Why are Lebanese audiences watching the Israeli TV series Fauda — and does it point to changing attitudes towards Israel? Col. Dr Jacques Neriah from the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs joins Israel in Ten to explain why he remains sceptical about the prospects for peace. He argues that Hezbollah still holds enormous power, President Joseph Aoun is no Anwar Sadat — and that Lebanon’s geography and internal divisions remain major obstacles to any breakthrough with Israel.
Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted a Houthi drone heading towards restricted airspace over Mecca, in what Riyadh describes as the second attempted attack on Islam’s holiest city. The drone was destroyed south of Mecca on Tuesday night, with Saudi officials warning that the security of the Two Holy Mosques is a “red line.”
Amnesty International says Iran committed crimes against humanity during its crackdown on the 2022 protest movement, including murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearances. The rights group says Tehran used many of the same tactics against demonstrations earlier this year — on what it describes as an even wider and deadlier scale.
The Trump administration is preparing a 2.8-billion-dollar weapons package for Israel, including 40,000 two-thousand-pound bombs. The proposed sale would significantly strengthen Israel’s ability to strike hardened and underground targets. The Biden administration had previously paused one shipment of the bombs over concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz says a renewed full-scale war in Gaza is only a matter of time and that the IDF is ready to “finish the job” of dismantling Hamas once the order is given. Katz says that would also clear the way for what he describes as a voluntary migration plan for Gaza’s Palestinians.
And Israel’s culture minister is asking the Shin Bet to investigate the sources behind the controversial Gaza documentary NAZA, including whether sensitive security information was leaked and whether Hamas or other hostile actors were involved. Miki Zohar has also called for authorities to examine revoking the Israeli citizenship of directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor.
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