Israeli security forces have killed nine terrorists involved in the October 7 cross-border attack on southern Israel since the resumption of hostilities in Gaza last month, the IDF and Shin Bet said Thursday. In a joint statement, the military and the internal security agency said two other “key terrorists” had been eliminated before fighting resumed on March 18. The terrorists, affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were reportedly involved in killings and kidnappings of Israeli civilians and soldiers.
(Yoav Zitun)

Thai tourist police have arrested a 45-year-old Israeli man, a former member of an elite IDF unit, on suspicion of conducting unauthorized nature tours for foreign children on the island of Ko Pha Ngan, authorities said Thursday. Law enforcement officials said the man had been under surveillance since Sunday and was seen leading multiple tours for groups ranging from 10 to 30 participants. During questioning, he admitted to operating without a work permit or a guide license, both of which are required under Thai law and restricted to local citizens.
(Itamar Eichner)

Iran and Armenia were set to conclude two days of joint military exercises along their shared border on Thursday, amid tensions over Iran's nuclear program and between longtime rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia's defense ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the drills, involving the two sides' special forces, were to take place on either side of the countries' remote 44 km (26 mile) shared frontier. It said the two sides would practice responding to "attacks by simulated terrorist groups" on border checkpoints. "The aim of these drills is consolidating the security of the borders on the basis of shared interests of the two countries," Iran's state media cited a Revolutionary Guards official as saying.
(Reuters)

U.S. stocks are giving back much of their historic gains from the day before as Wall Street weighs a trade war that has cooled in temperature but is still threatening the economy. Losses for stocks accelerated after the White House clarified on Thursday that Chinese imports will be tariffed at 145%, not the 125% rate that Trump had earlier written about.
(AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday held a first meeting with pro-Kurdish politicians who are working to bring an end to the 40-year conflict between Turkey and Kurdish militants. Erdogan met Pervin Buldan and Sirri Sureyya Onder, parliamentary deputies for the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM Party, at the presidential palace in Ankara.
(Associated Press)

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi on Thursday said in a speech that Israel’s port of Eilat has been “abandoned” due to his terror group’s ongoing missile and drone attacks, framing it as a major victory against the “Israeli enemy.” He also vowed that U.S. airstrikes in Yemen would not weaken the Iran-aligned terror proxy's military capabilities. “The Israeli enemy can no longer benefit from [Eilat]. This is a great victory for the effectiveness of Yemeni operations,” al-Houthi said, referring to the strategic Red Sea port critical for Israeli trade.
(Lior Ben Ari)

Iran is taking ongoing indirect negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program seriously, a senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera on Thursday, adding that a fully authorized Iranian delegation will travel to Oman. “We approach the indirect talks with America with seriousness,” the official said, adding that dismantling or halting the program was “unacceptable.” He noted that a deal is within reach if Washington seeks reassurance about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The talks are reportedly taking place amid what the official described as unprecedented military readiness in Iran.
(Lior Ben Ari)

The High Court of Justice on Thursday rejected a petition filed by families of hostages demanding the government restore electricity to Gaza, following a decision last month to halt the supply. Justice Alex Stein dismissed the petition outright, stating the matter was not subject to judicial review and lies solely within the purview of the political leadership. “Israel is under no obligation to provide electricity to Gaza,” he said. Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg added that even entertaining the petition risked implying the issue was legally debatable.
(Netael Bandel)

Suspicious envelopes containing unidentified substances were delivered to the homes of several Israeli lawmakers, authorities said Thursday. Recipients included MKs Moshe Gafni, Yitzhak Pindrus and Israel Eichler of United Torah Judaism. Earlier this week, similar envelopes were sent to MKs Ariel Kallner (Likud), Almog Cohen (Otzma Yehudit) and Yaakov Asher (United Torah Judaism). The Knesset security officer had reportedly warned members of the possibility of receiving such packages and instructed them to alert security services, seal the envelope in plastic and isolate it until investigators arrive.
(Shilo Freid)

An Israeli drone struck a bulldozer in the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, Lebanese media reported Thursday. The pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar earlier said the Lebanese army had received a UNIFIL request to evacuate the area due to an expected Israeli attack, though the exact target was not disclosed.
(Lior Ben Ari)

Israeli security forces have killed nine terrorists involved in the October 7 cross-border attack on southern Israel since the resumption of hostilities in Gaza last month, the IDF and Shin Bet said Thursday. In a joint statement, the military and the internal security agency said two other “key terrorists” had been eliminated before fighting resumed on March 18. The terrorists, affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were reportedly involved in killings and kidnappings of Israeli civilians and soldiers.
(Yoav Zitun)

Thai tourist police have arrested a 45-year-old Israeli man, a former member of an elite IDF unit, on suspicion of conducting unauthorized nature tours for foreign children on the island of Ko Pha Ngan, authorities said Thursday. Law enforcement officials said the man had been under surveillance since Sunday and was seen leading multiple tours for groups ranging from 10 to 30 participants. During questioning, he admitted to operating without a work permit or a guide license, both of which are required under Thai law and restricted to local citizens.
(Itamar Eichner)

Iran and Armenia were set to conclude two days of joint military exercises along their shared border on Thursday, amid tensions over Iran's nuclear program and between longtime rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia's defense ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the drills, involving the two sides' special forces, were to take place on either side of the countries' remote 44 km (26 mile) shared frontier. It said the two sides would practice responding to "attacks by simulated terrorist groups" on border checkpoints. "The aim of these drills is consolidating the security of the borders on the basis of shared interests of the two countries," Iran's state media cited a Revolutionary Guards official as saying.
(Reuters)

U.S. stocks are giving back much of their historic gains from the day before as Wall Street weighs a trade war that has cooled in temperature but is still threatening the economy. Losses for stocks accelerated after the White House clarified on Thursday that Chinese imports will be tariffed at 145%, not the 125% rate that Trump had earlier written about.
(AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday held a first meeting with pro-Kurdish politicians who are working to bring an end to the 40-year conflict between Turkey and Kurdish militants. Erdogan met Pervin Buldan and Sirri Sureyya Onder, parliamentary deputies for the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM Party, at the presidential palace in Ankara.
(Associated Press)

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi on Thursday said in a speech that Israel’s port of Eilat has been “abandoned” due to his terror group’s ongoing missile and drone attacks, framing it as a major victory against the “Israeli enemy.” He also vowed that U.S. airstrikes in Yemen would not weaken the Iran-aligned terror proxy's military capabilities. “The Israeli enemy can no longer benefit from [Eilat]. This is a great victory for the effectiveness of Yemeni operations,” al-Houthi said, referring to the strategic Red Sea port critical for Israeli trade.
(Lior Ben Ari)

Iran is taking ongoing indirect negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program seriously, a senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera on Thursday, adding that a fully authorized Iranian delegation will travel to Oman. “We approach the indirect talks with America with seriousness,” the official said, adding that dismantling or halting the program was “unacceptable.” He noted that a deal is within reach if Washington seeks reassurance about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The talks are reportedly taking place amid what the official described as unprecedented military readiness in Iran.
(Lior Ben Ari)

The High Court of Justice on Thursday rejected a petition filed by families of hostages demanding the government restore electricity to Gaza, following a decision last month to halt the supply. Justice Alex Stein dismissed the petition outright, stating the matter was not subject to judicial review and lies solely within the purview of the political leadership. “Israel is under no obligation to provide electricity to Gaza,” he said. Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg added that even entertaining the petition risked implying the issue was legally debatable.
(Netael Bandel)

Suspicious envelopes containing unidentified substances were delivered to the homes of several Israeli lawmakers, authorities said Thursday. Recipients included MKs Moshe Gafni, Yitzhak Pindrus and Israel Eichler of United Torah Judaism. Earlier this week, similar envelopes were sent to MKs Ariel Kallner (Likud), Almog Cohen (Otzma Yehudit) and Yaakov Asher (United Torah Judaism). The Knesset security officer had reportedly warned members of the possibility of receiving such packages and instructed them to alert security services, seal the envelope in plastic and isolate it until investigators arrive.
(Shilo Freid)

An Israeli drone struck a bulldozer in the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, Lebanese media reported Thursday. The pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar earlier said the Lebanese army had received a UNIFIL request to evacuate the area due to an expected Israeli attack, though the exact target was not disclosed.
(Lior Ben Ari)