Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son, Yair Netanyahu, has officially changed his name to Yonatan Hun. According to a report published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz on July 8, 2026, Yair, the second of three siblings, had previously used the surname ‘Hun’ on social media as ‘Yair Hun’. Tax documents issued in December 2024 listed his name as Yair Netanyahu, but the latest records now show the new name ‘Yonatan Hun’, with the same address listed as ‘Balfour 0’, a location described as fictional.

Haaretz reported that the name change comes at a time when the Netanyahu family is facing multiple political and legal controversies both domestically and internationally. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict. Yair has also faced past criticism in the United States over his links with wealthy individuals and conservative groups.

Yair has been living in the United States since 2018, following public backlash over a leaked audio recording that drew widespread criticism in Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel will not withdraw its troops from Lebanon, rejecting earlier remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had expressed belief that Israel would pull back. In a statement, Katz asserted that Israel did not seek anyone’s permission to enter Lebanon and does not need permission to remain there.

Katz emphasized that protecting residents of Galilee and Israeli citizens from threats is both a right and a duty. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials have reiterated that Israeli forces will stay in Lebanon until Hezbollah is completely disarmed. Katz added that Israel will continue operating in Lebanon’s security zone as long as necessary to eliminate threats to northern communities.

The comments, reported by Al Jazeera, underscore Israel’s firm stance on maintaining its military presence in Lebanon amid ongoing tensions with Hezbollah.

Israel, after years of military operations against Palestinians and neighboring states, has now identified Turkey as its next major adversary following setbacks in its joint campaign with the United States against Iran. The article reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right ministers have begun portraying Turkey as a new strategic threat, echoing earlier rhetoric used against Iran. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett publicly labeled Turkey as the 'new Iran' during a February conference, accusing Ankara of forming a hostile Sunni alliance with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

In response, Netanyahu announced plans to form a counter-alliance with India, Greece, and Cyprus to confront what he described as a Turkey-led bloc. Analysts cited in the report note that while Israel perceives growing threats from Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, there is no formal defense pact or coordinated military planning among these states. Experts from King’s College London and Chatham House suggest that Israel’s heightened threat narrative may serve internal political purposes rather than reflect an imminent regional coalition.

The report concludes that whether such a confrontation materializes depends more on Israel’s strategic choices than on the intentions of Ankara, Cairo, Riyadh, or Islamabad.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced strong opposition to a possible U.S. sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. His comments came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was considering the sale. In an interview with CNN, Netanyahu said that selling the United States’ most advanced fighter aircraft to Turkey would be a mistake, arguing that Turkey’s current government is influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood, which he claimed harbors hostility toward the U.S.

Trump had met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara during a NATO summit and said he would soon decide whether to proceed with the sale of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II jets to Turkey. Netanyahu told CNN that he had directly urged Trump not to approve the sale, warning that Turkey could become more aggressive if it obtained the aircraft.

Netanyahu added that he and Trump share broad agreement on major issues, emphasizing that both leaders act in the best interests of their respective nations, which he said often align closely.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has called for a broad civil disobedience movement against the cabinet led by current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to reports, Barak urged strong resistance to the current political direction and accused Netanyahu’s government of refusing to comply with a Supreme Court ruling, describing it as a declaration of war against Israel’s constitutional and judicial institutions.

Barak warned that the cabinet’s defiance could have serious consequences for Israel’s internal security and stability. His remarks come amid growing internal conflicts within the Israeli administration, which have intensified in recent days due to what are described as multiple failures and the adverse outcomes of wars allegedly provoked by the cabinet across the region.

The call for civil disobedience marks a significant escalation in Israel’s political crisis, reflecting deep divisions over governance, judicial authority, and national direction.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed US Vice President JD Vance’s claim that America is Israel’s only strong ally. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Netanyahu said the statement was inaccurate and emphasized that Israel has several powerful friends beyond the United States, naming India as a key example. He described India as a nation of 1.4 billion people offering Israel unprecedented support, which he said is visible across social media platforms.

Netanyahu added that while he respects the US vice president, he cannot agree with all his remarks. He also referred to US President Donald Trump as Israel’s “best friend ever.” The Israeli leader acknowledged that anti-Israel sentiment has become fashionable in some countries’ social media, yet noted that many of those nations’ leaders privately express support for his policies.

The interview comes amid ongoing tensions following a joint US-Israel attack on Iran in February that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a regional war. A temporary ceasefire now holds between the US and Iran, with Israel’s actions in Lebanon remaining a key obstacle to lasting peace.

Israel’s military is preparing to release around 10,000 reserve soldiers by the end of July due to a severe budget deficit, according to reports published Sunday in local media. Currently, about 60,000 reservists are on active duty, and the number may be reduced to 50,000. The move reflects significant financial pressure on the army, though a final decision has not yet been made and is expected within days.

Reports indicate that Israel’s defense spending has risen sharply, creating a major financial strain. The decision comes amid a dispute between the defense and finance ministries over the defense budget. The army argues that multiple regional conflicts require record-level funding, while the finance ministry warns that such increases would worsen the government’s deficit.

An interim compromise has reportedly been reached, allowing the army to receive additional funds on the condition that it reduces reliance on reserve forces and cuts operational expenses.

A video circulating on social media shows an Israeli soldier throwing a stun grenade into a car carrying several young Palestinians in the Qalandiya refugee camp, located north of occupied East Jerusalem. The footage, reportedly from CCTV, captures the moment the soldier stops the vehicle at gunpoint before tossing the grenade inside. As the Palestinians attempt to flee in panic, the soldier forcefully shuts the driver’s side door before the grenade explodes.

The video has spread widely across social media platforms, drawing attention to the tense situation in the occupied territories. The incident was reported by Al Jazeera, though no official statements or responses were mentioned in the source.

The footage’s circulation underscores ongoing scrutiny of Israeli military actions in Palestinian areas, particularly in refugee camps under occupation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Israel protects Christians and that some Christian villages in Lebanon have sought annexation for protection. He made the remarks during an interview on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing, asserting that Israel safeguards its friends, particularly Christians in the Middle East, from Hezbollah. His comments came amid reports of Israeli strikes on churches and Christian sites in Lebanon, sparking new controversy.

Analysts noted that Netanyahu’s statements contradict reports from international human rights groups and media outlets documenting Israeli attacks that damaged or destroyed churches, convents, and other Christian religious institutions in Lebanon. In May, a French organization reported that Israeli forces demolished a convent in Yaroun, while videos circulated in April showed Israeli soldiers desecrating Christian symbols. The destruction of a church in Deir Dghaya village last year was also cited.

The remarks followed a recent statement by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who wrote that all of Lebanon should burn. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

A new survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute has found that 60 percent of Israelis believe the country faces a real and clear risk of civil war. The findings, reported by Al Jazeera, also show that 79 percent of respondents rated the past year as socially bad, while 49 percent expressed pessimism about the future. Additionally, 52 percent said there is a high likelihood of an assassination attempt targeting the prime minister or another senior political figure.

Institute president Yedidia Stern said that while Israeli society demonstrates remarkable resilience and optimism, it remains deeply divided and polarized. He noted that citizens view internal division as the greatest threat and called for an urgent, long-term plan to rebuild solidarity and mutual trust.

The survey highlights growing public anxiety over political and social fragmentation in Israel, suggesting that national unity efforts may become a key priority for policymakers.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has threatened to eliminate any Iranian leaders who move forward with plans to destroy Israel. Katz made the remarks in response to the funeral procession of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claiming that Khamenei had been killed because he was leading efforts to annihilate Israel. Katz also stated that Israel is ready at any time to defend itself against any threat.

Earlier, Katz had said that Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba, had been ‘marked for assassination,’ a statement that sparked strong protests in Tehran. In reaction, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any threat against Iran’s people or leadership would be met with a swift and powerful response.

The exchange of threats underscores the heightened tension between Israel and Iran following Khamenei’s death and the political uncertainty surrounding his succession.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed as false the reports claiming that U.S. President Donald Trump asked him not to carry out attacks on what Israel calls terrorist tunnels in Lebanon. Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that media reports suggesting Trump had advised against such action were completely fabricated and amounted to fake news.

According to Israeli media cited in the report, Netanyahu clarified that Trump never discussed the issue with him, nor did he seek any advice from the U.S. president on the matter. He emphasized that Israel takes actions based on its own judgment and national considerations.

The statement comes amid ongoing regional tensions, with Israel maintaining that its operations against cross-border tunnels are part of its security measures. Netanyahu’s remarks appear aimed at countering speculation about U.S. influence over Israeli military decisions.

Maher Abdul Latif Yunis, a Palestinian who spent 40 years in Israeli prison, has died at the age of 68. He passed away early in the morning, according to reports. Yunis was arrested by Israeli authorities in 1983 for participating in armed resistance against Israeli occupation and for his involvement with the Fatah movement. His funeral is scheduled to take place in his hometown, Ara, after the noon prayer.

Initially sentenced to death, Yunis’s punishment was later commuted to life imprisonment, and in 2012 it was reduced to a 40-year term. He was released on January 19, 2023, after completing his sentence. Yunis was considered one of the most prominent figures in the Palestinian prisoner movement. During his imprisonment, he lost his father in 2008, who himself had previously spent eight years in Israeli detention.

Born on January 6, 1958, in Ara village, Yunis completed his primary and secondary education there before studying at an industrial school in Hadera.

An official Israeli investigation has revealed that the country’s security establishment failed to prevent the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack not because of a lack of intelligence, but due to long-standing misjudgments about Hamas’s capabilities. The preliminary military report found that Israeli officials wrongly believed Hamas had been effectively contained, leading to complacency and a failure to act on repeated warnings.

Retired Major General Roni Numa, who led the inquiry into Hamas’s “Jericho Wall” intelligence documents, said Israeli intelligence had been tracking Hamas’s plans to breach Gaza’s border defenses since 2016, with updates in 2019 and 2022. Despite these alerts reaching senior officers, they were dismissed as isolated data rather than signs of a broader strategy. The report also criticized excessive reliance on automated translation technology instead of Arabic language experts, weakening analytical understanding of Hamas’s intentions.

The investigation concluded that the failure was rooted in analysis, not intelligence collection. It described the October 7 events as a systemic breakdown in Israel’s assessment, planning, and decision-making processes.

Israeli intelligence agencies have dismissed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office’s claim that Iran’s nuclear program was completely destroyed. According to a report published by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu’s office sought intelligence endorsement for the claim following last year’s 12-day war with Iran, but officials refused due to insufficient evidence. The report said satellite and drone imagery, along with classified data, showed Iran’s nuclear facilities suffered serious damage but were not fully destroyed.

The report added that senior intelligence officers and scientists from Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission rejected a draft statement labeling Iran’s program as permanently disabled. They described the draft as “seriously distorted” and refused to sign it, arguing that such a claim would undermine their credibility. A compromise document was later produced, acknowledging major damage to Iran’s Fordow enrichment site and delays in its nuclear progress, but avoiding any assertion of total destruction.

The article also noted that Netanyahu’s office pressured intelligence officials to support Washington’s position after the Pentagon questioned the effectiveness of U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.