Israel's security establishment is on heightened alert over the risk of renewed confrontation with Iran, even as political attention turns to pre-election jockeying within the coalition. Diplomatic strains with Turkey and Britain continue to simmer, while new details have emerged of two landmark intelligence operations.

Security

Tensions between Iran and the United States are escalating once again, prompting the IDF to compile a fresh target bank and raising concern within the defence establishment that Tehran could seek to exploit the upcoming holiday period, historically a favoured window for Iranian attacks. Defence Minister Yisrael Katz told the Ynet-Yedioth Ahronoth conference that Israel is prepared and coordinating closely with Washington, while the army continues drawing lessons from Operation Rising Lion and is also preparing for the possibility of domestic unrest inside Iran. Separately, new details have emerged of the Shin Bet operation that led to the capture of Hamas's internal security chief in Gaza, including the use of a disguised vegetable truck and a firefight during the raid. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has for the first time confirmed that Israeli naval commandos, Shayetet 13, carried out the 2008 assassination of Muhammad Suleiman, the Syrian general and architect of the Deir ez-Zor nuclear reactor, shot dead at his seaside home in Tartus.

Politics

Likud and Otzma Yehudit are in final talks over Tali Gottlieb's transfer to Itamar Ben Gvir's party, expected to secure her the fourth slot on its list, after Likud reversed an earlier position that could have jeopardised the move by risking her disqualification as a departing MK. United Torah Judaism's Moshe Gafni-aligned MK Yitzhak Pindrus and colleague Yaakov Tessler signalled that the conscription law must pass before any new government is formed, with MK Uri Maklev warning against attempts to split the faction and insisting on partnerships only with new, untainted figures. The High Court intervened to send the disputed 'Elector' voting application back to the Central Elections Committee, where the coalition holds a majority, with a hearing set for Sunday. Defence Minister Katz also used the conference to reaffirm that voluntary emigration from Gaza remains central to Israeli policy, though implementation is currently paused pending diplomatic pressure on the Trump administration to secure host countries.

International

Israel is set to end the year without an ambassador in London, deepening a diplomatic vacuum with Britain as it weighs sanctions and Jerusalem considers retaliatory measures, a situation Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar acknowledged publicly; incoming envoy Tzahi Braverman remains unable to travel abroad due to an ongoing affair, with the Civil Service Commissioner yet to rule. President Erdogan issued a pointed warning to Greece days after it signed a major arms deal with Israel, accusing Athens of arming islands near the Turkish coast, while a senior Israeli official acknowledged that back-channel communications with Ankara via Azerbaijan have thinned amid rising friction. In Washington, officials say the priority is keeping the Iran standoff contained until the November midterms, maintaining economic pressure without seeking escalation, even as Tehran appears emboldened and unpredictable factors, including President Trump himself, complicate the calculus.

Other Developments

A large fire broke out along the Yarkon riverbanks in Ramat Gan between the football stadium and training pitch, prompting seven fire crews to respond and disrupting rail services across the Sharon region. Four days after mob violence targeted a Palestinian village near the Mevaser Shalom outpost, no arrests have been made, though a pickup truck allegedly used by the attackers has been located. A 39-year-old man from the Galilee, a former IDF soldier, has been charged with undergoing training with intent to join Islamic State. Israel's Diaspora Affairs Ministry has exposed a network tracking IDF soldiers with Turkish citizenship, mapping their families and units to file criminal complaints abroad, allegedly linked to terror organisations.

Sources: Ynet