Thursday's headlines were dominated by the formal start of Likud's election campaign, a security scare involving a government website, and the confirmed dismissal of a senior IDF officer over October 7 failures. Abroad, Washington's push to sell advanced fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and fresh Houthi attacks on Jeddah and Mecca underscored the shifting regional balance, alongside diplomatic signals from Lebanon and continuing scrutiny of Israel's settlement policy in the West Bank.
Politics
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally launched Likud's election campaign at a rally in Tel Aviv's Expo grounds, telling supporters 'we saved Israel from annihilation' and dismissing rival party Yisrael Beytenu's 'Yashar' campaign as 'a bluff'. Netanyahu was presented as the party's sole figurehead, with ministers notably absent from the messaging, while the campaign's earlier 'total victory' slogan has been replaced with 'Netanyahu does not surrender'. Separately, the Shin Bet reportedly scrambled an emergency response after a government website hosted a Likud event registration page collecting participants' personal details, including ID numbers, for security purposes. The Prime Minister's Office admitted the page had not been removed in time following a petition to the Central Elections Committee chairman, Justice Yitzhak Amit. Meanwhile, rights groups say Israel has advanced a tender for 2,167 housing units as part of the E1 settlement plan, timed two days before the election, amid reports of settler attacks on Palestinian olive groves and complaints from Jordan Valley residents that a new security barrier is cutting them off from their homes. Palestinians in the West Bank told the Jerusalem Post that Israel's upcoming election matters more to their daily lives than Palestinian Authority politics.
Security
The IDF confirmed that the intelligence officer who headed the Gaza Division's intelligence unit on October 7 has been formally dismissed from service. The officer, referred to as Lieutenant Colonel A., had petitioned against the decision and was initially blocked by the courts, but has now been notified his term has ended. He retains the right to appeal to the Chief of Staff, who determined that he bears command responsibility for failures during the Hamas-led massacre. Separately, five people were killed in car crashes across Israel since the morning, including a cyclist struck by a vehicle that overturned north of Tel Aviv after allegedly being stolen by a Palestinian residing in Israel illegally.
International
The US State Department approved a potential arms sale to Saudi Arabia worth approximately $24.3 billion, including 48 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters and 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines. A senior Saudi official told Israel Hayom the kingdom considers itself 'at war with Iran, even if not officially', linking Riyadh's request for Israeli assistance against Houthi attacks to potential future diplomatic moves, with another Gulf state reportedly impressed by Israeli military capabilities against Iran and edging closer to the Abraham Accords. Sirens sounded in Jeddah and Mecca as Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, as renewed fighting in Yemen has displaced more than 100,000 people. In Lebanon, US envoy Morgan Ortagus said Beirut had genuinely sought peace but that Israel was slow to recognise the opening, cautioning that a final agreement's timeline remains unpredictable. In Russia, the first parliamentary elections since the invasion of Ukraine will be held this weekend for 111 million voters, though the anti-war Yabloko party has been barred from competing and all contesting parties are considered Kremlin-aligned. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned that Europe is closer to a full-scale war than ever before amid the conflict in Ukraine, citing drone incursions that could trigger NATO's collective defence clause, and said he wants to keep Slovakia out of any armed confrontation.
Other Developments
Archaeologists in Kiryat Gat successfully lifted a 25-tonne Second Temple-era ritual bath (mikveh) intact from the ground during construction work, a discovery the Israel Antiquities Authority says points to an ancient settlement previously unknown to researchers. The structure was temporarily relocated to prevent damage during building work.
Media Consensus
Hebrew and English-language outlets converge on the significance of Netanyahu's campaign launch as marking the formal start of the election season, with Israeli sources also highlighting the Shin Bet's rapid response to the leaked registration page. International coverage from the Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel places greater emphasis on regional security dynamics, particularly the Saudi arms deal and Houthi escalation, alongside continued scrutiny of settlement expansion in the West Bank.
What to Watch
- Likud's campaign messaging and internal positioning as the election approaches, with ministers notably sidelined from Netanyahu-centred branding
- Further developments in the Gulf, including progress on the Saudi F-35 deal and any Israeli-Saudi security cooperation against Houthi threats
- Continued fallout from the E1 settlement tender and its impact on West Bank tensions ahead of the election
Sources: Ynet, Walla, www.israelhayom.co.il, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post
