August 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 formatSubscribeAugust 09, 2026UpdatesIsrael issues warning to Israelis in Greece ahead of planned pro-Palestinian protestsIsrael's Foreign Ministry issued a warning to Israeli citizens in Greece ahead of large-scale protests that are planned across the country on Sunday against Israel's actions in Gaza.Palestinians living in Athens and pro-Palestinian supporters protest in front of the Greek parliament in Athens, Greece, during the first week of the 2023 Gaza-Israel war. Credit: REUTERS/Louisa GouliamakiPalestinians living in Athens and pro-Palestinian supporters protest in front of the Greek parliament in Athens, Greece, during the first week of the 2023 Gaza-Israel war. Credit: REUTERS/Louisa GouliamakiThe Foreign Ministry recommends Israelis in Greece conceal Israeli and Jewish symbols and avoid posting their real-time locations on social media.Read the full articleReport: Iraqi forces arrest armed cell with links to IranIraqi security forces in Babil Province arrested an armed cell with links to Iran that planned to carry out attacks outside the country, sources told Saudi-owned network Al Arabiya.An Iraqi government spokesperson said counter-terrorism and intelligence forces uncovered the cell. Drones and additional equipment were confiscated from the cell members, the spokesperson added.Neither side in a rush to apply Israel-Lebanon accord | AnalysisAn Israeli tank in the Lebanese village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, southern Lebanon, Wednesday. Credit: Mohammed Zaatari/APAn Israeli tank in the Lebanese village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, southern Lebanon, Wednesday. Credit: Mohammed Zaatari/APThe implementation of the agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon in June, which calls for the disarming of Hezbollah and the gradual withdrawal of the IDF from southern Lebanon, is expected to continue very slowly.Two areas were designated as pilots, with the Lebanese army slated to take over with the IDF's assent. So far, the Lebanese army has taken over only one of the two areas, the northern one. It has not yet occupied the southern area, which includes the villages of Froun and Ghandouriya, close to the Litani and Saluki rivers.The message the Lebanese have relayed in the talks with Israel, held in Rome and Washington, is that there is no rush. They estimate that it will take two more months until they can assume responsibility for other pilot areas.Israel is also in no hurry to implement the agreement. It is politically inconvenient for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to be identified with further withdrawals in the period before the Knesset election on October 27.In any case, the Trump administration is imposing substantial military restraint on aggressive moves by Israel in the Gaza Strip, and may demand that some withdrawal by IDF forces commence, in keeping with the international Board of Peace's 15-point plan.Read the full articleMossad officials say new spy chief Gofman's dismissals meant to serve NetanyahuPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad Chief Roman Gofman in June. Credit: Haim Tzach / GPOPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad Chief Roman Gofman in June. Credit: Haim Tzach / GPOA decision by Mossad chief Roman Gofman to dismiss two senior Mossad officials has led to an atmosphere of "unrest and derangement" in the agency, including senior and junior ones alike, sources familiar with decision making in the agency have told Haaretz.One of these sources said that "Gofman made a pusillanimous decision that was meant to serve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's interests ahead of the election." Another knowledgeable source said that the decision did not stem from political motives. "Every head of a security agency is permitted to place people he relies on in key positions."The decision to dismiss the two senior officials was made following the failed attempt to topple the Iranian regime. However, the source noted that Gofman himself was one of the key supporters of the plan to replace the regime in Iran when he served as Netanyahu's military secretary.According to this source, the head of Mossad decided on the dismissal now in order to allow Netanyahu to avoid taking any responsibility for the fact that the government in Tehran did not fall despite the war.Read the full articleSaudi Arabia says fire broke out at oil facility near Yemen borderA composite satellite image shows trail of smoke rising from an oil facility, in Jizan, Jazan province, Saudi Arabia, in July. Credit: European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-2/ReutersA composite satellite image shows trail of smoke rising from an oil facility, in Jizan, Jazan province, Saudi Arabia, in July. Credit: European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-2/ReutersSaudi Arabia said a fire broke out at an oil facility in the port city of Jizan, which the Iran-aligned Houthis targeted last month, without disclosing the cause of the incident."Industrial Security Firefighting Teams affiliated with Saudi Aramco extinguished a fire that broke out at dawn in one of the facilities belonging to the Saudi Aramco Refinery," the Saudi Energy Ministry said on X, adding that there were no injuries.Last month, the Yemen-based Houthis claimed military strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in Jizan, which lies on the Red Sea, as part of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. Following the strike, the international oil benchmark, broke above $100 a barrel for the first time since May 26.Turkish foreign minister says Egypt may join defense pact once technical matters sorted outTurkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Jordan earlier this month. Credit: Raad Adayleh/AP Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Jordan earlier this month. Credit: Raad Adayleh/AP Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Egypt may join the regional defense pact signed on Friday together with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia "once certain technical matters are sorted out.""Iran is not a target of the defense pact," Fidan added, "as long as they don't attack member countries." Fidan said the agreement is ‌technically the same as NATO's Article 5 mutual defense agreement, which stipulates that an armed attack against one member state is considered an attack against them all, and that efforts to finalize the pact had been underway for two years and eight months.Read the full articleRECAP: Iranian Hormuz Strait arrangement is irreversible, says Iranian military spokesmanHere are Saturday's latest updates:■ The security and maritime arrangement that Iran has established in the Strait of Hormuz is irreversible, and its armed forces are determined to fully maintain it, Iranian military spokesman Mohammad Akrami-Nia told the Fars news agency.■ As hundreds of protesters gather in Tel Aviv's Habima Square, former commander of the Tel Aviv police district and Border Police, David Tzur, called on the police commissioner and the head of the Shin Bet to safeguard the election.■ At least six Palestinians were wounded in settler attacks in the West Bank over the weekend, according to Palestinian media reports.■ A deal with Iran and Oman on control of the Strait of Hormuz is close but would not be enough to free up the waterway, Tehran said Saturday.■ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Israel's Finance Ministry to increase a proposed 13-year boost to the defense budget from 350 billion to 400 billion shekels ($117 to $133 billion), demanding the funds be allocated before the upcoming October election.In the NewsPharma Giant Teva Seeks to Hide Israel Ties From Jury in Price-fixing TrialIsrael Elections for Dummies: How to Read the PollsIsrael Warns Citizens in Greece to Lie Low Ahead of pro-Palestinian ProtestsReport: Pentagon Presses Arms Makers to Boost Production Amid Iran War ShortagesIsraelis Love Their Air Conditioning Almost as Much as They Love Iron DomeRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIsrael's Leading Philosopher on Manipulation, Morality and the Future of ZionismHow Israel's Elbit Armed the United Arab EmiratesIsrael Captured 230 Square Miles of Lebanon, Razed Villages and Built New BasesHow a Teen, Not a Journalist, Debunked Israel's Gaza 'Voluntary Emigration' Plan'I Saw Pictures of Dead Kids. In the Army They Told Us We Only Kill Terrorists'Former Mossad Chief Appointed to Lead U.S. Defense Technology Company