News Digest — 6/11/26
Netanyahu To Lebanese: ‘Hezbollah Is Weak, Don’t Let It Dictate Your Future’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a direct message Wednesday evening (10th) to the citizens of Lebanon, emphasizing that Israel does not view them as the enemy, but is acting against the Hezbollah organization.
“Israel is not at war with you. We are at war against Hezbollah, which has taken your country hostage, does Iran’s bidding and uses your territory to launch terror attacks against Israel,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister addressed the people of Lebanon and recalled the state of the country in the past, before the strengthening of Iranian and Hezbollah influence.
Do you remember Lebanon before Iran and Hezbollah turned it into a nightmare? Do you remember the cafes? The culture? Do you remember the peace and quiet? All of that is gone because Hezbollah and Iran want to drag us into war again and again and again. You deserve better. Your children deserve better. You know that Israel will do whatever is necessary to protect our families and our communities.”
Netanyahu added that Israel has dealt severe blows to Hezbollah since the beginning of the fighting.
“Hezbollah is weaker than ever. Israel is stronger than ever. We have eliminated nearly 10,000 Hezbollah terrorists so far. We are systematically clearing southern Lebanon of these fanatics. No matter where they are, we will find them.”
Later in his remarks, the prime minister emphasized that Israel seeks peace with Lebanon, but said Hezbollah is the main obstacle in the way.
“You also know that we yearn for peace with you – with Lebanon. A peace in which our two peoples can invest together, build together, and prosper together.The only obstacle to this beautiful vision is Hezbollah. They want war, not peace. They want death, not life. They will sacrifice as many of you as possible to achieve their sick goals.”
“Do not let your future be dictated by medieval theocrats who are determined to destroy our shared civilization. Israel wants peace with you. Take your future into your own hands. Join Israel. Build security and prosperity for all our children. And once Hezbollah is dismantled, the possibilities will be endless – the sky is the limit” Netanyahu concluded.
Iran Attacks Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan In Retaliation For US Strikes – Report
The Kuwait Army announced it was intercepting missile aerial targets after Iranian media reported Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had targeted the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait early Wednesday (10th).
The IRGC also said they had targeted four sites at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan using long-range missiles, Iranian media reported.
The Guards said the targets included F-35 fighter jet hangers and a command-and-control center, and warned they were ready to deliver a “crushing and decisive” response to any future US attack.
Sirens also sounded in Bahrain early on Wednesday (10th) after Iran targeted the country, the Ministry of Interior announced.
Axios Global Affairs Correspondent Barak Ravid cited a US official as saying that four ballistic missiles and several more drones were fired by Iran at US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
The New York Times cited a US official as saying that while Iran launched multiple missiles and drones at various US bases in the Middle East, nearly all were intercepted and there have been no reports of US casualties or damage to the bases from the attacks.
The strikes were in retaliation for US strikes launched on Tuesday evening (9th), which struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command (CEBTCOM) announced.
The strikes were described by CENTCOM as “self-defense strikes” and as “proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.”
The US strikes were in retaliation for the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, according to CENTCOM.
Israel Set To Approve Funding Plan For 61 West Bank Settlements – Report
Israel’s cabinet is expected to approve a plan to fund the de facto establishment of 61 new settlements in the West Bank on Thursday (11th), according to Axios’s Barak Ravid.
The plan involves the location of over 350 million dollars over several years, Ravid wrote in a post on X citing a source familiar with the proposal, and is being promoted by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
“Many of the settlements included in the proposal are located in strategically sensitive areas,” Ravid wrote,” including along Highway 90 in the Jordan Valley, in the South Hebron Hills, and in locations designed to create territorial continuity between existing settlements.”
The funding will cover temporary mobile homes, public facilities, community infrastructure, and support services, in what Ravid called one of the most significant settlement expansion moves in decades,” adding that the funding for these structures would begin even before the planning process was fully completed.
In later stages of the proposal, the government would also fund more permanent development work for the settlements, including building roads and installing utilities.
Ravid highlighted that the proposal’s unusual move of allowing a temporary site to be established before planning procedures could be completed , would set a significant precedent, allowing the government to set “facts on the ground” to later evolve into permanent settlements.
Right-Wing ministers and lawmakers have continuously pushed for Israeli sovereignty over all areas in the West Bank, drawing sharp criticism from leaders of various countires worldwide.
In another decision, 2,162 new housing units were approved to be developed in West Bank settlements in the Higher Planning Council, which is a body that operates under the Defense Ministry, Smotrich announced earlier this month.
Smotrich welcomed this decision saying that,”We are continuing to build the Land of Israel in practice.”
He added that the establishment of the new housing units was “not merely planning measures.”
“They are national initiatives that strengthen our hold on the land, reinforce Israel’s security, and establish clear facts on the ground that prevent the creation of an Arab terrorist state in the heart of the country.”
Milei Praises “Judeo-Chrisrian Values” At Event As Argentina Courts European Jews
Argentine President Javier Milei exalted “Judeo-Christian values” on Monday (8th) as he spoke to a crowd of 1,800 people celebrating the 32nd anniversary of the death of the last Chabad-Lubavirch Rebbe.
Milei was the keynote speaker at the hasidic Orthodox movement’s event marking the yahrzeit of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, becoming what appears to be the first sitting non-Jewish head of state to make an official tribute to the Lubavitcher Rebbe at a major Chabad event.
“The conclusion I have reached is simple in its formulation and profound in its consequences: When one embraces Judeo-Christian values, spiritual and material life becomes aligned and resonate on the same wavelength,” Milei said Monday night (8th) at the Palacio Libertad cultural center.
It was the latest in a long list of expressions of admiration for Judaism for Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” who was elected in 2023 and since has made support for Israel a cornerstone of his agenda. He has previously visited Schneerson’s grave in New York City, made pilgrimages to the Western Wall in Jerusalem and presented a picture of Schneerson to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a gift.
Openly discussing his personal affinity for Judaism, Argentina’s President Milei has said that he intends to convert to Judaism after leaving office.
His 40-minute speech on Monday (8th) focused almost entirely on Jewish religious texts and thought, quoting passages from the Torah as the basis for his economic view.
Milei also revealed that his address was drawn from the epilogue of his upcoming book , “Morality as State Policy,” in which he argues that capitalism is a system invented by “The Creator” – whom he also referred to as “The One” – to bring paradise to earth through work.
Under Milei’s leadership, Argentina has invited European Jews worried about rising anti-Semitism to consider the country as a destination. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno recently emphasized Argentina’s attractiveness in a message aimed at Jews in Britain and other European countries who are grappling with surging incidents targeting Jewish communities.
“A country on the up with great opportunities. Sunny, with many natural attributes, and home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America. Strong stand against antisemitism. British and European Jews should seriously consider Argentina. You are welcome,” Quirno wrote on X in reply to author Saul Sadka, who had urged British Jews to consider leaving amid growing hostility.
Argentina’s leading Jewish organization, DAIA, has recorded more antisemitic incidents in recent years, mostly taking place online. But the rate of antisemitic incidents reported in the country last year was significantly lower than many other countries with stable Jewish populations, according to the 2025 worldwide antisemitism report published in April by Tel Aviv University.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s global director, praised Quirno’s invitation, saying it reflected a significant shift.
“Sign of the times? A country formerly ruled by a Nazi-supporting director has morphed over decades into a strong democracy whose president is a philo-Semite,” Cooper wrote in reply to Milei’s foreign minister. “Argentina currently serves as chair of IHRA [the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance]. Foreign minister now beckons embattled British Jews. Incredible”
Israel’s ambassador to Argentina Eyal Sela told JTA at the Chabad event that he had no difficulty recognizing that Argentina is currently a very good place for Jewish life.
“Yes, I agree with the Argentine foreign minister,” Sela told JTA. Of course, Israel will always be the best place for Jewish life. But today, Argentina is a much better place for Jews than Europe.”
Monday’s event (8th) opened with the testimony of Yosef Chaim Ohana, a survivor of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, who expressed deep gratitude for the support shown by Jews around the world.
Dozens of Argentine nationals were murdered or taken hostage on Oct.7. This week, an Israeli who had worked in Buenos Aires at the Israeli embassy in Argentina was killed in an attack on a moshav in central Israel.
US Probe Finds 101 More Staffers For UNRWA”Gaza Relief Organization” Are Hamas Soldiers From Oct. 7 – Adam Kredo
The US Agency for International Development inspector general’s office responsible for monitoring American foreign assistance, determined on Friday (5th) that scores of “UNRWA school principals, teachers, security personnel, psychosocial counselors, and medical professionals” were also members of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades or other terrorist factions.
The inspector general determined that 101 current or former UNRWA employees should be added to a government blacklist that will prevent them from participating in all American foreign aid projects for 10 years.
The latest staffers to be flagged at UNRWA – historically the primary major relief organization operating in Gaza – include a “deputy school principal serving as an al-Qassam deputy company commander in the Ain Gallout/5th infantry battalion,” as well as a “deputy school principal serving as a squad leader for the Khan Younis Brigade/2nd.” One UNRWA instructor had “expertise as a sniper for Hamas,” and another served as a “Hamas soldier with orders to bring two anti-tank missiles to a prescribed location during the October 7 terror attacks.”
State Department SpokesmanTommy Pigott said: “Unfortunately it is no surprise that another 100 UNRWA employees were determined to be involved in the barbaric October 7 attack. President Trump and Secretary Rubio have affirmed time and time again that no State Department funding will be provided to UNRWA, which has been totally infiltrated by Hamas and terrorist sympathizers.
A senior State Department official told the Free Beacon: “The sheer amount of [UNRWA] officials tied to terrorist activity is shocking and unacceptable. This investigation validates Secretary Rubio’s policy that UNRWA is a subsidiary of Hamas and should not be part of Gaza’s future.”
As the investigation unfolds, the Trump administration and Congress are considering several fresh punitive measures that could include stripping UNRWA of its diplomatic immunity under US law, opening it up to legal action from terror victims and designating it as a foreign terrorist organization.
