Good morning. Today’s briefing covers confirmation that the UAE passed Israel a credible warning ahead of the October 7 massacre, continuing fallout from Britain’s sanctions on Israeli settlements, and a diplomatic push as Israel prepares to open an embassy in Slovenia. Also making news: a bottleneck in training recruits for Gaza’s new police force, and a decision by the Rabin Center to cancel an event over Itamar Ben Gvir’s planned appearance.

Security

A senior Middle Eastern intelligence source confirmed to Ynet that the United Arab Emirates passed Israel a warning from a “highly reliable” source shortly before the October 7 massacre, indicating that Hamas was preparing a significant and imminent operation. The source said Abu Dhabi treated the intelligence “very seriously”, though details of how the warning was conveyed to Israel, and whether it was discussed directly between Mohammed bin Zayed and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, remain undisclosed. Separately, the Jerusalem Post reported that officials in the Biden administration were unaware of the UAE warning, even in the aftermath of the attack. Meanwhile, the IDF's Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, visited wounded soldiers at Sheba Medical Center, telling commanders and fighters recovering from injuries that “this is now a campaign requiring further courage for rehabilitation.” The Navy also held its annual memorial ceremony for fallen personnel at Gan Elisheva in Ashdod, led by Navy commander Major General Eyal Harel. In a related feature, a senior officer described the dramatic expansion of Israel's armed drone programme, noting that armed UAVs flown from Palmachim reached Iran during last June's conflict, a capability that “did not exist” before Operation Rising Lion.

Politics

The Yitzhak Rabin Center is reported to have cancelled an event organised by the Public Security Ministry after pushing back against a planned address by far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir, citing his past rhetoric in the lead-up to Rabin's 1995 assassination.

International

Fallout continued over Britain's sanctions on Israeli settlements. According to Axios, US President Donald Trump did not object to the measures during a call with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham ahead of the announcement, with American officials reportedly telling their British counterparts they “share their concerns” about the Netanyahu government's West Bank policy. UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband told Jewish News he defied appeals from the Chief Rabbi, the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council to delay the sanctions. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis responded by calling it “a dark day for Britain's Jews”, arguing the sanctions “do nothing to advance the cause of peace” and could make the situation more dangerous rather than less. Separately, Israel is preparing to open its first embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia, marking a striking policy reversal by a country that had previously been among Israel's harshest critics in Europe, even as a recent poll suggests 56% of the Slovenian public opposes closer ties with Jerusalem. In Southeast Asia, Thailand's foreign minister summoned the Israeli ambassador over the conduct of Israeli tourists, warning that while Thailand welcomes visitors, “tourists of any nationality” cannot do as they please in the country.

Other Developments

Israel is reportedly barring some of the 16,500 recruits it has vetted for Gaza's new technocratic police force from leaving the Strip for training in Egypt, out of 283,000 total applicants, according to Board of Peace officials. Meanwhile, the fifth season of hit drama Fauda has landed on Netflix worldwide, drawing a mixed response from Arab audiences, including notably nuanced commentary from Lebanon praising the acting and trauma portrayal while questioning the show's Israeli perspective and its treatment of victimhood.

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