Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly traveled to the United Arab Emirates today, where he met with the country's president. Netanyahu is said to have arrived aboard a private aircraft and remained in the UAE…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly traveled to the United Arab Emirates today, where he met with the country's president. Netanyahu is said to have arrived aboard a private aircraft and remained in the UAE throughout the day.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to impose a general closure on the West Bank through the end of Sukkot, following a recommendation from the military. Palestinian workers will not be permitted to…

Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to impose a general closure on the West Bank through the end of Sukkot, following a recommendation from the military. Palestinian workers will not be permitted to enter Israeli communities in the West Bank during the holiday, while essential workers may still enter industrial zones under IDF Central Command guidelines. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem also issued an alert saying West Bank checkpoints are expected to remain closed from September 27 through October 3, restricting regular movement into Israel. According to the alert, Jerusalem ID holders will still be permitted to cross, while holders of Arbel permits will not be allowed through checkpoints, including by shuttle. Medical and humanitarian exceptions may still be considered. The closure is expected to remain in effect through Saturday night, October 3, at the conclusion of Sukkot.

A weapons cell linked to the Houthis used Claude AI to develop missile guidance software according to Anthropic's September threat report. Anthropic said the cell used Claude Code to develop guidance, navigation and…

A weapons cell linked to the Houthis used Claude AI to develop missile guidance software according to Anthropic's September threat report. Anthropic said the cell used Claude Code to develop guidance, navigation and control software to steer and stabilize rockets and missiles. This included adapting an open-source autopilot to a phone-class flight computer, writing control software and running flight simulations. The company identified three projects: a guided rocket with final-stage homing guidance, a multistage ballistic missile with a target range above 2,000 kilometers, and an R2000 missile family that included a hypersonic glide vehicle variant. Operators ran several Claude sessions simultaneously, assigning them separate coding, research and code-review tasks normally handled by human engineers. Anthropic said its safeguards blocked many requests, but users concealed their intentions and divided work across conversations to evade detection. The group conducted a guided rocket test that appeared to fail, then returned to Claude within hours to investigate what went wrong. The company said it found no evidence that the group successfully deployed an operational weapon. It banned the accounts and shared information with partners, but said the operators had already built an offline simulation toolkit that could run without Claude.

WEEKEND RECAP IRAN / STRAIT OF HORMUZ President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he rejected Iran's proposal for a broader agreement that would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had proposed reopening the…

WEEKEND RECAP IRAN / STRAIT OF HORMUZ President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he rejected Iran's proposal for a broader agreement that would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had proposed reopening the strategic waterway as part of a seven-day process that would also include an end to hostilities on multiple fronts, the lifting of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, the release of frozen Iranian funds and sanctions relief. Iranian officials have separately said Tehran is not prepared to make concessions on its nuclear program. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has told aides he expects U.S. strikes against Iran could resume following the November midterm elections, although the situation remains subject to change. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran no longer trusts U.S.-led negotiations, while U.S. officials said talks through mediators remain constructive. HOUTHI ATTACKS ON SAUDI ARABIA Saudi-led coalition forces said they intercepted two Houthi drones launched toward Riyadh and two ballistic missiles fired toward Khamis Mushait early Saturday. Civil-defense warnings were issued in parts of southwestern Saudi Arabia as authorities monitored additional threats. The attacks come amid a sharp escalation between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with Houthi attacks increasingly targeting Saudi cities, infrastructure and shipping. SAUDI ARABIA, TURKEY AND PAKISTAN The military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met in Riyadh amid the Houthi escalation and discussed implementing their recently signed joint-defense agreement. Under the pact, the three countries have said an armed attack against one would be regarded as an attack against all. Separately, The Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence assessments indicate Saudi Arabia has not ruled out eventually developing a nuclear weapons program. Riyadh maintains that its nuclear plans are peaceful, while the U.S. State Department says Washington will not support a Saudi nuclear weapons program. LEBANON The IDF said it struck a Hezbollah weapons-storage facility in the Sejoud area of southern Lebanon on Saturday, saying weapons stored there posed a threat to Israeli forces operating in the security zone. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, meanwhile, told the UN General Assembly that restoring Lebanese territory currently held by Israel was an "existential challenge" and called for an Israeli withdrawal. Salam also criticized Iran's attacks against Gulf states and Jordan and expressed solidarity with those countries. GAZA The IDF announced Saturday that two Hamas operatives were killed in separate strikes carried out Friday. The military identified Ibrahim Fawzi Ismail Mohsen as a member of Hamas's Nukhba Force who was killed in Nuseirat. A separate strike in Khan Younis killed Mohammed Kamel Suleiman Mohsen. According to the IDF, both had recently been involved in rebuilding Hamas infrastructure and advancing attacks against Israeli forces. The developments came after the IDF announced Friday that it had recently destroyed a roughly two-kilometer Hamas tunnel in an Israeli-controlled section of Gaza as part of operations against remaining Hamas infrastructure. NEW REPORTS ON WARNINGS BEFORE OCTOBER 7 Two major reports concerning intelligence warnings before the October 7 massacre emerged over the weekend. The Atlantic reported that then-Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel flew to Israel on September 26, 2023, and warned senior Israeli officials that the situation in Gaza could erupt and that Hamas was preparing for a major confrontation. The report says Kamel did not provide precise information about when or how an attack would occur. Former national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi denied that the reported visit and warning occurred. Separately, The New York Times reported that at an Israeli security meeting six days before October 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized maintaining calm in Gaza in order not to jeopardize potential normalization with Saudi Arabia. The report said Netanyahu did not mention an alleged warning he had received from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed regarding Hamas. Netanyahu has denied receiving such a warning. QATAR / GAZA DIPLOMACY Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani accused Netanyahu and his government of being the primary obstacle to advancing the U.S.-backed Gaza peace plan. Qatar has also continued mediating between Washington and Tehran regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Channel 12 separately reported that Netanyahu adviser Michael Eisenberg met senior Qatari official Ali al-Thawadi in New York the day before Netanyahu strongly criticized Qatar during his UN speech. According to the report, the two discussed implementing the U.S.-backed Gaza plan and humanitarian aid entering the Strip. ISRAEL-MAURITIUS FLIGHT CANCELED An Israeli tourism company said a planned flight from Tel Aviv to Mauritius was canceled after Mauritian authorities refused permission for the flight to land. The company said it was informed that "political-diplomatic" considerations were behind the decision. ISRAEL-IRELAND SOCCER MATCH Ireland confirmed that its Nations League match against Israel will go ahead after players held an internal vote on whether to play. The Football Association of Ireland said a "significant majority" voted in favor of fulfilling the fixture after one player indicated they planned to withdraw. BELGIUM / IRAN Belgian threat-assessment officials reportedly linked Iran to attacks earlier this year targeting Jewish or Israeli-related locations in Liège and Antwerp. The report said Belgian authorities believe the perpetrators acted on instructions connected to Tehran. ISRAELI NAVY Israel is reportedly examining the possible acquisition of Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft as the Navy looks to strengthen anti-submarine and long-range maritime capabilities.