LiveLive Updates August 12, 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 12, 2026UpdatesIDF clashes with settlers at West Bank outpost established in Palestinian family's yardIsraeli forces are clashing with settlers as they attempt to evacuate an outpost established in the yard of a Palestinian family's home near the West Bank city of Nablus, three days after the settlers arrived.Israeli settlers in the West Bank's Qusra, Tuesday. Use under Section 27A of the Copyright LawSeveral senior officers arrived at the scene, including Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, in the Palestinian village of Qusra. According to a local resident, two military vehicles arrived in the area overnight and patrolled the vicinity, but no evacuation of the settlers was carried out.Additional settlers arrived after news spread of the attempted evacuation and are clashing with Israeli forces. The soldiers used riot-control measures to disperse the protesters. The area was declared a closed military zone.17 minutes agoIsraeli envoy tells UN West Bank settlements 'are not temporary, not an obstacle to peace' Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said Tuesday that Israeli settlements in the West Bank were not an obstacle to peace, describing them as "strong, beautiful communities."Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon in 2024. Credit: Noam Revkin-FentonIsrael's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon in 2024.Credit: Noam Revkin-FentonSpeaking at a UN Security Council meeting on escalating violence in the West Bank, Danon said the settlements were not temporary outposts. "The Security Council needs to understand one simple truth: We are not going anywhere," he said. The European Council requested the meeting, the UN said. Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN's Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the council the West Bank was "at the breaking point," saying that settler violence has reached unprecedented levels, with more than 1,430 incidents documented by the UN in 2026. "The situation in the West Bank must be treated as an emergency requiring urgent action," Alakbarov said. The United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York in 2024. Credit: Angela Weiss/AFPThe United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York in 2024. Credit: Angela Weiss/AFPAccording to Alakbarov, settler attacks are increasingly reported in Area B and Area A, while 3,800 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler actions. Under the Oslo Accords, Area B is subject to Palestinian civil jurisdiction and Israeli security control, while Area A is under full Palestinian civil and security control. The World Health Organization told the council there had been 98 Israeli attacks on Palestinian healthcare facilities in 2026, 37 of which were documented in July alone. Danon told the council the majority of attacks in the West Bank were the result of Palestinian terrorism, citing 348 attacks in May and 325 attacks in April. Danon said the council was biased, focusing "on one side of the violence" while ignoring the other. "When it comes to Israelis, the council casts a stain on an entire community. When Palestinians carry out attacks, it refers only to the individual terrorists themselves," he said. The Palestinian representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said Israel was "seizing maximum Palestinian land with minimum Palestinians." Mansour said Israel was responsible for creating the conditions for violence, and said the Palestinian Authority was essential to maintaining a Palestinian presence in the West Bank. Trump says advisers wanted him off Air Force One in Turkey due to Iranian threatTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump upon his arrival on the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8 Air Force One at Etimesgut Air Base near Ankara, July. Credit: AFP/SAUL LOEBTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump upon his arrival on the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8 Air Force One at Etimesgut Air Base near Ankara, July. Credit: AFP/SAUL LOEBU.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he slipped away from Air Force One after a recent summit in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a "different plane" due to a threat."I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane," Trump said of sneaking off the presidential plane.His comments confirmed a report that first appeared in The Washington Post on Monday saying that Trump stowed away in an airport catering container to slip into another plane while Air Force One - filled with White House officials, security and support staff, and reporters - was sent into the sky out of Turkey, essentially as a decoy, just in case Iran made good on a credible threat of an attack."I just have to do what they say," Trump told reporters after a trip to Ohio.The president also said that the plane he flew on was "at greater risk.""I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk," Trump told reporters after The Washington Post broke the story. "I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for."Trump also told reporters the U.S. still controls the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran doesn't control the strategic waterway. "We own it, and at some point, maybe they'll do something, and then they get blown away," Trump said. "Right now, we're in a very good position."IDF condemns settler outpost in Palestinian family's yard, but won't dismantle itA newly established settler outpost in a Palestinian house's yard in Qusra, near Nablus in the northern West Bank.A newly established settler outpost in a Palestinian house's yard in Qusra, near Nablus in the northern West Bank.The Israeli army condemned settlers who established an outpost in the yard of a Palestinian family in the West Bank village of Qusra near Nablus, but has not removed them from the site."This is illegal, reprehensible and unacceptable activity that harms village residents and their way of life," the IDF said. "The IDF strongly condemns such incidents."The military said all those involved would be dealt with in coordination with security forces, adding that any reservists or regular soldiers found to have participated would face disciplinary action.4 hours agoU.S. says it disabled ship trying to reach Iran, fired two missilesU.S. Central Command said Tuesday that its forces disabled the Panama-flagged Vela Nova after it attempted to sail toward an Iranian port in violation of the U.S. blockade.CENTCOM said an MH-60 Navy helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship's engine room after its civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from U.S. forces, disabling its steering gear. Earlier today, CENTCOM forces disabled the steering gear of Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova as the cargo vessel attempted to transit the Gulf of Oman and violate the U.S. blockade against Iran by sailing toward an Iranian port.