The IDF said it killed Bahaa' Baroud in the Gaza Strip, identifying him as a commander in Hamas's operations headquarters. According to the military, Baroud was involved in planning and advancing numerous terror attacks against IDF forces in Gaza.
The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted two drones that entered the country from the west. A separate drone struck a nuclear power station, causing damage. The assessment: the Houthis were behind the attack, acting on Iran’s orders. Iranian media also published the terms of a U.S. proposal that Tehran rejected.
The U.S. administration said talks between Israel and Lebanon ended with an agreement to extend the ceasefire by 45 days. Hezbollah responded with drones and explosive UAVs aimed at northern Israel, while the IDF carried out strikes in southern Lebanon.
Capt. Maoz Yisrael Rekanti, 24, of Itamar, a platoon commander in Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion, was killed in combat in southern Lebanon. He is the second soldier from the battalion to fall within 24 hours, and the 20th IDF casualty since the start of the ground maneuver in Lebanon following the launch of Operation "Lion’s Roar."
Ezz al-Din al-Haddad, the head of Hamas’s military wing and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre, was killed in a strike on his hideout apartment in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered heightened readiness in southern Israel.
A U.S. special operations force, working with the Nigerian military, killed Abu Bilal Abu-Minuki, the deputy leader of ISIS worldwide. He was killed in a hideout after fleeing the Iraq-Syria region.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar have directed the Foreign Ministry's legal team to sue The New York Times over reports alleging severe abuse of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel's Diaspora Affairs Ministry says the stories relied on a Hamas-linked propaganda organization.
In an unprecedented move, Lebanon has formally complained to the UN Security Council regarding Iranian interference. Meanwhile, Israeli and Lebanese delegations are meeting in the U.S. today for a critical new round of talks.
In a joint operation, the Shin Bet and Central District Police have exposed an Israeli citizen from Tira who was actively carrying out security missions for Iranian intelligence, including photographing sensitive military sites.
In a post on X, Iranian parliament spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei warned the U.S. and Israel, saying lawmakers may consider 90% enrichment if Iran is attacked again. U.S. and Israeli intelligence agree: Tehran’s nuclear program won’t be curbed unless its enriched-uranium stockpile is removed or destroyed.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters the naval blockade on Iran will continue and vowed to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He predicted Iran’s economy would collapse and said the U.S. expects to receive 60% enriched uranium; Pete Hegseth said escalation plans are ready, while Iran warned it could go to 90% enrichment.
CNN says the "Great Bear," a Russian cargo ship that went down in the Mediterranean on December 23, 2024, was moving components for two nuclear reactors bound for North Korea. Fourteen crew members were rescued; investigators say a "Western power" may have fired a torpedo. The ship's operator denies it, calling the incident a "terrorist attack."
The World Meteorological Organization warns an unusually strong El Niño is likely to develop by midyear, accelerating global warming and unleashing extreme heat waves, severe storms, and droughts worldwide.
The Jerusalem District Court ordered a temporary freeze of 65 million shekels from tax revenues Israel collects for the Palestinian Authority, following a lawsuit by 15 victims of the 2014 Glilot Junction car-ramming.
EU foreign ministers back penalties on four groups and three individuals over alleged violence against Palestinians. Israel’s Gideon Sa’ar blasts the move as political and rejects any comparison to Hamas.
Two Hezbollah operatives who entered a building near IDF forces in southern Lebanon were killed. Two Hezbollah explosive drones hit unmanned IDF engineering vehicles.
In a Fox News interview Monday (Israel time), he said U.S. ship escorts would be "just a small part" of a broader military move, predicted Tehran will "fold," urged talks until a deal is reached, and rejected Iran’s latest proposal.
With trade tensions in the backdrop, Trump heads into a meeting with Xi aiming to extend a minerals deal and steady U.S.–China ties. Washington may also ask Beijing to push Tehran toward a nuclear agreement, while Taiwan fears being left exposed.
Yuval Steinitz, head of Rafael, says that since the 'Swords of Iron' war began in October 2023, Hamas and Hezbollah have fired about 40,000 rockets at Israel; he says Iron Dome intercepted most of them with near-100% success, and that in two rounds of fighting since 2024 only a few dozen Iranian missiles were not intercepted—denying any shortage of interceptors.
A page promoting New York City’s business ties with Israeli companies and entrepreneurs was deleted from the city’s official website. Jewish community figures in the city said: "Mamdani’s hostility toward Israel is starting to seep in."
