18:41 – PM Netanyahu about hostage deal: ‘The less we talk about it, the better’
At the start of a cabinet meeting held at the IDF’s Central Command, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on reports of progress in the negotiations about a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas.
“The less we talk about it, the better, and with God’s help, we will succeed,” Netanyahu said.
“I said we would change the Middle East, and we are indeed changing it. I talked with Trump about the need to complete the victory,” he added.
18:00 – IDF troops continue destroying Hezbollah weapons in southern Lebanon
As IDF troops continue to be deployed across southern Lebanon, soldiers continue to search for hidden Hezbollah weapons. The 91st Division so far confiscated over 10,000 weapons and military equipment and attacked over 1,000 Hezbollah targets, the military said.
The IDF stated that the division operates in the Litani and Saluki areas in southern Lebanon, adding that its activity was in accordance with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, and the terms of the ceasefire.
15:32 – Al-Mayadeen reports Israeli forces in Quneitra, outside of Syrian buffer zone
Hezbollah-affiliated news site al-Mayadeen reported that the Israeli army continues its “occupation of Syrian territory,” saying a convoy of armored vehicles was spotted north of Quneitra.
The Lebanese news site also reported Israeli drones flying at low altitude in the Yarmouk Basin area in the western countryside of Dara’a. The report stated that elders from the village of Koya were invited to meet with IDF commanders in the area.
14:10 – Police stop vehicle associated with previous terror alert
According to reports, a suspicious vehicle was stopped by police at a roadblock near the Latrun Junction on Highway 1. Security forces are said to be checking the occupants.
The suspicious vehicle was stopped after a special police directive was issued in the Jerusalem area in response to a security alert regarding two suspects who had entered Israeli territory from the Wadi Hummus area in East Jerusalem. Special forces were dispatched to the scene.
13:58 – Police and Shin Bet set up security roadblocks around Jerusalem due to threat of terror infiltration
In response to a warning about a terrorist squad in the Jerusalem area, the Israel Police and Shin Bet established security checkpoints along Highway 1 leading to Jerusalem.
12:41 – Turkish defense minister says ready to aid new Syrian government
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said his country is ready to provide military training to Syria if the new government requests it.
The Turkish minister said his country has “military cooperation agreements with many countries, and we are ready to provide support if we receive a request from the new administration in Syria.”
He also suggested that Ankara might reassess its military presence in Syria if circumstances require.
10:46 – Prime Minister’s Office condemns Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef’s call for Haredi draft refusal
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued a statement in response to a video in which former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said that even ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) men who do not study in a yeshiva should not enlist in the Israeli army. The PMO said that Yosef’s words were “unacceptable and worthy of all condemnation.”
10:21 – Al Mayadeen says Israel ‘completely destroyed Syrian air defense systems’
Lebanese news site al-Mayadeen, which is affiliated with the Hezbollah terror group, reported that the IDF completely destroyed the air defense systems in Syria.
The site also claimed that Israel is not only targeting the strategic weapons depots in Syria but also less critical ones. Al Mayadeen claimed that it would be difficult for the new Syrian government to control weapons within the country due to the widespread use of personal weapons.
10:07 – President Herzog condemns all calls for refusal to serve
In a post to 𝕏, President Isaac Herzog condemned calls for refusal of military service.
“I once again strongly condemn any call for refusal, failure to show up, and failure to volunteer!” Herzog wrote. “Serving in the IDF is a tremendous privilege. The IDF is ours, all of us. Any harm to it is a harm to the security of the State of Israel and its citizens. If there is anyone who did not understand this on October 7th – let them wake up urgently and act responsibly.”
09:50 – Clashes in Jenin resume between PA forces and terror groups
Qatari news site Al Jazeera reported this morning that clashes between Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces and terror groups affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have resumed.
Last week, clashes with the PA led to the killing of a local commander in the Iran-backed terror group PIJ.
08:50 – Former Chief Rabbi says even ultra-Orthodox men who don’t study should not enlist
Former Sephardic chief rabbi and the spiritual leader of the Shas party, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, said in a video released that even ultra-Orthodox men who do not actively study should not report for the draft over fears of secularization.
“There’s no such thing as going to the army. Listen to me. Even those who are idle and do not study are forbidden to go – you see that yeshiva students when they go to the army, they break down,” Rabbi Yosef said in the video. “Everyone becomes secular. Afterward, they may repent, but when they go, they [become] secular.”
08:11 – United Torah Judaism won’t support Judicial Reforms without changes to Draft Law
A senior member of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party commented on the judicial revolution, after Justice Minister Yariv Levin said yesterday that he intends to legislate a change in the composition of the committee for the selection of judges. He told Ynet, “We will not support any move related to the judicial reform, if at all, until there is significant progress on the issue of the conscription law.”
He added, “It should be emphasized that Levin’s reform is what prevented the enactment of the law in the first place. In general, we oppose the issue of the ‘judicial reform,’ which leads to a rift and division among the people, and it is not certain that we will be partners in this.”
02:55 – Justice Minister Levin threatens to restart Judicial Reforms in spat with High Court
In a post on Facebook on Saturday evening, Justice Minister Yariv Levin threatened to resume the contentious Judicial Reforms which led to significant protests and disagreements, and which some analysts have [contributed to precipitating] the Oct. 7 attacks. Levin made the post after the High Court of Justice ordered Levin to hold a vote for a new president of the Supreme Court; a position which has been vacant since the previous court president, Esther Hayut, retired in 2023.
Levin argued that the High Court had seized power from the government and was telling him how to perform his job.
01:15 – SOHR says Israel struck over 60 military sites overnight
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-affiliated London-based group that tracks human rights violations during the Syrian conflict, reported that the IDF carried out 61 strikes on military sites in less than five hours across Syria on Saturday night. SOHR said, “The attacks were mainly aimed at tunnels containing ballistic missile depots.” According to the group, since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime about a week ago, Israel has carried out 446 airstrikes throughout the country.
