The IDF sent a professional document at the beginning of the week to the political echelon containing warnings against the American agreement to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia
According to a Ynet report, the document emphasizes the importance of Israel’s air superiority in the Middle East, which could be significantly set back if other countries were to acquire the fighter or other advanced aircraft, due to their extraordinary capabilities, which give Israel an edge over other countries in the region.
The military also clarified that if such jets are sold to the Saudis, Israel would have to significantly increase its purchases of new aircraft and ensure they are delivered quickly, as the Saudi order would occupy production lines and delay the arrival of new Israeli jets.
Despite Israel’s objections, US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would agree to sell F-35s to the Saudis.”They’ve been a great ally,” the President said of the Saudis.
Israel has opposed the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. Outgoing Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer visited Washington last week, where he met with senior Trump administration officials and delivered Israel’s message on the matter.
According to Kan News, Dermer reportedly made it clear that Israel fears such a sale could lead to the leak of sensitive security information to Russia and China, Saudi Arabia’s strategic partners, and could also undermine Israel’s qualitative aerial edge in the Middle East-a cornerstone of the country’s national security and regional deterrence.
Trump is scheduled to meet later today (Tuesday) with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. The sale of the F-35s is expected to be one of the main subjects of conversation at their meeting.
Saudis acquire the US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets, Israel would lose air superiority in the region.
Washington calls off all engagements with General Rodolphe Haykal after LAF refers to Israel as an ‘enemy’, prompting congressional outrage and aid reassessment.
The United States administration has canceled all scheduled meetings with Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander General Rodolphe Haykal, according to a report by Lebanon’s MTV. The report states that the Lebanese Embassy in Washington also canceled a reception that was planned in his honor.
MTV‘s correspondent in Washington cited American discontent with a recent statement issued by the LAF, which, according to US officials, referred to Israel as an “enemy” and blamed it for escalating tensions while failing to criticize Hezbollah. The US considers Israel a key ally and is the principal provider of support to the Lebanese military.
The LAF statement, released following an incident on November 16, read: “The Israeli enemy insists on violating Lebanese sovereignty, destabilizing Lebanon, and obstructing the army’s deployment in the south. The latest of these condemned attacks was its targeting of a UNIFIL patrol.” The statement added that the army is working with friendly nations to halt these violations, which it described as “a serious escalation.”
According to MTV, this message sparked outrage among several members of the US Congress and prompted internal debate about the future of American military assistance to Lebanon. As a result, the US administration informed the Lebanese Embassy of its decision to suspend the scheduled meetings with General Haykal, including his planned gathering with members of the Lebanese-American community, some of whom had traveled from other states to attend.
Senator Lindsey Graham strongly criticized the Lebanese military leadership, stating, “It is clear that the Lebanese Chief Head of Defense — because of a reference to Israel as the enemy and his weak, almost non-existent effort to disarm Hezbollah — is a giant setback for efforts to move Lebanon forward. This combination makes the Lebanese Armed Forces not a very good investment for America.”
Senator Joni Ernst also expressed her disappointment, saying, “The LAF is a strategic partner, and – as I discussed with the CHOD in August – Israel has given Lebanon a real opportunity to free itself from Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists. Instead of seizing that opportunity and working together to disarm Hezbollah, the CHOD is shamefully directing blame at Israel.”
MTV further reported that the issue has now been referred directly to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has taken custody of the case within the State Department and the relevant congressional committees. Rubio plays a central role in shaping US policy toward Lebanon, particularly in military aid. According to MTV‘s sources, continued US cooperation with the LAF will now hinge directly on its future positions, especially regarding the border situation and the disarmament of Hezbollah. Any rhetoric conflicting with US policy toward Israel is expected to have immediate consequences for the relationship.
Officials deny Al Jazeera report the terror group handed over one of remaining three bodies; IDF sends back dozens of Gazans who finished receiving medical treatment in Israel
Illustrative: Hamas operatives accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) head to east of Gaza City to search for the bodies of hostages, November 13, 2025. (AP Photo/ Jehand Alshrafi)
Israeli officials said Monday that Hamas had handed over unspecified “findings,” clarifying that the terror group did not return the body of one of the last three deceased hostages still being held in Gaza.
The officials did not elaborate on what those findings were, but said that Israel requested that they be handed over in order for them to be examined.
One of the Israeli officials said that Hamas uncovered findings on Sunday in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood and that Jerusalem subsequently asked for them to be transferred to the Red Cross so that they could be examined inside Israel.
The clarification from Israeli officials came after Al Jazeera reported earlier in the day that Hamas had handed over the body of another hostage to the Red Cross. No statement was issued by the terror group corroborating the report. The group has publicized its return of deceased hostages in recent weeks. The Red Cross did not issue a statement on Monday confirming receipt of the findings.
Late last month, at Israel’s request, Hamas handed over partial remains of three bodies, which were not identified as belonging to any hostages.
Hamas’s military wing claimed at the time that it had offered samples of the unidentified bodies it found, but “the enemy refused to receive the samples and requested to receive the bodies for examination.” Hamas said it handed over the remains “to counter the enemy’s claims.”
Also on Monday, members of the southern border town of Kibbutz Be’eri held a funeral for its longtime swimming pool manager, Meny Godard, who was killed in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, and whose body was returned last week after over two years in captivity.
President Isaac Herzog eulogizes slain hostage Meny Godard, at Kibbutz Be’eri, November 17, 2025. (President Isaac Herzog/X)
The bodies of three slain hostages now remain held in the Strip — two Israelis and one Thai national: Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, Dror Or, and Sudthisak Rinthalak.
IDF says it killed two who crossed Gaza Yellow Line
Meanwhile, in Gaza on Monday, the IDF said it killed two Palestinians who crossed the Yellow Line demarcating the military’s withdrawal and approached troops in two separate incidents.
In the first incident in the Strip’s north, several operatives were identified crossing the Yellow Line and “planting suspicious objects in the ground adjacent to IDF troops” in a way that “posed an immediate threat,” the military said.
The Israeli Air Force struck one of the suspects, and the others withdrew from the area back over the Yellow Line, according to the IDF.
In a separate event in northern Gaza, a suspect was identified crossing the Yellow Line and approaching troops, the military said.
Displaced Palestinians walk past a vehicle carrying others west of Deir al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip, on November 15, 2025. (Bashar TALEB / AFP)
The forces opened fire and “eliminated the terrorist to remove the threat,” the IDF said.
The IDF says it remains deployed in Gaza “in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.”
Hamas-aligned group says Israel killed one of its leaders in undercover op
Separately, the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a Gazan terror group allied with Hamas, said one of its local leaders had been killed by what it described as an Israeli undercover force near Deir Al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip.
The group said Waseem Abdel-Hadi, a commander of its armed wing, was killed in a “cowardly and treacherous assassination operation.”
The PRC, whose members joined the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught in Israel at a later stage, said Abdel-Hadi played a role in developing its armed wing. It did not issue any direct threat of retaliation.
There was no immediate Israeli comment on the alleged killing.
The PRC is considered the third-largest terror organization operating in the Gaza Strip, after Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In recent years, the group has operated under Hamas’s directives.
In May, it had also said a prominent member was killed in an Israeli commando raid.
Israel sends back Gazans who received medical treatment
Also on Monday, Israel sent dozens of Gazans who had been in Israel since before October 7 in order to receive special medical treatment — some of them with guardians — back to the Strip, a source familiar with the matter said.
Israel allowed the group of over 80 Gazans to remain in Israel after the war broke out over two years ago, though those who were receiving medical care had since completed their treatment, mostly in two East Jerusalem hospitals.
They all signed forms accepting their return to the Strip.
A smaller group of roughly 30 Gazans who are either still receiving treatment or did not want to return to the Strip were allowed to remain in Israel for the time being, the source said.
