Today's briefing covers a tragic update from the Intel plant explosion in Kiryat Gat, Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to the newly built eastern border barrier, intensifying coalition politics ahead of elections, and a round-up of regional security and international developments.

Security

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the new barrier under construction along Israel's eastern border on Thursday, alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz and senior IDF officers. Netanyahu said the barrier would stretch from the Yarmouk to Eilat, backed by troop deployments and anti-drone measures, warning Israel's enemies not to test the country. Separately, Jerusalem Post reported that Iran has instructed Hezbollah to raise its readiness and prepare for a potential conflict, summoning salaried operatives, though sources stressed the move was precautionary rather than indicating an imminent escalation. In a separate case, a Negev resident, Shehadeh Abu al-Kian, was sentenced to 24.5 years in prison after joining the IDF on the orders of a terror group, gathering intelligence and transporting weapons to the West Bank. Meanwhile, Ynet reported growing anti-Israel sentiment in southern Syrian media since the fall of the Assad regime, with criticism of the IDF's presence in the area, including claims of civilian abductions and farmers being displaced due to the barrier project, dubbed the 'Great Storm' by Arab commentators.

Politics

Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman ruled out supporting any minority government, closing the door on a plan floated by Yesh Atid's Benny Gantz involving a coalition of 58-59 MKs. Liberman said his party would only join a coalition of Zionist parties excluding Arab and ultra-Orthodox factions, and insisted he would never sit with Netanyahu, suggesting instead that Likud MKs without Netanyahu could make up the numbers. Separately, the Jerusalem Post published an analysis examining the long-running dispute between Netanyahu and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar over who contacted whom ahead of 7 October, arguing both political and defence leadership ignored warning signs that had been building for a decade or more.

International

Former US Vice President Kamala Harris criticised the Biden administration for failing to curb Israel's conduct during the Gaza war, saying the US had an obligation under international law that was not upheld. In the UK, Labour instructed local branches to break coalitions with Green Party groups that do not disavow a recent 'Zionism is Racism' motion, giving them a week to respond, while a number of Jewish former Green Party members are preparing to sue the party over the same policy, with some reporting they have already received complaints against them. In Indonesia, the Muslim council urged the government to cancel upcoming Andrea Bocelli concerts, citing the tenor's past performance in Tel Aviv and his participation in a 2010 IDF fundraiser. Elsewhere, celebrations broke out in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, after US President Trump described the territory as a 'totally different country' from Somalia at a rally; Somaliland, unrecognised by Washington, maintains formal relations only with Israel.

Other Developments

A second worker has died from injuries sustained in Wednesday's explosion at Intel's manufacturing plant in Kiryat Gat. Ilya Chechulin, 49, from Beersheba, died at Soroka Medical Center on Thursday, bringing the death toll to two. The blast, believed to have been caused by a gas cylinder exploding during truck unloading, also left a third worker, in his twenties, in critical condition, sedated and on a ventilator. Intel said it was cooperating with the authorities investigating the incident.

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