KOENIG

Eisenkot's party opposes bid * Turnout at 66.7% as of 6 p.m., highest in recorded history for this hour * Election committee says polling stations will stay open after 10 p.m. if people are waiting in line * Netanyahu warns once again of Arab voters ‘racing to the ballots,’ drawing racism accusations

Israel is not publicly backing Lana Nusseibeh’s candidacy for United Nations secretary-general, Ambassador Danny Danon told i24NEWS on Monday, while praising the Emirati diplomat’s experience and ability to lead the organization.

“I have known Ambassador Nusseibeh for many years. I served with her at the UN. She’s a skilled diplomat. She has a lot of experience,” Danon said. “I think that she has the tools to lead the organization, like other candidates that also have the Asked directly whether Israel supported her bid, Danon said Israeli representatives were meeting candidates and maintaining dialogue, but were not publicly endorsing anyone.

Asked directly whether Israel supported her bid, Danon said Israeli representatives were meeting candidates and maintaining dialogue, but were not publicly endorsing anyone.

An “unprecedented confrontation” has been unfolding in recent days between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir surrounding an instruction by the prime minister for unspecified military action that defense officials believe could lead to a flare-up with Iran shortly before the election, Channel 12 reported Sunday.

The TV network, which cited anonymous sources, said Zamir had been resisting carrying out the military action, no details of which were provided, and sought further deliberations, as well as signed documentation from Netanyahu regarding legal authorization for it.

The issue had come to a head in the past 24 hours, the outlet said, noting that its report was being broadcast within the limitations of Israel’s military censorship regulations.

Iran has “substantially increased” its efforts to target American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and beyond, with lethal plots reaching “advanced stages,” according to a US intelligence memo obtained by Axios.

The October 23 memo was sent by the director of national intelligence to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. CNN said it had also obtained a copy and that a US official confirmed its authenticity. A source told CNN that its substance was broadly consistent with the intelligence community’s assessment.

The warning came as US agencies assessed that threats to Americans in the Middle East and several other countries were at their highest level since the war began in February, The New York Times reported, citing US officials. President Donald Trump and senior aides have received regular briefings on the rising threats, one official said.

Trump endorsed Netanyahu earlier this week, but Vance declined to join him in backing the Israeli leader, saying he was focusing on US midterm elections and not looking overseas.

Iran has drawn up detailed plans to attack undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the US and Israel strike the country again, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters.

The officials, speaking anonymously, did not say how or where attacks would be carried out. One said Iran would also seek to prevent repairs, prolonging disruptions to internet access and other communications.

"If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines ... from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones," one official said.

Without IDF soldiers stopping two Hamas terrorists on Friday morning, a major attack would likely have been made targeting civilians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. 

"Our forces are operating with reinforcements to thwart terrorism and are carrying out extensive waves of arrests," Netanyahu also said. "We will pursue Hamas terrorists and those who sent them, wherever they are and at all times."

After the attack, Netanyahu had announced that Likud events which had been scheduled for Friday morning would be canceled. He also ordered the IDF and security forces to establish a cordon around the city of Hebron and to block off all travel through the West Bank.

The United States and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed military strikes on Iran following the American midterm elections on November 3, according to a Wednesday report.

Citing US officials and others briefed on the matter, The New York Times reported that the US and Israel have ramped up military drills ahead of what it said would be “a short but intensive operation,” including flyovers of Iran’s western neighbor Iraq to simulate strike maneuvers.

Possible targets are Iranian energy sites, nuclear facilities, and arsenals of missiles and drones, the report said. Officials quoted by the newspaper claimed another major round of strikes could crater the Islamic Republic’s economy and, in doing so, force Tehran into diplomatic concessions.

Dozens of Israeli fighter jets and refueling aircraft reportedly flew over Syria and Iraq toward the Iranian border earlier this week, following a flight path resembling an attack on Iran.

The aircraft turned around shortly before reaching Iranian territory and returned to Israel, according to an Axios report citing unnamed US and Israeli officials, following an earlier Fox News report on the matter.

Israel informed Washington of the sortie in advance, saying it was a military exercise and a show of force intended to deter Iran from attacking ahead of next week’s election, the sources told Axios.

On Oct. 27, Israelis head to the polls in the first election following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that left 1,200 people dead, 251 taken hostage into the Gaza Strip and prompted a seven-front war against the Jewish state. Three years later, Israel has achieved stunning military accomplishments against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, militias in Syria, and, most notably, against the head of the terror proxy snake: Iran.

These pivotal elections, like the five consecutive elections between April 2019 and November 2022, are again a referendum on the continued governance of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is presenting Israelis with a stark electoral choice: Renew his mandate to capitalize on Trump’s bold endorsement this past week or risk surrendering the strategic gains of a multi-pronged war.

The US and Israeli militaries have drawn up detailed plans for renewed strikes on Iran following the US midterm elections on November 3, The New York Times reported on Wednesday evening, citing American officials familiar with the discussions.

According to the report, the plans focus on a short, intensive military operation that could last approximately three days and include strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, energy infrastructure, and missile and drone capabilities.

The two countries have stepped up joint military exercises, including flights over Iraq to rehearse potential strikes. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also discussed the plans with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Israel this week.

Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei on Tuesday tells visiting Pakistani army chief Asim Munir that Tehran will not allow nuclear material to leave the country, according to state TV.

“Not even a tiny bit of enriched nuclear material will leave Iran. Such materials constitute a major asset and national wealth for the Iranian people, intended for use within the country,” says Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

The Trump administration came “very close” to approving a strike on Iran on at least one recent occasion, several sources familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

The revelation follows comments by US President Donald Trump in Atlanta, Georgia, last week, telling reporters to "wait till you see what we do to Iran."

Trump has said the US will not bomb Iran again before November 3. However, Iranian officials told Reuters on Tuesday that Tehran continues to expect that bombing will resume, sooner or later.