News Digest — 6/5/26
On This Day, Six-Day War Began In 1967
On June 5, 1967, the Six-Day War began, as the IDF fought the militaries of Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon.
In only six days the IDF conquered the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, and east Jerusalem.
Israel was led at the time by prime minister Levi Eshkol. Eshkol had additionally been serving as defense minister, but stepped down at the outset of the war and appointed former IDF chief Moshe Dayan to the role.
The IDF Chief of Staff at the time was Yitzhak Rabin and the deputy chief was Haim Bar-Lev.
The Southern Command chief, responsible for fighting against Egypt, was Yeshayahu Gavish, the Central Command chief, responsible for the Jordanian front, including east Jerusalem, was Uzi Narkiss, and the Northern Command chief, responsible for fighting against Syria, was David “Dado” Elazar. The battle for Jerusalem’s Old City, including taking control of the Western Wall, was led by 55th paratroopers Brigade Chief Mordechai “Motta” Gur.
Bar-Lev, Elazar, and Gur would all become IDF chiefs later in their careers, with Elazar leading the military through the Yom Kippur War and Gur being in charge during 1976’s Entebbe raid to rescue Israeli and Jewish hostages in Uganda.
Captain Eitan Shmuel Lamberg, 21, Killed In Southern Lebanon Combat
Capt. Eitan Shmuel Lamberg, a 21-year-old armored corps officer, from Mishmar HaShiva, was killed Thursday (4th) during operations in southern Lebanon, the IDF announced.
Lamberg served in the 75Th Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade and was operating with the Golani Brigade combat team north of the Litani River when the attack occurred. According to the military, a terrorist fired an anti-tank missile at his tank at approximately 4 p.m., killing him. Following the incident, Israeli forces launched air and artillery strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in the area.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to Lamberg, remembering him as “a courageous commander who led his soldiers on the front lines of battle to safeguard Israel’s security.
“All of our hearts ache over the fall of armored corps officer Capt. Eitan Smuel Lamberg, of blessed memory, who was killed in combat in southern Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. “Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I send our deepest condolences to his family and share in their profound grief.”
He added: ”We will forever remember his bravery and his sacrifice. May his memory be blessed and forever preserved in our hearts.”
Lamberg is the fourth IDF fatality cleared for publication within the past week amid ongoing operations in southern Lebanon.
On Sunday (5/31), the military announced the death of Staff Sgt. Michael Tyukin, a soldier in the Givati Reconnaissance Unit who was killed when an explosive drone struck during the operation to capture the Beaufort area.
A day later, the IDF cleared for publication the deaths of Staff Sgt. Adam Tsarfati of the Maglan Unit and Capt. Dr. Uri Yosef Silvester, 30, rhe physician of the Shaked Battalion in the Givati Brigade. Silvester, from Tel Aviv, was killed when two explosive drones hit a Givati armored personnel carrier in the Beaufort sector.
The military said that same attack also seriously wounded two officers and a soldier, while another soldier sustained moderate injuries. Two additional officers and a soldier were lightly wounded. All of the injured were evacuated for medical treatment and their families were notified.
UN Peacekeeper Killed, Two Wounded, In Hezbollah Shelling In Lebanon
A Serbian UN peacekeeper in Lebanon died on Thursday (4th) from wounds sustained when mortar shells hit his position near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon on Wednesday night (3rd), the seventh peacekeeper killed in the country since March.
The UN said two other peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were wounded in the incident, one from El Salvador and the other from Spain.
Hostilities between the pro-Iran Hezbollah movement and Israel reignited in Lebanon on March 2.
The soldier killed was Segt. MilovanJovanovic of Serbia’s 27th Mechanized Battalion, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.
He said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the killing of Jovanovic, who would have turned 37 on Saturday (6th). He was married with a son and a daughter, and was on his first peacekeeping deployment.
“We reiterate that attacks on peacekeepers must stop,” Dujarric said. “They are grave violations of international humanitarian law and … amount to war crimes.”
“Those responsible must be held to account,” Dujarric said.
He said the incident was under investigation, but based on initial assessment, the position was struck by indirect fire coming from north of the Litani River.
Hezbollah rejected a new ceasefire on Thursday (4th), and Israel said it would not withdraw troops from the country, undermining US President Donald Trump’s efforts to halt fighting there to forge peace with Iran.
This week Guterres wrote to UN Security Council members stressing the need for continued uniformed UN presence in Lebanon after the mandate of UNIFIL expires at the year-end.
Majority Of Israelis Back Sovereignty In Judea And Samaria
A majority of Jewish Israelis support applying either full or gradual Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, with particularly strong backing among voters of coalition parties, according to a new survey conducted on behalf of the Sovereignty Movement.
The poll found that 59% of respondents overall support some form of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
Among coalition voters, support was substantially higher. According to the survey, 90% of Shas voters support applying sovereignty, including 85% who favor full sovereignty.
Support among voters of Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit stood at 87%, including 76% who back full sovereignty.
Similar levels of support were recorded among Likud voters, where 87% favored applying sovereignty in the territory.
The survey also found support for sovereignty among portions of the opposition electorate.
According to the results, 49% of Yisrael Beiteinu voters and 46% of Blue and White voters support either full or gradual sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
Among traditional Jewish Israelis, 82% expressed support for sovereignty, including 67% who favor full sovereignty.
The poll cited broader public attitudes toward the issue, finding that approximately 68% of the Israeli Jewish public supports some form of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
In addition, about 71% oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state in any form.
When respondents were asked about specific policy options, 25% supported applying sovereignty over the entire country, while encouraging Arab emigration.
Another 20% favored sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, and Palestinian Authority areas of Judea and Samaria, while 10% supported applying sovereignty only in Area C.
The Sovereignty Movement said the findings demonstrate a strong support within the national camp for moving beyond management of the current situation and taking political steps to incorporate Judea and Samaria into the State of Israel.
According to the movement, the level of support among coalition voters creates an obligation for the government to advance the issue before the next election.
The survey was conducted by Direct Polls
, headed by Yzuriel Sgaron, on behalf of the Sovereignty Movement on June 1, 2026.
The poll surveyed 489 respondents aged 18 and older through a digital system and polling panel and was described as representative of Israel’s percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
US Tells UN: Lebanon Belongs To Its Legitimate Government, Not To Hezbollah Or Iran – Amb. Mike Waltz
U,S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the UN Security Council on Monday (1st): “March 2 of this year, Hezbollah – as we all know is an Iranian proxy that frankly justifies its entire existence through conflict, unilaterally initiated hostilities once again with Israel, just as it did in October 2023. Hezbollah clearly sees Lebanon as nothing more than a launchpad to its Iranian-inspired attacks on Israel. It does not care about Lebanon, the country, or the future of its people.”
“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights himself has admitted that Hezbollah launched indiscriminate barrages of rockets at Israel, injuring people and causing damage to residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure.”
“This is a terrorist group that has attacked Americans, killed UNIFIL peacekeepers, taken civilians hostage for decades, assassinated its own brave people that it pretends to protect, who dare to speak out against them, and uses civilian infrastructure, homes, schools,hospitals to conduct its attacks across the region.”
“Hezbollah has not only rejected the Lebanese government’s demands for a ceasefire, it has even recently threatened to overthrow it. So, let’s let that sink in: an Iranian-backed terrorist army is threatening the legitimate government of the country that it claims to defend.”
“The path is clear: Hezbollah stops attacking Israel. The Lebanese Armed Forces and the legitimate Government of Lebanon assert control over Lebanese territory. Iran stops using Lebanon as a forward operating base. And the Lebanese people… finally get a chance to rebuild a country that belongs to them- not to Hezbollah, not to its thug leadership, and certainly not to Tehran.” (US Mission to the UN)
Don’t Rush To Blame Israel’s Leader For Attacks On Jews In The Diaspora – Melanie Phillips
A sizable number of British Jews are responding to the current tsunami of antisemitism by blaming other Jews. To be precise, one specific Jew. They blame Benjamin Netanyahu. If only he wasn’t prime minister, they say, the hatred would fade away. Seriously? You don’t have to be a fan of Netanyahu to see how spectacularly and dangerously wrong-headed this is.
Security officials tell us that the Iranian regime is behind the attacks on British Jews, with Iranian cells in Britain posing an acute terrorist threat. Much incitement against Israel and Jews has been generated by the inflammatory hate marches since the atrocities in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 – marches organized by Iran, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Imams incite murderous hatred towards Jews in British mosques. Was any of that Netanyahy’s fault?
His critics claim he prolonged the war in Gaza in his own interests. But his war aims – to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas and return all the hostages – were shared by the vast majority of Israelis. Are these critics really so ignorant of the terrible threat Iran posed to Israel through its proxy seven-front “ring of fire”? Are they really unaware of the genocidal hatred of Jews held by so many Palestinians?
To hold Netanyahu responsible for the onslaught on Israel and the Jewish people is not just warped and perverse. It’s also cowardly and despicable. Blaming the victims like this is not only disgusting, it’s also a weapon in the armory of those who want Israel and the Jews destroyed. For shame.
The writer is columnist for The Times-UK. (Jewish Chronicle-UK)
