Iran said on Thursday that any U.S. interference in the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a "decisive and rapid" response, adding that the continued presence of U.S. air assets across the waterway endangered regional security, state media reported.
Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates Iran's armed forces operations, said all tanker and commercial vessels must follow routes designated by Tehran for safe passage through the strait, adding that deviations or failure to comply with navigation protocols would face an immediate response.
The Israel Police, Shin Bet security service and Defense Ministry said they arrested a foreign national on suspicion of spying for Iran during the 2026 war with the country.
According to the joint statement, Tajik-Russian dual citizen Behrouz Sobirgon filmed and photographed ballistic missile impact sites and passed them on to an Iranian intelligence operative, with whom he had been in contact since January.
Police and the security bodies said Sobirgon also passed Iran the coordinates of Tel Aviv's Azrieli Towers, located outside the IDF and Defense Ministry headquarters known as the Kirya, and carried out "security-related missions."
The Tel Aviv District Prosecutor's Office requested that the man remain in custody until his arraignment and is expected to soon file charges.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, a member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, seen in the Knesset, March.Credit: Itay CohenHeritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, a member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, seen in the Knesset, March.Credit: Itay Cohen
Far-right Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the former head of the IDF's Hostages and Missing Persons Command is responsible for people being killed during the October 7 attack after the hostage chief said the Gaza war could have ended earlier.
Eliyahu said former hostage chief Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nitzan Alon is "responsible for people being taken hostage. Plain and simple. Because of the approach that put people on the fence," referring to the Gaza border.
"If we had gone with him. Hamas would have been on the fence again. If we had retreated at that stage, we would have left Hamas 70 percent of the Gaza Strip," Eliyahu told Army Radio.
On Wednesday, Alon said Israel "paid a heavy price in soldiers killed, perhaps even some hostages killed, immense costs in blood and money that were not necessary." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government rejected hostage deals "in the name of that same 'total victory,' which is a falsehood," the hostage chief said.
Police said the Israeli citizens who had entered the Palestinian village of Mukhmas in the central West Bank, leading to an IDF lockdown, were fleeing from a traffic stop.
According to police, the officers later "noticed that the vehicle had entered an alley, and due to the nature of the place, stopped and passed on quick reports."
Police later said they detained "several Israeli suspects," saying they "view with the utmost seriousness any entry by Israeli citizens into Area A," referring to parts of the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.
The Israeli military said it launched a large-scale search after Israelis reported feeling threatened near the Palestinian village of Mukhmas, east of Ramallah in the central West Bank.
The Palestinian village of Mukhmas.The Palestinian village of Mukhmas.
The IDF said it lost contact with the group, and their vehicle was found smashed in the area. The army then said a large number of soldiers set up roadblocks around the village and placed it under lockdown to "rule out the concern of a security incident," later lifting the lockdown after the Israelis contacted the forces and said they had left the area. The military said it has ruled out its suspicions.
The village of Mukhmas has been subjected to frequent settler incursions since the Kol Mevaser outpost was established nearby last October. More recently, a nearby Bedouin community bearing the same name was forcibly displaced following repeated settler attacks, including live fire, arson and severe violence. Last week, the Civil Administration, an Israeli military body in charge of West Bank Palestinian communities, demolished structures in the displaced community. Since the expulsion, settlers have shifted their attacks to the village itself.
Activists in Jerusalem's Paris Square on Thursday morning, the 1000th day since the October 7 massacre.Credit: Yossi RonActivists in Jerusalem's Paris Square on Thursday morning, the 1000th day since the October 7 massacre.Credit: Yossi Ron
Activists from protested in Jerusalem's Paris Square on Thursday, marking the 1,000th day since the October 7 massacre and calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's resignation.
In a statement, activists said that "blood is on the hands of Netanyahu the guilty and the government of absolute failure."
Emphasizing the heavy toll of the war with the slogan "1,000 days, 2,000 dead," organizers vowed that the public "Will neither forget nor forgive."
The demonstration is part of a broader nationwide mobilization organized by the October Council, which began at 6:29 A.M. at more than 50 memorial and protest hubs across Israel.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are expected to participate in the day's events, which include a scheduled 10:00 A.M. minute of silence and an evening rally that will follow the reopening of Tel Aviv's Hostages Square as Memorial Square.
Iran's deputy foreign minister said Wednesday that Tehran and Washington will establish a communication channel to report and discuss alleged violations of their memorandum of understanding, according to IRNA.
The deputy minister also said Iran and Qatar agreed that part of the $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds would be used to purchase goods based on Iran's needs.
■ Indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Doha focused on frozen Iranian funds and the Strait of Hormuz, with reports saying the U.S. agreed to release $3 billion and that a channel would be established to monitor violations of the deal.
■ An Israeli source familiar with Iran's nuclear program said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that Iran had already obtained nuclear weapons was a "complete lie."
■ U.S. Central Command hosted regional defense talks in Bahrain attended by military leaders from Syria and Lebanon for the first time at a U.S.-led regional defense conference.
■ Israel moved Gaza returnee security screenings from Rafah to the Kerem Shalom Crossing, where returning Palestinians reported confiscation of personal items and money disappearing from their bags.
■ The IDFandShin Bet said they killed Adel Jihad Mohammad Asfour, a Hamas platoon commander who they said was planning imminent attacks on Israeli troops in Gaza.
■ Israeland the United States signed an agreement to build a permanent U.S. embassy compound in Jerusalem on land Palestinian families say was expropriated from them in 1950.
