Diplomatic manoeuvring in the region took centre stage on Wednesday, with reports of direct US-Houthi contacts in Oman and pointed remarks from Washington about the limits of its alignment with Jerusalem. Meanwhile, tragedy struck Gaza City as a damaged building collapsed, and domestic violence incidents and a political row over coalition talks kept attention at home.

Security

Reuters reported that senior American officials met representatives of Yemen's Houthi rebels at the US Embassy in Muscat over the weekend, in a previously unpublicised meeting. According to multiple sources, the Houthis committed not to attack Israeli or American vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, though Saudi-linked shipping was notably excluded from the assurance. The talks come amid growing concern over Houthi activity choking the Bab el-Mandeb shipping lane, with analysts noting the rebels are increasingly assertive even as regional powers avoid direct engagement. In Gaza, Hamas-run civil defence authorities said a six-storey building previously struck in Israeli operations collapsed, killing at least 20 people with dozens more feared missing; residents reportedly had returned to the structure despite safety warnings, citing a lack of alternative shelter. Domestically, a spate of violent incidents unsettled southern communities: a 17-year-old was stabbed in an Ashdod park following a dispute between teenagers, a 19-year-old was stabbed in the city a day earlier after an apparent road altercation, and a 54-year-old man was beaten with a plank in Ashkelon. Four suspects have been arrested in the Ashdod cases, while the Ashkelon attacker remains at large. Separately, a Haifa court extended by six days the detention of a 24-year-old Hadera resident, the fourth suspect held in connection with the murder of Yanis Yushbayev in Caesarea three weeks ago.

Politics

US Vice President JD Vance said Washington cannot allow its Middle East foreign policy to become 'subservient to Israel', acknowledging that allies sometimes disagree and noting that President Trump has shown willingness to 'part ways' with Prime Minister Netanyahu when American interests require it. US envoy Mike Huckabee, however, insisted the bilateral relationship remains 'solid'. In Lebanon, President Joseph Aoun said in an interview that a security arrangement with Israel could serve as a potential prelude to a peace agreement, though he cautioned that 'we cannot jump directly to a peace agreement.' Aoun described the disarmament of Hezbollah as non-negotiable and called for a new international force to replace UNIFIL once its mandate expires. On the domestic front, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir wrote to Netanyahu urging that Jewish visits to the Temple Mount be permitted on Shabbat as well, arguing the move would strengthen Israeli governance; his position was presented during a High Court hearing on a petition seeking to open the site to Jewish visitors on Saturdays. He argued that yielding to enemy threats poses a genuine security danger. Meanwhile, a political controversy erupted around Benny Gantz-aligned party leader Gadi Eisenkot after claims surfaced that he had committed, in a meeting with Bedouin community heads, to including Mansour Abbas's Ra'am party in a future coalition. Documentation released by his party reportedly shows he made no such commitment, and Eisenkot reiterated that any coalition partner must recognise the Declaration of Independence and Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Separately, former Knesset member Esterina Tartman, who represented Yisrael Beiteinu and was forced to relinquish the tourism ministry portfolio after a false academic credentials claim, has died at 68; party leader Avigdor Liberman praised her years of public service.

International

London's Jewish community raised alarm after a series of antisemitic arson attacks between March and May, including the burning of Hatzolah ambulances, prompting the London Assembly Fire Committee to convene and examine the fire brigade's response. Air Canada has launched an investigation and removed a senior crew member over allegations they shared antisemitic material, including posts promoting violence against Jews. In Iran, survivors of the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' uprising marked the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, with participants describing the movement as an opportunity to reject what they called a system that treated women as inferior. At the United Nations, the daughter of a former Gaza hostage confronted officials over continued UNRWA funding despite the agency's documented ties to Hamas. In The Hague, a special tribunal sentenced former Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi to 25 years in prison, finding him criminally responsible for war crimes committed during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war.

Other Developments

Iranian authorities shut down the social media page of a restaurant nicknamed 'Bibi's Kitchen' after it posted a pun referencing Netanyahu alongside slang used by regime opponents to mock senior Revolutionary Guard commanders killed in recent strikes. Separately, ahead of the third anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attacks, the National Library of Israel announced it will launch a display commemorating the fallen, issuing a call for memorial books, pamphlets and digital materials documenting personal and collective loss.

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