LiveLive Updates June 05, 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 formatSubscribeJune 05, 2026UpdatesDemocratic senators demand release of U.S. citizen held by IDFDemocratic senators are demanding the release of 20-year-old U.S. citizen Sama Safi, who was detained on Tuesday by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank."Sama Safi, a student at Birzeit University in the West Bank who has a chronic health condition, is the latest American citizen detained by IDF forces without explanation. Israeli authorities must ensure her safety and immediately provide her with access to her family, legal counsel, and medication," said Sen. Peter Welch.Sen. Chris Van Hollen added that "the Israeli government didn't tell her family or the U.S. Embassy where or why she was being taken and is holding her without charges. America must secure her release now."Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., speaks during an event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, January. Credit: Alex Brandon/AP Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., speaks during an event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, January. Credit: Alex Brandon/AP Physicians for Human Rights Israel says Palestinian doctor moved to solitary confinementPhysicians for Human Rights Israel said that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was transferred in recent days to solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison in southern Israel.Abu Safiya was detained by Israeli forces in December 2024.According to PHRI it was not made aware of the reasons for either the transfer or his placement in solitary confinement.In late June, the petitioners wrote that most of the doctors were detained after October 7, during their work at Gaza's various hospitals – some having been arrested at the hospitals themselves. Their lawyers said they are being held in Israel under harsh conditions, adding that they have reached out to IDF Chief of Staff Zamir, but received no substantive response.Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, at the hospital before his arrest, 2024. Credit: Stringer/ReutersDr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, at the hospital before his arrest, 2024. Credit: Stringer/ReutersIDF says it removed four Israelis who entered Palestinian-controlled territories in West BankThree Israeli women who were traveling to Rachel's Tomb entered Thursday overnight to the West Bank village of Beit Jala in Area A, which falls under the Palestinian Authority's control and were removed from there by COGAT forces, the organization said.It was also reported that another Israeli citizen was removed from the West Bank city of Qalqilyah, also in Area A, after he was caught paying with counterfeit money while making a purchase at a local store.Iran’s navy says it fired warning shots at U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Oman, state media reports⁠Iran's navy ‌said on Friday it had ‌fired warning missiles and drones ⁠at U.S. warships in the Gulf ⁠of Oman, accusing the U.S. Navy of harassing maritime traffic and seizing commercial vessels and oil ‌tankers, Iranian state media reported.Earlier, the ‌U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said U.S. forces had intercepted the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T DAVINA in the Indian Ocean overnight."We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict ⁠vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate," it ‌said in a ⁠post on X.The ‌exchange comes amid heightened tensions over maritime security around Iran, as ⁠Washington enforces sanctions on Iranian oil shipments and Tehran has repeatedly threatened shipping in and ‌around the Strait of Hormuz9 hours agoThree Palestinians wounded, one seriously, in settler attack in West Bank Three Palestinians were wounded, two of them by gunfire, in a settler attack near the West Bank town of Idna west of Hebron, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. According to the organization, one of the wounded is in a serious condition.Palestinian media have also reported that settlers had entered privately owned Palestinian agricultural land in the area and had been working it for a second consecutive day. The settlers blocked access roads to the farmland with dirt mounds and debris, and clashed with the Palestinian landlords.Lebanon’s parliament speaker: We agree to Hezbollah withdrawal from Lebanon's south alongside Israeli pullbackLebanon's speaker of parliament says he would agree to Hezbollah's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in parallel with an Israeli withdrawal. According to Nabih Berri, Lebanon could have responded positively to a draft cease-fire agreement had it included a full Israeli withdrawal and an unconditional, comprehensive truce on land, at sea and in the air.Berri criticized the current version of the proposal, arguing that it contains "booby-trapped" clauses, adding that any requirement for Hezbollah forces to withdraw north of the Litani River must be implemented in parallel with a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from all Lebanese territory.RECAP: Israel secretly deployed IDF soldiers to Azerbaijan amid Iran war, report saysHere are Thursday's latest updates from the U.S.-Iran cease-fire and Israel's cease-fire with Hezbollah:■ Israel deployed troops to Azerbaijan during the war with Iran as part of a secret network across the region, a report by CNN says.■ Israel's Defense Ministry and the United States held their first meeting earlier this week aimed at formulating a new defense cooperation framework to replace the current Memorandum of Understanding on U.S. military aid, which is set to expire in 2028.■ The IDF issued an evacuation warning to residents of the southern Lebanese villages of Arnaba, Aanqoun and Kfar Fila.■ Israeli forces are preparing for the "next stage" of implementing a cease-fire in Lebanon, a source familiar with the matter told Haaretz. According to the source, Israeli forces are not withdrawing, as ground troops are still present in the South.■ Abd Harb, the commander of Hezbollah's engineering unit, was killed in an IDF strike last week, a statement by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.■ The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Theophilos III, met on Thursday with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House during a private meeting that focused on the challenges facing Christian communities across the Middle East.■ Israel does not intend to withdraw from areas south of Lebanon's Litani River, an Israeli source told Haaretz.■ Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected the U.S.-sponsored cease-fire in Lebanon in a letter to his followers published by the group's Al-Manar network. ■ Hezbollah reportedly agreed to the cease-fire terms during security track talks in Washington, a Lebanese source not involved in talks but briefed on the matter by senior Lebanese officials told Haaretz.Report: Israel deployed troops to Azerbaijan during Iran warIsrael deployed troops to Azerbaijan during the war with Iran as part of a secret network across the region, a report by CNN says.According to four sources familiar with the matter, Israel deployed the special units and intelligence teams as part of a broader network of covert sites across the Middle East intended to support operations against Iran.Two of the sources said the forces operated from multiple locations in southern Azerbaijan near the Iranian border, including a site reportedly located around 100 kilometers (approximately 62 miles) from the Iranian city of Tabriz, which has itself been targeted in previous Israeli strikes.According to the sources, the forces were initially intended to serve as emergency rescue teams, but their role was later expanded into military and intelligence positions used for information gathering. Two of the sources added that the units carried out intelligence collection missions and operated drones, providing Israel with a valuable surveillance vantage point that allowed it to monitor developments in northern Iran during the war.One of the sources said the deployment involved several dozen personnel, including commandos, members of an airborne rescue and combat unit and Mossad agents.The sources further said that the sites were part of a broader network of covert Israeli military bases and facilities across several countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Somaliland. According to one source, the latter provided Israel with a strategic foothold during the conflict, enabling Israeli aircraft to use it as a potential stopover point for reaching Iran. Read the full articleIsrael, U.S. launch talks on new defense cooperation plan to replace current aid dealThe Israeli and U.S. delegations, earlier this week in Tel Aviv. Credit: Public Affairs and Communications Division at the Defense Ministry The Israeli and U.S. delegations, earlier this week in Tel Aviv. Credit: Public Affairs and Communications Division at the Defense Ministry Israel's Defense Ministry and the United States held their first meeting earlier this week aimed at formulating a new defense cooperation framework to replace the current Memorandum of Understanding on U.S. military aid, which is set to expire in 2028.According to the Defense Ministry, the emerging agreement is "intended to strengthen the IDF's qualitative military edge through expanded joint investment in research and development, increased co-production initiatives and deeper strategic cooperation between Israel and the United States."Hezbollah's engineering unit chief killed in targeted strike, IDF says Abd Harb, the commander of Hezbollah's engineering unit, was killed in an IDF strike last week, a statement by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.According to the military, Harb headed the unit responsible for the assembly and deployment of explosive devices, and played a key role in numerous attack plans targeting Israel since the 2006 Lebanon War.The IDF added that the Israeli Air Force destroyed a rocket launcher late Thursday that had been aimed at Israeli forces operating in the area.In the NewsHezbollah Veto of Cease-fire Means North Israel Exposed Until IDF Quits LebanonNeanderthals Ate Flies, New Study Reveals85 House Democrats Demand U.S. Pressure Israel to Halt West Bank ConstructionEx-top Judge Warns Israel 'Sliding Toward Anarchy' Amid Attack on Justice's HomeThree Arab Israelis Shot Dead in Two Incidents as Homicide Surge ContinuesRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIFar-right Israeli Ministers Join Thousands at Israel Day Parade in New YorkIsrael's Solution to the Gaza Problem Is Well Underway'Israel Is Unstoppable, We Need Other Countries to Get Us Out of This''Fucking Crazy': Trump Lashes Out at Netanyahu Over Lebanon, Report SaysThe Paradigm That Led to Oct. 7 Didn't Collapse, It Was Fiction From the StartThey Fled Putin's Russia for Israel – and Could Swing the Election