LiveLive Updates July 09, 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 09, 2026Updates1 hour agoLebanon's army to take control of first 'pilot zone' within days, U.S. official says⁠The ‌first so-called ‌pilot zone ⁠in Lebanon, in ⁠which the Lebanese army will assume control of an area ‌now ‌occupied by Israeli forces, will launch in "a matter of days," with further zones ⁠being mapped out and planned, ‌a ⁠U.S. official ‌said on Thursday.Israeli soldiers are seen at a memorial site on the border with Lebanon in northern Israel, June. Credit: Ohad Zwigenberg,AP Israeli soldiers are seen at a memorial site on the border with Lebanon in northern Israel, June. Credit: Ohad Zwigenberg,AP Under the agreement reached last month, two agreed-upon "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon will be set up, where the Lebanese army will assume "full and effective security responsibility," allowing for return of displaced residents, internationally supported reconstruction efforts and the creation of future similar pilot zones.Israeli civil rights NGO calls to revoke emergency order restricting prisoner visits, says it violates High Court rulingA civil rights NGO called to revoke a new emergency order imposing restrictions on visits to prisoners detained for security-related offences, saying it violates a High Court of Justice ruling.An ICRC vehicle leads a convoy carrying released Palestinian prisoners as part of a hostage exchange outside Ofer Prison in the West Bank in 2025. Credit: Olivier FitoussiAn ICRC vehicle leads a convoy carrying released Palestinian prisoners as part of a hostage exchange outside Ofer Prison in the West Bank in 2025. Credit: Olivier FitoussiThe Association for Civil Rights in Israel called on the Israel Prison Service and the Attorney General to evoke the order, which caps the number of visits to a quota and imposes intelligence checks and increase surveillance on them.According to the NGO, the order flouts a High Court ruling from June which struck down a sweeping ban on Red Cross visits to prisoners that had been in place since October 2023.Defense Minister Katz says IDF ready to restart Iran war, will not withdraw from Lebanon, Syria, Gaza zonesDefense Minister Israel Katz said that the IDF is prepared for a potential resumption of military operations in Iran "even for a third time."Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran in March. Credit: AFP/ATTA KENAREPlumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran in March. Credit: AFP/ATTA KENARESpeaking alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a pilots' graduation ceremony at Hatzerim airbase, Katz also said that the IDF will not withdraw from what he called "security zones" in southern Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.Netanyahu: $116 billion to be added to Israel's defense budget over next decade, seeking self-relianceAn Israel Air Force jet. Credit: IDF Spokesperson's UnitAn Israel Air Force jet. Credit: IDF Spokesperson's UnitPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel's defense budget will be increased by some 350 billion shekels ($116 billion) in the coming decade.Speaking at a pilots' graduation ceremony at Hatzerim airbase, in the south of the country, Netanyahu said the decision was made by himself and Defense Minister Israel Katz, with the aim to develop military self-reliance and local manufacturing of munitions. Iran's Araghchi warns U.S. against further military 'adventurism'‌Iranian Foreign ‌Minister Abbas ⁠Araghchi warned against ⁠any further U.S. military "adventurism" on Thursday, after condemning ‌U.S. ‌attacks on Iran as a violation of the Islamabad ⁠memorandum of understanding in a ‌phone ⁠call with ‌Pakistan's army chief, Iran's ⁠Foreign Ministry said.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein after their meeting at the foreign ministry in Baghdad, Iraq, in June. Credit: Hadi Mizban,AP Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein after their meeting at the foreign ministry in Baghdad, Iraq, in June. Credit: Hadi Mizban,AP RECAP: Iran buries Khamenei after days-long funeral procession, IDF says it killed October 7 terrorist in GazaHere are Thursday's latest updates:■ Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan's Azraq military base, saying that U.S. bases in the region would be targeted if the "aggression" is repeated, Iranian state media reported.■ Three IRGC members were killed in U.S. strikes on Iran, Mizan News Agency reported.■ Iran buries its ‌slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the country's holiest shrine, with his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei still hidden from public view after being disfigured in ⁠the strike that killed his father.■ Iranian ‌Foreign Minister ‌Abbas Araghchi spoke with ⁠his Omani and Turkish counterparts and stressed the ‌need for ‌diplomacy to prevent escalation in the region, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian Foreign ⁠Ministry said.■ Iran's ‌Revolutionary Guards Navy said that U.S. ⁠attacks were disrupting the Strait of Hormuz's reopening, and that Iranian-supervised transit had recovered to about 50 percent of ⁠pre-war levels over the past two weeks.■ Israeli troops killed a terrorist who participated in Hamas' October 7 massacre, kidnapped Israelis and helped keep them hostage in the Gaza Strip, the IDF said.■ Two people were killed and multiple wounded in an Israeli drone strike in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, while a driver for Hamas spokesman Hasem Qassem was killed in a strike on a vehicle in Gaza City, Palestinian reports said.■ The IDF said it killed the Islamic Jihad's head of production, Rashid Al-Qadhi, in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip, as well as Hamas sniper Abdullah Baha al-Din Razak Al-Souti in another strike in the north of the enclave.■ Israeli troops dismantled two tunnels in southern Lebanon's Majdal Zoun and discovered "dozens of weapons... including mortars, launchers, and RPG rockets" inside, the IDF said.■ The IDF said it detained Israeli civilians who attempted to cross into Syrian territory, condemning the incident and emphasizing that "such actions constitute a criminal offense that endangers civilians."IDF says it killed senior Islamic Jihad official and Hamas sniper in Gaza Strip strikesThe IDF killed on Wednesday the Islamic Jihad's head of production in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip, the military said.In a statement, the IDF said the killed operative, Rashid Al-Qadhi, "was responsible for efforts to manufacture weapons that were intended for use against IDF troops and Israeli civilians."Additionally, the IDF said it killed Abdullah Baha al-Din Razak Al-Souti, a Hamas sniper, in another strike in the north of the enclave on Wednesday.Iranian, Omani, Turkish FMs discuss Hormuz, stress need for diplomacy⁠Iranian ‌Foreign Minister ‌Abbas Araghchi held ⁠separate phone calls ⁠with his Omani and Turkish counterparts on Thursday and ‌discussed the latest ‌developments in the region, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian foreign ⁠ministry said.The parties stressed the ‌need ⁠to use ‌diplomatic channels to prevent escalation, a ⁠ministry statement said.IDF says it dismantled 200 meters of tunnels in south Lebanon, 'dozens' of weapons foundIsraeli troops dismantled two tunnels in southern Lebanon's Majdal Zoun, after another tunnel was previously dismantled in the area, the IDF said.According to the IDF's statement, troops discovered inside the tunnels "dozens of weapons... including mortars, launchers, and RPG rockets," as well as living quarters and "three launch shafts aimed toward Israeli territory."The statement added that troops killed an armed operative this week near one of the tunnels.The two tunnels had a combined length of some 200 meters (656 feet) and reached a depth of about 20 meters (66 feet), the IDF's statement said.IDF says it killed terrorist who kidnapped Israelis on October 7 and kept them hostage in GazaIsraeli troops killed on Tuesday a terrorist who participated in Hamas' October 7 massacre, kidnapped Israelis and helped keep them hostage in the Gaza Strip, the IDF said.According to the IDF's statement, Waheed Abu Salam, who previously served as the western company commander in the enclave's southern city of Khan Yunis, was killed in a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation."The terrorist posed an immediate threat to the troops and was eliminated in a precise aerial strike," the statement said.In the NewsPoll: In Election-season First, ex-IDF Chief Eisenkot Exceeds Netanyahu's LikudKnesset Committee Advances Law Enshrining Torah Studies as a 'Fundamental Value'Shin Bet Chief Seeks AG's Approval to Probe Leak of Timing of Iran War to MediaThe Original Tradwives of Ancient RomeNot Jewish? 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