The IDF Spokesperson announced that a short time ago, gunfire was detected targeting Israeli forces operating in the security zone in southern Syria. In response, troops returned fire and launched mortar strikes in the area. An attack helicopter also struck an open area to support the ground forces.
No casualties reported on the Israeli side. The IDF said it will continue operating in the area and removing any threat.
The threat to cancel some 100,000 flight tickets has been lifted, the security situation has calmed, and Terminal 1 is set to reopen as early as Wednesday. These three developments mark the continued recovery of Israel’s aviation sector—and appear to be strengthening foreign carriers’ willingness to expand operations in the country.
As we first reported about a month ago, low-cost carrier Wizz Air hasn’t abandoned its plan to establish an operational base in Israel, despite months of uncertainty. Now, following recent developments, talks between the sides are continuing, and the company is still evaluating the move.
Meanwhile, flydubai is also advancing contacts with Israel. The carrier recently increased its operations to 10 weekly flights to Israel and is now in advanced negotiations to establish its first operational base in the country.
Among the issues being examined as part of the talks is the possibility of operating direct flights to Europe from Ramon Airport in Eilat—a move that could expand flight options from southern Israel and turn Ramon into an additional gateway for Israelis.
As Transportation Minister Miri Regev said, no single company has a “reserved spot” to be the first to establish an operational base in Israel. According to her, any airline that seeks to do so will be evaluated based on professional considerations.
At the same time, Etihad Airways is also conducting talks with Israeli authorities, including around the possibility of operating a direct route between Tel Aviv and New York, without a stopover in the United Arab Emirates—a move that could be a significant development for passengers.
Overall, Ben Gurion Airport appears to be gradually recovering and returning to the activity patterns that characterized it before the war. The increase in flights and passengers, the return of foreign airlines, the reopening of Terminal 1, and the advanced negotiations with international carriers on establishing operational bases in Israel all point to a recovery trend in the sector and an attempt to restore Israel to the international aviation map.
Israeli forces from the Golani Brigade Combat Team eliminated last night (between Saturday and Sunday) in the Dir Siryan area in southern Lebanon, the terrorist who led to the downfall of the late Captain David Hazut a few hours earlier. The elimination was carried out after the forces launched extensive searches following a serious encounter that occurred while locating a suspect in the area, and located the Hezbollah man hiding in a building near the battle point.
The incident began when the fighters of the Golani Brigade Combat Team were operating in a built-up and complex area in the village of Dir Siryan in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon. During the forces’ entry to locate buildings suspected of being forward positions of the terrorist organization, the fighters encountered an armed Hezbollah terrorist who opened fire at them from close range.
As a result of the immediate exchange of fire, the late Captain David Hazut, a team commander in the force, was injured and fell in battle. Another fighter from the combat team was slightly injured and was evacuated for medical treatment. Immediately after the initial exchange of fire, the terrorist took advantage of the terrain conditions and darkness to escape from the direct encounter point.
The sector commanders sent in additional forces and ordered a cordon and aggressive searches of the area to prevent the terrorist from escaping deep into Lebanese territory. After a lengthy operational activity, Golani fighters identified the attacker as he was barricading himself in one of the buildings near the original point of contact. The forces opened fire on the building and killed the terrorist.
Israeli forces conducted a targeted operation last night (Saturday) in the Balata terror camp in Judea and Samaria, thwarting a terror attack that was set to be carried out imminently. In the joint operation by fighters from the Gideon Unit 33 of the Menashe 433 Brigade, the Shin Bet, and led by the Samaria Brigade, forces arrested a senior Tanzim operative and weapons dealer who was planning to carry out a major attack against civilians and security forces.
According to precise intelligence received by the Shin Bet, the suspect—considered an especially sensitive target who had previously managed to escape several arrest attempts by Israeli forces—had returned to his home in the refugee camp. Once intelligence indicated his presence in the building, forces quickly prepared for a targeted operation and raided the structure where he was hiding. The soldiers carried out a swift and professional takeover of the house and arrested the suspect without resistance.
The arrested suspect was immediately transferred for further interrogation by the Shin Bet, where investigators will attempt to extract additional details about the terror infrastructure in which he operated and the weapons he trafficked. The Israel Police, IDF Spokesperson, and Shin Bet Spokesperson said security forces will continue to operate with determination and all means against terror operatives, weapons dealers, and any element endangering public security, while combining advanced intelligence and operational capabilities.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of South Sudan, His Excellency Dr. James Pitia Morgan, visited the Western Wall plaza on Sunday for prayer, part of a political visit to Israel. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites, received the minister alongside Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, CEO of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
The two walked him through the history of the site and its meaning to the Jewish people as a remnant of the Holy Temple, a focal point of prayer and longing across generations. They thanked him for the friendship between South Sudan and Israel and for his country’s support.
Morgan spoke about his own background during the visit. “I was born and raised in a Christian family, and all our lives we learned from the Bible about the history of the Jewish people, about the suffering it went through, but also about its great victories,” he said. “We learned that God’s promise to the Jewish people is eternal. He has never abandoned you, and continues to stand by your side to this very day.”
The minister urged perseverance through hardship. “Even in moments of difficulty, one must not lose hope. You are a blessed and chosen people, and Jerusalem is the house of God,” he said. He described the shared history of the two faiths, from the Exodus to the present, as a reminder that the Jewish people endure and prevail.
Rabinowitz and Morgan recited a chapter of Psalms together along with a prayer for the peace of nations and peoples. The minister then placed a note between the stones of the Wall.
Morgan signed the guest book before leaving. “I am happy to be here today together with all the members of my delegation from South Sudan,” he wrote. “We, in South Sudan, stand in solidarity with the Jewish people and with the State of Israel. We will always pray for peace, for love and for the prosperity of this Holy Land.”
The State Attorney’s Office filed a sweeping indictment today Sunday in the Central District Court against Be’er Ya’akov Deputy Mayor Noam Sasson and six others—including businessmen, contractors, and private companies. The indictment, filed by attorney Elchanan Dreyfus of the Central District Prosecutor’s Office, charges the defendants with public corruption, breach of trust, and tax offenses.
According to the indictment, Sasson—who during the relevant period served as deputy mayor, held the engineering portfolio, and chaired the municipal tender committee—allegedly exploited his public position to advance the economic interests of friends and associates. The central affair involves summer renovations at Be’er Ya’akov educational institutions in 2019, worth millions of shekels. Prosecutors say Sasson operated under severe conflicts of interest to benefit his friend Giora Shabtai, using his position and municipal connections to advance contracts executed through fraud via contractors and straw men.
Shabtai and others allegedly received renovation work through a mechanism of fictitious agreements that concealed the true identities of those performing the work. The indictment alleges that hundreds of thousands of shekels changed hands through methods designed to disguise the source of the money and the identities of its beneficiaries. Sasson himself allegedly promoted payment approvals and work orders for those involved in the scheme, and even asked them to perform certain work for him as a “donation.”
Another charge accuses Sasson of interfering in a tender for roof waterproofing work at Be’er Ya’akov kindergartens. According to prosecutors, Sasson acted on behalf of a childhood friend, passed him inside information about competing bids, and even tried to delay procurement committee meetings until his associates could submit a lower bid. Ultimately, prosecutors say, the bid he promoted won the contract.
The most financially serious affair involves the municipality’s transportation tender, estimated at over 20 million shekels. According to the indictment, Sasson and his business partner Eliyahu Dahan falsely represented that they had dissolved their business partnership after the conflict-of-interest committee ruled that the existence of a business relationship barred the company from participating in the tender. Despite official declarations, prosecutors allege the two continued doing business together behind the scenes and even acted jointly to purchase additional real estate assets. The transportation company subsequently won a contract under which it received over 20.2 million shekels from the municipality between 2020 and 2022.
The indictment also includes charges of witness intimidation and harassment. Prosecutors allege that during the investigation, Sasson came to the municipal building, confronted the city engineer, yelled at her over her testimony to police, cursed her, and threatened to work toward ending her employment.
Additionally, the indictment charges Giora Shabtai with tax offenses for allegedly concealing income of approximately 4.5 million shekels over eight years, and contractor Erez Medina for allegedly failing to report income from property rentals totaling over one million shekels.
The investigation was conducted by the National Fraud Investigation Unit at Lahav 433. As part of the indictment, the state is also seeking to confiscate assets and funds worth millions of shekels that it says are connected to the money laundering offenses attributed to the defendants.
Fourteen firefighting crews are working on the ground alongside four firefighting aircraft from the Elad Squadron in an effort to contain a massive wildfire that broke out in open terrain near Tayibe, Samaria.
The main focus is on protecting the residential line in the community of Sal’it to prevent the fire from reaching populated areas.
Firefighters continue operating from the ground and air until they gain control of the incident.
Cpt. David Hazutt Z”L is the soldier who was killed overnight Saturday into Sunday in combat in southern Lebanon. The incident occurred around 2:00 AM, when a Golani brigade combat team operating in the Dir Siryan area encountered a Hezbollah terrorist. During the encounter, the terrorist opened fire on the force.
Cpt. Hazutt Z”L was hit by gunfire and killed on the spot. Another soldier was lightly wounded in the incident and was taken for medical treatment at a hospital. The soldiers returned fire at the terrorist, who was not eliminated at the scene, and the IDF subsequently struck the area with artillery.
Cpt. Hazutt Z”L, 21 at his death, grew up in Ashkelon. Family and friends affectionately called him “King David.” His aunt, Moran, eulogized him this morning: “Unfortunately under these circumstances we get to tell about David, but our David—his name says it all, King David is what we called him in the family and friends too. Salt of the earth.”
Moran shared David’s wrenching story, which led him to meaningful combat service: “A boy who lost his father at 16 when his dad suffered a heart attack next to him and died. This boy chose and knew exactly where he wanted to get to and wanted to enlist in the IDF.”
Despite being his mother’s only son, left with only his sister, he insisted on serving as a combat soldier: “Even though his mother didn’t want it, she signed for him to be a combat soldier like he wanted, and he did so much.”
Mayor Tomer Glam eulogized him: “The city of Ashkelon bows its head and grieves over the fall of Cpt. David Hazutt Z”L, a city resident, platoon commander in the 12th Battalion of the Golani Brigade, who fell in battle defending the homeland. David Z”L left behind a mother and sister and a heartbroken family. The Ashkelon municipality will accompany the family in its difficult hour and provide all necessary assistance.”
The funeral of Captain David Hazutt will be held today, Sunday, at 5:00 PM in the military section of the Givat Zion cemetery in Ashkelon.
A violent attack occurred this morning (Sunday) in eastern Gush Etzion when a shepherd from Givat Mekane Avraham was assaulted while grazing his flock. The shepherd reported that about ten Arabs from the village of Rashiida, armed with clubs and stones, began surrounding him.
Residents who arrived at the scene found the shepherd lying on the ground with the attackers standing over him. During the rescue attempt, the assailants began hurling stones at the residents to prevent them from reaching the wounded man. After a struggle, the residents managed to extract the shepherd from the area, and the Arab terrorists fled back to the village.
During his rescue by Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, the shepherd regained consciousness. In total, three wounded people suffering from injuries were taken for medical treatment—the shepherd and two teens who were hurt—to Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
Residents of the community noted this is a recurring incident, as the same shepherd was seriously wounded in the head in a similar attack about a year ago. At that time, two suspects were arrested but released after just a few days.
IDF and police forces were called to the scene and began collecting evidence and searching for the suspects. A police spokesperson said the incident involved “violent friction and stone-throwing that led to the injury of three Israeli shepherds.” The statement added that police view cases of violence and causing harm with severity, and that forces are operating in the area to locate the suspects, investigate them, and bring them to justice.
More than 30 years in Israel’s security establishment didn’t prepare Chief Superintendent Moshe Pinchi, commander of the Judea and Samaria Police District, for the moment he’d have to sit before cameras and reveal the existential threats facing his region. In an exclusive interview airing this week on the Hebrew program, The Sector, Pinchi—who served as head of the Israel Police Spokesperson’s Unit during the October 7 massacre—is breaking his silence with a troubling assessment, though one filled with praise for Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.
• The October 7 Threat from Judea and Samaria: Pinchi doesn’t sugarcoat reality, openly warning of a similar nightmare scenario erupting from terror villages in Judea and Samaria. “It can happen, and not on the scale we were prepared for in the past,” he said. The district commander made clear that police and security forces are preparing for extreme scenarios at far higher intensity than previously imagined.
• The Aerial Threat: During the interview, I raised the question of the drone threat and explosive devices in Judea and Samaria—an issue that has become a weapon of choice for local terror organizations trying to copy terrorist methods from Gaza and Lebanon.
• The Governance Question: When will the illegal terror outpost of Khan al-Ahmar finally be evacuated? Pinchi addressed the political and security sensitivities surrounding the site.
• Salute to Pioneering Residents: Despite the challenges, the district commander explained why every other police chief in Israel can only envy his region. “The residents of Judea and Samaria are pioneers, the salt of the earth, and the national resilience they demonstrate is the anchor for all of us.”
Samaria Governor Yossi Dagan commented on the interview, “An important exposé by Eliya Aviv. It’s good and right that the Judea and Samaria District of the Israel Police is acting decisively against the severe threat that my colleagues and I have been warning about extensively—a scenario of terrorists infiltrating the center of the country. The Palestinian Authority is a full-fledged terror body, and many within it have never hidden their desire to carry out, alongside Hamas, a second October 7th—from Judea and Samaria to the Gush Dan cities. The State of Israel must root this out. We should support National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Judea and Samaria District Commander Chief Superintendent Moshe Pinchi, and all the fighters and police officers of the district.”
Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “As Commander Moshe Pinchi said in an interview with Elia Aviv, an October 7th scenario in Judea and Samaria is a real scenario that the terrorist organizations are preparing for every day, and we must prepare for it with all seriousness. Alongside the preparation of the security forces, there is also the need to strengthen Jewish residence in the heartland as a critical step to stop the next massacre in Judea and Samaria. For this reason, we have approved over 100 communities at strategic points, promoted the regulation and development of farms, and brought in huge budgets for paving roads and highways in the heartland. In the face of this revolution is an Eisenkot government, which would reverse these achievements and establish a terrorist state in the heart of the State of Israel. We must not let this happen! Together, we will continue to be prepared for any scenario, and maintain the security belt of the State of Israel.
Head of the Binyamin Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, Israel Gantz commented, “It is good that a senior Israel Police official says in an interview with Eliya Aviv in a clear voice what we have been warning about for years: A scenario of a broad attack from Judea and Samaria is a real threat that must be prepared for. Opposite the center of the country stands an army of about 50,000 Palestinian Authority soldiers – a corrupt authority that encourages terrorism and operates under Iranian influence. The heartland is the protective wall of the State of Israel, and strengthening it is a security interest of the highest order.”