For the past three weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has conducted most of his official duties from a secure room in the basement of the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, according to a report from Israel’s Channel 12 News. The move follows an attempted assassination by Hezbollah, whose drone struck his private residence in Caesarea on October 19. The drone attack involved three Hezbollah drones, one of which reportedly hit a bedroom window at Netanyahu’s home. Fortunately, the prime minister and his wife were not present at the time of the incident. In response to the attack, Israeli security officials advised Netanyahu to limit his time in any single location. They also recommended postponing the wedding of his son, Avner, as a precautionary measure.

Hezbollah launched a large barrage of rockets at northern Israel shortly after noon on Monday, triggering sirens in numerous cities and towns in the Upper and Western Galil. MDA paramedics reported that they treated three people who were injured by shrapnel in the northern Arab town of Bi’ina, near the northern city of Karmiel,  and evacuated them to the Galil Medical Center in Nahariya. The victims were a 27-year-old woman in moderate to serious condition, and a one-year-old baby and a man of about 35 in light condition. Following the barrage, the IDF spokesperson said “50 rockets were launched, some of which were intercepted. Rocket hits were identified.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Sirens blared in the Beit Shemesh area on Monday morning at about 6 a.m. as a missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen headed to the area. Residents of the area reported hearing explosions and the police and Magen David Adom teams searched the area. B’Chasdei Hashem, there were no injuries or damage. Initial media reports said that shrapnel from an interceptor missile caused a fire to break out in Beit Shemesh. However, the municipality later clarified that the fire was unrelated to the incident. The IDF spokesperson later stated that the sirens were sounded in the Beit Shemesh area due to a ballistic missile launched “from the east” and that the missile was intercepted by the Arrow missile defense system before it crossed into Israel.

Razor blades were found under pro-Palestine stickers in Amsterdam, the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported. The report noted that the police confirmed the report and added that it is unclear how many such traps intended to harm anyone attempting to remove the stickers have been placed throughout the Dutch capital. The stickers, stating: “Stop Genocide, Free Palestine,”  were placed near the Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam. Israel’s Kan News reported on Sunday that a reporter and videographer reporting about the attacks in the Netherlands were harassed by anti-Israel protesters. As they were reporting live from Amsterdam’s Dam Square, the protesters surrounded them and yelled anti-Israel statements. The two gathered their equipment and left the area and the protesters followed them.

Hezbollah commander Salim Jamil Ayyash, wanted for his role in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, was killed in an Israeli airstrike, according to Saudi media reports on Sunday. Al-Arabiya reported Ayyash was targeted near the Syrian city of al-Qusayr, a known Hezbollah stronghold. Social media sources claimed the airstrike specifically targeted Ayyash, a high-ranking Hezbollah member with a $10 million bounty placed by the United States. Ayyash was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by a UN-backed tribunal in 2020 for orchestrating the 2005 car bombing in Beirut that killed Hariri.

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, one of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants, made a secret visit to Russia last week, Army Radio reported on Sunday. The visit is a result of US pressure on Israel to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, with Dermer carrying out the negotiations on behalf of Netanyahu. Russia, which is entrenched in Syria, would play a significant role in any diplomatic arrangement between Israel and Hezbollah due to the close ties between Hezbollah and Syria and the transfer of arms and soldiers from Syria to Lebanon via Iran and its proxy states.

Newly appointed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana flew to Amsterdam on Friday morning following the shocking pogrom carried out by Dutch Arabs on Thursday evening. Sa’ar met with Dutch Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel who told him: “I am deeply ashamed of what happened in Amsterdam.” Sa’ar demanded that Dutch authorities fully prosecute the perpetrators of the attacks. He suggested during the meeting that the Israeli police assist in gathering testimonies and documenting evidence from the Israeli citizens who were brutally attacked to ensure justice is served. Van Weel agreed to Sa’ar’s request and the two agreed that the security officials of both countries will cooperate during the investigation.

Qatar has reportedly informed Hamas leaders they are “not welcome” in the country, according to sources cited by Israeli broadcaster KAN on Friday. The move follows recent pressure from the United States, KAN reported, and comes just days after Donald Trump became the president-elect, ushering a new era of foreign policy into the White House. For years, Qatar hosted members of Hamas leadership, ostensibly to support dialogue during negotiations, including those around hostage situations. However, three sources familiar with the recent discussions revealed that Qatar’s stance has shifted, telling Hamas leaders to leave the country.

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry revealed on Friday morning that Dutch security officials had received three separate warnings about the possibility of attacks against Israelis, including a warning about violent protests, harming an individual fan who is an Israeli Border Police officer, and a warning that Arabs were planning to raid the Leonardo Hotel where Israelis were staying. The ministry said that the warnings were sent to Dutch security forces who were responsible for the security of the fans by the Shin Bet and the Prime Minister’s Office. The Border Police officer was also informed of the threat by Israeli security officials.

A Gazan teenager who identified himself as an Al-Qassam Brigades operative boasted in a live video call that all residents of Gaza participated in the Hamas attack on October 7. He recounted an incident in a conversation with a person sitting in front of an Israeli flag  about a soldier who was abducted on October 7: “I brought my seven-year-old brother and I let him spit in his face and step on his neck, a living soldier.” The Gazan bragged: “We fed him and you with dirt on October 7 and during the war.