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, 2026UpdatesFamilies move into homes in new West Bank settlement; ministers, MKs to attend official ceremonyFamilies have begun moving into homes in the new Israeli settlement of Emek Dotan in the northern West Bank, where an official ceremony is slated to take place on Sunday.Participating in the ceremony will be Education Minister Yoav Kisch; Zeev Elkin, who is a minister in the Finance Ministry; Likud lawmakers Keti Shutrit, Boaz Bismuth and Nissim Vaturi and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.Emek Dotan is the fifth Israeli settlement built in the Samaria Regional Council in less than a year.RECAP: Houthis say they struck Saudi oil refinery; Iraq reportedly arrests Iran-linked armed cellHere are Sunday's latest updates:■ 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."■ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there would be no negotiations with the United States as long as it continues to violate the interim deal, Mehr News reported. He added that there are no talks ongoing, only exchanges of messages via intermediaries, the report said.■ Saudi 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. The Houthis said they attacked Saudi Aramco's refinery in the area.■ Iraqi 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.■ The Pentagon is pressing the U.S. defense industry to rapidly ramp up production and delivery of weapons, including munitions in severe shortage amid the war with Iran, according to a Department of Defense memo obtained by The Washington Post.■ Israel's Foreign Ministry issued a warning to Israelis in Greece, advising them to play down displays of Israeli or Jewish identity, ahead of large pro-Palestinian protests that are planned across the country on Sunday.■ A 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.■ Israeli artillery fire hit the northeastern area of Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian media reported.■ Former Yesh Atid lawmaker Yoav Segalovitz has resigned from the Knesset amid advanced talks to join Mansour Abbas' United Arab List.Iran's foreign minister says no talks with U.S. as long as interim deal violations continue⁠Iran ‌and the United States are ‌not engaged in talks and ⁠Tehran will not start ⁠them as long as Washington breaches an interim deal signed in June, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, adding ‌that messages are being exchanged via intermediaries.Araghchi repeated Iran's position that an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz between Tehran and Muscat was in the "final stages" ⁠but would not reopen the strategic waterway. In ‌comments reported by ⁠Mehr news agency, ‌he said the agreement would set out the new shipping ⁠lanes to be used once the United States fulfills other conditions and the ‌Strait is reopened to traffic.Former Yesh Atid lawmaker Yoav Segalovitz quits Knesset amid talks to join United Arab ListFormer Yesh Atid lawmaker Yoav Segalovitz has resigned from the Knesset amid advanced talks to join Mansour Abbas' United Arab List.Yoav Segalovitz, a former deputy minister and Yesh Atid lawmaker, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, last year. Credit: Noam Moskowitz/Knesset Press OfficeYoav Segalovitz, a former deputy minister and Yesh Atid lawmaker, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, last year. Credit: Noam Moskowitz/Knesset Press OfficeSegalovitz's resignation from the Knesset comes after he informed Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid on Thursday that he was leaving the centrist opposition party. Taking his Knesset seat for Yesh Atid will be Michal Slawny Cababia.A source close to Segalovitz in Israel's Arab community told Haaretz last week that the former deputy minister is expected to be placed second on the party's slate, after Abbas, and serve as its candidate for national security minister. According to the source, Segalovitz would also become the party's Jewish candidate as it seeks to build a bridge between Israel's Jewish and Arab communities.The United Arab List said no decision had been made regarding Segalovitz joining its slate.Report: Pentagon presses U.S. arms makers to boost production amid Iran war shortagesMunitions sit on trolleys as military personnel work on a B‑1B Lancer bomber at RAF Fairford airbase, which hosts United States Air Force personnel in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, earlier this month. Credit: Toby Melville/Reuters Munitions sit on trolleys as military personnel work on a B‑1B Lancer bomber at RAF Fairford airbase, which hosts United States Air Force personnel in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, earlier this month. Credit: Toby Melville/Reuters The Pentagon is pressing the U.S. defense industry to rapidly ramp up production and delivery of weapons, including munitions in severe shortage amid the war with Iran, according to a Department of Defense memo obtained by The Washington Post.According to the report, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg instructed manufacturers in a memo on Wednesday to submit, within 21 days, plans to shorten delivery timelines and increase production capacity for systems the department considers critical."Years-long development cycles are not acceptable," Feinberg wrote, adding that the United States must "dramatically accelerate" program timelines and expand its production capacity.Read the full articleIsraeli artillery fire reported in central Gaza refugee campIsraeli artillery fire hit the northeastern area of Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian media reported.A Palestinian man inspects the site of an Israeli strike at the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, July. Credit: AFP/EYAD BABAA Palestinian man inspects the site of an Israeli strike at the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, July. Credit: AFP/EYAD BABAIsrael 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 articleIn the NewsSephora to Reportedly Enter Israeli Market With Private-label StoresNetanyahu Rejects U.S. Gaza Plan, Says IDF Won't Withdraw Until Hamas DisarmsIsrael Elections: How to Actually Read the PollsIsrael to Divert Hundreds of Millions Earmarked for Tech Investment to DefenseMost Israelis Fear Upcoming Election Could Be Compromised, New Poll FindsRemembering 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. 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