KOENIG

Iran published on Monday an assassination list targeting senior Israeli political and security officials. Defense Minister Israel Katz responded on X with a direct threat to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warning the dictator to watch the skies when leaving his bunker.

"Iran publishes its list of senior political and security officials in Israel designated for elimination. I suggest to the Iranian dictator Khamenei that when he leaves his bunker, he should occasionally look up at the sky and listen carefully to any buzzing. [Operation] 'Red Wedding' participants are waiting for him there," Katz wrote on his X account.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will only pursue a deal with Hamas going forward that includes the release of all remaining hostages, with US President Donald Trump saying he agrees with the premier’s assessment that Hamas will not agree to a deal under the current circumstances, according to reports Monday.

“The prime minister would be willing to hold negotiations [for a deal] under conditions that we set for ending the war — and only if all the hostages were to be returned. Until then, we will not participate whatsoever in negotiations,” Channel 12 news quoted unnamed sources close to the premier as saying.

Netanyahu’s stance on whether to pursue a partial or comprehensive deal was unclear after the security cabinet decided Thursday to capture Gaza City, and the premier dodged multiple questions on the matter during a press conference Sunday. The network said it now appears he is siding with his top adviser, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who reportedly urged against any partial deals during Thursday’s security cabinet meeting.

The U.S. military is preparing to activate National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., as part of President Trump’s crackdown on street crime in the city, a Defense Department official said on Monday.

Mr. Trump had not approved any official deployment orders as of early Monday. But he is expected to announce at a news conference at the White House that up to several hundred District of Columbia National Guardsmen will be sent to support law enforcement officers in the capital, the Defense Department official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. No other details were available early Monday.

Australia will recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly annual general debate in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday.

Qatari Al Araby Al Jadeed Television Network reported that a delegation of Hamas leaders is set to travel to Egypt Monday to resume talks between Hamas and Egypt in efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and bring an end to the war in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump talked about Israeli plans to take “control of the remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza in order to bring about the end of the war, the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” per an Israeli readout of the Sunday call.

Netanyahu also thanked the U.S. president for the latter’s “steadfast support of Israel since the start of the war,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said.

At press time, the White House had yet to readout the meeting.

The IDF chief on Friday vowed to carry out “in the best possible way” Israel’s decision to conquer Gaza City, as Palestinian media and Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported at least 17 killed in the past day by Israeli bombing, starvation and being hit by airdropped aid packages.

At the same time, Arab mediators were said to be working on a deal to release all 50 remaining hostages from Gaza in one fell swoop in exchange for an end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip after talks for a partial deal hit an impasse last month.

The security cabinet earlier Friday voted to approve a proposal from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to conquer Gaza City.

A senior member of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle warned that multiple countries are mounting "titanic efforts" to undermine the upcoming summit between the Russian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet in Alaska on Aug. 15, though Trump’s announcement, made via a Truth Social post on Friday, offered few additional details about the summit. It is also unclear if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be invited to join the talks as the Kremlin's unprovoked war stretches into its fourth year.

"Undoubtedly, a number of countries interested in continuing the conflict will make titanic efforts to disrupt the planned meeting between President Putin and President Trump," wrote Russia's investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, in a Telegram post on Saturday, referencing the Kremlin's ongoing war in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday reiterated that Israel has no intention of occupying the Gaza Strip, saying the expansion of the war is aimed at destroying Hamas and freeing the local population from its regime of terror.

“We are not going to occupy Gaza—we are going to free Gaza from Hamas,” said Netanyahu.

“Gaza will be demilitarized, and a peaceful civilian administration will be established, one that is not the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, and not any other terrorist organization,” he continued. “This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future.”

U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, Trump said on Friday.

Trump made the highly anticipated announcement on social media after he said that the parties, including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, were close to a ceasefire deal that could resolve the three-and-a-half-year conflict, one that could require Ukraine to surrender significant territory.

Addressing reporters at the White House earlier on Friday, Trump suggested an agreement would involve some exchange of land.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuasserted that the IDF would only be expanding operations to demilitarize Hamas in a statement on X/Twitter on Friday. 

"We are not going to occupy Gaza - we are going to free Gaza from Hamas.

"Gaza will be demilitarized, and a peaceful civilian administration will be established, one that is not the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, and not any other terrorist organization. This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future."

US officials from both the Democratic and Republican parties have voiced either opposition or concern on Friday for Israel's planned operation to take over Gaza City. 

The Israeli security cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to take over the Palestinian city, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed early on Friday. 

Israel's Security Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to occupy Gaza City, Axios's Barak Ravid reported on X/Twitter on Friday morning, citing an unidentified Israeli official.

"The security cabinet approved the prime minister's proposal to defeat Hamas. The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones," Ravid later cited the Prime Minister's Office as saying.

Questioned about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s possible plans for a full military occupation of Gaza, President Donald Trump emphasized the American role in fostering stability across the region.

“We have stopped wars in the Middle East by stopping Iran from having a nuclear weapon … as soon as they start, we’ll be back,” he told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

Trump underscored that the broader pattern of conflict hinged on the Islamic Republic’s influence, describing Iran as the “perpetrator of hate” and suggesting that American actions had changed the security landscape: “I think it’s going to be a lot different in the coming years.”

U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Tuesday that Washington views the question of how Israel proceeds militarily in Gaza as being up to Jerusalem.

Asked by a reporter at the White House, “Would you support Israel … reoccupying all of Gaza as [has] been suggested by some Israeli officials?” the president claimed he was not familiar with such suggestions, adding, “I can’t really say. It will be up to Israel.”

Romania was forced to scramble F-16 jets after Russia carried out a strike just half a mile from the NATO nation's territory.

The country's Ministry of National Defense (MApN) confirmed in a post on X that Russia carried out a drone attack near its border.

"On the night of August 5-6, the Russian forces launched a massive drone attack on the civilian infrastructure in the Ismail area, Ukraine, in the vicinity of the border with Romania," Romania's defense ministry wrote in a post on X.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has directed the Lebanese Armed Forces to develop a comprehensive plan for consolidating all weapons under state control by the end of 2025. 

The announcement, made following a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, implies that Hezbollah and other armed factions would be required to disarm.

The cabinet was widely expected to announce a formal decision on the disarmament of Hezbollah during Tuesday's session.

Those who continue to back a Palestinian state have "directly assassinated the hostage deal and ceasefire," Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement at the UN on Tuesday.

"They gave Hamas free gifts. Let me be clear: These countries prolonged the war," he said.

Sa'ar discussed the recent videos released by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad of hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavsky.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a full-scale military occupation of Gaza without input from Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and told the latter to resign if he isn’t on board, the New York Post reported, citing an internal memo.

“The die is cast. We are going for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip,” a senior Israeli official stated, per Israeli media.

The IDF has repeatedly voiced opposition to a full military takeover, arguing it could take years to dismantle Hamas’s remaining infrastructure and could put the lives of the hostages at further risk.

The Trump administration said states and cities will not receive funding to prepare for natural disasters if they choose to boycott Israeli companies, according to an agency statement.

States must certify that they will not cut off “commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies” to receive the money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the agency’s terms for grantees.

The condition applies to at least $1.9 billion that states rely on to cover search and rescue equipment, emergency manager salaries, and backup power systems, among other expenses, according to 11 agency grant notices reviewed by Reuters.

Israel’s military operation in Syria “complicates matters” and is “not helpful,” according to Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey, special envoy to Syria and a close friend of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he said that Washington lacks a “common understanding” with the Jewish state on the right way to handle Syria, with the Trump administration aiming to guide Damascus to stability.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said special envoy Steve Witkoff may travel to Russia, potentially on Wednesday or Thursday, as he warned that he would impose sanctions if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine before Friday.

"There'll be sanctions, but they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions," Trump told reporters in New Jersey.

"They're wily characters and they're pretty good at avoiding sanctions, so we'll see what happens."

Israeli troops overnight Saturday completed an operation targeting weapons trafficking networks in the Hader area of southern Syria, questioning several suspects on site.

Acting on prior intelligence and an in-depth field investigation, Israel Defense Forces soldiers simultaneously raided four locations, uncovering a cache of weapons.

Troops from the IDF’s 210th Division remain deployed in the area to prevent the entrenchment of terrorist elements in Syria, with the stated goal of protecting Israeli civilians—particularly residents of the Golan Heights.