As Israel celebrates Rosh Hashanah for the first time in three years without hostages held in Gaza, security forces remain active on multiple fronts. The IDF struck terror targets in southern Lebanon, foiled a significant arms smuggling operation from Jordan, and conducted a major exercise in the West Bank resulting in over 220 arrests. Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions flared after the EU's top diplomat compared Israel's presence in the West Bank to Russia's occupation of Crimea, drawing a sharp rebuke from Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

Security

The Israeli Air Force carried out a wave of strikes against terror targets in Tabnit, al-Fuqa and al-Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on Friday. Separately, the IDF revealed details of a foiled arms smuggling operation from Jordan, in which two Jericho residents crossed into Jordanian territory and returned with more than 30 handguns and two M-16 rifles. The pair were identified by female observation soldiers from the 909th Combat Intelligence Collection Battalion, who tracked their movements and directed forces to set up ambushes that led to their arrest. In the West Bank, more than 220 wanted individuals were detained during a large-scale IDF exercise this week involving numerous raids across the Central Command, with all battalions mobilised on Friday morning to test readiness ahead of the holiday. Meanwhile, a Jerusalem Post analysis examined how IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has managed threats across six fronts since his appointment, including two rounds against Iran that set back but did not eliminate its nuclear programme, operational control over 1,220 square kilometres in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria via 63 outposts, and a sharp decline in West Bank terror attacks, even as underlying threats persist and China's supply of ballistic missile materials to Iran has reportedly been blocked by the United States.

Politics

Israel marked Rosh Hashanah this year for the first time in three years without hostages held in Gaza, with leaders emphasising unity messages as the country heads towards a tense election period amid ongoing conflicts on several fronts. Separately, a political row erupted after a newly selected Likud candidate, the mother of a soldier killed in the 7 October attacks, warned that if the 'other camp' wins power, 'the memory of the kingdom's heroes will disappear.' The remarks drew fierce criticism from families of hostages and victims of the 7 October massacre, with one bereaved brother stating the victims were 'Netanyahu's kingdom's dead,' and another bereaved father asking 'Aren't we tired of dividing the nation?'

International

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas drew a comparison between Israel's control of the West Bank and Russia's occupation of Crimea in an interview with the Irish Times, calling on EU member states to follow Britain's lead. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar rejected the comparison as having 'no factual or legal basis.' Separately, Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon told the Jerusalem Post that Israel is quietly regaining respect at the United Nations, discussing shifting alliances, UNIFIL and the future of Israeli diplomacy. On the international justice front, five countries have withdrawn from the International Criminal Court over the past year as the United States imposes sanctions on the body, arguing it threatens American sovereignty, with several African nations also accusing it of selective justice. AI safety firm Anthropic released a report revealing that Iran attempted to use its Claude AI model to locate American warships in the Middle East and identify their vulnerabilities, while separately foiling an apparent effort by Houthi rebels to use the chatbot to help develop guided missiles and explore biological weapons capabilities. In London, the Metropolitan Police announced increased security at synagogues for the High Holy Days, including plain-clothes officers, after revealing more than 30 arrests over recent antisemitic attacks. Also in London, a pro-Palestinian activist who climbed the Churchill statue in Parliament Square told a court he was proud of his protest.

Other Developments

Rachel Rabin, sister of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and a prominent kibbutz educator who lived for decades at Kibbutz Manara on the Lebanese border, has died at the age of 101. She remained close to her brother before his 1995 assassination, saying she felt he was 'protecting me, even from afar' until his last day. Separately, twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, reflections continue on how the tragedy shaped the world, alongside analysis of how demographic shifts, partisan divides and changing public language are gradually softening America's lived memory of that day.

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