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Rubio’s Shift on Extremist Settlers Raises Israeli Concerns

A Palestinian holds burnt Qur’an pages after a settler attack on Hajjah Hamidah mosque  in the village of Istiya, near Salfit, in the occupied West Bank (AFP)
A Palestinian holds burnt Qur’an pages after a settler attack on Hajjah Hamidah mosque  in the village of Istiya, near Salfit, in the occupied West Bank (AFP)
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Rubio’s Shift on Extremist Settlers Raises Israeli Concerns

A Palestinian holds burnt Qur’an pages after a settler attack on Hajjah Hamidah mosque  in the village of Istiya, near Salfit, in the occupied West Bank (AFP)
A Palestinian holds burnt Qur’an pages after a settler attack on Hajjah Hamidah mosque  in the village of Istiya, near Salfit, in the occupied West Bank (AFP)

Despite a softer tone, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent criticism of deadly settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank has raised concerns within Israeli government circles, where officials described it as “worrying and requiring careful handling to prevent it from hardening into an anti-settlement stance.”

A political source told Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday that “Rubio’s linking of extremist settler attacks to President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, and his expressed concern that these attacks may be a deliberate attempt to sabotage our work in Gaza, indicates that Washington does not intend to allow any obstacles to the plan’s implementation.”

The source added that “Israel should stop its current approach, which focuses on minutiae in Gaza, and instead concentrate on core issues and coordination with the US administration so that, in the end, the plan aligns with Israeli policy and does not lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state as the Arabs hope.”

Notable tone after sanctions were lifted

Rubio struck a notable tone when expressing US concern over attacks by armed settler militias of around 100 people on several Palestinian villages on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.

The assailants burned cars and homes, opened fire, and later set fire to a military vehicle and attacked some soldiers.

Speaking on Wednesday evening at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Canada, Rubio said that Washington did not expect sabotage of the Gaza plan to happen and that it was working to ensure it does not.

Rubio’s statement marked the first time a Trump administration official had openly condemned settlers, prompting Israeli officials to link it to his previous remarks in October before his visit to Israel.

At that time, he warned against Knesset legislation expanding Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank, saying it could threaten the existing ceasefire in Gaza.

The Trump administration began its term by lifting, in January, US Treasury Department sanctions on dozens of extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank under an executive order signed by Trump, reversing predecessor Joe Biden’s measures targeting those involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied territories.

Mosque vandalized in the West Bank

Settler attacks continued on Thursday, when they vandalized the Hajjah Hamidah Mosque located between the towns of Deir Istiya and Kifl Haris west of Salfit in northern West Bank. Parts of the mosque were set on fire, and racist and aggressive slogans were scrawled on its walls.

Official settler bodies attempted to distance themselves from the attacks, claiming the perpetrators were “a group of rogue anarchists who do not represent the settlements but tarnish their reputation.”

This narrative appeared to gain traction in Israel, adopted by military leaders and several ministers, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained silent as of Thursday evening.

Armed settler militias number over 2,000, supported by settlement leaders and enjoying strong protection from the Israeli army, along with substantial political backing from ministers including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a deputy defense minister overseeing settlers and settlements.

These armed groups serve as a support force for settlement leadership, establishing new outposts that Smotrich then retroactively legalizes under Israel’s expansionist laws.

According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Palestinians in the West Bank faced more than 2,350 attacks in October alone, including over 1,500 carried out directly by the Israeli army and around 850 by settler militias.

Such attacks threaten to undermine political efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including Trump’s plan, as settlers, not only militias, strongly oppose the creation of a Palestinian state.

The extremists have voiced clear reservations about Trump’s plan but refrain from attacking it, hoping Palestinians will reject or sabotage it. They view the Trump era as a historic opportunity to annex the West Bank, or at least significant portions of it, to Israel.

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Arab World

Israel Military Says 1 Soldier Killed in Lebanon, 7 Injured

TOPSHOT - This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, near the Israel-Lebanon border shows Israeli Merkava tanks driving along a road past destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on June 17, 2026. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
TOPSHOT - This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, near the Israel-Lebanon border shows Israeli Merkava tanks driving along a road past destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on June 17, 2026. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
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Israel Military Says 1 Soldier Killed in Lebanon, 7 Injured

TOPSHOT - This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, near the Israel-Lebanon border shows Israeli Merkava tanks driving along a road past destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on June 17, 2026. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
TOPSHOT - This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, near the Israel-Lebanon border shows Israeli Merkava tanks driving along a road past destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on June 17, 2026. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)

The Israeli military announced on Thursday that one of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon the day before, in an incident that also wounded seven soldiers.

Master Sergeant Alexander Filin, 29, "fell in combat", the military said in a brief statement, adding that an officer, a reserve officer and a reserve soldier were moderately injured.

A combat non-commissioned officer, two reserve soldiers and a female reserve soldier were lightly injured, the military added.

The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday meant to end the Middle East war, with fighting halted on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

Lebanon was drawn into the conflict when Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2 in support of Iran.

Lebanon earlier said Israel's massive campaign of airstrikes and ground invasion has so far killed more than 3,800 people.

Israel's side saw 31 soldiers and one civilian contractor killed since March 2.

Arab World

Lebanon to Transfer 129 Syrian Prisoners Next Week, Withholds Seven Over Security Concerns

Protesters in rural Homs last November demand the release of Syrian detainees held in Lebanese prisons (SANA). 
Protesters in rural Homs last November demand the release of Syrian detainees held in Lebanese prisons (SANA). 
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Lebanon to Transfer 129 Syrian Prisoners Next Week, Withholds Seven Over Security Concerns

Protesters in rural Homs last November demand the release of Syrian detainees held in Lebanese prisons (SANA). 
Protesters in rural Homs last November demand the release of Syrian detainees held in Lebanese prisons (SANA). 

Lebanon is set to transfer 129 convicted Syrian prisoners to Syrian authorities next week under a bilateral agreement signed in February, while withholding seven others pending further security reviews, a senior judicial source said.

The move reflects growing judicial and security cooperation between Beirut and Damascus after years of strained coordination. It also highlights Lebanon’s efforts to ease chronic prison overcrowding while ensuring that inmates deemed potential security risks are subjected to additional scrutiny before any transfer takes place.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that all legal procedures have been completed for the 129 prisoners, allowing them to be transferred to Syria to serve the remainder of their sentences. Seven other Syrian convicts have been excluded from the current transfer because their files contain security-related concerns that require further examination before a final decision is made on their status.

According to the source, Public Prosecutor Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj has completed his review of the lists of Syrian prisoners covered by the agreement and forwarded them to the Lebanese premiership for approval.

The Prime Minister’s Office is expected to issue a formal letter stating it has no objection to the names on the list, clearing the way for implementation.

Once that step is completed — likely within two or three days — the file will be referred to Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who will prepare and sign the final decision authorizing the transfer in accordance with the agreement.

The exact timing of the handover has not yet been determined. The source said the operation requires coordination among several security and administrative agencies.

After legal procedures are finalized, the Internal Security Forces will oversee the prisoners’ release from Lebanese jails and complete the necessary administrative and security paperwork. Lebanon’s General Security Directorate will then transport the prisoners to the Lebanese-Syrian border.

The prisoners will be handed over to a Syrian security team at the Masnaa border crossing in the Bekaa Valley under a mechanism agreed upon by the two countries.

The transfer program has become one of the most visible examples of renewed judicial cooperation between Lebanon and Syria. In March, Lebanon transferred 134 convicted Syrians, roughly a month after the agreement was signed, helping address cases that had remained unresolved for years.

The judicial source stressed that withholding some prisoners does not undermine or circumvent the agreement. Rather, it reflects the Lebanese authorities’ determination not to treat the matter as a purely administrative exercise.

Sensitive cases, particularly those involving security-related allegations or suspicions, require thorough judicial and security scrutiny, the source said.

The fate of the seven withheld prisoners will depend on the outcome of ongoing reviews and whether their cases warrant inclusion in a future third transfer or different legal measures.

 

 

Arab World

Hezbollah’s Call to Reshuffle Lebanese Govt Face Berri’s Opposition

Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Parliament) 
Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Parliament) 
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Hezbollah’s Call to Reshuffle Lebanese Govt Face Berri’s Opposition

Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Parliament) 
Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Parliament) 

Lebanese are awaiting the publication of the reported US-Iran memorandum of understanding to determine whether it contains any provisions relating to Lebanon.

The document is expected to settle competing interpretations promoted by rival political camps, each claiming its provisions serve their interests.

Attention is also focused on how Hezbollah would respond if the memorandum does not address an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and instead limits itself to calling for an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, while affirming the country’s sovereignty.

Such an outcome would contradict Hezbollah’s narrative that an Israeli withdrawal would be placed on the agenda of US-Iran talks, envisioned as a 60-day process that could be extended and potentially punctuated by further rounds of violence.

In its statement on the memorandum, Hezbollah stopped short of declaring victory and merely thanked Iran.

Opponents interpret this as an indication that the issue of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon has been deferred to the fifth round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations, scheduled for June 23–25 at both military and political levels under US auspices.

They argue this will increase pressure on Hezbollah to surrender its weapons, echoing recent domestic and international calls, including those contained in the final communiqué of the Group of Seven summit.

At the same time, observers say it remains to be seen whether the US is willing to pressure Israel to withdraw, particularly amid reports of President Donald Trump’s frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs and what critics describe as actions that complicated efforts to reach an understanding with Iran.

A Different Round of Negotiations

A cabinet source said the upcoming negotiations differ fundamentally from previous rounds because they come after the US-Iran understanding and amid a broader regional shift. According to the source, both Israel and Hezbollah will have to adapt to a new political reality.

The source argued that Hezbollah now faces a choice between changing its conduct or persisting in policies that, in the view of its critics, brought severe consequences for Lebanon through its support for Gaza and Iran.

The source maintained that Hezbollah no longer has the capacity to sustain a prolonged conflict and should instead align itself with the state’s diplomatic strategy and respond to demands from a majority of Lebanese for what was described as the “Lebanonization” of its political positions.

The same source said many domestic and international actors are counting on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to persuade Hezbollah to reassess both its political and military options after what critics regard as a costly period for the country.

Weapons and Withdrawal

According to the source, negotiations remain the only viable path toward restoring stability in southern Lebanon. The envisioned framework would pair a phased Israeli withdrawal with a timetable under which Hezbollah would gradually place its weapons under state authority.

The source argued that recent developments have demonstrated the limits of Hezbollah’s military deterrence against further Israeli expansion.

The source also rejected suggestions that any US-Iran understanding would revive Iran’s influence in Lebanon or restore Hezbollah to the position it held before the Gaza war.

Dispute Over the Government

As Lebanon prepares for what many see as a new phase, a source close to the Shiite political alliance said Hezbollah is divided over how to deal with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government.

One faction, described as hardline, favors changing the government, while another believes current political conditions make such a move unrealistic because of parliamentary arithmetic and that priority should instead be given to securing an Israeli withdrawal and rebuilding devastated towns.

The source said opponents of changing the government view such a confrontation as a losing battle that would deepen Hezbollah’s isolation, strengthen support for the government, and reinforce the diplomatic approach pursued jointly by President Joseph Aoun and Salam.

The source added that Hezbollah currently needs international and Arab support for reconstruction and reconciliation with its own constituency more than it needs a political showdown.

Any effort to replace the government or reshuffle ministers, the source said, would first have to win over Berri, who has consistently called for national unity, reducing internal tensions, safeguarding civil peace, and preserving domestic stability in the face of Israel.

For that reason, he opposes attempts either to topple the government through street pressure or to seek its replacement.