News Digest — 7/10/25
Sirens In Central Israel And Jerusalem, Missile Fired From Yemen Intercepted
Shortly before 5:15 a.m. Thursday morning (10th), the IDF identified that a missile was launched from Yemen toward Israeli territory. Defense systems operated to intercept the threat.
Subsequently, sirens were sounded in central Israel and in Jerusalem. Later the IDF verified that the missile was intercepted.
Magen David Adom stated that no calls were received at the MDA’s 101 emergency dispatch center of missile strikes or casualties.
Early Monday morning (7th), the IDF identified the launch of missiles from Yemen toward Israeli territory.
Several minutes later, sirens were sounded in the Dead Sea and Judean Foothills areas. The IDF said that two missiles were launched from Yemen, and that attempts were made to intercept them. The results of the interceptions were under review.
Several hours earlier on Monday morning (7th), the Israel Air Force launched a wave of strikes against Houthi-controlled seaports in Yemen.
The operation was named “Black Flag,” during which the IDF dropped approximately 50 missiles and bombs on two ports, a Houthi commercial ship, and a power station.
This was the first time Israel had attacked in Yemen since the attempted elimination of the Houthi Chief of Staff, Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, during the campaign against Iran.
IDF Soldier Killed In Gaza During Foiled Hamas Abduction Attempt
The IDF reported that Master Sergeant (res.) Avraham Azulay, 25, from Yitzhar, a combat engineering vehicle operator in the Southern Command’s engineering unit, was killed Wednesday (9th) during a Hamas ambush in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza, the military said.
According to the IDF, Hamas fighters emerged from a tunnel and tried to drag Azulay out of his engineering vehicle during an operation to dismantle terror infrastructure carried out by the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion. Azulay resisted and was shot and killed during the struggle. Nearby IDF troops opened fire, hitting several terrorists and preventing the abduction.
Azulay, a resident of Shaked Farm near Yitzhar in the northern West Bank, was married just three months earlier. He leaves behind his wife, parents and siblings. A former paratrooper in the 202nd battalion, Azulay later joined the Light Infantry Reserve Battalion and was called up in June to serve in the Southern Command’s engineering unit. Since the war began on October 7, he had served more than 250 days in reserve duty.
Azulay was among dozens of Yitzhar reservists who volunteered to operate heavy engineering equipment in Gaza.
A senior Hamas military wing official told Al Jazeera on Wednesday (9th) that the group had attempted to abduct a soldier in Khan Yunis but failed. He claimed that terrorists have been continuing to lay ambushes and inflict casualties on Israeli forces in recent days.
While US and Israeli officials speak of movement in negotiations, Hamas maintains that no agreement has been reached. The central dispute remains over Israel’s presence in the Morag Corridor, for which Israel presented a revised map Wednesday night (9th). Meanwhile 50 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza under harsh conditions, with 20-22 confirmed to be alive.
Troops Destroy Hezbollah Arms In Rare Southern Lebanon Ground Raids, IDF Says
Israeli ground troops raided several sites inside Lebanon in recent days, destroying Hezbollah weapon depots and other infrastructure, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday (9th).
The announcement of the rare special operations in Lebanon’s south, where Israel has kept troops deployed at five points just north of the border since a November 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah, came days after a US envoy expressed optimism about pushing ahead with a plan to disarm the Iran-backed terror group.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, soldiers of the 300th “Baram” Regional Brigade who raided a site in the Jabal Blat area – around a kilometer from the Israel border – located a Hezbollah compound that included a weapons depot and firing positions. The military said the troops demolished the site.
In another raid, the IDF said reservists of the Oded Brigade located weapons hidden in a forested area near Labbouneh – just across from the western portion of the border – including a multiple rocket launcher, a machine gun, and dozens of explosive devices. The weapons were also destroyed.
In the same area, the soldiers also located an underground site used by Hezbollah to store weapons, and it was demolished by combat engineers, the IDF said.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was required to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River and dismantle all military infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Israel was to withdraw from Lebanon, while maintaining the right to strike threats to its security.
Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire have been frequent in the months since, but IDF ground operations by troops beyond the areas of the five posts have been much rarer.
The “special targeted” raids were launched “following intelligence information and the identification of Hezbollah weapons and terrorist infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon,” and were intended to “prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing itself in the area,” the military said in a statement.
The IDF also announced that a Hezbollah commander had been killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon a night earlier.
The strike in the town of Babliyeh, south of Sidon, killed Hussein Ali Muzhir, who the IDF said was the commander of Hezbollah’s firepower in the Zahrani River area, under the terror group’s Badr regional division.
“As part of his role, Hussein advanced numerous rocket fire attacks toward the State of Israel and IDF troops. Additionally, recently he was involved in attempts to restore the artillery capabilities of the Hezbollah terror group in southern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement.
The IDF said his actions “constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
Israel said it has killed over 180 Hezbollah operatives in strikes against the terror group since the late November ceasefire, alleging violations of the truce agreement.
The ceasefire agreement brought to an end more than a year of fighting with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, including two months of open war in southern Lebanon late last year.
Hezbollah began attacking military outposts and communities in northern Israel unprovoked on October 8, 2023, in a show of support for fellow Iranian terror proxy Hamas in Gaza after it led an invasion and onslaught in southern Israel a day earlier.
On Monday (7th), US envoy Thomas Barrack said he was “unbelievably satisfied” by the response of Lebanon’s authorities to a request to disarm Hezbollah, part of a process meant to bring a removal of Israeli troops, and the need for Israel to take military action in Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem said Sunday (6th) that the group would not give up its weapons.
The IDF says that its presence at the five points near the border are necessary to ensure the safety of Israeli communities.
Largest Logistics Operation In History: Israel Receives US Military Equipment Delivery Frozen Under Biden
The Israeli Defense Ministry reported that a massive shipment of military engineering equipment arrived on Wednesday (8th) from the United States – including dozens of D9 bulldozers and additional gear – which had been frozen under the administration of former US president Joe Biden.
The shipment was received at Haifa Port, and the equipment was loaded onto dozens of transport trucks operated by the IDF’s Emun Transport Unit and the Technology and Logistics Directorate, which then transferred them for armor installation. The decision to lift the freeze was made at the end of January, just days after Donald Trump entered the White House.
The transfer operation was led by the Defense Ministry’s Director-General and former IDF Chief of Staff, MG (res.) Amir Baram, who traveled to Haifa Port for the unloading.
“The shipment of D9 bulldozers is part of a wide-ranging buildup effort of weaponry and equipment worth billions of shekels, which the US administration released and the Defense Ministry procured and transported to Israel,” he said. “In recent weeks, we have received numerous cargo ships and aircraft. We must continue to strengthen force-building to support all the IDF’s needs in the current campaign and in preparing for the decades ahead.”
The Defense Ministry added that, so far, over 100,000 tons of military equipment have reached Israel via 870 flights and 144 sea shipments. “This is the largest air-and-sea logistics operation in the history of the State of Israel,” an official said.
In November, toward the end of Biden’s term, security officials confirmed to Ynet that the US administration had frozen a shipment of 134 Caterpillar D9 bulldozers, amid growing protests in the US – both among the public and within leadership – over their use in demolishing homes in the Gaza Strip.
The bulldozers gained notoriety during the war, mainly due to their use in flattening buildings in Gaza. This spurred significant domestic criticism in the US, protest demonstrations and intense pressure on the Biden administration. The shipment freeze was also imposed around the time the IDF launched its operation in southern Lebanon, which again highlighted the need for engineering equipment.
Hebron’s Sheikh’s Car Set Ablaze After Call To Secede From Palestinian Authority
In a striking escalation of tensions, Palestinian youths set fire to the vehicle of Sheikh Wadee al-Jaabari, known as “Abu Sanad,” in the Issawiya neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Wednesday (9th). The attack follows al-Jaabari’s bold initiative to establish an “Emirate of Hebron” and his public call to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, a stance that has sparked both intrigue and outrage.
Al-Jaabari, a prominent tribal leader in Hebron, has been advocating for a groundbreaking shift in Palestinian-Israeli relations. Alongside four other sheikhs, he signed a letter sent to Israel’s Economy Minister Nir Barkat, proposing that Hebron secede from the Palestinian Authority (PA) to form an independent emirate.
The letter, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, calls for mutual recognition: the envisioned Emirate of Hebron would acknowledge Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people, while Israel would recognize the emirate as the representative of Hebron’s Arab residents.
This proposal also includes a timetable for joining the Abraham Accords and replacing the Oslo Accords, which the Sheikhs criticize for bringing damage, death, economic disaster and destruction” and empowering a “corrupt” PA.
The Sheikhs’ plan includes practical steps, such as Israel issuing work permits for 1,000 Hebron workers initially, with potential expansion to 50,000. Barkat, who has met with al-Jaabari and other Sheikhs multiple times since February, reportedly has the cautious support of prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Yossi dagan, head of the Shomron Regional Council, is also a key partner in the initiative, praising al-Jaabari’s courage and vision. However, the proposal has ignited fierce opposition.
The torching of al-Jaabari’s car underscores the risks he faces from those who view his plan as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause. Al-Jaabari remains defiant, asserting that the true betrayal lies in the Oslo Accords. “There will be obstacles,” he told The Wall Street Journal, “but if we confront a rock, we will have iron to break it.”
600 Cows Return To Rebuilt Kibbutz Kissufim Dairy Farm Nearly Two Years Later
Some 600 cows have returned to Kibbutz Kissufim in the Gaza border region this week, nearly two years after the Kibbutz’s dairy farm was destroyed in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, Channel 12 News reported Wednesday evening (9th).
The cows are now housed in a newly built state-of-the-art cowshed. The government spent approximately NIS 17 million on the project, including NIS 1.4 million from the Tekuma administration through the Agriculture Ministry.
The dairy farm was destroyed on October 9, 2023, after Hamas terrorists who had taken shelter there engaged in a battle with Kissufim’s dairy manager, Reuven Heinick, and several workers. The confrontation ended when an IDF tank fired a shell at the terrorists, Maariv reported.
Since that time, the herd was relocated to Gilgal, where it remained for nearly 21 months.
The rebuilt dairy farm is expected to produce nearly five million liters of milk annually, representing a 25% increase over its pre-war output.
In parallel, broad rehabilitation efforts are underway at the kibbutz. The reconstruction Administration has invested NIS 84 million in restoration work, which is expected to be completed by December. Kissufim residents are expected to return home at that time.
“The return of the cows to their barn in Kissufim is a symbol of the region’s renewal and resilience,” said Aviad Friedman, head of the Tekuma administration.
“Throughout this difficult period, the people of Kissufim have shown determination in preserving daily routines and are now showing that same determination in rebuilding the kibbutz. The dairy workers are already back, providing milk and food for the residents of Israel.”
