🚧 GAZA BORDER CLOSURE AND PRO-SETTLEMENT MARCH: The IDF declared parts of the western Negev a closed military zone from Sunday at 8:00 a.m. until Monday at 8:00 a.m.
The order covers the area from Yad Mordechai Junction, west of Route 34, to Sha’ar HaNegev Junction, and from Sha’ar HaNegev Junction, west of Route 232, to Kerem Shalom. Residents and employees may continue entering the affected communities.
The IDF said forces are deployed and prepared in the area. The order was signed by Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor.
According to i24NEWS, the closure preceded the pro-settlement “March of the Thousands,” which supports reestablishing Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip. Organizers reportedly said some activists intended to cross the border fence illegally.
Several thousand participants were expected, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Likud and other right-wing lawmakers. Smotrich recently finalized plans for three new settlements.
🇱🇧 SECURITY AND DIPLOMACY IN LEBANON: Lebanese authorities detained Ali Khalifeh, a member of a prominent southern Lebanese clan, on suspicion of ties to Israel’s Mossad following surveillance and monitoring of his communications.
Reports alleged that Khalifeh transmitted sensitive information about Hezbollah during frequent visits to Turkey and Iraq. The intelligence reportedly helped identify targets linked to the elimination of several Hezbollah officials in 2024, including senior figures Fuad Shukr and Ibrahim Aqil.
The investigation remains ongoing, and Lebanese authorities have not issued a final official statement.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and First Lady Nehmat Aoun arrived at Andrews Air Force Base for a four-day official visit to the United States.
Aoun is scheduled to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday and President Trump at the White House on Tuesday, with additional meetings planned with U.S. senators and administration officials.
⚛️ DRAFT U.S.-SAUDI NUCLEAR AGREEMENT: The Trump administration has reached a tentative civilian nuclear agreement that would permit Saudi Arabia to conduct limited domestic uranium enrichment, according to CNN.
The precise enrichment limits remain unclear. The draft would not require Riyadh to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency’s most stringent inspection framework, instead relying on a separate U.S.-Saudi safeguards arrangement.
The proposal has raised concerns that Saudi Arabia could gain a potential pathway toward developing nuclear-weapons capability.
The agreement awaits President Trump’s signature and has not been submitted to Congress. Its approval has reportedly been delayed by the war with Iran and the prospect of bipartisan opposition.
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