IDF strikes Hezbollah, Iran draws red lines on Trump talks
Families cry out for deal as Hamas rejects Israel's hostage proposal • IDF strikes over 40 Hamas targets in Gaza
Loyalty, leadership, and the law: Ex-security officials confront the Shin Bet crisis
Ami Ayalon, who served as director of the Shin Bet and previously commanded the Israeli Navy, frames the attempted removal of Bar as more than a power struggle.
In exclusive interviews with The Media Line, two senior figures from the top echelons of Israel’s defense apparatus—former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon and retired IDF Major General Gershon Hacohen—offer sharply contrasting perspectives on what this crisis truly means for the country’s institutional integrity. Their visions diverge not only in the dismissal of Bar itself, but also in the foundational principles guiding the relationship between government and state.
Ami Ayalon, who served as director of the Shin Bet and previously commanded the Israeli Navy, frames the attempted removal of Bar as more than a power struggle.
For him: “This is the collapse of Israel’s concept of statehood.”
“Even in a non-ideal world—and we are certainly not living in one in Israel—every government decision is subject to limits,” he said. “When the prime minister claims to fire the Shin Bet chief simply due to ‘lack of trust,’ without explanation, that’s deeply problematic. The Shin Bet is not a personal position of trust; it is defined by law, with professional—not political—criteria.”
Go to the full article >>IDF strikes over 40 terror targets throughout Gaza, destroys terror infrastructure
Among the targets were terrorists, military structures and weapons storage facilities.
The Israel Air Force (IAF) struck some 40 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip in the past day, the military said on Friday.
Go to the full article >>Sasha Troufanov: I could see all the suffering in Rom Braslavski's eyes in hostage video
On Passover, "We celebrate the freedom of our people who came out of Egypt. We do not celebrate the victory over the Egyptians," Troufanov said.
Former hostage Sasha Troufanov addressed on Friday the propaganda video published by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad earlier this week in which hostage Rom Braslavski appeared.
Go to the full article >>Negotiations continue despite Hamas refusing ceasefire deal, source tells 'Post'
Negotiations will continue despite Hamas's refusal of Israel's proposed ceasefire, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Friday.
Go to the full article >>IDF, Shin Bet arrest two terrorists behind January's al-Funduq terror attack
The IDF’s Duvdevan unit, directed by the Shin Bet (ISA), arrested two terrorists involved in the January 6 attack in the Palestinian village of al-Funduq that killed three Israeli civilians, the military stated on Friday.
Go to the full article >>Israeli minister and Mossad chief to meet US envoy over Iran
Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister, Ron Dermer, and the head of its Mossad intelligence service, David Barnea, are in Paris to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff ahead of nuclear talks between the US and Iran, Israeli media reported on Friday.
Go to the full article >>'We will bring them home,' US amb. Huckabee vows at Western Wall
Huckabee also noted Trump's support of Israel, such as through recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the Golan Heights.
It is the prayer of US President Donald Trump that all the hostages held in Gaza captivity should be returned home now, newly appointed US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said, joining in that prayer, during a speech at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Friday.
Go to the full article >>IDF intercepts missile from Yemen, sirens sound in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem area
This comes after Houthi media reported strike in a port city that supposedly killed 33 people.
The IDF intercepted a missile that had been launched from Yemen at Israeli territory, the military said early Friday morning.
At 6:32 a.m., the IDF announced a missile launch had been detected from Yemen, and advised to follow Home Front Command guidelines.
Shortly after, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, across central Israel, the Jerusalem area, and the West Bank.
Go to the full article >>Leak on Iran attack to NYT 'one of most dangerous leaks in Israel's history,' source tells 'Post'
Several Israeli politicians criticized Netanyahu for potentially leaking the information to protect himself from backlash.
The leak and the subsequent report by The New York Times on Israeli plans to strike Iran’s nuclear program is “one of the most dangerous leaks in Israel’s history,” a senior Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
The NYT reported that Israel had seriously considered launching an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities with direct US support.
Go to the full article >>Hamas rejects Israel's proposal to release 10 hostages in exchange for 45-day ceasefire
Israeli hostages can be released if the Israeli government agrees to end the war, fully withdraw from Gaza, and allow for reconstruction of Gaza.
Hamas rejected Israel's proposal to release 10 hostages in exchange for 45 days of ceasefire on Thursday night.
"We will not accept partial deals that serve [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's political agenda," Hamas negotiating team head Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement, which the terror group claimed is based on the continuation of the war. "
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Go to the full article >>Israel at war: What you need to know
Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza.
Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 at the Supernova music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities.
59 hostages remain in Gaza.
49 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says.
The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30.
The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire came into effect on November 27 at 4 a.m.
Netanyahu confirmed the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire on January 17, 2025.