Sunday, April 26, 2026

IDF soldier killed, 6 wounded in Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon


IDF soldier killed, 6 wounded in Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon


An Israeli soldier was killed and six were wounded in a Hezbollah explosive drone attack in southern Lebanon this morning, the military announces.

The slain soldier is named as Sgt. Idan Fooks, 19, of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, from Petah Tikva.

He is the third soldier to be killed in southern Lebanon despite the ongoing ceasefire.

The IDF says that an officer and three troops were seriously wounded, one soldier was moderately hurt and another soldier was lightly hurt in the attack.

While the wounded troops were being evacuated, Hezbollah launched two more explosive-laden drones at the forces. One of the drones was intercepted, while the second struck near the troops, without causing any additional injuries, according to an IDF probe of the incident.

Hezbollah took responsibility for the attack, saying it attacked Israeli troops in the southern Lebanon town of Taybeh in response to alleged Israeli violations of the truce.

Israeli Airstrikes Reported In S Lebanon Following Evacuation Warnings



Israeli airstrikes reported in south Lebanon following evacuation warnings

Emanuel Fabian


Following Israeli evacuation warnings, Lebanese media reports several airstrikes in southern Lebanon.

Earlier, the IDF ordered the villages of Mayfadoun, Shoukine, Yohmar, Arnoun, Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, and Kfar Tebnit to evacuate.

Strikes are now reported in the area.



AI is making it very easy for the government to spy on you. Some lawmakers are worried


AI is making it very easy for the government to spy on you. Some lawmakers are worried


Lawmakers are leery that AI will give old-fashioned snooping a dangerous new edge.

The long-running fight to rein in the government’s power to search Americans’ phone calls, emails and text messages without a warrant has gained new urgency on Capitol Hill over concerns that AI will supercharge state surveillance.

Lawmakers are currently jockeying over reforms to a key law that enables warrantless monitoring of Americans’ communications, with privacy advocates and national security hawks warning that AI will allow faster and more invasive analysis of vast amounts of information — including communications swept up in foreign intelligence programs and commercially available location or behavioral data.

“Imagine instead of doing a query with one person that you turned AI loose on these databases,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Thursday at a press conference announcing a new bill to close data-collection loopholes. “There’s virtually nothing the government can’t know about you.”

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows the government to collect the communications of foreigners abroad, but it also enables the government to collect messages, emails and other transmissions from Americans when they contact foreigners. The government can then perform warrantless searches on those emails, messages and other communications. Though the provision was originally passed in 2008, lawmakers must renew it every few years.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has emerged in recent weeks to tackle concerns about AI’s ability to search through the mountains of data procured through Section 702. In March, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and co-sponsors in the House and Senate introduced a sweeping FISA reform bill.

“For years, there have been jaw-dropping abuses of section 702,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a co-sponsor of the Government Surveillance Reform Act, said on the Senate floor last week. “Government officials have searched through 702 data to find Black Lives Matter protesters, political campaign donors, elected officials, even a state judge who complained about police abuses.”

America’s law enforcement agencies should be able to harness technology responsibly, Wyden said, “but new tools require new rules. Without new rules, you can count on the executive branch to run roughshod over Americans’ privacy rights and constitutional freedoms.”





Netanyahu: “Hezbollah’s violations are dismantling the ceasefire"

Netanyahu: “Hezbollah’s violations are dismantling the ceasefire"


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened this morning’s (Sunday) cabinet meeting with extensive remarks on current events in Israel and around the world, presenting a firm stance on internal violence and violations of the ceasefire in the north.

At the beginning of his remarks, Netanyahu referred to the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump: “Like you, my wife and I were shocked to hear about the repeated attempt to murder President Trump and his wife. We were relieved that both of them, together with senior members of the American administration, emerged unharmed. There is no place for violence - not against political leaders and not against anyone. And that includes not only the United States - first and foremost it includes the State of Israel, within our own society."

He then strongly condemned the murder in Petah Tikva: “I was horrified by the despicable murder in the pizzeria in Petah Tikva. They took a beloved child, Benjamin Zelka of blessed memory, and cut his life short. After that came wild incitement. We cannot accept this. We must stop it and uproot it while it is still small."

Netanyahu announced that immediately after the meeting he would meet with the education minister and the national security minister to examine enforcement and educational measures in schools and homes: “We must instill that this is a criminal act and condemn it in the strongest possible terms."

Netanyahu rejected criticism that Israel was not acting in Lebanon and clarified that the IDF is operating forcefully: “It must be understood that Hezbollah’s violations are effectively dismantling the ceasefire. What obligates us is Israel’s security, the security of our soldiers, and the security of our communities. We are acting vigorously according to the rules we agreed upon with the United States and also with Lebanon."

According to Netanyahu, Israel has complete freedom of action: “That means freedom not only to respond to attacks - that is obvious - but also to thwart immediate threats and emerging threats as well."

He revealed that over the past two weeks, the IDF Northern Command had eliminated 46 militants, adding: “We will act with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. We are not prepared to accept this lawlessness. We will do what is necessary to restore security to the north."


The War on Iran Is Now an Economic One


The War on Iran Is Now an Economic One