Former CIA Director and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began lobbying for an attack on Iran as early as 2009. The disclosure came in an Al Jazeera report published Monday, where Gates recalled his interactions with Netanyahu during that period. Gates said that in July 2009, Netanyahu told him Iran’s regime was fragile and would collapse after a first strike.

Gates rejected Netanyahu’s assessment at the time, arguing that the Israeli leader underestimated Iran’s resilience and capacity to recover. He linked Netanyahu’s stance to Israel’s previous limited-response attacks in the Middle East, including the 1981 strike on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor and the 2007 attack on a Syrian nuclear facility.

According to Gates, those earlier incidents may have shaped an unrealistic perception within Israel about how Iran might respond to a similar assault.

Israel has implemented a controversial death penalty law targeting Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. According to Israeli daily Haaretz, Central Command chief Avi Bluth signed the order authorizing its enforcement. The law applies to individuals accused of carrying out acts intended to deny the existence of the State of Israel.

The decision has sparked internal objections among Israeli legal and security officials, who argue that West Bank Palestinians are not Israeli citizens, making the law’s application legally and politically problematic. The measure follows a March decision by Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, which passed a bill allowing the death penalty for Palestinians accused of killing Israeli citizens, while excluding Jewish Israelis accused of similar crimes.

The law has drawn criticism from several countries and human rights organizations, which describe it as discriminatory and one-sided. Critics warn that such actions could further escalate tensions in the region and undermine principles of justice.

The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has reportedly issued secret arrest warrants for five Israeli officials, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. The report, published on Sunday, stated that the accused include three politicians and two military officers, though their names have not been disclosed. The ICC has not yet released any official statement on the matter. If confirmed, the total number of Israeli officials facing ICC arrest warrants would rise to seven.

In November 2024, the ICC had previously issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Since October 2023, over 72,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, most of them women and children, while more than 172,000 have been injured.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that Israeli strikes have continued, causing over 870 additional deaths and more than 2,540 injuries.

In Jerusalem’s Al-Bustan neighborhood, located beneath the Old City walls, Palestinian residents are being compelled to demolish their own homes to avoid heavy fines imposed by Israeli authorities. The demolitions are part of Israel’s broader effort to give occupied East Jerusalem a distinctly Jewish identity. The planned 'King’s Garden' biblical theme park will be built on the site, which Israeli officials claim was once linked to King Solomon’s era.

According to residents, more than 57 houses have already been demolished in the past two years, with at least eight more marked for destruction. Community members describe the process as emotionally devastating and financially punishing, with some still paying monthly fines to the municipality. Local organization Ir Amim criticized the project as an attempt to erase Palestinians from the city’s geography and history.

The Jerusalem Municipality maintains that the homes were illegally built and that the park will benefit all residents. Palestinian leaders argue that building permits are routinely denied to them while Jewish settlements continue to expand, leaving families homeless and children facing an uncertain future.

Israel has claimed responsibility for killing Hamas military commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad in an airstrike on a residential building in central Gaza City. The strike, which witnesses said involved three missiles fired from two directions, also targeted a car that attempted to flee the scene. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that Haddad was responsible for killings, kidnappings, and injuries of Israeli civilians and soldiers, describing him as one of the planners of the October 7 attacks.

Eyewitnesses reported a major fire following the strike and difficulties rescuing the injured. Local sources said Haddad was severely wounded in the first attack and was being transported in the car hit in the second strike, killing three people. Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied Haddad’s death.

The incident occurred despite a ceasefire in place since October 10. Israel continues to justify operations as targeting Hamas members, while Hamas accuses Israel of violating the truce and attacking civilians. The U.S.-led peace plan for Gaza remains stalled, with disarmament talks unresolved and Hamas reasserting control in the territory.

Israeli far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich has declared that it is time to permanently erase the dividing boundaries between Areas A, B, and C in the occupied West Bank. His statement effectively signals a move toward Israeli territorial annexation. The remarks were reported on May 15, 2026.

Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank was divided into three administrative zones: Area A, comprising 21 percent of the land under full Palestinian control; Area B, covering 18 percent under partial Palestinian control; and Area C, making up 62 percent under Israeli security control. In February, the Israeli government approved major changes to land registration and civilian administration in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian officials have described these Israeli measures as violations of the Oslo Accords and as steps toward deepening the occupation, according to the report.

Israel is preparing to file a lawsuit against The New York Times after the newspaper published an investigative report alleging that Israeli soldiers and prison guards raped Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced the legal move on Thursday, rejecting the allegations as false.

The report, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof, included testimonies from 14 Palestinian men and women who described severe sexual abuse, including being attacked by dogs and subjected to violent assaults. A spokesperson for The New York Times said the article began with a call for unity in condemning rape regardless of political views on the Middle East conflict.

Israeli politicians have denied the accusations, claiming that The New York Times is spreading defamation. The controversy has drawn attention to the ongoing tensions between Israel and international media over coverage of alleged human rights abuses.

A group of Israeli far-right settlers has launched a movement called “Uritsafon” or “Awake, North Wind,” aiming to establish Jewish settlements in southern Lebanon. The initiative, co-founded in 2024 by biologist and researcher Sloutskin from the Karnei Shomron settlement in the occupied West Bank, envisions expanding Israel’s northern border up to the Litani River, about 30 kilometers inside Lebanon. Sloutskin said the movement has gained support since its founding and seeks to ensure Israel’s security by creating a permanent civilian presence beyond the current border.

The Israeli government has not publicly endorsed the idea of settlements in Lebanon, though it has approved major expansions in the occupied West Bank. The Uritsafon movement claims some lawmakers and ministers privately support their vision. Members have previously attempted to cross into Lebanon to plant trees and set up tents, actions condemned by the Israeli military as illegal and dangerous.

The movement remains confined to Israel’s ultra-nationalist circles, but its leaders believe it could gain mainstream traction ahead of upcoming elections.

An Israeli far-right Knesset member, Zvi Sukkot, reportedly disrupted a Nakba Day memorial event at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University and issued direct threats of violence to participating students. The event, held on Monday, marked the 78th anniversary of the 1948 displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the incident occurred amid growing tensions on Israeli campuses. Student organizers accused authorities and right-wing groups of escalating incitement and persecution against Palestinian students. The organizing group stated that such threats would not deter them from commemorating Nakba Day, emphasizing their commitment to preserving their identity, history, and rights despite increasing pressure.

The report noted that the threats came at a time when Israeli universities are facing criticism for imposing stricter measures on Palestinian students, reflecting a broader climate of hostility within academic institutions.

Israel has strongly protested a New York Times article that alleged systematic sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. The country’s foreign ministry described the report as one of the most horrific “blood libels” in modern media history. The article, written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof, detailed accounts of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners, including minors, by Israeli soldiers, interrogators, and prison guards.

Citing interviews from the occupied West Bank, Kristof claimed such abuse had become a routine practice within Israel’s security apparatus. The report stated that while there was no evidence Israeli leaders directly ordered rape, sexual violence had become a “standard operating procedure.” Drawing on data from the United Nations and human rights organizations, Kristof alleged that these acts were widespread and part of state policy.

Last month, UN experts described sexual violence against Palestinians as a central element of Israeli occupation and a tool of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Israel has consistently denied all such allegations.

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has passed a bill establishing special military courts to try Palestinians accused of involvement in the October 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel. According to The Times of Israel, the new law allows these courts to impose the death penalty on those found guilty. The legislation reportedly received support from both the ruling coalition and opposition parties.

Under the new law, the special courts will have authority to adjust or modify existing legal procedures, including rules of evidence and testimony. The measure is intended to expedite trials for Palestinians detained after the October 7 attacks, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 250 hostages. Israeli forces have since arrested around 300 Palestinians linked to the incident, who remain in custody.

Reports suggest that the law aims to ensure faster and more decisive judicial proceedings for those accused of genocide or mass killings during the attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Pakistan of secretly conducting a digital campaign aimed at undermining the long-standing alliance between the United States and Israel. In an interview aired on May 10 on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Netanyahu claimed that Pakistan and several other countries are using bot farms and fake social media accounts to wage an organized information war. He described this as a hidden digital battlefield running parallel to ongoing military conflicts.

Netanyahu said the campaign’s goal is to erode American sympathy for Israel, particularly among younger audiences, by manipulating online narratives. He cited examples of fake messages appearing to come from American users but allegedly traced back to Pakistan. The Israeli leader emphasized that Israel is fighting on multiple fronts, including what he called the “eighth battlefield” of media and social networks.

The report noted that Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has been a vocal critic of Israeli actions in Gaza and Iran. Netanyahu’s remarks come amid heightened tensions and shifting dynamics in US-Israel relations.

Israel’s military is facing major challenges in countering ‘First Person View’ (FPV) drones launched by Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post. The drones use special fiber‑optic cables for direct control, making them resistant to Israel’s jamming and signal‑blocking systems. One such FPV drone reportedly struck an Iron Dome battery along Israel’s northern border last Sunday, and Hezbollah has released footage of the attack.

The report adds that Israeli defense officials, during a recent visit to southern Lebanon, confirmed the launch of several pilot programs aimed at improving detection and interception of these drones. However, the military has yet to match the pace of Hezbollah’s evolving drone technology in real time, the report noted.

The situation underscores a growing tactical challenge for Israel’s air defense systems as Hezbollah continues to deploy advanced, hard‑to‑jam FPV drones in cross‑border operations.

Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin has introduced a bill in the Knesset seeking the death penalty and public trials for Palestinians accused of involvement in the October 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel. According to The Jerusalem Post, the bill is scheduled for a vote today, with both government and opposition parties expressing support. Levin stated that the authority to impose and carry out death sentences already exists and that the army has begun necessary preparations to start the trials soon.

The proposed legislation calls for the creation of special military tribunals to try suspects on charges such as genocide, threats to state sovereignty, and terrorism. It also prohibits the release of convicted individuals through prisoner exchange deals. Knesset Constitution Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman said the law sends a clear message to Israel’s enemies that the state will neither forget nor forgive such crimes.

Israel previously passed a law in March allowing the death penalty for terrorism, but it could not be applied retroactively. If enacted, this new bill would enable executions for the October 7 suspects and mark the country’s first use of capital punishment since 1962.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that support for Israel in the United States has declined since the start of the Gaza war, attributing the shift to social media and misinformation campaigns. He made the remarks during an interview with CBS News, emphasizing that Israel has taken extensive measures to move civilians out of conflict zones in Gaza and Lebanon, but that online anti-Israel narratives have proven effective.

According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March, 60 percent of American adults now hold unfavorable views of Israel. Netanyahu argued that the drop in U.S. support is almost entirely linked to the rapid growth of social media platforms.

The comments highlight Israel’s concern over changing public opinion in the United States, a key ally, as digital platforms increasingly shape global perceptions of the conflict.