Israel at War, Day 556 | Latest on US-Iran talks, Gaza war, Syria

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said that the military will not allow internal disagreements to infiltrate the defense body while conducting a situational assessment and tour of Shejaia near Gaza City in the Gaza Strip with the Southern Command head Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Ashur, the 252nd Division commander Brig.-Gen. Yehuda Wach and other commanders, the IDF announced on Tuesday.

“The IDF will continue to operate as a national institution and will not allow internal disagreements to infiltrate its rank,” Zamir said.

“Reservists have the right to express their opinions - when not on active reserve duty - as civilians, on any topic and in a democratic manner. There are plenty of ways and platforms for civilian protest. The attempt to drag the IDF into this, including speaking as a group in the name of a military unit, is unacceptable and will not be allowed.”

An IDF fighter jet accidentally dropped munitions on the grounds of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak in the Gaza border area during an airstrike in the Gaza Strip, the military said on Tuesday.

According to reports, there were no casualties or injuries, and the incident is being investigated. 

Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak stated that "the munitions did not land within the kibbutz, but rather in the agricultural fields, and there were no casualties," Israeli media reported. 

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London on Tuesday, Israel's foreign ministry stated. 

They discussed regional issues, including the Iranian nuclear issue, negotiations to release the hostages, and the situation in Gaza, the statement read. 

This meeting followed Lammy's visit to Israel in January, where he met Sa'ar in Jerusalem. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the White House is discussing ongoing operations against Yemen’s Houthis on Tuesday.

The IDF thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Israel, the military stated on Tuesday. 

IDF surveillance detected a drone attempting to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Israeli territory. The drone was downed by IDF forces, the military noted. 

Security forces arrived at the location and found the drone, four weapons, and ammunition. The weapons were transferred to the Israel Police for further investigation, the IDF said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Iranian regime leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni's post to X/Twitter on Tuesday while visiting northern Gaza.

"I want to tell you what we are fighting for and why we are fighting," he said. "This is a post published today by Iran's dictator, Ayatollah Khamenei, in which he explains why Israel must be destroyed."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited northern Gaza on Tuesday, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. 

Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades have lost contact with the group who is holding American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander after a direct strike at their location, Al-Qassam’s spokesman Abu Obeida announced on Tuesday.

"We announce that we have lost contact with the team guarding soldier Edan Alexander following a direct Israeli bombardment targeting their location. We are still trying to reach them," Abu Obeida said.

Israel's security agency, the Shin Bet, revealed on Tuesday that it had investigated over 20 separate incidents of classified information leaks over the past year as part of its official response to the arrest of a security official suspected of sharing information with unauthorized individuals.

In a statement, the Shin Bet said that the number represents a sharp increase of such incidents where "defense establishment employees leak classified material from security organizations and its information systems."

Politicians across the spectrum reacted to the security affair revealed on Tuesday, which saw a Shin Bet official arrested on suspicion of leaking classified information to a government minister and two journalists.