Israel News

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief (Worthy News) – Israel says the IDF now controls roughly one-fifth of Lebanese territory, marking a major expansion of its campaign against Hezbollah as Jerusalem works to push the Iranian-backed terrorist group away from Israel’s northern border. The disclosure came during Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is “fighting terror on all fronts” and ministers received security briefings from senior IDF officials on Lebanon, Iran, Syria, and Judea and Samaria. According to ministers who attended the briefing, Israel’s military leadership presented a far different picture from … Read more

Iran fired a volley of missiles toward northern Israel on Sunday night, pushing the region back toward the brink of open war after Tehran made good on its warning that an Israeli strike in Beirut would bring Iranian retaliation.

The Israel Defense Forces struck Hezbollah command centers in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district on Sunday, escalating Israel’s campaign against the Iran-backed terrorist group after renewed fire from Lebanon toward Israeli territory.

Slovenia entered a new political era this weekend after parliament approved a center-right government led by pro-Israel Prime Minister Janez Jansa, a move expected to reverse several Middle East policies adopted by the previous administration.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Thursday rejected a U.S.-brokered ceasefire framework between Israel and Lebanon, warning that the Iran-backed terrorist group would continue attacks as long as Israeli military operations continue in Lebanon.

Israel’s Mossad reportedly carried out a covert operation to supply Kurdish militias with weapons and military aid as part of a broader effort to destabilize Iran’s ruling regime, according to recent investigative reports in Israeli media.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire provided the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement also halts hostilities and withdraws its operatives from areas south of the Litani River, the United States announced Thursday.

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to downplay signs of friction this week after Trump confirmed he used sharp language during a private phone call over Israel’s continuing military operations in Lebanon.

Senior members of Israel’s delegation said Tuesday that Hezbollah had not stopped fighting despite pledging to U.S. President Donald Trump a day earlier that it would de-escalate, as Israeli and Lebanese representatives opened a new round of U.S.-brokered talks in Washington.

President Donald Trump said Monday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to halt attacks after a day of rising tensions in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened renewed strikes on Hezbollah’s Dahiyeh stronghold in Beirut if the Iranian-backed terror group continued firing on northern Israel.

Israel moved another step closer to early elections after the coalition’s bill to dissolve the Knesset passed its first reading late Monday night by a vote of 106-0, with no lawmakers voting against the measure.

The United States has effectively signaled support for Israel to expand its military operations deeper into Lebanon, including toward Beirut, after a fresh diplomatic initiative collapsed and Hezbollah continued launching rockets and explosive drones at northern Israeli communities, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel now controls roughly 60 percent of the Gaza Strip and has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to expand that control to 70 percent, signaling a major escalation in Jerusalem’s campaign to weaken Hamas and prevent the terror group from rebuilding its military rule.

Israel carried out a targeted strike Thursday in a suburb south of Beirut, marking its first attack near the Lebanese capital in three weeks as the conflict with Hezbollah and Iran-backed terrorist groups intensifies.

Israel said Wednesday it killed Mohammed Odeh, Hamas’ newly appointed military chief and a senior figure tied to the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, in a targeted airstrike in Gaza City, marking another major blow to the terror group’s effort to rebuild its command structure.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that Israel will deepen its ground operations in southern Lebanon, saying the Israel Defense Forces will expand its campaign against Hezbollah amid a growing wave of drone attacks targeting Israeli troops and northern communities.

Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is preparing for the possibility that an emerging U.S.-Iran agreement could pressure Jerusalem to limit its military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, even as Israeli leaders insist the country must retain freedom of action against threats along its northern border.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that President Donald Trump agreed any final agreement with Iran must dismantle Tehran’s nuclear enrichment sites and remove enriched nuclear material from Iranian territory, as Israeli defense officials voiced growing alarm over the emerging U.S.-backed diplomatic framework.

An Israeli Christian leader is urging the government to formally recognize Christians as a distinct community with stronger political representation, citing what church leaders and advocacy groups describe as growing harassment and discrimination against Christians in Israel.