Daily brief
Israel has severed contact with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas after she reportedly compared Israel's actions in the West Bank to apartheid. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called the remarks a 'blood libel' and cut all ties. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also criticized Kallas, who later called for dialogue and reaffirmed the EU's commitment to constructive ties with Israel.
The US is pressuring Israel to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, with Washington pushing for an end to the deployment and Egypt also calling for a full pullout.
Trump said he is likely to endorse Netanyahu in the upcoming election but wants to see who else is running first.
Israel, stunned by Trump's Iran deal, sees it as a 'catastrophic capitulation,' and a report says Trump urged Netanyahu to 'stop blowing up buildings' as their phone calls turned hostile.
Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened war with Syria and targeted Türkiye, saying 'sooner or later' Israel will act.