A resident of southern Israel has been charged with aiding an enemy in wartime over alleged involvement in smuggling goods into the Gaza Strip, according to an indictment filed by Israeli authorities.
The indictment alleges that Nasser Mustafa, a 34-year old resident of the southern Bedouin city of Rahat, worked in coordination with two reserve officers between April and June 2025 to transfer goods into Gaza by exploiting humanitarian aid logistics during military activity in the area.
A billboard in Rahat.Credit: Eliyahu Hershkovitz
A billboard in Rahat.Credit: Eliyahu Hershkovitz
According to prosecutors, the group allegedly used stalled aid convoys along transport routes to conceal and insert shipments – primarily cartons of cigarettes – into trucks carrying humanitarian supplies. Mustafa is accused of approaching the vehicles under the pretext of repairing faults, concealing the goods inside, which were then transported through border crossings to pre-arranged recipients in Gaza.
Prosecutors said the operation generated hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash for those involved, some of which was allegedly passed to the officers as bribes. They also said Mustafa was aware the goods would reach Hamas, which they said uses control over supply routes to tax goods and rebuild its financial and governing capacity during the war.
Alongside the charge of aiding the enemy, Mustafa is also charged with terror-related property offences, fraud under aggravated circumstances and bribery. The investigation was conducted jointly by Israel Police's Northern District unit, the Shin Bet security service and the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division.
Military officials said investigations involving the officers are ongoing.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has deleted a post on X in which he called Israel "a curse for humanity."
In the post, Asif wrote that as "peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon." He added that "innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated."
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's now deleted X post, from Thursday.Credit: XPakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's now deleted X post, from Thursday.Credit: X
He also wrote, "I hope and pray people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European jews [sic] burn in hell."
The post was later deleted.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office called the remarks "outrageous," saying, "This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace."
The Prime Minister's Office:
Pakistan Defence Minister’s call for Israel’s annihilation is outrageous. This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace.
Ukrainian military personnel shot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones in multiple Middle Eastern countries during the Iran war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing the operations as part of a broader effort to help partners counter the same weapons used by Russia in Ukraine.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday.Credit: Khalil Hamra/AP Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday.Credit: Khalil Hamra/AP
Zelenskyy made his first public acknowledgment of the operations on Wednesday in remarks to reporters that were embargoed until Friday.
He said Ukrainian forces took part in active operations abroad using domestically produced, battle-tested interceptor drones, saying the deployments were not a training mission or exercises but part of efforts to build a modern air defence system that can actually work.
He said the personnel operated across several countries but did not identify them, adding that 228 Ukrainian experts were deployed in the region.
Zelenskyy said the operations took place before a tentative ceasefire in the Middle East between Iran, the United States and Israel.
Parts of downed Shahed drones launched by Russia are piled in a storage room of a research laboratory in Kyiv, Ukraine, 2024.Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Parts of downed Shahed drones launched by Russia are piled in a storage room of a research laboratory in Kyiv, Ukraine, 2024.Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
He said Ukraine is receiving weapons to protect its energy infrastructure, along with oil, diesel and in some cases financial arrangements, as part of the cooperation.
He added that Ukraine is also receiving continued Western support for air defence, including Patriot missiles, with new deliveries arriving recently, and said coordination is ongoing to maintain Ukraine's air defence systems.
Zelenskyy warned that the coming spring and summer would be difficult for Ukraine, citing expected political and battlefield pressure as U.S. attention shifts toward domestic politics and elections.
An Israeli air strike on the town of Hanawya in southern Lebanon killed one person and wounded another, according to Lebanon's National News Agency report.
A man stands near a damaged building at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in Tallet El Khayat in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday.Credit: Raghed Waked/ReutersA man stands near a damaged building at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in Tallet El Khayat in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday.Credit: Raghed Waked/Reuters
The NNA also reported that the Israeli army blew up residential neighbourhoods in the town of Aita al-Shaab, southern Lebanon. Earlier reports by NNA said that Israeli warplanes were targeting the town of al-Majadel in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon.
An indictment has been filed against a 21-year-old Jerusalem resident over alleged contact with a person linked to Iranian intelligence and carrying out tasks in exchange for payment, the State Prosecutor's Office said.
According to the indictment filed with the Jerusalem District Court, Moshe Lachovich allegedly established contact with an individual identifying himself as "Michael" while searching for work, and was instructed to carry out tasks including photographing and documenting locations across Israel, including Jerusalem and Raanana. Payments were reportedly made in cryptocurrency worth several thousand dollars.
Prosecutors allege that after realizing the contact was connected to Iran, the suspect continued the relationship and carried out further tasks, including during Operation "With All His Might," which authorities say could assist intelligence-gathering activity.
The indictment also states that he drove without a valid driving licence.
He is charged with offences including contact with a foreign agent and transmitting information to an enemy, among other counts. Prosecutors are seeking to keep him in custody until the end of proceedings.
Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Israeli forces are continuing combat operations in southern Lebanon and are "not in a cease-fire" with Hezbollah, in a statement to IDF commanders in southern Lebanon on Thursday.
During a visit near Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, the chief of staff said, "The IDF continues to fight here in Lebanon in this sector and continues to remove the direct threat to the settlements." He added, "We are in a state of war, we are not in a cease-fire, we continue to fight here in this sector. This is our main combat sector."
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in the West Bank last month.Credit: IDF spokespersonIDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in the West Bank last month.Credit: IDF spokesperson
He also said Israel could return to fighting in Iran "at any moment, and in a very powerful way," despite the current cease-fire arrangement.
The IDF said operations are ongoing across southern Lebanon, with strikes and ground activity aimed at removing threats to Israeli border communities.
The chief of staff also said Israeli forces had struck targets in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, adding that Hezbollah was "in deep shock" and had dispersed from its usual strongholds in Beirut's Dahiyeh district.
He said Hezbollah was facing pressure across multiple fronts and claimed it was "isolated" due to reduced external support. He added that Israel is operating simultaneously in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon, and said the military's objective is to maintain a buffer between Hezbollah and Israeli communities near the border.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Britain must become more resilient in a "volatile and dangerous" global environment, arguing that international crises are increasingly feeding into domestic costs and instability.
Speaking on the ITV podcast Talking Politics, Starmer said he is "putting an end" to what he described as the situation where families across the U.K. see their bills "go up and down" because of actions by figures such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. According to the BBC, he linked fluctuations in household energy costs directly to global events and said he intends to reduce their impact on British families.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C) is welcomed at an airport at an undisclosed location in Bahrain on Thursday.Credit: AFP/ALASTAIR GRANTBritain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C) is welcomed at an airport at an undisclosed location in Bahrain on Thursday.Credit: AFP/ALASTAIR GRANT
Writing in The Guardian, Starmer said he is "thinking about the long-term, and remaking this country" so people are "not at the mercy of events abroad." He said Britain has been "buffeted by crises for nearly two decades," including the financial crash, Brexit and Covid, and criticised what he called a pattern of short-term crisis management.
He added that recent global shocks – including conflicts linked to Iran and tensions affecting shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz – should be treated as a turning point for policy.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to members of the aircrew before boarding a military plane, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday.Credit: Alastair Grant/REUTERSBritain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to members of the aircrew before boarding a military plane, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday.Credit: Alastair Grant/REUTERS
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the world is experiencing "instability and volatility" that is becoming "chronic," citing Covid, the war in Ukraine and Middle East tensions.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that all delegates, including journalists "from participating nations" travelling to Islamabad for talks this weekend on the Iran-U.S. ceasefire, will be issued a visa on arrival in Pakistan.
"Pakistan welcomes all delegates, including journalists from participating nations, traveling in relation to Islamabad Talks 2026," Dar said in a post on X.
Pakistan welcomes all delegates including journalists from participating nations, traveling in relation to Islamabad Talks 2026. To this end, all airlines are requested to permit boarding to all such individuals without Visa. Immigration authorities in Pakistan will issue them
"To this end, all airlines are requested to permit boarding to all such individuals without Visa. Immigration authorities in Pakistan will issue them Visa on Arrival," he added.
