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 attack.
It said he contributed to the production of various combat means and worked to strengthen Hamas’ military capabilities across Gaza.
In a second strike, in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, the IDF said it killed Ahmad Jibrin Tawfiq Dahlan, an operative in Islamic Jihad’s military wing.
The IDF said that “in recent times” both men worked to advance attacks against IDF troops and Israeli citizens and attempted to rebuild their groups’ capabilities “in systematic violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
Sec. Rubio urges direct military-to-military communication between Lebanon and Israel
Per a State Department official, Marco Rubio spoke today with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun “on recent developments, including the confiscation of several hundred kilos of explosives from Hezbollah.”
Rubio told Aoun “to hold accountable all those who ordered, financed, and directed the shipment, and underscored that returning explosives to Hezbollah should be out of the question,” the official said.
Rubio raised Lebanon’s 1955 Boycott Law, “which is routinely used for politicized prosecutions that deter steps towards peace,” the official said, adding that Rubio “emphasized that the law is impractical and urged direct military-to-military communication between Lebanese and Israeli forces for deconfliction, which would help to reduce miscalculation and to advance sequenced implementation of the Trilateral Framework."