Tonight's briefing covers rising friction over Hezbollah's disarmament in Lebanon, a wave of West Bank incidents during the Rosh Hashanah holiday, Jared Kushner's candid remarks on the Doha strike, and a New York Times report on Iranian hardliners defying their own leadership. We also look at the Chief of Staff's assessment of a turbulent year and round up other developments from across the region.

Security

Israeli military officials continue to press Lebanon over its handling of the Rome-brokered understanding on Hezbollah's disarmament. A senior Israeli source familiar with the details said the Lebanese army is "going around" what is expected of it, too fearful of confronting Hezbollah to collect weapons or dismantle infrastructure. Meanwhile, the West Bank saw a tense Rosh Hashanah, with reports of settler assaults and arson against farmland, and a foreign TV crew reportedly assaulted outside an illegal outpost. Separately, an off-duty soldier was suspended and is under investigation after firing at Palestinians near a village that had earlier been raided by settlers; the soldier said stones had been thrown at him. In a separate incident, gunfire was directed at a school in Jisr al-Zarqa while students were present, though no injuries were reported; police arrested three suspects. In Holon, five minors aged 15-17 were arrested over a stabbing during a street altercation that left two people moderately injured. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, marking a turbulent tenure, has overseen fighting on six fronts, including two rounds against Iran that set back but did not eliminate its nuclear programme, and Israeli control of more than 1,200 square kilometres in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria via 63 outposts, alongside a sharp decline in West Bank attacks. Freed hostage Omer Shem Tov also spoke publicly about the loneliness, hunger and abuse he endured in Hamas captivity, saying he does not see himself as a hero despite widespread praise.

Politics

Jared Kushner criticised Israel's strike targeting Hamas leadership in Doha as "terrible" and an unsuccessful military operation that left Israel globally isolated, adding that Washington used the diplomatic fallout to push forward a Gaza deal. Separately, Israel is preparing for what officials describe as "intense" protests during Prime Minister Netanyahu's upcoming trip to the United Nations in New York, after mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani called for rallies. Israel's ambassador to the UN said Mamdani should "focus on his tasks" in the city and announced the launch of a new antisemitism task force.

International

A New York Times report citing Iranian sources said hardliners within the Revolutionary Guards launched attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in July in defiance of Iran's leadership, enraging President Pezeshkian and undermining an emerging deal with Washington. An official investigation reportedly traced the strikes to former Guards spymaster Hossein Taeb. Separately, newly declassified British documents revealed that Osama bin Laden was plotting attacks against the UK and Israel as early as 1998, years before the September 11 attacks. In Bosnia, Republika Srpska leader Milorad Dodik told the Jerusalem Post that Israel's survival story inspires his vision for the region's future, reaffirming his ambition to break away from Bosnia and unite with Serbia. CNN also reported that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon officials pressured an F-15 crew to appear on '60 Minutes' to discuss a rescue operation tied to the Iran conflict, despite security and political concerns raised by military officials.

Other Developments

Firefighters battled for hours to contain a blaze at the popular Tel Dan nature reserve in northern Israel. All visitors were evacuated, and crews said the fire was largely contained but that efforts would continue into the night. In Ukraine, the body of a 45-year-old British Jewish man, a father of seven, was found in a forest near Uman with signs of violence; the local Jewish community suspects murder, though police have not formally classified the case. ZAKA's international division is assisting with repatriation. Israel was also shaken over the holiday by a suspected triple murder in the Sharon region, where two brothers and a relative were found dead in a burnt-out car near Route 6, alongside the death of Yamam fighter Itai Person in a diving accident in Haifa.

Sources: Ynet, Walla, www.israelhayom.co.il, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post