June 21: IDF chief says goal in Lebanon ‘clear and unchanged — defending the north’

Iran’s foreign minister says ‘major progress’ made to end Lebanon war in talks with US

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, center, arrives at the Burgenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, early on June 21, 2026. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone, Pool via AP)

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says there was “major progress” in talks with the United States over ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War,” Araghchi posts on X. He says the establishment of a de-confliction cell in the Lebanon conflict is the “1st real test.”

He notes other areas of progress in the negotiations in Switzerland.

“Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran.”

The conflict in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group has continued despite multiple declarations of truces, and has threatened to derail US-Iran peace talks, to which Israel is not a party.

The memorandum of understanding signed between the US and Iran declared a ceasefire in Lebanon, but Israel has vowed to keep its military in a buffer zone in the country’s south.

Iran, US to set up ‘de-confliction cell’ to stop military ops in Lebanon, mediators say

A man inspects the damage at the site of Lebanon's central bank building that was targeted in an Isreali strike the previous day in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on June 21, 2026. (Abbas FAKIH / AFP) /

Iran and the United States agree to set up a “de-confliction cell” with Lebanon to stop military operations there, Pakistan and Qatar, which are mediating the US-Iran negotiations in Switzerland, say in a joint statement.

The conflict in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group has continued despite multiple declarations of truces, and has threatened to derail US-Iran peace talks.

“The parties agreed on the creation of a de-confliction cell, between the parties, the Lebanese Republic and facilitated by the Mediators, to ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon,” the joint statement reads.

The statement mentions neither Hezbollah nor Israel, which are not parties to the Switzerland talks. The memorandum of understanding signed between the US and Iran declared a ceasefire in Lebanon, but Israel has vowed to keep its military in a buffer zone in the country’s south.

Israel is conducting a separate track of negotiations with Lebanon, with the next round of those talks set to take place beginning on Tuesday.

Iran, US agree on roadmap to reach final deal in 60 days, talks to go on all week, mediators say

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (C) speaks next to US Vice President JD Vance (L) and Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani during a quadrilateral meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026. (Nathan Howard / POOL / AFP)

Iran and the United States agree on a roadmap toward reaching a final deal to end the war within 60 days, mediators Pakistan and Qatar say in a joint statement on Monday.

“The High Level Committee has agreed upon a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days, laying the foundation for the immediate commencement of further technical talks,” the joint statement reads. It adds  that the High-Level Committee was established to oversee the talks.

The statement also says that talks will continue all week. “Technical talks will continue for the remainder of the week at the Burgenstock resort on all issues,” the statement says.

The United States and Iran also agree to set up a “communication line” to avoid incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, the mediators say.

“A communication line between the parties has been formed… to avoid incidents and miscommunication with the aim of safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement says.

Shipping slows after Iran says it has again shut the Strait of Hormuz

Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026. (AFP)

The number of ships that passed through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply on Sunday after Iran announced it had again closed the waterway, claiming Israeli and US violations of the interim US-Iran peace deal, shipping data shows.

Five vessels passed the strait on Sunday, compared with 26 ships spotted a day earlier, data from analytics firm Kpler shows. These included three Very Large Crude Carriers carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi crude and fuel oil each, one of which was heading to Japan. The data may exclude vessels that switch off their transponders while travelling in the Gulf.

Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Saturday declared the waterway shut once again in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon, after opening it under the MOU. The US military said commercial vessels were still operating.

Among the ships that exited the strait on Saturday, three of them were VLCCs carrying crude from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq while there were also three tankers carrying various oil products, the data shows.

A total of 13 ships entered the strait on Saturday, including two VLCCs, the data shows.

Gulf producers Abu Dhabi National Oil Co and Kuwait Petroleum Corp have issued tenders selling crude with the option of loading from inside and outside the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s delegation still at talks, US diplomat says, contradicting Iranian report

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, third from right, and Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, second from right, with the delegation of Iran at the Lake Lucerne Summit at the Buergenstock resort in Switzerland, June 21, 2026. (Urs Flueeler, Pool Photo via AP)

A senior US diplomat says Iran’s delegation remains at the negotiations venue in Switzerland, contradicting an Iranian state media report claiming that the team from Tehran had left the site in protest of US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats against the Islamic Republic.

The US delegation expects to continue working through the night, the senior US diplomat engaged in the negotiations says, adding that discussions are ongoing.

The US diplomat says discussions have focused on “clarifying some of the confusing messaging from Iran on the Strait and building deconfliction mechanisms to ensure the strait will remain fully open.”

Iranian state media had claimed that Tehran had closed the strait in response to Israeli actions in Lebanon, even though the US has insisted that the channel remains open.

Iranian state media has reported a series of claims that the US has asserted to be false, and motivated by a desire to present a harder line to Iran’s domestic audience.

“We have also worked through deconfliction mechanisms and enforcing the ceasefire in southern Lebanon,” the US diplomat says, regarding Sunday’s talks in Switzerland.

The latter part of the statement further highlights how the US-Iran talks have become the central venue for discussions regarding Lebanon, even though they include neither Israel nor Lebanon or the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group.

The US diplomat says negotiators in Switzerland also have had “robust discussions on all elements of the nuclear deal,” and that they plan to use “today’s work as a starting point for ongoing technical talks going forward.”

Iran holds Belgium to a goalless draw in Los Angeles World Cup game

Belgium's Thomas Meunier, left, heads the ball past Iran's Mohammad Mohebbi during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Iran in Inglewood, California, near Los Angeles, June 21, 2026. (AP/Andre Penner)

Belgium’s 10-man World Cup soccer team is held to a 0-0 draw by Iran in their World Cup Group G match in Los Angeles on Sunday, as they fail to break through Iran’s resilient defense.

Boosted by an LA crowd largely in their corner, Iran repels waves of attacks to share the points, with goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand making seven saves on a mostly sunny day in Southern California.

In a frustrating game where they dominated possession, Belgium was reduced to 10 men after Nathan Ngoy was shown a red card for hauling down Mehdi Taremi, who was through on goal, in the second half.

Iran has two points and will next face Egypt in Seattle on Friday. Belgium, also on two points, next plays New Zealand in Vancouver.

Soldiers shoot dead 2 Palestinians hurling Molotov cocktails at W. Bank settlement

The IDF says troops shot dead two Palestinians who were hurling Molotov cocktails at the West Bank settlement of Karmei Tzur this evening.

Troops of the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit had been waiting in an ambush when they identified several suspects setting fire to tires and throwing firebombs at the settlement, the army says.

“The troops opened fire and eliminated two terrorists and neutralized another terrorist,” the IDF says, adding that the forces began searches for additional suspects.

No other injuries are reported.

Firefighters are meanwhile working to extinguish a blaze outside the settlement sparked by the burning tires, the military adds.

Qatar reports explosion at factory in Ras Laffan, several injured

Qatar’s interior ministry says an explosion resulting from a “technical accident” occurred at a factory in Ras Laffan, an industrial city north of the capital Doha and site of the country’s core LNG processing operations.

It says several injuries were reported but no leak that “threatens safety.”

The ministry does not give the exact location of the explosion, but a source with knowledge of the matter says it occurred at the Barzan gas plant in Ras Laffan and was due to an “operational error.”

Syria willing to help in Lebanon, but won’t act militarily against Hezbollah, leader Sharaa says

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for the EU Summit in Nicosia, Cyprus, April 24, 2026. (Yves Herman, Pool Photo via AP)

After US President Donald Trump suggested that Syria should “take care of Hezbollah” instead of Israel, Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa says his country will not fight the terror group but could help in other ways.

“The crisis in Lebanon is very serious and there is a deadlock in political solutions,” Sharaa tells Arab news outlet Al Mashhad. “Syria offers a different approach to solving it, but the most important thing is first of all to stop the war.

“The solution for Lebanon will not come through war and the bombing of cities. President Trump expressed concern about the current situation in Lebanon, and his words were misunderstood. He spoke about Syria’s role in seeking a safe and peaceful solution, but people understood him as if Syria would enter Lebanon tomorrow morning.

He adds: “Our vision is based on restoring support for the Lebanese state, strengthening its institutions, and seeking a solution that everyone can believe in. Stopping what is happening in Lebanon now requires creative solutions, not traditional and outdated ones.”

Defending Lebanon security zone, Netanyahu says US would do ‘exactly’ the same if threatened

IDF troops of the 36th Division operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo published on June 11, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to defend maintaining Israel’s security zone in southern Lebanon amid tensions with the US over its actions against Hezbollah as Washington pursues a deal with its patron Tehran.

“As long as we need to protect our people, we will remain in the security zone in South Lebanon. And the reason is perfectly understood. No country would be asked to do otherwise,” the premier says, speaking at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem.

He argues that America would act the same way Israel does if it were confronted with terrorist threats on its borders, saying, “What would America do? Would it say, well, there’s nothing we can do? Let’s hold our fire? Is that what America would say? No! You know damn well what America would do. It would cross the border, create a security zone, kill the terrorists, and protect its people until the threat is removed. That’s exactly what we are doing.”

Following striking rebuke from US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance over civilian casualties of Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Netanyahu adds that no army “goes to such lengths like the Israeli army to target terrorists and minimize civilian casualties.”

“We target the terrorists, but there are some civilian casualties in every such war, in every such urban warfare. And normally the ratio of noncombatants to combatants killed is about seven to one, eight to one,” he continues, saying that, according to the research arm of the Defense Ministry, Israel’s ratio in Lebanon is 1 to 5 civilians to combatants, an “unheard of” achievement.

“We should be commended for it, not condemned. We do everything in our power to protect our people. We don’t have a war with Lebanon. We have a war with Hezbollah, who terrorizes Lebanon and seeks our destruction,” he says.

IDF said urging Israeli leaders to intensify talks with Beirut to reach accord

The IDF is reportedly urging Israel’s political echelon to intensify negotiations with the Lebanese government amid fears that ongoing US-Iran talks will hamper its offensive against Hezbollah.

Since Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding last week, kickstarting negotiations toward a final deal, Iran has been insisting that Israel halt its military operation in Lebanon as a precondition for talks.

A senior security official tells Channel 12 News that “another attempt” by Israel to “separate between the theaters [Iran and Lebanon] will worsen our situation with the United States.”

“We need to be cautious about our moves in Lebanon so that it doesn’t get us in trouble,” the source says to the outlet.

Per the report, the IDF is currently insisting on two specific aims in Lebanon: preserving a buffer zone in the country’s south and succeeding in destroying a major underground Hezbollah facility underneath the Ali Taher ridge, near Nabatieh.

At the same time, the army is reportedly urging the government to raise the level of its delegation in Washington and speed up talks with the Lebanese government.

The goal of these intensified negotiations would be to isolate Hezbollah and reach a potential agreement with Beirut on its own terms, rather than face the prospect of American pressure to act in accordance with Iranian demands.

Meanwhile, a senior Israeli diplomatic official tells the outlet that Washington thus far has not explicitly asked Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon.

Iran delegation left talks venue after Trump threat — state media

The Iranian delegation left the venue of talks with the United States seeking to permanently end the Middle East war after President Donald Trump threatened to strike the Islamic Republic, state media confirms.

“The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, after meeting with the Qatari delegation as one of the mediating parties, left the building where the negotiations were being held,” state news agency IRNA says.

“At the same time as the talks began in Switzerland, Donald Trump published a message on X in which he repeated his threats and remarks against Iran,” it adds.

At the same time, a diplomat with knowledge of the negotiations says Iran is still engaged the in talks.

“The Iranian delegation remains engaged in the talks and has not indicated to the mediators any intention to leave,” the diplomat says.

The cause of the discrepancy is not immediately clear.

Netanyahu says Israel successfully ‘created the conditions’ for future fall of Iranian regime

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argues that Israel succeeded in creating the conditions for eventual regime change in Iran, while speaking at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem.

The premier stated at the start of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran that “creating the conditions” for the regime to fall was among the war aims, but has largely refrained from publicly evaluating the success of that goal, as the regime emerged intact from the conflict, during which the Iranian public made no known effort to overthrow their government, following a deadly government crackdown that killed thousands after widespread January protests.

Netanyahu lists military successes of the campaign, saying, “We decapitated the leadership of the terror regime; we shattered their missile industry; we knocked out their navy; we knocked out their air force; we attacked their military industries; we attacked their bridges.”

“The cumulative damage that we did to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ economy is… counted in hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars,” he says.

“It will take them a long time to recover… And they may not recover,” the premier continues. “Because once you deal these blows, and once the rift between the regime and the people is so deep, you cannot tell when such a regime will fall. And I think we created the conditions for its future fall.”

He says this will still ultimately depend on the Iranian public: “That is what will be the real triumph, when the Iranian people take their own destiny in their hands and they knock out this brutal regime that is terrorizing them and terrorizing the rest of the world.”

Home Front Command to lift all restrictions on residents near Lebanon border

The IDF Home Front Command says it will be lifting all restrictions on communities near the Lebanon border, as the ceasefire with Hezbollah appears to hold.

Gatherings had been restricted in northern border communities to 100 people outdoors and 400 indoors.

Following a fresh assessment, the Home Front Command says that from 6 a.m. tomorrow, the restrictions will be lifted.

Hezbollah has not carried out attacks on Israeli territory since last Sunday; however, it has continued to target troops in southern Lebanon.

Gaza terrorist who took part in Oct. 7 kidnapping killed in Israeli airstrike

This image released by the IDF on June 21, 2026, shows Islamic Jihad terrorist Zaki Youssef Mahmoud Abu Mustafa abducting hostage Yagil Yaakov during the October 7, 2023, onslaught. (Israel Defense Forces)

A Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who took part in the kidnapping of hostage Yagil Yaakov during the October 7 onslaught was killed in an Israeli airstrike over the weekend, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.

The strike on Friday in southern Gaza killed Zaki Youssef Mahmoud Abu Mustafa, the commander of Islamic Jihad’s elite forces in the terror group’s Khan Younis Brigade, according to the military.

The IDF and Shin Bet say Abu Mustafa raided the border community of Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and took part in the kidnapping of Yaakov, who was 12 years old at the time.

The military publishes a photo showing Abu Mustafa and several other terrorists during the kidnapping of Yaakov.

“In recent months, Abu Mustafa played a significant role in rebuilding the terrorist organization’s military capabilities in the Gaza Strip, in violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the IDF says, adding that he also advanced attacks on troops and “attempted to conduct training for terrorists at Nasser Hospital, while exploiting the hospital to advance terrorist activity.”

The military says that “due to his recent activities and the immediate threat he posed to IDF troops, Abu Mustafa was eliminated in a precise strike.”

In a separate strike over the weekend, a Hamas operative in the terror group’s elite Nukhba Force was killed. The military says the operative, Mohammed Osama Abd al-Aziz Saba al-Eish, “attempted to advance training and instruction for the organization’s terrorists and worked to recruit additional terrorists to the organization.”

Huckabee jokes he checked Trump posts to see if he’d been fired over Israel-Lebanon comments

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee jokes that he checked social media this morning to make sure that he still had a job, apparently referring to his remarks in favor of the Israeli policy regarding Iran and Hezbollah.

“I checked Trump’s social media to make sure this was not my last speech in Israel,” Huckabee quips at the beginning of his remarks at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem.

“He typically fires people in the middle of the night by way of social media, so I wanted to make sure,” he continues. “So far, so good!”

A spokesperson for the embassy later tells reporters in a statement, “The ambassador’s remarks were obviously said in jest.”

Huckabee has been an ardent supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has found himself at odds with the US in recent weeks over Washington’s efforts to end wars in Iran and Lebanon.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee:

I checked Trump's social media to make sure this was not my last speech in Israel.

He typically fires people in the middle of the night by way of social media, so I wanted to make sure.

So far, so good. pic.twitter.com/L7xZuAmhtV

— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 21, 2026

US-Iran talks in Switzerland paused but not ended — Iranian source

Talks between Iran and the US in Switzerland have paused but not ended, an Iranian source tells Reuters.

There were unconfirmed reports earlier that the Iranian team had left the negotiations in protest over US President Donald Trump’s threats to again attack the country if Hezbollah causes trouble in Lebanon.

It is currently unclear whether there is any veracity to these claims.

Footage shows Iranian FM Araghchi and US’s Vance in same room

Footage from today’s talks in Switzerland shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Vice President JD Vance in the same room together, as negotiating teams met.

The two are not seen interacting.

Araghchi briefly appeared in the same room with Vance before the cameras.

But Iranian sources report Tehran refused to enter the meeting until journalists left, rejecting what they called an American "media show."

Iran is still denying Trump the photo-op he's long sought. pic.twitter.com/SgNPKLjlUn

— Sina Toossi (@SinaToossi) June 21, 2026

High Court: Knesset must explain why state comptroller vote should not be annulled

Attorney Michael Rabello is seen before a court hearing on the dismissal of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, April 15, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The High Court of Justice announces that a panel of five justices will convene for a hearing on the controversial June 3 vote for the new state comptroller. It does so after Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana rejected its recommendation that lawmakers redo the vote.

The Knesset, Likud, and the prime minister will have to explain “why the election… should not be annulled, in light of the allegation regarding the violation of the secrecy of the vote,” the justices write.

The decision comes after Ohana earlier rejected the court’s recommendation. The vote saw Michael Rabello, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s longtime attorney, elected to the role, in what critics alleged was a tainted ballot.

Rabello’s opposition-backed rival, former Supreme Court justice Yosef Elron, led 60-57 in the first secret ballot, which was inconclusive because a comptroller needs a majority of at least 61 to be elected.

Rabello won 61-57 in the second ballot, when some coalition lawmakers videoed themselves voting, allegedly on the orders of senior Likud officials who suspected the lawmakers had voted for Elron the first time around.

In a High Court hearing on Thursday on petitions against Rabello’s election, which came in response to an opposition petition, judges expressed concern that the ballot’s required secrecy was violated, and suggested parliament redo vote.

In a brief announcement appended to Ohana’s X post on Sunday, the Knesset speaker said that he was rejecting the court’s advice “for all the reasons detailed in the preliminary response to the petition and during the hearing.” Knesset representatives had argued during the hearing that neither the different results of the two ballots, nor the fact some lawmakers videoed themselves voting for Rabello in the second round, were proof that orders had come from on high for the lawmakers to vote for him after the first round.

Following the vote, some lawmakers were quoted in the media anonymously saying they were pressured to do so.

Conditional orders shift the burden of proof from the petitioners to the respondents, meaning that the government now has to convince the court why it should not annul the election of Rabello.

Palestinian Bedouin says settlers stole nearly 200 goats from him; police close case without probe

Illustrative: A Palestinian shepherd grazes his livestock at Khan al-Ahmar in the West Bank on May 20, 2026 (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

Police have closed a complaint by a Palestinian Bedouin shepherd without investigating it. He alleges that settlers stole nearly 200 goats from him in the Ramallah area, with assistance from IDF soldiers.

On May 13, Israeli troops and settlers arrived in the village of Jiljilya near Ramallah and were documented removing livestock from the village. At the time, the IDF said forces had been dispatched following a report that Israeli civilians had entered the area “after livestock had been stolen from an illegal outpost in Area A.” Under the Oslo Accords, Area A is under Palestinian civil and security control.

Despite the IDF’s statement, several local residents filed complaints with police in the following days claiming the livestock had been stolen from them and that there was no proof the animals belonged to settlers. According to the Palestinians, some 600 head of livestock were taken.

Extremist settlers have been attacking Palestinians in the West Bank on a near-daily basis, with little to no enforcement against them.

Among the complainants was Ibrahim Saraya, a Bedouin from the Khatroura community in the area, who said 185 goats worth tens of thousands of shekels had been taken from him.

About a month after the complaint was filed, the case was closed. Attorney Eitan Lehman, who represents Saraya, received the investigation file, which contained only the complaint Saraya submitted the day after the incident, and nothing else. At the bottom of the notice, informing him that the case had been closed, police wrote: “It should be noted that this matter was examined and it emerged that Jewish shepherds claimed the livestock had been stolen from them.”

Lehman told The Times of Israel that a police investigator told him: “Once the army took the livestock, we don’t get involved. Go to civil court.”

Police did not respond to a request for comment from The Times of Israel.

Sanctions waivers for Iranian oil to be issued soon, says Iranian negotiator

A draft has been finalized regarding sanctions waivers for Iranian oil, a member of Iran’s team negotiating with the US tells state media.

They add that the waivers will be issued soon.

Iran warns US to ‘be careful’ after Trump threat

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, pictured on Iranian state TV, May 31, 2026. (Screenshot)

Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warns the United States against making threats to the Islamic Republic, vowing that “our armed forces are ready to respond.”

“Don’t they think that if their threats had any effect, they would not have reached today’s state of desperation? We do not take American threats into account,” says Ghalibaf, after President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran over its support for Hezbollah.

“They would do better to be careful with their statements; our armed forces are ready to respond to them in a different manner. No matter what they say, we are the ones who act.”

Iran-US talks will be suspended if Israel stays in south Lebanon — Tehran news agency

An Israeli soldier is seen in an underground Hezbollah drone facility in Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon, on June 18, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim reports that Tehran will suspend all negotiations with the US if Israel does not withdraw from south Lebanon, which Jerusalem has vowed not to do.

The agency says it has “learned” that if Article 1 in the temporary deal with Washington is not met, “namely, ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and ensuring Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” talks will be halted.

Without implementation of Article 1, “negotiations are fundamentally meaningless,” Tasnim says.

Hezbollah chief rejects any Israeli security zone in Lebanon

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem delivers a speech broadcast on June 17, 2026. (Screenshot/Al Manar via X)

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejects any Israeli security zone in Lebanon, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed troops would remain in the country’s south for as long as necessary.

Israeli troops “remaining on Lebanese land is impossible. There are no security zones for Israel… we have a national army which deploys, and it is responsible for preserving sovereignty, and it is who we cooperate with,” Qassem says in a televised address, adding that “Israel is an aggressor and must leave.”

Iranian state media says nuclear program not discussed in today’s US talks

Iranian state television report a pause in the US-Iran talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar in Switzerland, and says that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program was not discussed.

“No negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program took place during the 80-minute first round of talks,” the state broadcaster says, adding that the focus was on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington, and the situation in Lebanon.

Netanyahu says no compromise on stopping Iranian nukes, countering Hezbollah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a memorial event in Jerusalem, June 21, 2026 (Roy Avraham/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterates that Israel will not compromise on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons or on maintaining military pressure against its proxy Hezbollah, as today’s US-Iran talks in Switzerland fuel concerns in Jerusalem about potential constraints on Israel’s freedom of action.

“With regard to Iran: Whatever diplomatic developments may occur, I will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. As long as I am prime minister of Israel, that will not happen,” the premier says, speaking in Hebrew at a memorial event marking the 50th anniversary of the death of his brother Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed while leading an elite IDF force in the Entebbe hostage rescue.

“To this sacred mission, I have dedicated my life since your fall, Yoni,” he says, vowing that Israel “stands firm in defense of our vital national interests.”

He repeats his assertion that he launched Israel’s campaigns against Iran over the past year “in order to remove the immediate threat of annihilation posed by the evil regime in Iran,” adding, “had we not acted, they would already have had nuclear bombs in their possession, and they would have used them.”

“We have achieved tremendous accomplishments, and we will not relinquish them. We will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary in order to protect the precious residents of the north and all the citizens of Israel [from Hezbollah attacks]. As prime minister of Israel, I insist on this unequivocally, and nothing will change it,” he says.

UK’s Starmer mulling ‘political realities,’ senior minister says

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the members of the media on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in Thonon-les-Bains, France, on June 17, 2026. (Isabel Infantes/Pool Photo via AP)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was reflecting this weekend on the “political realities” that he faces, a senior minister says, amid media reports the premier will resign within days.

It follows veteran Labour politician and rival Andy Burnham’s victory in a by-election on Friday, which paves the way for the 56-year-old to challenge the beleaguered Starmer to be party leader and prime minister.

Any Labour leadership candidate must be a member of parliament.

If Starmer does leave office this year, Britain will get its seventh prime minister in a decade — an unprecedented rate of churn in its modern history.

US President Donald Trump shares his thoughts in typically blunt fashion, writing on his Truth Social platform that “Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom.”

“He failed badly on two very important subjects – IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!”

Burnham — Greater Manchester mayor since 2017 — has made clear he intends to bid to lead slumping center-left Labour, warning in his by-election victory speech that the party has a “final chance to change.”

Jordan hangs six after nine-year death penalty pause

Jordan hangs six men convicted of killing security personnel, a government official says, ending a nine-year moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Government spokesman Mohammad Momani says in a statement that the men were convicted in “terrorism and criminal cases” that led to the deaths and injuries of police officers and soldiers.

Two of the men were involved in a 2018 case in the city of Salt, where six security officers were killed during a raid. Another was convicted of killing a senior police officer during protests over fuel prices in 2022. Others were convicted in drug-related cases in which security officers were killed during armed clashes between 2014 and 2018.

Momani says more than 100 people remain on death row in Jordan and that executions will proceed “one by one.” He adds that the sentences were carried out to deliver justice “for those who died protecting” the country.

Jordan applies the death penalty sparingly, mainly in cases involving terrorism and serious violent crime, and last hanged 15 people in 2017.

Herzog to address Romanian parliament in state visit focused on Holocaust memory, bilateral ties

President Isaac Herzog will depart for a two-day state visit to Romania on Sunday next week, during which he will speak before the Romanian parliament at the invitation of his counterpart, President Nicusor Dan, his office says in a statement.

The invitation came “against the backdrop of the two countries’ shared commitment to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and the history of Romanian Jewry,” and the trip is “intended to deepen the longstanding friendship and cooperation between Israel and Romania, a member of the European Union and NATO that maintains cooperation with Israel across a wide range of fields,” according to Herzog’s office.

During the visit, Herzog will attend a state ceremony marking 85 years since the Iasi pogrom during the Holocaust, in which Romanian governmental forces and civilians murdered over 13,000 Romanian Jews, and will take part in a reburial ceremony for 22 victims of the pogrom whose remains were recently identified, the statement says.

He will then travel to Bucharest, where he will be received in a state ceremony and meet with Dan and senior Romanian officials, as well as deliver an address to the Romanian parliament. The last Israeli president to address the Romanian parliament was Reuven Rivlin in 2021, and several other high-ranking Israeli officials have done so since.

Herzog backs ‘legitimate’ Israeli concern over US-Iran talks, says Hezbollah blocking peace with Beirut

President Isaac Herzog attends an event for outstanding soldiers as part of Israel’s 78th Independence Day celebrations in Jerusalem on April 20, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

President Isaac Herzog, in an interview with Fox News, defends what he calls “legitimate” concerns in Jerusalem about the US-Iran memorandum of understanding and negotiations on a deal, particularly on Tehran’s influence on Israel’s fighting with its proxy Hezbollah.

“We definitely don’t object to a diplomatic outcome of the war, but we are raising concerns which are legitimate, and we’re speaking about them,” Herzog tells the network.

He points out that Jerusalem and Beirut will hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Tuesday “to reach a peace agreement,” but warns that such an agreement “cannot be reached if Iran has so much leverage and they’re trying to squeeze themselves into this conflict in Lebanon through… their proxy Hezbollah.”

Iran stated this weekend that it reclosed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and continues to insist on a full end to fighting there as a condition of any deal with Washington.

“It has to be made clear that Iran cannot be involved in Lebanon, because otherwise they’re weakening the leadership of Lebanon, which wants to make peace with us, and we want to make peace with them,” Herzog says.

He accuses Hezbollah of repeatedly violating the US-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon, saying: “How do you want to get to peace between Israel and Lebanon when you have Hezbollah hijacking Lebanon? Somebody needs to do the work [against Hezbollah]. Unfortunately, it’s our soldiers,” he says. “I don’t see anybody else doing it unless there will be a diplomatic outcome which makes clear that Hezbollah is disarmed and removed from their capability of limiting the ability to get to peace.”

Asked about increasing public tensions between Washington and Jerusalem over the US-Iran deal, Herzog stresses that “there is a very good rapport and dialogue between Israel and the United States on all levels.”

“We can have our differences. I think that raising legitimate concerns is very legitimate because we, Israel, are on the front line of this war. We have been the ones bombarded by Iranian missiles and by their proxies. We are the ones who are out there as a very close ally… in trying to make sure that Iran does not reach any nuclear capability or become a nuclear-threshold state,” he says.

Three Israelis killed in a light plane crash outside Washington, DC

Three Israelis have been killed in a light plane crash in Maryland, a few kilometers east of Washington, DC, local press and Hebrew media report.

The occupants were a pilot and two passengers. All were killed.

The crash occurred overnight. The cause is not immediately known. The plane belonged to a local flight school and may have been engaged in a training flight at the time of the crash.

IDF chief says goal in south Lebanon ‘clear and unchanged — defending the north’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meets with officers in southern Lebanon, June 21, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the military’s objective in southern Lebanon remains “clear and unchanged — defending the northern communities and the citizens of Israel.”

“We are directing all of our efforts to that end. The activity in the Ali Taher and Beaufort areas is also intended to serve this purpose,” he says during a visit to southern Lebanon today, in remarks published by the army.

Zamir says that Hezbollah is in a “very difficult situation” after several midlevel commanders in the terror group were killed in the past two days.

“The ceasefire that has been declared is fragile, and we must remain at a high level of readiness for the renewal of combat operations, the thwarting of threats, and a rapid transition to offensive action if required. All IDF resources are allocated to this,” he adds.

Trump: If Tehran doesn’t stop Hezbollah making trouble, ‘we’ll hit Iran very hard again’

US President Donald Trump addresses the media during a closing press conference at the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 17, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

US President Donald Trump says “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble.”

“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!” Trump adds in a Truth Social post.

Trump notably appears to place the blame for the recent flare-up in Lebanon on Hezbollah and makes no mention of Israel, after repeatedly criticizing Jerusalem in recent days for operating in Lebanon in ways that he has said were indiscriminate.

He also doesn’t call for Israel to pull out of southern Lebanon as is demanded by Iran, which cites the requirement in the memorandum of understanding that all military operations in Lebanon cease.

The MOU that the US signed last week with Iran also states that the sides will “refrain from the threat or use of force against each other,” though Trump has repeatedly taken to threatening the Iranians in recent days.

Vance: US wants to turn over ‘a new leaf’ with Iran, progress already made today

US Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Lake Lucerne Summit at the Burgenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (Urs Flueeler, Pool Photo via AP)

US Vice President JD Vance says the US and Iran have already made progress during the first several hours of talks in Switzerland.

“We already made progress in the last several hours and I expect we will make additional progress in the hours to come,” Vance says while standing in front of reporters for a brief press conference alongside the prime ministers of Pakistan and Qatar, who are mediating the talks. While Vance’s counterpart in the talks, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, does not stand alongside the three of them, several Iranian officials are present toward the back of the room.

Vance says today’s meeting is “historic” due to the high-level of face-to-face engagement between US and Iranian leaders at a resort in Burgenstock where the talks are being held.

US President Donald Trump has asked to turn over “a new leaf” to transform the US relationship with Iran, Vance says, adding that the technical talks in Switzerland will allow for both sides to sit together and work to resolve issues.

Referencing the US desire to see a truce in Lebanon as part of the deal inked last week with Iran, Vance says Trump remains committed to a “full regional ceasefire.”

He again acknowledges that such truces can “be a little bit messy,” but claims a lot of progress has been made over the last two days to ensure a ceasefire in Lebanon. Vance stops short of calling for Israel to pull out of southern Lebanon, as is demanded by Iran. Tehran has cited the requirement in the memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the US that all military operations in Lebanon cease.

Israel is not a party to the deal and has said it will not pull out its forces so long as Hezbollah remains a threat.

Some south Lebanon residents trickle back as Israel-Hezbollah fighting pauses

A photograph taken from the southern village of Ghandouriyeh on June 16, 2026, shows ejecta scattered around a crater reportedly left by the Israeli detonation of a Hezbollah tunnel network in Qantara (Kawnat HAJU / AFP)

Some south Lebanon residents cautiously head back to their hometowns after fighting paused between Israel and Hezbollah yesterday evening, even as Lebanon’s army warns locals to delay returns.

In the southern city of Nabatieh, AFP correspondents saw just a few residents trickling back to inspect homes and businesses.

Mohammad Salloum says he came back briefly to check on his shop but will return to the city of Sidon further north where he has taken refuge.

“Nabatieh is disaster-stricken,” he tells AFP while inspecting the damage. But “God willing, the city will return to life within two or three months,” he adds.

Lebanon’s army has emphasized “the need for residents to delay their return to southern border villages and towns” and to comply with army instructions “to preserve their safety from the danger of Israeli violations and attacks.”

In the southern Tyre region, an AFP correspondent reports a cautious return of some residents, but says many are waiting for the outcome of further Middle East war talks today and the green light from local authorities.

Reports: Two killed, including a girl, in IDF strike in Gaza Strip

Palestinian media outlets affiliated with Hamas in Gaza report that two people, including a girl, were killed in an IDF strike in western Khan Younis in the northern part of the Strip.

According to the reports, the girl was identified as Julia Balawi. Her age was not specified.

The IDF has not yet commented.

Knesset speaker rejects High Court recommendation that MKs redo tainted vote for state comptroller

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana votes for the next state comptroller at the plenum of the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 3, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana rejects last week’s High Court recommendation that lawmakers rerun their vote of Michael Rabello for the position of state comptroller due to concerns that the required secrecy of the ballot was violated in the original, highly controversial election this month.

“The Knesset has already spoken,” Ohana writes in a post on X. In a short announcement attached to his post, Ohana writes that “for all the reasons detailed in the preliminary response to the petition and during the hearing,” he has decided not to hold a repeat vote.

Last Thursday, during a hearing to consider a petition against the vote by the opposition, court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg said that the justices were “suggesting a procedural step that does not interfere with the discretion of the Knesset. In simple Hebrew: do it again.”

Sohlberg gave the respondents — the Knesset itself, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Rabello, who is Netanyahu’s longtime lawyer — until Monday to respond, saying that otherwise the court would issue a conditional order against them.

The petitions noted that at least seven coalition MKs had recorded themselves voting for coalition candidate Rabello, allegedly on the instructions of senior Likud officials who wanted them to demonstrate their loyalty. The petitioners argued that the requirement of Basic Law: State Comptroller that the election be held by secret ballot was therefore violated.

According to Channel 13, Ohana’s decision was made despite disagreement from the Knesset’s legal advisers and will likely lead to an interim ruling and a further hearing in the High Court.

Rothman: Any High Court justice who reviews laws on judicial appointments is a ‘criminal’

MK Simcha Rothman chairs a meeting of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, May 19, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chair MK Simcha Rothman tells lawmakers that any High Court justice who engages in judicial review of laws regulating the appointment of judges is a “criminal,” as the court holds a hearing on a law establishing a new system for appointing judges that was passed by lawmakers last year.

The hearing centers on petitions against the law, which will greatly increase the influence of politicians in the judicial selection process in general and gives politicians total control over the selection of Supreme Court judges without any professional input. It will come into effect after the next election.

“A judge who rules on the question of how judges are appointed in a democratic country and in a Basic Law that was passed in the Knesset by a majority of 68 Knesset members is a criminal,” declares Rothman, an MK from the far-right Religious Zionism party and one of the key architects of the government’s contentious judicial overhaul agenda.

During today’s court hearing, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit said that the new system for choosing judges will “implant a political chip” in every Supreme Court judge and create judges who have “written on their foreheads” that they were appointed by the coalition or opposition.

Over 90% of first-time voters intend to cast ballots in election this year, poll finds

Over 90% of first-time voters intend to cast ballots in the election this year, an Israel Democracy Index poll finds, indicating that Israel’s young adult demographic holds the democratic process in high regard.

The results do not change significantly when separated into Jewish Israelis and Arab Israelis, with 63% of Jewish respondents and 62% of Arab respondents answering that they will definitely be voting. An additional 29% of Jewish Israelis and 25% of Arab Israelis say they think they will vote.

The survey was conducted in May by the Israel Democracy Institute’s Education Policy for Democracy program with 576 respondents between the ages of 18 and 22, meaning that the upcoming election will be the first time they are old enough to vote.

Sixty-three percent of respondents tell IDI that they definitely intend to vote in the election, which must be held no later than October 27, while an additional 28% say they think they will vote.

Driving the high motivation to vote appears to be belief in the ability of the election to shape life in Israel going forward, as 82% of participants respond that voting could influence reality “to a fairly great extent” or “to a very great extent.”

Just 15% of first-time voters say the election will impact Israel “to a fairly small extent” or “not at all,” while the remaining three percent say they didn’t know.

Optimism about the impact that voting can have is higher among Jewish Israelis (85%) than Arab Israelis (75%).

According to IDI, the increased skepticism among Arab Israelis is tied to perceptions of limited influence and insufficient representation. Many of Israel’s larger political parties, both those currently in government and those in the opposition, have ruled out the inclusion of Arab parties in a future coalition, though some have Arab members.

Across Jewish respondents of all religious backgrounds, between 88% and 95% of respondents believed that voting could have a “fairly great” or “very great” impact on reality in Israel, with the exception of Haredi respondents, among whom just 63% answered as such.

According to IDI, pessimism among Jewish voters stems largely from distrust of the political system and a sense that political actors are insufficiently responsive.

US, Iran and Qatar kick off meetings in Switzerland with talks on Lebanon truce, frozen assets

US Vice President JD Vance (L) waits, alongside US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff (C) and Jared Kushner, to meet with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (not seen), at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026 (Nathan Howard / POOL / AFP)

Iranian state television says that delegations from Iran, Qatar and the United States are holding a meeting in Switzerland to discuss a ceasefire in Lebanon and Iran’s frozen assets.

“A tripartite meeting involving Iran, the United States and Qatar on the subjects of a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon and Iran’s blocked assets is currently being held at the negotiation venue,” state broadcaster IRIB says in a report.

Israel had no part in negotiating the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran and has resisted efforts for a ceasefire in Lebanon to be made part of the deal.

Iranian report: Hormuz to stay shut until Lebanon ceasefire respected, oil waivers issued

Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, reports that the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened as long as a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah is not respected.

The source says the waterway would also remain closed until waivers allowing the sale of Iranian oil were issued.

Prosecutors preparing to charge man with fatally shooting his 9-year-old daughter last month

Left: Laila Jahjah, a nine-year-old girl who was shot and killed outside her home outside her home in Arara, a northern Arab village on May 27, 2026. (Facebook) Right: police forces operate at scene of the shooting.(Screenshot/Ynet)

Prosecutors are preparing to charge a man with fatally shooting his nine-year-old daughter last month, police announce.

A prosecutor’s statement is filed against Samad Jahjah, the father of  Laila Jahjah, who was killed on May 27.

The man is suspected of inadvertently killing his own daughter during the family’s Eid al-Adha meal in Arara, a northern Arab city, while aiming for his brother with his gun during a heated argument.

The girl was brought by family members to medics, who took her to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

Police last month claimed that officers dispatched to the family’s home found the scene of the shooting had been hosed down, blaming Jahjah’s relatives for alleged evidence-tampering.

After completing their investigation, police now say there is evidence suggesting Jahjah himself tried to tamper with evidence in order to conceal his role in his daughter’s death.

A formal indictment will be filed against the father in the coming days, police add.

UN nuclear watchdog chief meets Swiss FM on sidelines of talks on US-Iran deal

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi speaks during a news conference at United Nations headquarters, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — meets with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis on the sidelines of the gathering in Switzerland to negotiate the deal between the US and Iran.

A source familiar with the matter has told The Times of Israel that Grossi is slated to participate in today’s technical talks.

Katz: IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon have ‘no restrictions’ to remove threats

Defense Minister Israel Katz attends an event for outstanding soldiers as part of Israel’s 78th Independence Day celebrations in Jerusalem on April 20, 2026 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says soldiers operating in southern Lebanon have “no restrictions” in eliminating threats to the forces.

“There was and is no restriction on IDF soldiers in Lebanon from operating to remove threats,” he says in a statement, as talks between Iran and the US are set to kick off in Switzerland, with Tehran saying that the Hezbollah-Israel conflict is top of the agenda.

Katz says that “all of the IDF’s achievements in the campaign in Lebanon are being maintained,” as troops remain deployed to a security zone and operate there against Hezbollah.

“The ceasefire announced yesterday leaves the IDF in all positions within the security zone that protects the northern communities,” he says, adding that the IDF “will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon.”

Iran says won’t enter talks for final agreement with US without end to Lebanon war

A man inspects the damage at the site of Lebanon's central bank building that was targeted in an Isreali strike the previous day in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on June 21, 2026. (Abbas FAKIH / AFP) /

Iran warns that it will not enter into talks on a broader agreement with the United States unless the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon comes to an end.

“Without the implementation of these provisions, especially paragraph 1 [termination of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon], entry into the negotiation phase for the final agreement is not possible,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei writes on X, referring to a provision in the initial deal between Tehran and Washington.

Israel had no part in negotiating the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran and has resisted efforts for a ceasefire in Lebanon to be made part of the deal.

Iran says Israel-Hezbollah conflict to top agenda in today’s talks with the US

Iran says that the conflict in Lebanon between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group will top the agenda in talks with the United States in Switzerland today, as well as issues such as frozen Iranian funds and the sale of the country’s oil.

“The Zionist regime continues to violate its commitment in Lebanon, this issue will be the main topic of discussion in today’s talks,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says in a video shared by IRNA state news agency.

Tehran said on Thursday it had signed a deal with Washington to end months of hostilities that began on February 28 following US-Israeli attacks on the Iranian regime.

Israel had no part in negotiating the memorandum of understanding. Still, the terms of the opening clause, permanently ending the war and ruling out any resumption, indicate that it is binding on the US, Iran “and their allies.” Israel had resisted efforts for a ceasefire in Lebanon to be made part of the US-Iran deal.

Channel 12 reported yesterday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the IDF to “hold its fire” in Lebanon, amid a flare-up that Israel blamed on Hezbollah’s attacks on troops in south Lebanon.

Iran’s president ahead of talks: ‘We will not relinquish our right to enrich uranium’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian displays a memorandum of understanding signed with US President Donald Trump, in Tehran, Iran, early on June 18, 2026. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that Tehran will not relinquish its right to enrich uranium, but is willing to provide assurances that the country is not seeking a nuclear weapon.

“What the United States demands is that Iran not build an atomic bomb. This is nothing new, and we can also state in writing that we have no intention of building a bomb,” the president’s website quotes him as saying.

“However, we will not relinquish our right to enrichment, and the other side will have no choice but to accept this right,” he adds, as Iranian and US negotiators are set to meet for talks in Switzerland today.

Shin Bet: Dozens of terror attacks led by Turkey-based Hamas operatives foiled over past year

The Shin Bet security agency says it foiled dozens of planned terror attacks in the West Bank directed by Hamas operatives in Turkey in the past year.

In a statement, the Shin Bet names several Turkey-based operatives in Hamas’s so-called West Bank Headquarters, a unit in the terror group responsible for advancing attacks against Israel from or in the West Bank.

“Over the years, and with increased intensity over the past year, operatives in the West Bank Headquarters have been directing and advancing extensive military activity into Judea and Samaria [West Bank] and Israel from Turkish soil, including recruiting operatives to carry out attacks and transferring weapons and funds into the area to advance military activity,” the agency says.

According to the Shin Bet, Istanbul-based senior Hamas official Zaher Jabarin is the head of Hamas’s West Bank activity, and Ayman Abu Khalil heads the military wing in the territory.

The Shin Bet names several more operatives who it says reside in Turkey and operate under Hamas’s West Bank Headquarters.

They include: Ayman Sharawna, who worked to recruit operatives; Muhammad Mallah, who also spends part of his time in Qatar, and worked to transfer funds for terror activity; Majed Jaaba, who assisted in providing the weapon used in a November 2023 shooting attack at a Jerusalem-area checkpoint; Walid Abu Nassar, who financed a Hamas network in Bethlehem; and Salam Yaish, who recruited operatives to carry out attacks.

The Shin Bet says the Hamas operatives “carry out their activities unhindered from Turkish territory,” and exploit “infrastructure in the country to transfer instructions and funds” to terrorists in the West Bank.

Yaacov Agam, pioneer of kinetic art and Israel Prize winner, dies at 98

Yaacov Agam, Israeli artist, reclining on one of his works at the Georges Pompidou Art Center, June 28, 2003, in Paris, where his works of kinetic sculpture were on exhibit. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Yaacov Agam, the pioneer of kinetic art known for his vibrant, abstract geometric shapes, has died at the age of 98.

Earlier this year he was awarded the 2026 Israel Prize for Visual Arts.

The artist, who was born Yaacov Gibstein and later changed his last name to Agam, was born in British Mandate Palestine, with a father who was a rabbi and a kabbalist.

He trained at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design before moving to Zurich in 1949 for his studies, and then to Paris, where he lived for the next few decades.

Agam was quickly recognized for his kinetic art and sculptures, eventually showing his works at the first Biennale in Paris, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, Centre Pompidou, and a host of other institutions.

He became known for massive, colorful sculptures, including “Double Metamorphosis III,” the fountain at the La Défense district in Paris, the Fire and Water Fountain in Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square, and the facade of the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv.

He will be buried tomorrow in Rehovot.

Read more: ‘Creativity is the basis of Judaism’: Yaacov Agam, father of kinetic art, receives Israel Prize

Read more: ‘10 Agams in Iran’: The secret story of Israeli and Jewish art in the regime’s hands

2nd person hospitalized for possible Ebola after recent trip to DRC

The Health Ministry says that a second individual suspected of contracting Ebola after returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is being transferred to Sheba Medical Center.

The ministry stresses it hasn’t been confirmed the man contracted the disease, and it is conducting tests. The results are expected in the coming days.

The ministry is completing an epidemiological investigation to trace relevant contacts and examine potential links between the suspected cases.

Contact tracing is also being carried out, and anyone who does not receive a communication from the ministry is not required to take any action at this stage.

The ministry reminds the public that Ebola is not airborne, and transmission occurs through direct contact with a symptomatic individual or with blood, body fluids, or secretions.

The ministry has distributed personal protective equipment to medical centers and established early identification mechanisms for travelers returning from affected areas. A system for laboratory identification of Ebola infections has been set up.

The ministry reiterates its call to the public to avoid non-essential travel to regions with active Ebola transmission, primarily the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. In the event of travel to these regions, it is recommended to obtain specific consultation in advance at a travel clinic, in accordance with the guidelines on the Health Ministry website.

Iran says quadrilateral meeting with US, Qatar and Pakistan to be held today in Switzerland

A convoy with US Vice President JD Vance arrives at the Bürgenstock Resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, in Switzerland, June 21, 2026. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone, Pool Photo via AP)

A quadrilateral meeting between Iran, the United States, Qatar and Pakistan will be held at the Burgenstock mountaintop ​resort in Switzerland this afternoon, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson tells Iranian state media.

Esmaeil Baghaei says that Iran will first hold meetings with intermediaries Qatar and Pakistan, adding that the gathering in Switzerland is a follow-up on the implementation of a memorandum of understanding signed with the US last week.

Strait of Hormuz remains closed, military source tells Iranian media outlet

Cargo ships are pictured off cost of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 19, 2026 (AFP)

Iran’s Fars news agency cites a military source as saying that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and the Revolutionary Guards Navy has not issued permission for any vessels to transit until further notice.

The United States and Iran had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire for peace deal negotiations, but Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps yesterday declared the Strait of Hormuz shut in response to Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, though the US military said commercial vessels were still operating.

Israeli officials said the strikes were a response to the terror group violating the truce by mounting repeated attacks on IDF troops.

Supreme Court president: New law to appoint judges will embed ‘political chip’ in Supreme Court justices

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and ten justices at a High Court hearing on a law increasing political power over judicial appointments in Jerusalem, June 21, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit says that the new system for appointing judges created by the law passed by the government last year will “implant a political chip” in every Supreme Court judge and create judges who have “written on their foreheads” that they were appointed by the coalition or opposition.

Amit makes his comments during the hearing currently being held on the law, which will greatly increase the influence of politicians in the judicial selection process in general and gives politicians total control over the selection of Supreme Court judges without any professional input. It will come into effect after the next election.

“Every year we will have judges who are elected only by a political party. The benches of the Supreme Court will fill up – so that within 15 years the judicial system in Israel will change completely… and a political chip will be implanted in the body of every judge whether he wants it or not,” says Amit. He demands to know if this will not harm the independence of the judicial system.

“Within a year of the [next] Knesset being elected, two judges will be elected [to the Supreme Court] who will have written on their foreheads ‘one of us was elected by the opposition and one by the coalition.’ The judges will be politically identifiable. Even if they don’t want to be,” Amit continues.

Amit, a liberal, is one of numerous justices among the 11 judges on the panel hearing the case who tear into the law, including ardent conservatives.

Justice Alex Stein asserts that the new law will incentivize district court judges to “write rulings that politicians like.” Justice Noam Sohlberg, one of the two strongest conservatives on the court, made similar comments.

Justice Yael Wilner, a moderate conservative, lambastes certain provisions of the law that would enable the coalition and opposition to appoint judges to the Supreme Court without a Judicial Selection Committee vote, which she says would be an unprecedented situation in Israel and even around the world.

“The politicians know that if there is no agreement, then they can chose their own candidate. Do you understand what [great] incentive there is to get to this dark corner,” she demands of the attorney representing the Knesset who is arguing for the law not to be struck down.

Wilner, together with Justice Yechiel Kasher, also asserts that the judges getting elected to the Supreme Court under the new system will be the most extreme candidates possible, since for either side to appoint a moderate would be to risk their power on the court.

“The coalition will put up three candidates who will be the most extreme… the opposition will do the same… You don’t want someone who’s a centrist, that’s no good. No one will gamble on someone who is in the middle because then you’ve wasted your power,” warns Kasher.

Iran soccer team’s travel restrictions to World Cup games in US to be eased, says coach

Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei, right, and player Saeid Ezatolahi attend a press conference ahead of a FIFA World Cup match against Belgium in Inglewood, California, near Los Angeles, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei says he has been told US travel restrictions on his World Cup team will finally be eased for its third group game, but blasts the treatment it has received so far, saying it damaged the team’s on-field performance.

The Iranian squad arrived at the World Cup with its country still at war with co-hosts the United States, and has been based in Mexico while playing all its games in the US.

That has required frequent cross-border travel, and US authorities have only permitted the team to remain in the country for a few hours after each game, with restrictions frequently shifting last-minute.

After playing Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday, Iran’s final group game will take place in Seattle on Friday against Egypt.

Ghalenoei says he has been told his team will have more flexibility for its final match, before quickly adding that it would have been “justice” for his team to have the same treatment for its first two games.

“They said in Seattle, you can do what you want, you can act the way you want to, and you can come earlier,” he tells a press conference, without specifying who exactly the information had come from.

“But what I want, my problem is, why didn’t they let us come earlier for the first two games as well?

“I just know for the last game, yes, they’ve allowed us to decide, to make our own decisions with regards to planning the travel.

“But unfortunately, for the first two games, others made these travel arrangements for us, and the timing for us.”

Pakistan’s PM and military chief arrive in Switzerland for US-Iran deal talks

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the head of the military, Asim Munir, arrived in Switzerland for talks over the Middle East war, Sharif’s office says.

“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will participate in the High-Level Talks on the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding,” the Prime Minister’s Office writes on X, referring to the US-Iran deal to end the war.

Poll: 92% of Israelis believe Iran emerged as winner after war and deal with US

A man looks at the wreckage of an Iranian missile that landed near the West Bank city of Jericho, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israelis overwhelmingly view the war with Iran and subsequent deal with the United States in a negative way, with 92.1 precent of respondents to a poll believing Tehran is the winner.

According to the Hebrew University survey, 82.9% say the campaign weakened Israel’s long-term security and 86.0% have a negative attitude toward the outcome.

Furthermore, 72.5% do not believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he says that Israel achieved significant gains and removed an existential threat, with 87.8% of Israelis believing the country failed to achieve its objectives or fulfilled only some of them.

With regards to Netanyahu’s performance, 56.4% say the premier’s management of the campaign was poor or failed.

Meanwhile, the poll finds 48.2% of Israelis support renewed major military action against the Hezbollah terror group, even at the risk of a clash with US President Donald Trump.

The poll was conducted by the Agam Institute in collaboration with Hebrew University between June 17 and 20. The survey questioned 3,644 Israelis aged 17 and over in a weighted sample to reflect the population. The maximum sampling error is 2.2% at a 99% confidence level, the pollsters say.

Hamas moneymen who transferred $169 million to terror group killed in Gaza strike, IDF says

Two Hamas moneymen responsible for transferring half a billion shekels (approximately $169 million) to the terror group were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip last week, the military announces.

The strike in southern Gaza on Wednesday killed Hussein Qadra and Mohammed Farra, who the IDF says served in the military wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group but operated under a “Hamas-run financial network responsible for transferring funds into the Gaza Strip.”

“Qadra, who headed the network, together with Farra and other operatives, acted under the direction of Hamas leadership and facilitated the transfer of more than NIS half a billion to Hamas’s military wing by operating a network of dozens of couriers and money exchangers in Turkey and the Gaza Strip,” the military says.

“Through these funds, the Hamas terror organization continued, especially in recent months, to pay salaries to its terrorists and finance terror activities against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, in violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the military says.

In recent months, the IDF has struck and killed several Hamas financial operatives in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

סייעו בהעברה של יותר מחצי מיליארד ש״ח לידי חמאס: צה"ל חיסל מחבלים בתשתית העברת הכספים של ארגון הטרור חמאס ברצועת עזה

צה"ל תקף במהלך השבוע שעבר בדרום רצועת עזה וחיסל את המחבלים חסין קדרה ומחמד פרא – מחבלים בזרוע הצבאית של ארגון הטרור חמאס והגא״פ.
המחבלים פעלו תחת תשתית המופעלת… pic.twitter.com/Blbzhx6Iix

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 21, 2026

IDF carrying out preplanned drill in Jaffa area

The military says it is conducting a preplanned drill in the Jaffa area until Tuesday morning.

The IDF warns that as part of the military exercise, there will be increased movement of security forces and vehicles, along with “construction work” in the area. It is unclear what the military means by “construction work.”

High Court begins hearing on law increasing political power over judicial appointments, a key part of the overhaul

Anti-overhaul activists protest outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, September 11, 2023. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

The High Court of Justice begins a hearing on the legislative cornerstone of the government’s judicial overhaul agenda, as it it hears petitions against a law passed in March 2025 that will greatly increase the power of politicians in the appointment of judges.

The petitions are being heard by all 11 justices currently serving on the court, which only happens for the most constitutionally significant cases.

Several government watchdog groups and civil rights organizations have petitioned against the legislation, arguing that increased political control over all judicial appointments, especially to the Supreme Court, will undercut the independence of the judiciary and poses a severe danger to Israeli democracy as a result.

They also argue that the changes dramatically reduce the influence of professional legal input in the judicial selection process in favor of political influence, which will eventually politicize the entire judiciary.

The coalition argued in passing the law that the judiciary itself has too much control over judicial appointments, and that the political echelon has a right to greater influence over the process, especially when the High Court has the authority to annul legislation.

The law itself was passed as an amendment to Basic Law: the Judiciary, meaning that it has quasi-constitutional status. Such laws are especially controversial for the High Court to review, with the right wing arguing that the court has no authority to intervene over them given their constitutional nature.

Jewish man spat on, threatened in front of children while walking in Berlin

A Jewish man and his children were spat at and verbally assaulted as they walked down a street in Berlin yesterday, Bild reports.

According to the German outlet, the 48-year-old was wearing a kippah as he walked with two children on Uhlandstrasse in Charlottenburg, when the 31-year-old suspect began threatening and insulting him. The newspaper does not detail what was said.

Berlin Police say in a statement that the suspect then spat in the face of the victim and toward the children.

He was arrested on the scene and taken for a blood test, police say.

Bild says police are investigating whether the motive for the assault was antisemitism.

Woman found dead in Ashdod home, husband arrested

The scene where a woman was found dead in a home in Ashdod, June 21, 2026 (Magen David Adom)

A woman was found dead in her home in Ashdod, the Magen David Adom emergency service says.

Police say they have arrested the husband of the victim, who was in her sixties, and that there were signs of violence to the woman’s body.

Fourth IDF fatality in Friday’s Hezbollah attack on tank named as Staff Sgt. Nave Habshoosh

Staff Sgt. Nave Habshoosh, killed in Lebanon on June 19, 2026 (Israel Defense Forces)

Staff Sgt. Nave Habshoosh, 20, from Geva Binyamin, is named by the Israel Defense Forces as the fourth soldier killed in a Hezbollah attack on a tank in southern Lebanon early Friday morning.

On Friday, the IDF said Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, 32, the commander of the 52nd Battalion, and three members of his crew were killed after a Hezbollah drone or anti-tank missile struck their tank.

Yesterday, Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, 21, and Staff Sgt. Liav Kababia, 20, were the second and third troops killed in the attack to be publicly named.

Emergency session on Israel-Hezbollah conflict added to schedule of US-Iran talks in Switzerland – report

This photograph shows a part of the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex above Lake Lucerne, where talks following up on a deal to end the US-Iran conflict were scheduled to begin, on June 19, 2026. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

A special session to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has been added to the schedule for the talks on the US-Iran deal in Switzerland, CBS News reports.

The outlet, citing a diplomat attending the talks, says the special discussion is the first thing on the agenda.

Neither Israel nor the terror group are represented at the talks.

The talks in Switzerland were scheduled to begin on Friday, after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday. But they were delayed amid friction over ongoing fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, with Iran yesterday claiming it had re-closed the Strait of Hormuz.

That crisis has been resolved, at least for now, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructing the IDF to “hold its fire” in Lebanon, Channel 12 reported yesterday.

Vance arrives in Switzerland ahead of talks on US-Iran deal

US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on June 20, 2026. (Elizabeth Frantz / POOL / AFP)

US Vice President JD Vance arrives in Switzerland for what he has said will likely be a couple of days of talks on implementing the US-Iran agreement to end the war.

Iranian negotiators have already arrived in the Swiss host city, even as renewed tensions flare over Tehran’s claim that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz once again, and fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Smotrich: IDF will stay in Lebanon for years, until after Hezbollah disarms, won’t withdraw even if US demands it

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a cornerstone-laying ceremony for the new settlement of Doran in the Mount Hebron region of the West Bank, June 16, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich promises that Israel will stay in the security zone it is holding inside Lebanon for years to come, and won’t withdraw even in the face of an explicit US demand to do so.

In an interview with the Makor Rishon newspaper published over the weekend, Smotrich adds that he estimates that no such American demand will come, because “they understand our red lines.”

Asked if the military will stay in Lebanon for years, the far-right minister says: “Yes, and I say this as someone who is currently holding negotiations over the management of the defense budget for the next decade.”

Asked if Israel should be forming army posts and entire bases in the security zone, Smotrich replies: “Everything, definitely. We are there until Hezbollah disarms, and I think also beyond that, because we need defendable borders.” He argues that the border set by the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 is illogical and didn’t consider the terrain’s topography.

“But of course, until Hezbollah disarms, we aren’t moving a millimeter. This is the stance of the prime minister and the defense minister, and mine too, and we are determined to stick to it.”

Shas spiritual leader claims Trump turning against Israel is divine punishment for ‘garbage’ AG’s decisions

Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, during a weekly teaching at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, on June 7, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

Former Sephardic chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, who is also the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, links Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to the US-Iran ceasefire, blaming it on her backing of enforcement measures against ultra-Orthodox draft evaders.

“Yeshiva students since the time of [David] Ben-Gurion, may the name of the wicked rot, have been exempted and engaged in Torah. The Torah protects us. Why did [US President Donald Trump] turn against us for no reason? Because of the decrees they make against the students of Torah, that is why [he] turned against us,” Yosef says during his weekly Saturday evening lecture.

“Stop the arrests. This woman, this wicked woman, is garbage,” he adds.

Yosef has previously warned that if the government begins arresting yeshiva students for dodging the draft, then the ultra-Orthodox community will be forced to leave Israel.

“If they force us to go to the army, the yeshiva students, if they come to yeshivas and arrest students, [then] we have no right to exist here [and] we will all go abroad, we will not stay here,” Yosef said in a speech published by the ultra-Orthodox Kikar Hashabbat news site in May 2025.

Smotrich says he’s open to compromises with Haredim over enlistment to army

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks ahead of a Religious Zionism faction meeting at the Knesset, June 15, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says that he is “willing to make compromises with the Haredim” and accepts that ultra-Orthodox men who are enrolled full-time in yeshiva be exempted from conscription — but only on condition that the community actively endorses the idea that “anyone who is not studying must enlist,” because “this is a social process that needs to happen.”

The senior minister’s comments, made in an interview with the pro-government Channel 14, seem to indicate that he would have supported the coalition’s Haredi draft exemption bill, which was strongly opposed by some members of his far-right Religious Zionism party, and about which he repeatedly declined to say how he would vote.

The legislation — which would ostensibly increase military conscription in the Haredi community, but ultimately enable continued exemptions for full-time yeshiva students — was widely seen as legally dubious and laden with loopholes. The Knesset’s Haredi factions moved to dissolve the Knesset last month over the coalition’s failure to pass the bill, though the parliament is set to dissolve automatically next month anyway. An effort by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to revive the stalled legislation in order to head off slightly early elections failed after the Haredim rejected an updated draft of the legislation.

Switzerland says Iranian delegation has arrived for talks with US

An Iranian delegation has landed in Switzerland ahead of talks at the Burgenstock resort on the preliminary US-Iran deal to halt their war, says Bern.

“We welcome the arrival of the Iranian delegation in Switzerland,” the Swiss foreign ministry says on X, adding that the talks are part of the implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States.

Iran’s official news agency IRNA also says Tehran’s delegation has arrived in Switzerland ahead of the talks.

Report: UK PM Starmer expected to resign on Monday

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the members of the media on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in Thonon-les-Bains, France, on June 17, 2026. (Isabel Infantes/Pool Photo via AP)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to resign on Monday and set out a timetable for his departure, the Observer newspaper reports.

The newspaper says Starmer has reached the conclusion that his position is no longer tenable after speaking to cabinet ministers, advisers, donors and trade union leaders.

The report says Starmer is discussing the matter with his wife at his Chequers country residence before making a final decision, but that senior Labour figures expect a clear statement on his future as early as Monday.