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 chief pulls troops on leave to West Bank after settlers take over Palestinian houseThe outpost in Qusra on Sunday.The outpost in Qusra on Sunday.The Israeli military said IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir held a meeting over a recent settler takeover of a Palestinian family's house and ordered to deploy more soldiers in the area.Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli forces withdrew from an outpost that settlers recently set up in the yard of a Palestinian family's home in Qusra, near Nablus in the northern West Bank. The settlers remain in the outpost, with the Palestinian family remaining besieged in the house.In its statement, the IDF said Zamir ordered to reinforce the forces currently deployed in the area with an additional battalion. The military added that its operation in the area "is being carried out through a joint effort" with the Israel Police and Shin Bet security service.IDF says it killed 'Hamas commander' in northern Gaza strikeThe Israeli military said it killed a Hamas militant in the northern Gaza Strip, saying he was a "commander" in the group.The military said it took steps to "mitigate harm to civilians," but didn't provide details on the extent of civilian casualties. The target of the strike was a terrorist who "planned to execute terror attacks against IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip," the military said in its statement.Police prepare to disperse Haredi demonstration as protesters block highwayThe Israel Police are preparing to disperse ultra-Orthodox demonstrators who blocked a major highway in central Israel and have ordered the protesters to leave voluntarily before officers use force.Shortly after the announcement, footage from the scene showed clashes at the demonstration.The ultra-Orthodox protest near Bnei Brak on Wednesday, shown in black. The blocked highway is shown in red.The ultra-Orthodox protest near Bnei Brak on Wednesday, shown in black. The blocked highway is shown in red.About 150 demonstrators are blocking Israel's Highway 4, a key north-to-south road that runs east of Tel Aviv, with police declaring the protest unlawful. According to the organizers, demonstrators arrived from Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Modi'in and Ashdod. The organizers added that protesters should avoid "any action against anyone or anything."Explaining the West Bank map: What are areas A, B, and C? | Haaretz Explains A sign warning against entry into Area A in the Jordan Valley in the West Bank. Credit: Gil EliyahuA sign warning against entry into Area A in the Jordan Valley in the West Bank. Credit: Gil EliyahuThe West Bank is consistently in the news, as settler violence against Palestinians persists unabated and Israeli settlements and outposts expand, including into areas that for decades were considered off-limits to Israeli housing.The system in the West Bank is confusing, and that's no accident. Its policies, laws and bodies of governance are derived from unimplemented aspects of the Oslo Accords, pre-1948 status quos and temporary fixes that became permanent realities.This explainer breaks down some of the key terms and systems used to describe the West Bank and Jewish settlement within it – starting with the ABCs: Areas A, B and C.Read the full articleTrump says U.S. will keep blockade, 'total control' of Strait of HormuzU.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz, adding, "I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!"In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump reiterated his remarks that Iran has "no Navy ... no Air Force" and "No Money," adding that Iran's inflation is increasing."Iran is all talk and no action, the Bully of the Middle East No Longer," Trump wrote. "Praise be to Allah!"Report: U.S. eyes international military committee to oversee Israel-Lebanon dealIsraeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, last month. Credit: Bar Peleg Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, last month. Credit: Bar Peleg The United States is considering forming a committee comprising military commanders from several countries to oversee the implementation of the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement, Al Hadath reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.The sources reportedly said that the Lebanese government remains committed to holding negotiations with Israel, denying reports that Beirut's former ambassador to Washington, Simon Karam, who heads Lebanon's negotiating delegation, has resigned.EU, 26 countries condemn Iran's executions of protestersProtests in Iran, in January. Credit: MAHSA / Middle East Images via AProtests in Iran, in January. Credit: MAHSA / Middle East Images via AThe EU ‌and 26 countries ⁠condemned Iran's executions ⁠of protesters in a joint statement, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel ‌Barrot said ‌on Wednesday.The countries called on Iran to listen to its people, take meaningful ⁠steps toward ensuring respect for ‌human ⁠rights, immediately end ‌use of the death penalty ⁠and release those arbitrarily detained.Report: U.S. tells embassies in Middle East to stay with low staff amid Iran warWashington asked U.S. embassies in the Middle East to prepare to continue operating with reduced staff, and displaced personnel are allowed to cut their assignments short as the Iran war is expected to continue, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.According to CNN, it remains unclear whether the plans for reduced operations will be implemented in all of Washington's embassies in the Middle East, but the U.S. State Department doesn't intend to return to normal staffing in the region in the near future.A State Department spokesperson reportedly said it does not discuss "internal deliberations or post-specific contingency planning," but added that the "safety and security of our personnel and their families remains the Department's top priority."IDF warns Palestinians not to approach Gaza Yellow Line: 'Hamas is deliberately pressuring you to approach'The Israeli military's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories told Palestinian in the Gaza Strip to avoid approaching the Yellow Line. In a post on Facebook, COGAT said approaching the line that demarcates the Israeli line of control in Gaza was "absolutely forbidden." "We are hearing that Hamas is deliberately pressuring you to approach the Yellow Line, while completely disregarding the danger to your lives," COGAT said. "Do not allow Hamas to push you into reckless actions that put your lives at risk and once again turn you into victims of its irresponsible actions."In July, Haaretz reported Israel had constructed a land barrier that extends hundreds of meters beyond the official line. In 2025, Haaretz reported the Yellow Line is not always clearly marked on the ground, and anyone who approaches the forbidden area is shot immediately, even when they are children. Gazans claim the Israeli-controlled area, marked by the so-called Yellow Line, changes without warning, moving west.RECAP: Iran, U.S. not discussing truce extension, senior official says; Israeli drone strike wounds several in Tyre Here are Wednesday's latest updates:■ There were no ‌discussions between Iran and the United States to extend ‌their cease-fire because, from Tehran's perspective, the deal had no start ⁠date and therefore had nothing to extend, a senior Iranian source ⁠told Reuters. ■ Israeli forces withdrew from a West Bank settler outpost established in the yard of a Palestinian family's home, after settlers clashed with soldiers trying to evacuate the outpost. The settlers remain in the outpost.■ ‌Four ‌drones hit ⁠three ⁠Iranian Kurdish opposition camps near Erbil ‌in Iraq, with no casualties ⁠reported, security sources ‌told Reuters.■ Several people were wounded after an Israeli drone struck a religious gathering in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Lebanon's official National News Agency reported.■ Israeli forces struck a school building overnight in the southern Lebanese village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, the NNA reported.■ Residents of southern Lebanon and civil defense officials said the Israeli military is igniting brushfires in the area, The Guardian reported.■ A 44-year-old Ramat Gan man has been charged with allegedly smashing the entrance doors of Haaretz in July, prosecutors said.In the NewsFamilies of Israel-backed Lebanese Militia Members Can Now Return to LebanonSwedish Left Party Faces Scrutiny Over Support Letters to Palestinian TerroristsIDF: Remains of Israeli Soldier Killed in 1948 Located in Haifa CemeteryColombia Faces Middle East Backlash Over Golan Heights RecognitionIsraelis Don't Dance to Forget What They've Committed. Sometimes They Just DanceRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMI50 Years Ago, a Young Israeli Was Crowned the Most Beautiful Woman in the WorldIsrael's Leading Philosopher on Manipulation, Morality and the Future of ZionismWho Is Rebeca Grynspan, the Jewish Frontrunner to Become the Next UN Chief?How 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'Israel Elections: How to Actually Read the Polls