LiveLive Updates July 17, 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 17, 2026UpdatesSettlers steal Palestinian livestock under IDF protection, reportedly attack two Palestinian women, witnesses sayIsraeli settlers were documented Thursday taking dozens of sheep and goats from Palestinian livestock pens in the West Bank village of Imneizil, in the southern Hebron Hills, while Israeli soldiers were present, according to residents and video footage.Residents told Haaretz that settlers from a nearby outpost brought their flock to graze on land near the village, deliberately mixed it with a Palestinian-owned herd, and sprayed the Palestinian shepherd who was there with pepper spray.According to witnesses, the settlers also attacked two Palestinian women, aged 56 and 60. The women were later treated by the Red Crescent.EU reiterates its call on Israel to refrain from more expansion of settlementsThe European ‌Union on Friday reiterated ‌its call on Israel to ⁠refrain from expanding its settlements ⁠in the occupied West Bank."The EU reiterates its call on Israel to refrain from further ‌settlement expansion, the legalization ‌of outposts, land appropriation, demolitions, evictions and other unilateral measures that undermine the viability of the two-state solution," said a statement from the EU's diplomatic service spokesperson.Earlier this ⁠week, Israel's security cabinet approved a budget of 1.3 ‌billion shekels ($427.8 ⁠million) for establishing 34 ‌new settlements in the West Bank.U.N. bodies, Palestinians and ⁠most countries view the settlements as illegal under international conventions - a stance disputed ‌by Israel - and a primary obstacle to peace.Iran's Tasnim says IRGC navy targeted vessel in Strait of Hormuz⁠Iran's ‌Tasnim news ‌agency cited ⁠an informed source as ⁠saying that a Thai-flagged ship was targeted in the ‌Strait of ‌Hormuz on Friday after it allegedly ignored warnings and attempted to pass ⁠without permission from Iran's Revolutionary Guards ‌navy.The ⁠source said ‌the vessel was confronted by ⁠the IRGC navy and targeted.Lindsey Graham’s funeral services to take place in Washington, South Carolina, press officer saysFuneral services for U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham will take place July 28 and 29 in Washington and South Carolina, Taylor Reidy, the late Republican leader's director of communications, said Friday.On Wednesday, Israeli sources familiar with his plans said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was likely to fly to the United States on Saturday, to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington and attend Graham's funeral. Netanyahu's aides viewed the funeral as an opportunity to schedule an anticipated meeting with Trump. Both sides had previously announced plans to hold talks within the next two weeks but had struggled to agree on a date.U.S. to reportedly send dozens of refueling aircraft to Israel amid plans for possible Iran escalation U.S. aerial refueling aircraft parked at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, April. Credit: Tomer AppelbaumU.S. aerial refueling aircraft parked at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, April. Credit: Tomer AppelbaumThe United States informed Israel it plans to base dozens of additional aerial refueling planes in the country amid talks of a possible escalation of U.S. strikes against Iran, Axios reported Friday. According to the report, Israeli officials said the U.S. will send the planes in the coming days, bringing the number of refueling aircraft in Israel to levels similar to those at the start of the war on Feb. 28.There are currently 30 refueling planes at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, down from 75 at the peak of hostilities, Axios reported.Speaking to Axios, Israeli officials said the U.S. prefers to base the planes at Ben Gurion Airport because it is less exposed to Iranian strikes than other U.S. bases in the region. The officials estimated that Iran remains deterred from attacking Israel.On Tuesday, Transportation Minister Miri Regev said she had instructed the Israel Airports Authority to limit the number of U.S. military aircraft permitted to land at Ben Gurion Airport, noting that a maximum of 20 planes would be allowed to park at the airport. The remaining aircraft would be parked at Israeli Air Force bases, she said.According to sources familiar with the details, the U.S. military was expected to relocate some of its aerial refueling tankers this month in two phases: the first in mid-July and the second at the end of the month. As part of the first phase, 18 aircraft were scheduled to be moved out Tuesday.Despite IDF demands, Knesset keeps mandatory military service at 32 months The Knesset approved late Thursday a law maintaining mandatory military service in the Israeli army to 32 months, despite the IDF's demand to extend the service to 36 months due to a shortage of combat soldiers.IDF soldiers in Jerusalem, earlier this year. Credit: Itay CohenIDF soldiers in Jerusalem, earlier this year. Credit: Itay CohenMandatory service had been scheduled to be reduced to 30 months for all those enlisting from July 2024 onward. In the end, lawmakers agreed that service would be set at 32 months, applying to all recruits until July 2029. The legislation also stipulates that soldiers will receive financial compensation for the additional months of service, with payments increasing as they near their discharge date.During a discussion this week on the bill, the IDF made clear that extending mandatory service to 32 months would not be sufficient given operational demands and the shortage of combat personnel. The military said it required an even longer extension.The head of the IDF Planning Directorate told lawmakers that "the regular army is reaching the limits of its capacity, and the reserve forces could also be pushed beyond theirs.""In some units, the system could even collapse, particularly if mandatory service is shortened further and forces us to rely even more heavily on reservists," he said. "Returning to 30 months of service would have severe consequences. If that happens, there will be an immediate loss of thousands of combat soldiers."The extension of mandatory service comes amid the coalition's advancement of legislation concerning exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox men, including a law shielding ultra-Orthodox draft evaders from arrests. The High Court of Justice ruled this week that the arrest freeze will not take effect until petitions against it are heard.Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs said this week that the dispute over Haredi conscription should be set aside, arguing that the issue represents an immediate threat to the IDF's capabilities. He added that once a new government is formed, it will hold long-term discussions on the appropriate length of mandatory service.Read the full articleEisenkot Allows Israelis to Replace Netanyahu Without Changing Who They Are | OpinionYashar party's leader Gadi Eisenkot in June. Credit: Ilan AssayagYashar party's leader Gadi Eisenkot in June. Credit: Ilan AssayagLikud lawmaker Dan Illouz gave an interview this week in which he disclosed that Knesset members from his party had worked to replace the party's leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, several weeks after Hamas' October 7 massacre in 2023.The plan called for a Knesset vote of no confidence in Netanyahu, Illouz said. "The only reason it didn't happen was arguments over who should be No. 1 – who should be the person to replace him," he explained.It sounds like a story involving a battle of egos, but it actually reveals a deeper truth: For more than a decade, Israeli politics hasn't been able to create an alternative to Netanyahu. The question of how it could be that the government didn't fall after October 7 is fascinating from a psycho-political perspective. Israeli society was on the brink of civil war.Tens of thousands of people were demonstrating in the streets on a daily basis. How is it possible that all that energy wasn't translated into politically ridding the country of the prime minister and his partners in the greatest security failure in its history?Read the full articleU.S. military says it destroyed maritime surveillance tower in eastern Iran The US military on Friday said it had destroyed a maritime surveillance tower on the Iranian coast.U.S. Central Command said on X the tower had been part of a maritime surveillance network along Iran's coast in the Gulf of Oman.Iranian media likewise reported an attack on a maritime surveillance tower.CENTCOM said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had used the tower for decades to track and target commercial vessels as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz."The destruction of the tower directly degrades IRGC's ability to coordinate attacks on innocent civilian crew members," CENTCOM said.It added that the attack, which took place on Thursday, protected freedom of navigation for all ships except those attempting to breach the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.After US attacks overnight, Iran reported casualties and damage to infrastructure in various regions in the south of the country.Israel says it assassinated Hamas commander over alleged role in holding Israeli hostages Israeli forces on Thursday assasinated a Hamas commander for his alleged involvement in holding Israeli hostages, including Abera Mengistu, who crossed into Gaza in 2014 and was released as part of a hostage exchange in 2025, the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency said Friday. In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet identified the commander as Anas Mahmoud Ahmed Hamdan, saying he "was directly involved in holding Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity and was responsible for documenting the hostages during the release ceremonies."The statement said Hamdan also led propaganda activities for Hamas' Khan Younis Brigade and served as a senior aide to Mohammed Deif, the leader of the group's military wing, who was assassinated in 2024.In June, Israel assassinated an operative from Hamas' elite Nukhba force for his alleged involvement in holding Omer Shem Tov hostage. Shem Tov was kidnapped from the Nova music festival and taken to Gaza during the October 7, 2023, attack.Nine Kurdish opposition members killed in suspected Iranian strike, sources sayNine members of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group were killed on Friday in a suspected Iranian missile strike on the group's headquarters in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region, Kurdish sources said.A member of the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala told DPA that the headquarters, near the city of Sulaimaniyah, was hit by six ballistic missiles.The missiles struck the compound, killing nine members of the dissident group and igniting several fires, the source said, adding that the death toll could rise as rescue operations continued. There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.Separately, the Counter-Terrorism Service in Iraq's Kurdistan Region said air defences intercepted and shot down eight drones over the regional capital of Erbil on Friday. The service said no injuries or damage were reported.In the NewsNew Poll Puts Netanyahu Bloc at Lowest Point YetTrapped in Gaza, a Young Doctor Documents Life Between Survival and DeathAn Israeli Doesn't Know Who Rabin Was? Our Haredi Schools Made It HappenIsraeli Spyware in Morocco, French Targets and NSO Founder's Diplomatic PassportIDF Opened Dozens of Probes Into Deaths of Detained Gazans. No One Was ChargedRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIInside the Mossad Plot to Install Ahmadinejad as Iran's LeaderNetanyahu's Biggest Challenger: Who Is Gadi Eisenkot and What Does He Stand For?103 House Democrats Vote to Cut U.S. Aid to Israel in Landmark Symbolic VoteEisenkot Is Quietly Gaining Ground in Likud Territory. Enough to Beat Netanyahu?Ro Khanna, U.S. Lawmaker & Israel Critic, Says West Bank Settlers 'Detained' HimI Joined Rep. Ro Khanna on His West Bank Visit. Here's What I Saw