Israel News

The United States imposed new sanctions Thursday on individuals and entities linked to Hezbollah, accusing them of using political and financial influence to obstruct Lebanon’s peace process and delay the Iran-backed group’s disarmament.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon and will maintain a security zone there for as long as Israel’s defense needs require, placing Jerusalem at odds with both Tehran and the terms of a U.S.-Iran memorandum that calls for an end to hostilities in Lebanon.

The Israeli Air Force was prepared to launch a major strike deep inside Iran last week but was ordered to stand down just one hour before takeoff, according to a letter sent by Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Omer Tischler to air force personnel.

President Donald Trump’s popularity in Israel has fallen sharply following his administration’s agreement with Iran and a series of unusually blunt criticisms of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a new Kantar Institute survey published by Israel Hayom.

U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Israel’s handling of its campaign against Hezbollah on Tuesday, saying Syria should take a larger role in confronting the Iran-backed terror group if Israel cannot do the job without causing broader destruction.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday night that Iran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, even as President Donald Trump moves forward with a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli leaders across the political spectrum reacted with fury and alarm Monday after President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Iran had reached a peace framework that would impose an immediate ceasefire across multiple fronts, reportedly including Lebanon.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump criticized an Israeli airstrike on Beirut Sunday that overshadowed his 80th birthday and threatened to complicate efforts to finalize a U.S.-Iran framework agreement aimed at ending months of armed conflict across the Middle East.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has fired 70 employees in Gaza with immediate effect, saying the move was necessary “to mitigate safety and security risks” for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA personnel, and agency facilities amid long-running Israeli allegations that Hamas has deeply infiltrated the agency.

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday it struck more than 70 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past day, as Israel continues its campaign to dismantle the Iranian-backed terror group’s infrastructure along the northern border.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel is at war with Hezbollah, not with the people of Lebanon, accusing the Iranian-backed terror group of dragging Lebanon into repeated conflict while using its territory to attack Israel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Wednesday that Israel’s military operations in Syria and Lebanon have reached the point of threatening Turkey itself, escalating a bitter war of words with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as tensions widen across the Middle East.

Israel’s Knesset on Wednesday approved in a preliminary reading a controversial Basic Law proposal that would declare Torah study a foundational value of the State of Israel and effectively recognize long-term yeshivah study as a form of meaningful service comparable to serving in the Israel Defense Forces.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned Tuesday that Israel remains fully prepared to resume operations against Iran, saying the military’s recent strike inside the Islamic Republic was only preparation for a far heavier blow if Tehran attacks Israel again.

Israel says it is prepared for sustained combat after Iran and the Houthis fired missiles toward Israeli territory, prompting new Israeli strikes on Iranian defense systems and ballistic missile-related facilities.