LiveLive Updates May 19, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeMay 19, 2026UpdatesU.S. sanctions disrupt 'hundreds of billions' of dollars of illicit Iranian cashflows, Treasury Secretary saysU.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that U.S. economic sanctions imposed on Iran amounted to "a financial stranglehold on the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.""We have disrupted tens of billions in the regime's projected oil revenue," Bessent said at a conference titled "No Money for Terror.""We have taken actions to freeze nearly half a billion in regime-linked cryptocurrency, and disrupted hundreds of billions in Iran's illicit financial flows," the secretary continued. "And we have intensified our crackdown on Tehran's shadow banking networks," he added."As the regime confronts the wreckage of its military, Treasury will remain relentless in our pursuit to constrict the network of vessels, intermediaries, and buyers through which Iran exports both its oil and malevolence."Report: Gulf states say they were unaware of Trump's planned attack on IranSeveral Gulf states said they were unaware of U.S. President Donald Trump's planned attack on Iran on Tuesday, after the president said he had postponed the strike at the Gulf states' request, official sources told the Wall Street Journal.Trump said Monday that he had postponed the attack on Iran scheduled to take place on Tuesday at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates because "serious negotiations are now taking place." He also claimed that Israel and other countries in the region had been informed of the attack's postponement.President Donald Trump's Truth Social post Credit: Screen shot from Truth SocialPresident Donald Trump's Truth Social post Credit: Screen shot from Truth SocialLikud lawmaker Gotliv charged for disclosing Shin Bet official's identityLikud MK Tally Gotliv, in the Supreme Court, earlier this year. Credit: Itai CohenLikud MK Tally Gotliv, in the Supreme Court, earlier this year. Credit: Itai CohenIsrael's attorney general filed an indictment on Tuesday against Likud lawmaker Tali Gotliv, accusing her of disclosing classified information by revealing the identity of a Shin Bet security service officer.The indictment stems from a social media post in which Gotliv identified the partner of prominent protest leader Shikma Bressler as serving in the agency.The indictment follows a July announcement by prosecutors that they intended to charge Gotliv under Israel's Shin Bet law, pending a hearing. Gotliv, who did not appear for questioning in the case, said she also would not attend the hearing.Read the full articleHundreds of Gaza aid flotilla activists detained by Israel, organizers sayHundreds of activists on board the Gaza aid flotilla were detained by Israeli forces and are being taken to an Israeli port, the flotilla's organizers said.Activists and pro-Palestinian supporters hold flares outside the foreign ministry, after flotilla aid vessels bound for Gaza were intercepted by Israeli forces in the eastern Mediterranean, in Athens, Greece, on Monday. Credit: Louisa Gouliamaki/ REUTERSActivists and pro-Palestinian supporters hold flares outside the foreign ministry, after flotilla aid vessels bound for Gaza were intercepted by Israeli forces in the eastern Mediterranean, in Athens, Greece, on Monday. Credit: Louisa Gouliamaki/ REUTERSThe Global Sumud Flotilla, which is trying to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, said it "received confirmation that hundreds of civilian participants abducted during yesterday's illegal high-seas Israeli naval assault are currently being forcibly transported by Israeli occupying forces to a port in occupied Palestine."In their statement, the group called for "the immediate, unconditional release of all our participants, alongside the more than 9,000 unjustly detained Palestinian political prisoners facing a codified regime of state-sanctioned terror."Israeli strikes reported in southern Lebanese villages without prior noticeAn Israeli drone strike hit a vehicle in the southern Lebanese town of Hannawiyah, reports said.After emergency services had arrived at the scene, a second Israeli strike hit the area, the reports said.Most of Tuesday's strikes in southern Lebanon were not mentioned in the IDF's evacuation order, issued earlier. Strikes were also reported in Maarakah, Dibbin, Kfar Sir, Zawtar and Kfar Reman.Lebanese defense source tells Al Jazeera: Israeli forces 'kidnap' three people in south LebanonIsraeli forces "kidnapped" three civilians near the villages of Kfar Hamam and Kfar Shouba in southern Lebanon, a Lebanese defense source told Al Jazeera.Earlier, the Lebanese National News Agency reported that Israeli forces had set up a roadblock at a junction next to buildings that had previously been bombed near the villages of Mari and Halta in southern Lebanon. The forces apprehended three Lebanese citizens and confiscated the phones of several people who were in the area, the report said.That report followed earlier Lebanese reports that Israeli forces had raided the village of Rashaya al-Foukhar and "kidnapped" four people.Kfar Hamam, Kfar Shouba, Mari, Halta and Rashaya al-Foukhar are all situated in southern Lebanon, near Khiam.Israeli parliament advances bill to split attorney general powersIsrael's parliament took a first step toward splitting the powers of the attorney general, advancing a government-backed bill that would weaken the position's authority and give ministers greater control over legal representation and criminal prosecutions. Opposition lawmakers boycotted the vote in protest.Under the proposal, the attorney general's role would be divided between a legal adviser appointed directly by the government and a separate prosecutor general, while the government would no longer be bound by the attorney general's legal opinions and could hire private lawyers to represent it in court.On Monday, Simcha Rothman secretly added a clause to the bill designed to make it more difficult to open an investigation and file indictments against public servants – including the prime minister and ministers. The clause states that the attorney general will be required to obtain approval from a district court to open a criminal investigation against members of Knesset, deputy ministers, religious and secular court judges, the ombudsman for judges, or the ombudsman for state representatives in the courts, and other senior officials.Filing an indictment against senior officials will also require the approval of a special committee of three members: a retired judge who will head it, a lawyer appointed by the attorney general, and another lawyer with criminal experience appointed by the chairman of the state audit committee.In the NewsIsrael Indicts Likud Lawmaker Gotliv for Disclosing Shin Bet Officer's IdentityFIFA Mulls Banning Iranian Opposition Flag From 2026 World Cup, Report SaysIsrael's U.S. Ambassador Calls J Street a 'Cancer Within Jewish Community'Three Delicious Cheesecake Recipes for Shavuot: Biscuit, Lotus and BrownieNew York Mayor Mamdani Hosts Jewish Holiday Event Amid Nakba Video BacklashRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIHundreds Protest at New York Times HQ Over Column Alleging Abuse by IsraelisICC Prosecutor Seeks Warrants for Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, Other Israeli OfficialsEverybody Loses in the Cynical Israeli-Palestinian Sexual Violence CompetitionWelcome to the Most Shameful Day in the Jewish CalendarIsraeli Settler Filmed Abusing Palestinian-owned Dog in West BankIsraeli Teens Storm Muslim Quarter in Old City, Haaretz Reporter Attacked