Israel News

Israel successfully launched the Ofek 19 reconnaissance satellite into orbit Tuesday night, marking a significant leap forward in the nation’s military space program and strengthening its intelligence and surveillance capabilities across the Middle East.

President Donald Trump warned that Israel is losing its once-dominant influence in Washington and urged Jerusalem to wrap up its military campaign in Gaza before sustaining further damage in global public opinion.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene top ministers and aides on Thursday to examine whether Israel should apply sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation, amid growing momentum at the United Nations for the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Israel’s leadership on Tuesday signaled the war against Hamas is entering its most critical stage, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir pledging to press on until the terror group is destroyed.

Israel’s top military commander vowed Sunday that the fight against Hamas and its allies will intensify, a day after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) eliminated senior Houthi officials in Yemen and Hamas’s longtime military spokesman, Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, better known as Abu Obeida.

A sweeping postwar strategy for Gaza, circulating within the Trump administration, envisions the United States taking administrative control of the territory for a decade under an American trusteeship, while transforming the war-torn enclave into a hub of luxury tourism and advanced technology, according to a Washington Post report.

Israel’s Diplomatic-Security Cabinet was set to meet Sunday evening to review war plans in Gaza, but the more pressing question before ministers is how to respond to growing international moves to recognize a Palestinian state.

Israeli commandos carried out a rare overnight ground raid near Damascus, Syrian state media said Thursday, marking one of the deepest Israeli incursions into Syrian territory since the fall of the Assad regime last year.

The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on multiple Houthi targets in Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa on Thursday, coinciding with a live televised speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

Archaeologists in Jerusalem’s City of David have uncovered the largest dam ever found in ancient Israel, a monumental waterworks dating back nearly 2,800 years to the reign of Kings Joash or Amaziah of Judah.

The White House is preparing to host a pivotal summit Wednesday as President Donald Trump seeks to present a “comprehensive plan” for Gaza’s future, with his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff underscoring the administration’s insistence on full hostage freedom and Hamas accountability.

The Israeli military confirmed Wednesday that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) eliminated Mahmoud al-Aswad, Hamas’s General Security Apparatus leader in western Gaza, in a targeted strike carried out last Friday.

U.S. special envoy Thomas Barrack met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at Baabda Palace on Tuesday for high-stakes talks on Hezbollah’s future, warning that Lebanon risks sliding back into civil conflict unless progress is made on disarmament.

Thousands of protesters flooded streets and highways across Israel on Tuesday in a nationwide day of action demanding the government reach an agreement for the release of the roughly 50 hostages still held in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday released preliminary findings into Monday’s deadly strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, acknowledging that at least six of the roughly 20 Palestinians killed were terrorists while also admitting serious mistakes in the operation.

Israel and Syria may be on the verge of signing a landmark security agreement after weeks of U.S.-mediated discussions, according to reports in Hebrew and Arab media.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Monday that Israel struck one of the main hospitals in the Gaza Strip, killing journalists and rescue workers in what he called a “tragic mishap.”

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Monday that the war in Gaza will reach a “conclusive ending” within the next two to three weeks, though it remains unclear what his forecast is based on.

An Israeli military strike on Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis killed at least 20 people on Monday morning, including five journalists, according to local health authorities and international media outlets.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) on Sunday launched extensive airstrikes on Houthi-controlled Sanaa, Yemen, killing at least four people and wounding 67, in response to a ballistic missile attack on Israel two days earlier. The Houthis, an Iran-backed militia, have repeatedly targeted Israel with missiles and drones since late 2023.