JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
TRUMP BANS VISAS OF 80 ARAB TERRORISTS PLO AND ABBAS MEMBERS FROM COMING
TO THE U.N IN SEPTEMBER.TRUMP IS SO SMART BANNING THESE TERRORISTS.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with
violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the
earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and,
behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11
And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with
child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF
THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And
he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS)
man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be
against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against
him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL
ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his
brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the
morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground,
which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars
of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the
sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF
THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that
whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM
MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
GODS PROMISED LAND FOR ISRAEL.
And
here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either
through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and
only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this
land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia,
Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the
Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11,
Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL
DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES
INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.
Joel 3:2-King James Version (YOU
DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - YOUR POKING GOD IN THE EYE - GOD SAYS AN EYE
FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH- YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF
- HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION 4 BILLION DIE ON EARTH.
2 I will also
gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of
Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my
heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted
my land.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the
prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the
sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be
with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27
And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many
for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the
consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
OOH
THE POOR LIBERAL SUCK HOLE ARABS AND ABBAS THE TERRORIST PLO LEADER AND
80 OTHER TERRORISTS VISAS ARE BANNED FROM THE USA IN SEPTEMBER. WHICH
MEANS ABBAS AND HIS SO CALLED PALESTINIAN (ARAB TERRORIST GROUPS ARE NOT
ALLOWED AT THE USELESS UNITED NATIONS THIS SEPTEMBER). TRUMP HAS BANNED
THEIR VISAS.
Abbas decries move as 'contradiction to
international law'US says it will ban PA’s Abbas, 80 other officials
from attending UN General Assembly-Rubio says PA and PLO officials to be
barred from visiting UN Headquarters in NYC next month over ‘efforts to
secure unilateral recognition’ and failure to repudiate extremism-By
Jacob Magid 29 August 2025, 7:53 pm
The United States said on
Friday it will not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
to travel to New York next month for a United Nations gathering of world
leaders, where several US allies are set to recognize Palestine as a
state.A State Department official told The Times of Israel that a US
visa ban on Palestinian officials planning to attend the United Nations
General Assembly, announced earlier in the day, would cover Abbas along
with 80 other PA officials.The unprecedented step came a month after the
State Department first announced that it would pursue the policy, which
it now appeared to be implementing.Abbas had been planning to travel to
New York for the annual high-level UN General Assembly at UN
headquarters in Manhattan. He was also set to attend a summit there —
hosted by France and Saudi Arabia — where Britain, France, Australia and
Canada are planning to formally recognize a Palestinian state.Abbas’s
office said it was astonished by the visa decision and argued that it
violated the UN “headquarters agreement.”Under a 1947 UN “headquarters
agreement,” the US is generally required to allow access for foreign
diplomats to the UN in New York. Washington, however, has said it can
deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.Explaining
the move, the State Department announcement said, “It is in our
national security interests to hold the Palestine Liberation
Organization and the Palestinian Authority accountable for not complying
with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for
peace.”The State Department said that the Palestinian Authority’s
mission to the UN, comprising officials who are permanently based there,
would not be included in the restrictions.Abbas’s office expressed its
“deep regret and astonishment” at the US decision, which it said “stands
in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters
Agreement, particularly since the State of Palestine is an observer
member of the United Nations.”His office urged the US to reconsider and
reverse the move, “reaffirming Palestine’s full commitment to
international law, UN resolutions and obligations toward peace, as
conveyed in President Mahmoud Abbas’s letters to world leaders,
including US President Donald Trump.”UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric
said the UN would discuss the visa issue with the State Department, “in
line with UN Headquarters agreement between the UN and the US.”Under the
agreement with the UN, the US is required to allow representatives of
member states, officials working on behalf of the United Nations and
those who received invitations to visit UN headquarters in New York City
without hindrance.America has generally upheld this commitment over the
years, even when administrations found certain world leaders
objectionable, as in the case of former Iranian president Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, who visited on several occasions in the early 2000s.The
State Department said it was in compliance with the requirements as it
would still allow Palestinian diplomats already based in New York to
attend the event by granting them visa waivers.While the UN General
Assembly recognizes a state of Palestine, it is designated as a
non-member observer like the Vatican.The US previously restricted the
movement of foreign officials from adversarial countries such as Russia,
Iran and North Korea but didn’t ban them completely.In 1988, the US
denied a visa to then-PLO leader Yasser Arafat, but this was before
Israel recognized the PLO during the 1993 Oslo Accords. As a result of
the 1988 ban, the UN moved a planned General Assembly session from New
York to Geneva so Arafat could speak.“Before the PLO and PA can be
considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate
terrorism — including the October 7 massacre — and end incitement to
terrorism in education, as required by US law and as promised by the
PLO,” the US statement said.Abbas did condemn the Hamas-led October 7,
2023, attack for the first time in June, after facing intensive Israeli
criticism for refusing to do so.Unlike the July 31 State Department
announcement previewing the move, Friday’s statement did not mention the
PA’s controversial welfare program that included payments to the
families of security prisoners based on the length of their prison
sentence. No explanation was given for the removal. Abbas had signed a
decree in February ending the policy and replacing it with a new one,
which the PA has begun implementing and invited the US to certify is now
in place, though the Trump administration has yet to send a delegation
to Ramallah.The State Department did not immediately respond to a
request for comment on the change.“The PA must also end its attempts to
bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including
appeals to the International Criminal Court and International Court of
Justice, and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a
conjectural Palestinian state,” the State Department statement
continued.“Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to
release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks,”
the statement claimed.Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said France’s
decision to recognize a Palestinian state led Hamas to raise its demands
in hostage negotiations, which collapsed the talks on July 24. But an
Arab diplomat and a second source involved in the negotiations told The
Times of Israel that Hamas’s new demands were submitted several hours
prior to French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that Paris
would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in
September.Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told The Times of
Israel in an interview this week that France was the party leading the
latest drive for countries to recognize a Palestinian state, not the
PA.The State Department statement ended by saying that the “US remains
open to reengagement that is consistent with our laws, should the PA/PLO
meet their obligations and demonstrably take concrete steps to return
to a constructive path of compromise and peaceful coexistence with the
State of Israel.”The US decision was hailed by Foreign Minister Gideon
Sa’ar, who thanked Rubio for holding the PA and PLO “accountable for
rewarding terrorism, incitement and efforts to use legal warfare against
Israel.The foreign minister, who met with Rubio in Washington this
week, said the Trump administration was “standing by Israel once again”
with the “bold step.”Axios reported that Sa’ar had encouraged Rubio to
take the step during their meeting in Washington earlier this
week.“We’ve been very clear when it comes to our visa system that we are
going to take all necessary steps to prevent our visa system from being
used by individuals who may support or espouse terrorism or terrorist
activity,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told
reporters later Friday.The announcement appeared to be the first
relatively punitive step that Washington has taken in response to
France, the UK and Canada advancing Palestine recognition plans — a move
encouraged by Ramallah. The Trump administration, for now, appears to
prefer punishing Ramallah directly, as going after more powerful Western
governments may be more difficult. However, Trump did float blowing up
trade talks with Canada over its decision.The denial of visas also
appeared to be the most limited of four steps that the Trump
administration had at its disposal if the PA was found in violation of
2002 legislation that requires the president to assess whether
Palestinian entities are fulfilling their commitments to combat
terrorism and support peace with Israel.The more forceful option that
the US could have taken was to designate the PA as a foreign terrorist
organization, which would have exposed Ramallah to crippling
sanctions.Pressed on whether the US would also take steps against
Israel, given that it is widely seen to be in violation of its
commitments under the Oslo Accords due to its rampant settlement
expansion, failure to withdraw from the West Bank and withholding of
over $2 billion in Palestinian tax revenues, the State Department
declined to comment on the matter last month. Unlike with the PA and
PLO, there is no US law that provides the president with the tools to
sanction Israel over such violations.The PLO is the internationally
recognized representative of the Palestinian people and oversees the
Western-backed PA, to which Israel granted limited autonomy in less than
half of the West Bank. Abbas has led both entities for two decades
after being democratically elected in 2005, but has refused to hold
elections since. He pledged earlier this year to hold elections in
2026.The PA has been under pressure from Arab and Western states to
undergo significant reform as they push for the body to replace Hamas as
Gaza’s governing authority. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled
out a future role for the PA in governing Gaza, but has failed to
advance any alternative amid pressure from his far-right partners who
want to establish settlements in the Strip.Times of Israel staff
contributed to this report.
'The fire helped us a lot in
understanding the site'Ruins revealed by wildfire boost Galilean site’s
claim as New Testament’s Bethsaida-3-day blaze clears vegetation
concealing parts of el-Araj on northern shore of Sea of Galilee, adding
kindling to theory that location was hometown of St. Peter visited by
Jesus-By Rossella Tercatin-Today, 9:16 am-AUG 30,25
On a
sweltering Thursday afternoon last month, Prof. Mordechai Aviam of
Kinneret College drove to el-Araj, an archaeological site on the
northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, hauling buckets, tarps and digging
tools to prepare for his team’s 2025 excavation season.By Friday, those
plans had gone up in flames, literally, as a wildfire swept through the
area. It was still burning on Sunday, the day he had hoped to kick off
the dig.When the archaeologists were finally allowed back, they found
devastation — and unexpected opportunities.The flames destroyed the
team’s equipment, but in the process, they also cleared out the dense
vegetation that had long concealed parts of the site. What emerged was
evidence that could bolster the archaeologists’ long-held argument that
el-Araj is in fact the ancient village of Bethsaida, celebrated in the
New Testament as the hometown of St. Peter and a place where Jesus
walked and performed miracles.“The fire helped us a lot in understanding
the site,” Aviam told The Times of Israel over the phone.The
archaeologist explained that for at least the past century, and likely
longer, the area had been either densely cultivated or overgrown with
thick vegetation, and often flooded by the nearby lake, making it
impossible to determine the village’s boundaries.“After the fire, we
carried out a ground survey and saw that the site was much larger than
we realized,” he said. “We identified remains of private houses as well
as architectural elements typical of public buildings, including pillar
drums, two Corinthian capitals, two Doric capitals, and several
cornices.”Aviam said the remains can be dated to the Roman period, based
on both nearby buildings that his team has already excavated and the
style of the architectural elements uncovered.The site’s considerable
size supports its identification as Bethsaida, he added, because it
aligns with the way the village is described in “Antiquities of the
Jews” by first-century CE Jewish-Roman historian Josephus.“Philip [son
of Herod the Great] advanced the village Bethsaida, situated at the lake
of Gennesareth, unto the dignity of a city, both by the number of
inhabitants it contained, and its other grandeur, and called it by the
name of Julias, the same name with Caesar’s daughter,” reads a passage
from the work.“In light of what Josephus says, Bethsaida could not have
been a small village,” Aviam noted.El-Araj is not the only candidate for
the site of the elusive Galilean town where, according to the Gospels,
the apostles Peter, Andrew, and Philip were born.About two kilometers
(1.2 miles) away, the site of e-Tell has been claimed to be Bethsaida
since 1987, when Rami Arav launched the “Bethsaida Excavations Project,”
which has been active ever since.Arguments for a third possibility,
al-Mesydiah, located roughly two kilometers from the mouth of the Jordan
River, have lost ground in recent years in favor of the other two
sites.Aviam, who serves as archaeological director of the excavation at
el-Araj, has been digging at the site since 2016, together with his
co-director Prof. Steven Notley, a historical geographer who teaches at
Pillar College in New Jersey.“He was the one who initiated the
excavation, suggesting that el-Araj could be Bethsaida,” Aviam said.Soon
after digging began in 2016, the team uncovered the remains of a Roman
bathhouse, showing that the settlement was already active in the Roman
period. In later seasons, they unearthed a fifth-century church with
colorful mosaic floors, further strengthening their case.According to
Aviam, the most decisive evidence came with the discovery of a Greek
inscription dedicating the church to the “Head and Leader of the
Heavenly Messengers” and “Keeper of the Keys,” titles traditionally
associated with St. Peter.The scholars argue that Byzantine Christians
built the church on that spot because they believed it marked the house
of Peter described in the New Testament, much like what happened at
another key Galilean site, Capernaum.The researchers dedicated the 2025
summer excavation season to exploring several areas of el-Araj —
including underneath the church’s floor — to shed more light on life
there during the Roman period.Aviam said the team immediately uncovered
the remains of Roman buildings. The walls, still visible beneath the
fifth-century church, made it clear that the church’s builders had
recognized the older structure.“We don’t have proof that this was
Peter’s house,” Aviam said, “but the builders may have believed it was
the home of Peter and Andrew. It’s exactly like Capernaum, where the
church was constructed directly over what they called Peter’s house.
Peter was born in Bethsaida, but he moved to Capernaum because his wife
was from there.”Aviam said that el-Araj shows evidence of occupation
from the Hellenistic and Hasmonean period (second century BCE) through
the end of the Roman period (third century CE).“Between the third and
fourth centuries, the Jewish village was abandoned, possibly because
rising lake levels caused flooding,” he noted. “Later [in the fifth
century], the first Christians who came to the site identified it [as
Bethsaida] and began building the church.”Consistent with the New
Testament description of Bethsaida, the scholars identified the
settlement as Jewish based on three types of evidence: Hasmonean coins,
stone vessels — which Jews used because they did not become ritually
impure — and a very small number of pig bones.While the fire has been
useful for Aviam’s research, he said the team will likely not excavate
structures revealed by the blaze.“Archaeology is a science of
destruction, because when you expose something, it starts to
deteriorate,” he said. “So if we already have the answers we need, we
are already certain that the structures are from the Roman period,
between the first century BCE and the first century CE, we do not need
[to excavate] more houses to prove it,” he said.The team plans to return
to el-Araj for the second part of the excavation season in October.“We
will excavate deeper in the area where we believe the bathhouse was
located, as well as in other parts of the site, with the goal of
learning more about life here during the Roman period,” Aviam said.
Troops
raze 1-km-long tunnel, kill 'terror squad' in Zeitoun-‘Dangerous combat
zone’: IDF nixes daily humanitarian pauses in Gaza City, as takeover
looms-Military says it will continue supporting aid efforts in rest of
Gaza apart from northern city, where about half the population of the
Strip is currently gathered-By Stav Levaton-and ToI Staff 29 August
2025, 2:40 pm
The Israel Defense Forces announced Friday that the
localized tactical pauses of military activity that have been taking
place daily in several locations throughout the Gaza Strip to facilitate
the distribution of humanitarian aid would no longer apply to Gaza
City, ahead of a major offensive there.The military described the area
as a “dangerous combat zone” in a statement announcing the change.In
late July, amid surging food prices in Gaza and international outcry
over widening starvation, Israel announced a series of measures to
increase the supply of humanitarian aid available to civilians in the
enclave. Among the moves was the institution of ten-hour daily pauses in
fighting in swathes of the Strip, as well as the creation of new aid
corridors and airdrop operations. The IDF said Friday that it would
continue supporting aid distribution efforts across the enclave — with
the exception of Gaza City — while simultaneously carrying out
“offensive operations against terror groups in Gaza to protect Israeli
civilians.”The military is gearing up for an offensive which aims to
capture Gaza City, where an estimated one million Palestinians — or
roughly half of the enclave’s population — are currently centered. The
IDF has urged civilians to evacuate the city and move south.Jerusalem is
moving forward with the plan, despite broad international opposition —
with the exception of the US — as well as anger at home among many
citizens who feel the move poses unjustified risk to the remaining
hostages, as well as to soldiers, and favor a comprehensive deal with
the Hamas terror group to return the captives in exchange for an end to
the war.On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met United
Nations World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain in
Jerusalem, and said in a joint statement that they had agreed to
“redouble efforts to expedite and sustain the entry of humanitarian
goods into Gaza given the dire needs on the ground.” The meeting came
days after the global hunger monitor Integrated Food Security Phase
Classification (IPC) declared for the first time that famine had struck
the densely populated northern Gaza Strip, a finding rejected by Israel.
IDF: Terror squad killed in Zeitoun, observation post struck-Also
Friday, the IDF said in a statement that troops operating in the Zeitoun
neighborhood of Gaza City had “identified a squad of terrorists who
were hiding in a military structure about 100 meters (yards) from
them.”The Israeli troops “directed an Air Force aircraft to attack the
structure and eliminated the terrorists,” the statement said, attaching
video of the incident.Additionally, an observation post aimed at IDF
forces was struck, the military said, publishing footage of that attack
as well. On Thursday night, the military said IDF troops operating in
Zeitoun had discovered and destroyed a roughly one-kilometer-long (0.6
miles) Hamas tunnel equipped with living quarters and weapons.Soldiers
from the 7th Brigade, under the 99th Division, located the underground
tunnel during operations on the outskirts of Gaza City. According to the
IDF, the tunnel was used by Hamas operatives for military purposes.In
addition, the brigade, working alongside the Israeli Air Force,
dismantled other terrorist infrastructure, seized additional weapons and
neutralized several terror operatives who posed a threat to troops in
the area, the IDF said.The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when
thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200
people and taking 251 hostages, of whom 48 are still held, 20-22 of whom
are believed to be alive. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more
than 62,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in
the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not
differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed
over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600
terrorists inside Israel during and immediately following the October 7
onslaught.Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and
stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting
from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and
mosques.Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and
in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 460.
The toll includes two police officers and three Defense Ministry
civilian contractors.
Southern Lebanon strike kills senior member
of Hezbollah’s Radwan force — IDF-Army accuses Ahmad Naeem Maatouk of
violating arrangements between Israel and Lebanon; also says troops
operated in Syria overnight, doesn’t comment on reported Damascus
raid-By Stav Levaton,Lazar Berman-and ToI Staff 29 August 2025, 11:05 pm
The
Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it killed a senior Hezbollah
operative in a strike on southern Lebanon, and that troops carried out a
series of overnight operations in southern Syria.Ahmad Naeem Maatouk, a
member of the Iran-backed terror group’s elite Radwan Force, was
targeted in an attack on the municipality of Sir El Gharbiyeh, just
north of the Litani River, the IDF said. English-language news outlet
L’Orient Today published what it said was footage from the scene showing
a group of people inspecting a bombed-out car.According to the IDF,
Maatouk served as operations officer in a Radwan battalion and advanced
multiple terror plots against Israel during the 14-month
Israel-Hezbollah war that ended with a November 27 ceasefire
agreement.The IDF said Maatouk’s actions violated arrangements between
Israel and Lebanon.Under a November ceasefire deal, Lebanon’s army has
been deploying in the country’s south and dismantling Hezbollah
infrastructure there with the support of UN observers.The Lebanese
government is expected on Sunday to come up with a plan to convince
Hezbollah to disarm, US envoy Tom Barrack said Tuesday.Speaking in Tel
Aviv after visiting Lebanon, US Senator Lindsey Graham said Thursday
that if Hezbollah does not agree to disarm, it should face military
action.“If we cannot reach a peaceful disarmament solution for
Hezbollah, then we need to look at plan B,” the South Carolina
Republican said at a press conference. “Plan B is disarming Hezbollah by
military force.”The US should support the Lebanese Armed Forces in that
effort, said Graham, who is considered a close ally of US President
Donald Trump.“If we have to use military force to disarm Hezbollah, I
think it’s in America’s interest to make sure the Lebanese army is
successful,” he said.Hezbollah began launching near-daily attacks on
Israel border towns on October 8, 2023 — a day after fellow Iran-backed
terror group Hamas invaded southern Israel, sparking the war in
Gaza.Hezbollah’s rocket attacks displaced some 60,000 residents of
northern Israel. In a bid to ensure their return home, Israel in
September stepped up operations in Lebanon, leading to two months of
open warfare that ended with the November truce.IDF touts Syria op but
doesn’t address reported Damascus raidThe IDF said Friday that its
forces carried out a series of overnight operations in southern Syria,
uncovering weapons and detaining several suspects accused of advancing
terror activity against Israeli troops in the area.The statement did not
address reports by Syrian state media on Thursday that Israeli
commandos raided a Syrian military installation near Damascus following
two days of airstrikes. The IDF has yet to comment on those
reports.According to the IDF, the raids overnight Thursday-Friday were
conducted by the 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade under the 210th
Bashan Regional Division with assistance from field investigators in
Military Intelligence’s Unit 504.The IDF said troops remain on the
Syrian side of the Israeli-Syrian buffer zone.Citing concern that the
buffer zone would fall into the wrong hands, Israel seized the area in
December following the ouster of Syria’s Iran-backed president Bashar
al-Assad at the end of a 14-year civil war.A bipartisan trio of US
lawmakers who visited Damascus criticized on Thursday what they said
were Israel’s “destabilizing” strikes on Syria.“The Syrians are prepared
to move forward with Israel to advance peace,” they said in a
statement. “It is unclear how long the door to this opportunity will
remain open.”
IDF says strike killed highest-ranking ISIS
official in Gaza-Hamas says 5 more people die of starvation, 48 killed
over 24 hours; Netanyahu’s office criticizes WFP chief, claims her
statements on hunger contradicted what she said at meeting By Stav
Levaton and ToI Staff Today, 3:34 am-AUG 30,25
The Israeli
military said Friday evening it had eliminated the highest-ranking ISIS
official in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Abu Zubaida, in a
strike carried out in the past week in the Al-Bureij area of central
Gaza.According to the Israel Defense Forces, the strike was carried out
using aerial assets under the direction of Southern Command and under
guidance from the Military Intelligence Directorate.Abu Zubaida served
as the head of ISIS’s Palestine District and was responsible for policy,
planning and implementation of the group’s operations in the West Bank,
Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula.The military said the organization has
actively engaged in combat against IDF forces and facilitated the
transfer of weapons and terror funding from the West Bank into Gaza.Also
on Friday, the IDF said alerts were activated in open areas of the Gaza
border region due to a false identification of a rocket launch.
According to the military, an interceptor missile was launched and
alerts were sounded according to standard policy.Earlier in the day the
military said it had stepped up armed operations around Gaza City,
ending temporary pauses there that had allowed for aid deliveries as it
pushed ahead with a plan to take full control of Gaza City.“The local
tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza
City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” the military said. The
assault on Gaza City has gradually intensified over the past week as
Israel has urged civilians to leave for the south of the Palestinian
enclave.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Friday that five people,
including two children, had died from malnutrition and starvation over
the previous 24 hours, bringing the total alleged number of deaths from
such cases to 322 since the start of the war. Israeli fire across the
besieged Palestinian enclave killed 48 people on Friday, local health
authorities said.Last week a global hunger monitor that works with the
United Nations and major aid agencies said it had determined there was
famine in Gaza. Israel has rejected the report as “fabricated” and based
on manipulated data.Two days after meeting UN World Food Programme
executive director Cindy McCain in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s office criticized her Friday for what it claimed were
statements that contradicted what she said in their sit-down.“Ms. McCain
agreed that the aid looted by Hamas does not reach its intended
humanitarian destination and that Hamas seizes the aid and sells it at
exorbitant prices,” the PMO said.“McCain said that during her recent
visit to Gaza, she observed a dramatic improvement: food was available,
prices had dropped and markets had sufficient goods at reasonable
prices,” Netanyahu’s office continued. “It is unfortunate that since the
meeting, Ms. McCain has issued statements that contradict what she said
in Jerusalem during that meeting.”The PMO did not specify which
allegedly contradictory statements of McCain’s it was referring to.
McCain did speak multiple times publicly about starvation in Gaza, but
did not appear to directly point the finger at Israel.US Senator Lindsey
Graham was at the meeting, and said that it went very well.“I met
starving children receiving treatment for severe malnutrition – and I
saw photos of when they were healthy. Today they are unrecognizable,”
McCain said, according to the WFP.“What we need is a ceasefire. My heart
goes out to the mothers in Gaza, as well as to the mothers of the
Israeli hostages, whose children are currently starving. Enough is
enough,” McCain said during a visit to Ramallah. “We can quickly scale
up humanitarian aid to reach the most vulnerable inside Gaza, support
the return of all hostages, and lay the foundation for peace and
stability.”Netanyahu and McCain had released a joint statement after
their meeting, calling it “constructive” and noting the recent increase
in aid going into Gaza.The World Health Organization said Friday it had
run out of critical medical supplies in Gaza that it needs to treat a
surge in cases of a rare paralysis-causing syndrome in the Palestinian
enclave.There have been 94 documented cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome
in Gaza since June, resulting in 10 deaths, although GBS had rarely been
seen in the enclave before the Israel-Hamas war began nearly two years
ago, it said.GBS is a rare condition that involves a person’s immune
system attacking the peripheral nerves. Severe cases can result in
near-total paralysis and breathing problems, the WHO said.The fatalities
include four children under 15 and six older patients with an average
age of 25, the WHO said. Two of the victims had received no treatment,
reflecting critical shortages in essential treatment supplies, it
added.The surge in GBS has primarily been driven by gastrointestinal and
respiratory infections, closely linked to deteriorating water,
sanitation and hygiene conditions, it said.The IDF said Friday that it
would continue supporting aid distribution efforts across the enclave —
with the exception of Gaza City — while simultaneously carrying out
“offensive operations against terror groups in Gaza to protect Israeli
civilians.”The military is gearing up for an offensive which aims to
capture Gaza City, where an estimated one million Palestinians — or
roughly half of the enclave’s population — are currently centered. The
IDF has urged civilians to evacuate the city and move south.Jerusalem is
moving forward with the plan, despite broad international opposition —
with the exception of the US — as well as anger at home among many
citizens who feel the move poses unjustified risk to the remaining
hostages, as well as to soldiers, and favor a comprehensive deal with
the Hamas terror group to return the captives in exchange for an end to
the war.Also Friday, the IDF said in a statement that troops operating
in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City had “identified a squad of
terrorists who were hiding in a military structure about 100 meters
(yards) from them.”The Israeli troops “directed an Air Force aircraft to
attack the structure and eliminated the terrorists,” the statement
said, attaching video of the incident.Additionally, an observation post
aimed at IDF forces was struck, the military said, publishing footage of
that attack as well. On Thursday night, the military said IDF troops
operating in Zeitoun had discovered and destroyed a roughly
one-kilometer-long (0.6 miles) Hamas tunnel equipped with living
quarters and weapons.The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when
thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200
people and taking 251 hostages, of whom 48 are still held, 20-22 of whom
are believed to be alive. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more
than 62,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in
the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not
differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed
over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600
terrorists inside Israel during and immediately following the October 7
onslaught.Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and
stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting
from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and
mosques.Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and
in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 460.
Gaza-bound
flotilla set to sail from Spain on Sunday, with Greta Thunberg again in
tow-Organizer of what is expected to be largest flotilla yet urges
governments to pressure Israel to let activists break naval blockade of
the Strip-By Reuters and ToI Staff 29 August 2025, 11:32 pm
Activists
set to sail from Spain for Gaza on Sunday have called on governments to
pressure Israel to let their flotilla through the naval blockade on the
enclave.The Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest to date, is expected to
include dozens of boats carrying aid and hundreds of people from 44
countries. Sumud means “perseverance” in Arabic.Among the activists set
to take part in the flotilla are Swedish climate activist Greta
Thunberg, who was detained and then deported by Israel after the IDF
intercepted a separate Gaza-bound boat she joined in June. Also set to
participate in the flotilla is left-wing Portuguese lawmaker Mariana
Mortagua.Israel has scuppered numerous attempts by international
activists to penetrate the nearly 20-year-long blockade, including in
2010, when nine Turkish citizens were killed in a clash with IDF naval
commandos who intercepted the Mavi Marmara flotilla.The new flotilla
comes after a UN hunger monitor said last week that parts of Gaza were
suffering from famine. Israel, which stopped the flow of aid into Gaza
for nearly three months until mid-May, has rejected the report as a
“modern blood libel” and accused Hamas of looting aid deliveries.Saif
Abukeshek, one of the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla, said the
ball was in the politicians’ court to put pressure on Israel to let the
activists through this time.“They need to act to defend human rights and
to guarantee a safe passage for this flotilla,” said Abukeshek, who is a
Palestinian resident of Spain, in an interview with Reuters in
Barcelona on Thursday.Israel has dismissed previous activist flotillas,
including the British-flagged yacht carrying Thunberg in June, as a
propaganda stunt in support of Hamas.Israel imposed the naval blockade
on Gaza in 2007, when Hamas took control of the Strip two years after
Israel withdrew from it. According to Israel, the blockade was necessary
to prevent Hamas from smuggling arms by sea.The blockade has remained
in place through conflicts, including the current war, which began when
Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill
some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.Israel’s retaliatory offensive
has since killed almost 63,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run
Gaza health ministry.The toll, which cannot be independently verified,
does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has
killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600
terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.
Hamas
calls to 'escalate punitive measures' against Israel-Israeli airlines
say they’re still traversing Turkish airspace despite declared
closure-Diplomat clarifies only overflights of planes ferrying Israeli
officials or weapons to Israel are blocked from Turkey’s skies, after
its FM claimed airspace closed and trade ‘totally cut’By Lazar
Berman-and Agencies 29 August 2025, 7:59 pmUpdated at 10:04 pm
Turkish
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday said Ankara has “totally cut”
trade with Israel and closed Turkey’s airspace to Israeli planes, though
Israeli airlines said they received no new instructions.A Turkish
diplomatic source later clarified that Fidan only meant Israeli
government flights and flights carrying weapons to Israel would be
barred from Turkey’s skies.“The minister’s comments refer to official
Israeli flights and flights carrying weapons or ammunition to Israel.
This does not apply to transit commercial flights,” the source said.The
clarification came after Israeli officials earlier told The Times of
Israel that they believed Fisan was simply laying out, with some
inaccuracies, actions Turkey already took against Israel over the war
against Hamas in Gaza.“We have totally cut our trade with Israel, we
have closed off our ports to Israeli ships and we are not allowing
Turkish vessels to go to Israel’s ports,” Fidan told an extraordinary
parliamentary session on Israel’s attacks on the Strip.“We are not
allowing container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to
enter our ports, and airplanes to go into our airspace,” he added,
without giving details.Fidan also said Turkey was set to carry out
airdrops of aid to Gaza. “Our planes are ready; once Jordan gives its
approval, we will be in a position to go,” he told lawmakers.The Israeli
government did not immediately comment on Fidan’s remarks, which came a
day after Saudi outlet Al-Hadath reported that an Israeli raid in the
Damascus area overnight Wednesday-Thursday dismantled Turkish
surveillance devices intended to monitor Israel.Responding to Fidan’s
statement, Hamas urged “Turkey, as well as Arab and Islamic countries
and the free nations of the world, to escalate punitive measures against
[Israel]” and “sever all relations with it, and work to isolate it — to
compel it to halt the genocide and destruction of Gaza.”Despite Fidan’s
statement, Israeli airplanes were still operating in Turkish airspace
on Friday and received no instructions to do otherwise, Army Radio
reported.“Following reports about Turkey’s decision to close its
airspace to Israeli planes, Arkia is in contact with the relevant
authorities,” the Israeli airline told The Times of Israel. “At this
stage, no operational instructions have been received.”Israir also told
The Times of Israel that “the airspace has not been closed.”“Our flights
are operating as scheduled with no changes, and we are in regular
contact with the Civil Aviation Authority,” said the carrier.Shipping
sources already told Reuters last week that Turkish port authorities had
started informally requiring shipping agents to provide letters
declaring that vessels are not linked to Israel and not carrying
military or hazardous cargo bound for the country.A source had also said
that Turkish-flagged ships would be prohibited from calling at Israeli
ports.Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, a Turkey expert at Tel Aviv
University’s Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies,
nonetheless considered Fidan’s latest statement to be credible and
dramatic.“Turkey is adopting a gradual punishment strategy against
Israel,” said Yanarocak. “When Israel declared its intention to launch
an invasion of Gaza City, Ankara imposed naval sanctions that barred
Israeli ships from visiting Turkish ports. And today, following news
that the IDF launched an extraterritorial raid against Syrian army
outposts, where Turkey had intelligence devices to track the activities
of Israeli troops, Ankara made a new decision and shut down its airspace
to Israeli planes.”“This move is certainly unprecedented, and it will
not be easy to reverse in the future,” he said.Turkey, a leading
supporter of Hamas, has been one of the harshest critics of Israel’s
conduct in Gaza.Last year, Turkey said it was stopping all exports and
imports to and from Israel, though some are said to have quietly
continued.The two countries had a trade volume of $6.8 billion in 2023,
and Turkey was Israel’s fifth-largest source of imported goods. Israel
and Turkey have free trade agreements from the mid-1990s that are now
being abrogated.Istanbul had also long been a popular destination for
Israeli tourists, many of whom traveled on Turkish Airlines and used
Turkey’s Atatürk Airport as a cheaper option for connecting flights to
destinations in Europe and elsewhere.Before the Hamas massacre in
southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza,
Turkish Airlines was the fourth-largest carrier at Israel’s Ben Gurion
Airport. In April, Turkish carriers waived their flight slots at the
airport.Sharon Wrobel and Times of Israel staff contributed to this
report.
