Channel 14 News Israel

Category: Israel

  • Iran Appoints New Chief of Secret Unit Targeting Israel and US

    Iran Appoints New Chief of Secret Unit Targeting Israel and US

    Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reportedly appointed a new commander to its notorious Unit 840, the covert Quds Force organization linked to assassination plots targeting Israelis, American officials and opponents of the Iranian regime around the world. The unit has also been renamed Unit 600 following the exposure of its organizational structure and operatives.

    Quds Force terrorists | Photo: Shutterstock

    According to a Tuesday report by the anti-regime outlet Iran International, Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani recently appointed 64-year-old Mojtaba Haq-Lesan to lead the organization. Haq-Lesan previously served as the unit’s intelligence chief. His predecessor, Yazdan Mir, also known by the alias “Haj Asghar Bagheri,” was killed in May during a strike attributed to Israel. Two sources close to the Quds Force told Iran International that the IRGC decided to rename Unit 840 after details of its command structure and personnel became public. According to those sources, the change was intended to allow the organization to continue operating under a new administrative framework.

    IDF illustration of Unit 840’s structure | Image: IDF

    Sources cited by Iran International claimed that the appointment of veteran personnel reflects a leadership crisis within the Quds Force following the killing or exposure of senior commanders. According to the report, doubts have also emerged within the organization over whether the IRGC can continue operating the unit effectively. Unit 840 was reportedly established during the first half of the 2010s on the orders of Qassem Soleimani, then commander of the Quds Force. It emerged from Unit 400, a special operations organization that maintained close ties with Hezbollah.

    Qasem Soleimani. Photo: Arab networks.

    Over the years, Unit 840 has been linked to plots against senior American officials, Israeli citizens and opponents of the Iranian regime.
    In 2022, the US Department of Justice announced that an IRGC member had plotted to assassinate John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump. According to the report, the operation was directed by Mohammad-Reza Ansari, now identified as Unit 600’s deputy commander. Additional reports described foiled assassination plots targeting former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and two Israeli businessmen.

    Quds terrorists | Photo: Shutterstock

    The organization also allegedly recruited criminals, drug smugglers and local organized crime networks to carry out operations across Europe and the Middle East. Among the reported plots were attempts to attack Jewish and Israeli targets in Germany, Sweden and Denmark, as well as a plan to target two Iran International journalists in Britain. The reported restructuring suggests that despite repeated intelligence exposures and operations against its personnel, the Quds Force is seeking to maintain its overseas covert capabilities under a new name and leadership.

  • Netanyahu Marks One Year Since All Hostages Returned Home

    Netanyahu Marks One Year Since All Hostages Returned Home

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a special message on social media today (Wednesday), marking one year since all hostages, both living and deceased, were returned to Israel. Netanyahu emphasized the magnitude of the achievement, which was accomplished despite widespread doubts throughout the process.

    Photo: Arik Marmor, Flash90

    In his message, the prime minister wrote: “Yesterday we marked one year since the release of all our hostages, the living and the deceased alike.” He stressed that many did not believe Israel would succeed in achieving the goal, which at the time seemed absolutely impossible to accomplish.

    Nevertheless, Netanyahu made clear that his government believed it was possible to bring them all back. “Many did not believe we would achieve this goal—but we believed,” he wrote. He concluded by attributing the historic success to the fighters: “With the courage and resourcefulness of our soldiers, we achieved the goal. We brought them all home.”

  • Israel Approves $300 Million for 12 Apache Attack Helicopters

    Israel Approves $300 Million for 12 Apache Attack Helicopters

    The Israeli government has approved an emergency allocation of approximately NIS 1 billion ($300 million) to advance the purchase of 12 American-made Apache attack helicopters, marking a significant step toward strengthening the Israeli Air Force’s combat capabilities.

    IDF Forces | Photo: IDF

    The decision follows weeks of budget disputes between the Defense and Finance ministries that threatened to derail the roughly $1 billion acquisition from American aerospace giant Boeing. Israel had already missed a critical ordering deadline despite repeated extensions from Washington, raising concerns that delivery of the helicopters could be delayed for years. The purchase is part of the IDF’s efforts to strengthen its rapid-response capabilities following lessons learned from the October 7 massacre, when Israeli forces faced enormous challenges responding to simultaneous terrorist attacks across southern Israel.

    Apache Helicopter | Photo: U.S. Dept of War

    The AH-64E Apache Guardian, one of the world’s most advanced attack helicopters, is equipped with sophisticated targeting systems, powerful sensors, a 30mm automatic cannon and the ability to launch Hellfire missiles. Its advanced technology also allows pilots to coordinate with unmanned aircraft, providing greater battlefield awareness and precision firepower. Israel has operated Apache helicopters for decades, using them to support ground troops, strike terrorist targets and respond to emerging threats.

    Apache Helicopters | Photo: DVIDS

    The addition of 12 newer-generation helicopters would significantly reinforce the Air Force’s ability to provide rapid, close-range aerial support during complex military operations. Although the emergency funding has now been approved, the acquisition still requires final authorization from the ministerial committee overseeing defense procurement before the deal can be completed.

  • Colombia Opens Embassy in Jerusalem After Leftist-Era Freeze

    Colombia Opens Embassy in Jerusalem After Leftist-Era Freeze

    Colombia’s embassy in Jerusalem opened Wednesday in a high-profile ceremony, capping a foreign policy reversal by President Abelardo de la Espriella. Colombia becomes the tenth country to operate an embassy in the capital. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and his Colombian counterpart Omar Bahía Escobar, who traveled to Israel specifically for the event, attended the ceremony. The opening comes about two months after its originally scheduled date of August 7, de la Espriella’s inauguration day.

    Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella | Photo: Shutterstock

    In an interview with The Jerusalem Post last week, Sa’ar said that when he took office, five embassies operated in Jerusalem, and with the Colombian embassy’s opening, the number will reach ten. Sa’ar also said Israel has reached agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo to open an 11th embassy in the city. Today’s opening is part of an understanding between Sa’ar, de la Espriella, and Bahía under which relations between the countries will be fully restored following their entry into office in August.

    During Sa’ar’s visit to Colombia for the new president’s inauguration, Colombia recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and agreed to withdraw from South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The countries also eliminated mutual visa requirements. The government approved the appointment of Vivian Eisen as Israel’s ambassador to Colombia.

    Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar | Photo: Shutterstock

    Former President Gustavo Petro unilaterally severed ties with Israel in May 2024 over the Gaza war and banned coal exports to Israel. Since June of that year, no ambassadors have served in either capital. During his tenure, Petro also advanced opening a Colombian embassy in ‘Palestine,’ but de la Espriella announced the cancellation of that move after his election.

  • Building Under Construction Collapses in Central Tel Aviv

    Building Under Construction Collapses in Central Tel Aviv

    A building under construction collapsed Wednesday morning on Nahalat Binyamin Street in Tel Aviv. Footage from the scene shows parts of the structure that gave way, large piles of debris, and concrete fragments and steel rebar scattered across the area. Rescue teams rushed to the site have pulled three people from the rubble so far, and searches are continuing amid fears of additional victims trapped inside.

    According to Israel Fire and Rescue Services, multiple reports of the building collapse came into the 102 emergency hotline around 9:40 a.m. Preliminary information indicates the building was unoccupied and under construction, and that those trapped at the site are likely construction workers.

  • Undercover Agent Busts Dozens of Drug Dealers Across Israel

    Undercover Agent Busts Dozens of Drug Dealers Across Israel

    A well-known criminal who spent ten months working as an undercover agent for Jerusalem’s Central Unit brought down dozens of suspects in dangerous drug trafficking operations across Israel. In the operation revealed Wednesday morning, police arrested 28 suspects and seized drugs, vehicles, and cash. The goal was to disrupt the supply chains feeding drugs into Jerusalem.

    Photo: Police spokeswoman

    The agent, who was well known among criminal elements, leveraged his reputation built over years to gain the trust of drug dealers and penetrate their inner circles. During his deployment, he conducted dozens of controlled buys under the direction of the undercover agents division in Jerusalem’s Central Unit, purchasing commercial quantities of cocaine, ecstasy, and other drugs worth a cumulative total of hundreds of thousands of shekels. The transactions were carried out with oversight from the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office, and the evidence collected during them was used to establish the suspicions against those involved. According to police, the operation was designed not only to incriminate the drug dealers but also to damage the connections between them and undermine trust within the trafficking networks.

    Photo: Police spokeswoman

    At dawn, as the covert operation concluded, large police forces raided the homes of suspects across the country. The operation involved officers from the Jerusalem District and other districts, Border Police fighters, National Guard personnel, and the canine unit. During the raids, police arrested 28 suspects and seized more than 100,000 shekels in cash, dangerous drugs, and 12 vehicles that allegedly were used to transport the drugs and conduct the transactions. Police intend to seek forfeiture of the vehicles later in the legal proceedings.

    At a ceremony revealing the agent this morning, Jerusalem District Commander Superintendent Avshalom Feld addressed the operation’s achievements and emphasized that the goal was to strike at the central figures funneling drugs into the capital and to undermine trust among criminals.

    Chief Avshalom Peled | Photography by Nati Shohat, Flash 90

    “The scourge of dangerous drugs poisons our youth, destroys families, and is a central crime generator that produces serious violent incidents and criminal conflicts in the streets,” Feld said. The district commander went on to explain that the operation was designed to create uncertainty among drug dealers about the identity of the people with whom they conduct transactions. “Not a single criminal in this field knows this morning whether the next deal is the one that will end his path and put him behind bars,” he declared. The arrested suspects are expected to be brought later today to hearings on extending their detention in court, while the investigation into them continues.

  • Permanent UAE Embassy Residence in Israel Gets Final Approval

    Permanent UAE Embassy Residence in Israel Gets Final Approval

    The Tel Aviv District Planning and Building Committee on Tuesday approved a plan to establish the United Arab Emirates’ permanent embassy compound in Israel, to be built at 9 Sapir Street in the commercial district of Herzliya Pituach.

    The project, designated as an initiative of major diplomatic and national importance, advances the foundation established by the 2020 Abraham Accords and the formal normalization of diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE. Currently, the Emirati embassy operates from temporary offices in Tel Aviv and Herzliya; the approved complex will serve as its permanent home.

    Signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords on the White House lawn | Photo: Flash90

    Under the approved plan, a complex rising to 15 stories will be constructed across approximately 2.5 dunams (0.62 acres), encompassing up to 15,000 square meters of total building area. Up to 20% of the building rights will be dedicated to residential quarters for the ambassador and senior diplomatic corps personnel on the building’s top floors. Additionally, the development framework includes a dedicated, secure access entrance to an underground parking facility, widening the right-of-way along Sapir Street, and developing public space with shade trees and upgraded pedestrian infrastructure.

    Ceremony of First UAE Embassy in Tel Aviv| Photo: Israeli Gov

    The Herzliya Municipality owns the plot designated for the embassy. As part of the arrangement, and in coordination with the Israel Land Authority (ILA), the municipality is transferring the parcel to the state to be leased long-term to the United Arab Emirates, in exchange for an alternative municipal lot in the Herzliya Marina district. Erez Ben Eliezer, Tel Aviv District Planner at the Planning Administration, emphasized that the project constitutes an “important and significant initiative for the city of Herzliya, the Tel Aviv District, and the State of Israel,” adding that stationing the embassy adjacent to the city’s high-tech and business hubs will directly foster deeper international ties and future commercial partnerships.

  • Anti-Semitic Messages Test Marine Le Pen’s Party

    Anti-Semitic Messages Test Marine Le Pen’s Party

    Jordan Bardella, president of France’s National Rally (Rassemblement National) and close political ally of Marine Le Pen, is facing allegations of making antisemitic and conspiracy-driven remarks attributed to him during his youth, according to a report by the Reuters news agency. The unfolding scandal threatens the party’s carefully managed public standing ahead of upcoming presidential elections and has ignited sharp internal friction within its ranks.

    Jordan Bardella | Photo: Shutterstock

    The storm erupted following a report by French investigative news site Mediapart, which published private exchanges attributed to the 31-year-old party leader containing alleged antisemitic remarks. Bardella has forcefully denied the allegations, calling the messages outright fabrications and announcing his intention to file defamation lawsuits against those who published them.

    At the center of the controversy are private communications from 2013 in which Bardella was allegedly documented voicing a series of harsh antisemitic tropes. Among other claims, the leaks alleged he wrote that Jews own all banks, that Jews seek to dominate other nations and establish a new world order led by Israel, and that he amplified conspiracy theories linking Israel’s Mossad to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Bardella firmly rejected the claims, saying the messages were fabricated.

    Marine Le Pen | Photo: Shutterstock

    The scandal confronts the National Rally with a profound test, arriving after more than a decade of calculated efforts by Marine Le Pen to distance the political party from the antisemitic stigma that historically attached to it. Bardella himself had previously visited Israel as part of the party’s broader push to project a definitive break from the legacy of party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, who was repeatedly convicted for antisemitic statements and Holocaust denial.

    Among Bardella’s vocal critics is Joseph Martin, a former National Rally candidate whose endorsement was rescinded in 2024 over suspected antisemitic posts. Although the party later ruled the post was not antisemitic and cleared him to run, it rejected his request to run under the party banner in subsequent elections. Martin is now demanding that Bardella be suspended from his leadership position pending an investigation into the allegations, mirroring the strict standard previously applied to others in the party.

  • ‘NAZA – The Real Story’ Creators Targeted by Daily Cyber Raids

    ‘NAZA – The Real Story’ Creators Targeted by Daily Cyber Raids

    Hagai Guttman, editor of “Israel This Morning” and co-creator of the documentary “NAZA – The Real Story,” addressed on Thursday the relentless efforts by hostile actors to take down the official website broadcasting the film: “We didn’t think for a moment that pro-‘Palestinians’ around the world would sit idly by and do nothing. We are experiencing over two million bot attack attempts against the site every single day.” According to Guttman, despite repeated deplatforming attempts, the streaming portal continues to operate normally.

    Photo: Courtesy of THE THREE musketeers

    Guttman noted that one of the primary tactics employed by anti-Israel activists involved filing fabricated reports to search engines: “They tried reporting us to Google claiming the website is a scam, which of course is completely false. We discovered through conversations monitored on X that activists were strategizing how to execute a coordinated takedown—one of which was petitioning Google to flag and delist the domain.”

    Turning to supporters worldwide, Guttman appealed to the Jewish diaspora to mobilize in defense of the platform: “Visit the site and confirm to Google that it is legitimate. We have entered this informational battlefield, and the ultimate objective is to defeat the lies.” The production, created jointly by Guttman, Roee Danino, and attorney Ariel Averbuch, went live barely two weeks ago and has already achieved massive international traction, surpassing 43 million views globally.

    The film creators | Photo: None / No credit

    The project was developed to deliver a factual rebuttal to the anti-Israel film “NAZA”, directed by Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra, which sparked intense international debate upon its release. The three Israeli creators embarked on an aggressive public diplomacy tour, receiving invitations for private and institutional screenings across the United States and Europe. Just last week, Tzipi Hotovely, Head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office, presented the trio with a special certificate of appreciation commemorating their pivotal contribution to Israel’s global advocacy efforts.

  • Israir Freezes Morocco Expansion After Fly Dubai Terror Flight

    Israir Freezes Morocco Expansion After Fly Dubai Terror Flight

    The repercussions of the security incident aboard a Flydubai flight continue to disrupt the Israeli aviation industry: Israeli carrier Israir announced Tuesday that it has decided to freeze its expansion plans for its route to Marrakesh, Morocco, while halting all ticket sales to the destination under newly issued security protocols.

    Photo: Israir

    According to the airline’s official statement, it has been preparing in recent months to expand flight operations on the Marrakesh route, planning to operate three weekly frequencies in the coming months. As part of its preparations to scale up flight frequencies, the company had been actively negotiating to lease an additional aircraft to support the increased operational capacity.

    However, in the wake of the Flydubai security incident and subsequent security directives from intelligence authorities, Israir decided to freeze the initiative at this stage, including terminating negotiations for the leased aircraft.

    ישראייר מטוס רחב גוף
    Photo: Israir

    Israir clarified that it is awaiting definitive security instructions from authorized state agencies and that it has halted all ticket sales to Marrakesh until the operational picture becomes clear. At this juncture, the carrier has not specified when ticket sales might resume, or whether and when the route expansion plan will be implemented. In its public statement, Israir reiterated that it will continue operating strictly in compliance with directives from national security authorities, placing the highest priority on the safety and security of passengers and flight crews.

    Previously, senior aviation industry executives warned of growing uncertainty surrounding the continuation of commercial flights to Morocco, following what they described as a newly identified threat profile detected by the Shin Bet (ISA) within the country. That assessment arrived barely two months after direct flights to Morocco were reinstated, making Israir’s latest operational development significant in this unfolding situation.