Live updates • Netanyahu rebukes Vance, says Israel has 'many allies'

LiveLive Updates July 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 formatSubscribeJuly 05, 2026UpdatesPardoning Netanyahu is not enough,’ Smotrich says, urges AG jailed over ‘stitch-up’ roleFar-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Sunday that senior officials in the Israel Police, the State Prosecutor's Office and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara should be imprisoned over what he called their efforts to "stitch up" criminal charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."Pardoning Netanyahu is not enough," Smotrich said, adding that Baharav-Miara should be investigated for breach of trust and improper use of police powers.Netanyahu defends Trump ties, rebukes Vance, says Israel has many alliesPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to comments made in June by U.S. Vice President JD Vance that Israel was alienating its only major ally, saying he disagreed and that he has a good relationship with both Vance and U.S. President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in an interview with Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich on Sunday. Acyn/XIn June, Vance rebuked Israeli cabinet ministers critical of an emerging U.S.-Iran deal, saying they should not be "attacking the only powerful ally" Israel has "left in the entire world." Trump said Saturday that he has a good relationship with Netanyahu, telling Axios, "We get along very well. He knows who the boss is."Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu said he respected the vice president, "but that doesn't mean I agree with everything he says." Netanyahu praised Trump as "the greatest friend we ever had in the White House" and argued that Israel maintains strong ties with countries including India and many governments that privately support cooperation with Israel despite domestic political pressure. "We have many other friends as well," he said.Netanyahu said he was concerned by declining support for Israel among some younger Americans, which he attributed in part to social media and foreign-backed disinformation campaigns. "At least three countries have operated bot farms that push anti-American and anti-Israel content," he said.Voicing concern about growing anti-Israel sentiment within parts of both the Democratic Party and what he called the "woke right," Netanyahu said hostility toward Israel often overlaps with broader criticism of the United States."When people protest against Israel defending itself against terrorist organizations committed to our destruction, they often express hostility toward America too," he said. "By contrast, when Americans – Jewish and non-Jewish alike – demonstrate in support of Israel, they wave both the Israeli flag and the American flag."Israeli minister compares anti-gov't activists to Entebbe hijackers: 'committed terrible injustice in the name of peace'Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu compared anti-government activists charged with firing maritime flares at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Caesarea in 2024 to hijackers involved in the 1976 Entebbe raid. Far-right Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu attends a Knesset committee hearing in May. Credit: Oren Ben HakoonFar-right Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu attends a Knesset committee hearing in May.Credit: Oren Ben HakoonSpeaking at a groundbreaking ceremony at the abandoned Atarot airport north of Jerusalem, Eliyahu characterized some of the Entebbe hijackers as peace activists "who lost their way," saying that although they joined a terrorist organization, "sometimes in the name of peace, terrible moral injustices are committed."He added that "one cannot place on the same continuum support for terrorists and those who fire fireworks toward the home of the prime minister, but it is a single continuum that is covered by a moral blanket, and that is very dangerous."Eliyahu, a member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, is known for his controversial statements. In 2024, he suggested that dropping a nuclear weapon on the Gaza Strip was "an option." He has also expressed support for the "voluntary migration" of Palestinian civilians out of the enclave.Iran and Qatar resume maritime trade, Iranian state media reportsMaritime ‌trade between Iran ⁠and Qatar has ⁠resumed after a roughly five-month suspension, Iran's commercial attaché ‌in Doha ‌told state media on Sunday.This frame grab of footage aired on Wednesday by Iranian state television shows a vessel that ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz. Credit: Iranian state television/AP This frame grab of footage aired on Wednesday by Iranian state television shows a vessel that ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz. Credit: Iranian state television/AP Abbas Abdolkhani said shipping between Iran's Dayyer ⁠port and Qatar's Al Ruwais ‌port ⁠had ‌resumed following coordination between the Iranian embassy ⁠in Doha and Qatari authorities.Lebanese media reports Israeli artillery, helicopter fire in southern LebanonIsraeli helicopter and artillery fire were reported in southern Lebanon, as President Joseph Aoun told the press that although he is "not enthusiastic about Israel," he is waiting for "any solution or agreement that will get us out of the wars."The National News Agency reported helicopter fire over Majdal Zoun in the Tyre district and artillery fire toward Deir Siryan in the Marjayoun district, and the NBN channel reported artillery fire towards the municipality of Baraashit in the Nabatieh Governorate.On Sunday, two hours of clashes were reported in the vicinity of Kfar Tebnit, with machine gun and artillery fire heard, according to MTV.RECAP: Israel to invest $9 million in hotel construction in West BankHere are Sunday's latest updates:■ U.K. Labour MP Nadia Whittome called for the release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of a major Gaza hospital who has been detained in Israeli prisons without charge since 2024.■ Israel has approved the investment of 27 million shekels ($9 million) in hotel planning in the West Bank, according to a government announcement, in an effort to "realize the enormous tourism potential in Judea and Samaria," according to Tourism Minister Haim Katz.■ The Israeli government unanimously approved Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar's proposal to appoint a resident Israeli ambassador to Slovenia, following Sa'ar's decision to open an Israeli embassy in the country; until now, Israel has operated in Slovenia through a mobile ambassador.■ Israeli strikes killed three people in the Gaza Strip, according to Al Hadath news agency, which also reported the demolition of several residential buildings.■ A masked assailant threw a stone through the entrance of Channel 12 News offices in Tel Aviv.■ Lebanon's Health Ministry announced Saturday that the cumulative toll resulting from ongoing Israeli-Hezbollah aggressions since March 2 has risen to 4,303 killed and 12,202 wounded, as reported by Lebanon's National News Agency.U.K. MP calls to release Gaza doctor jailed in Israel facing life-threatening dangerU.K. Labour MP Nadia Whittome called for the release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of a major Gaza hospital who has been detained in Israeli prisons without charge since 2024.“They brought me here to kill me. I don’t see myself surviving. This is the end.”