VFI News Midweek for 2 November 2026: eight Israel news headlines in under a minute. Trump speaks with Netanyahu as Washington prepares to renew strikes on Iran, the final Israeli election count puts the Netanyahu bloc on 53 seats, and Beilinson surgeons perform Israel's first robot-assisted lung transplant.

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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone on the morning of Saturday, October 31, as Washington drew up plans to resume strikes on Iran, people familiar with the call said. Later that day in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump told reporters that the United States still intends to destroy up to two more targets inside Iran. "We still have to take care of, I would say, one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes," he said, adding: "You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that."

Western intelligence has identified Pickaxe Mountain as a probable storage site for nuclear material, and the United States has not struck it during the war. Trump said negotiations with Iran were "going fine" but described Tehran as "not very reliable." That same Saturday, Iranian negotiators met Qatari mediators in Doha to discuss ways out of the war, following more than 12 hours of talks between Iranian and Qatari envoys in Tehran on Friday, October 30. A source briefed on the talks said they were coordinated in regular contact with Washington.

Diplomats are working to prevent renewed fighting after the US midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3, and countries across the region expect Trump to resume attacks once the voting ends. Three senior Gulf Arab officials said Washington has warned its Gulf allies to prepare for possible new strikes on Iran as early as Wednesday, November 4, the day after the midterms; the strikes are expected to be short but intense, and Gulf states are urging Washington to de-escalate. Iran has repeatedly warned that it would retaliate against US and Israeli targets in neighboring countries if new attacks occur.

(TOI/VFI News)

The Central Elections Committee released the final results of the 2026 national election early on Friday morning, October 30, giving the pro-Netanyahu bloc 53 seats, the anti-Netanyahu bloc 48 and the Arab factions 19. Final turnout was 77.9% of eligible voters, the highest figure in decades, with 5,716,665 votes cast. The pro-Netanyahu parties, which make up the current government, held 68 seats in the outgoing Knesset.

The final seat totals are: Likud 27, Yashar 21, B'Yachad 12, the Joint List 11, The Democrats 8, Ra'am 8, Yisrael Beytenu 7, United Torah Judaism 7, Otzma Yehudit 7, Shas 6 and Religious Zionism 6. Yoaz Hendel's Reservists-Economic party fell below the 3.25% electoral threshold with 2.63% of the vote, Ofer Winter's People of Israel fell short with 1.7%, and The Charedi Public won just 0.2%. The Joint List and Ra'am together won 19 seats, an all-time high and nearly double their current 10, but every Zionist party in the anti-Netanyahu bloc except The Democrats has ruled out cooperating with them.

The official results go to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, November 4, after the committee completes its final checks of errors and complaints; Herzog will then meet each party leader to hear whom they recommend to form the next government. In its statement, the committee also backed acting director Dean Livne's rejection on Thursday, October 29, of claims of widespread voter fraud, which Livne called "entirely unfounded." The Knesset is set to be sworn in on Tuesday, November 10, regardless of coalition efforts, which are expected to be difficult and could last more than two months, with neither side close to the 61-seat majority required.

(TOI/VFI News)

Iran currently possesses approximately 1,700 ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israeli territory, new Israeli security assessments show, alongside an estimated 80,000 drones, including systems designed for military use, and thousands of short- and medium-range missiles. The figures, published by Israel's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), provide an updated picture of Iran's arsenal and of the American forces deployed across the Middle East.

The United States is continuing to build up its presence in the region. Two American aircraft carriers are expected, one of them already on its way, and the US naval presence includes 14 warships, 13 of them destroyers. Additional aerial assets, including refueling aircraft and air defense systems, continue to arrive in the region.

The American deployment still has notable gaps. No F-22 fighters or bombers are currently stationed in the area, and the number of F-15 fighters is lower than it was during Operation Roaring Lion.

(INN/VFI News)

Demonstrators in Lyon set fire to American and Israeli flags on Saturday, October 31, as hundreds of thousands of people filled streets across France for the third weekend in a row. Video footage shows one protester spreading an Israeli flag across the clear roof of a tram shelter and stomping on it. Cheering greeted the moment the US flag was ignited; the cheers grew louder, mixed with booing, when the Israeli flag was raised, and it was then set alight as well. Some in the crowd chanted "Israel the murderer."

Palestinian flags and keffiyehs have appeared repeatedly in earlier violent protests, vandalism and looting in France, and days earlier a synagogue and Jewish shops were targeted in Marseille. The demonstrations, which began with frustrated high school students, focus on the cost of living and education; similar youth-led protests have taken place elsewhere in Europe, including Germany and Portugal. The French government estimated that 320,000 people protested nationwide on Saturday, fewer than in earlier weekends but still a substantial turnout.

The protests were largely peaceful, with playful Halloween costumes lightening the mood, but gatherings in Paris and other cities brought clouds of tear gas, and small groups on the fringes lit scattered fires. Around 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed nationwide after Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a "very high risk" of disorder, especially after dark on Halloween. Marches in Paris were redirected to the city's outskirts to protect shops, government buildings and tourist areas downtown.

(TOI/VFI News)

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Police remained deployed near the IDF Induction and Classification Base at Tel Hashomer on Sunday, November 1, after dozens of extremist Haredi protesters gathered there to object to the arrests of draft evaders and tried to block the road leading to the base. Reinforced police units were sent to the area to keep order and prevent roadblocks and disturbances.

Several roads in Kiryat Ono leading to the recruitment office were closed, and local traffic restrictions were imposed. Police identified the closed routes as Yaakov Dori Road at the corner of Gildesheim Street, heading toward the recruitment office, along with Shahelet Gate and Nahal Dan Street.

Police remain in the area to maintain public order and to head off further traffic disruption.

(INN/VFI News)

Israel's first ambassador to Somaliland, Michael Lotem, formally presented his diplomatic credentials at the Presidential Palace in Hargeisa during the week of October 26, the Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday, November 1. The ceremony marks a historic milestone: Lotem is the first ambassador from any sovereign state formally accredited to the self-declared republic.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar welcomed the development and stressed Israel's commitment to expanding cooperation with Somaliland. "Israel is determined to develop and strengthen its relations with Somaliland," he said in a statement from his office, linking the exchange of ambassadors to the agreement reached when the two countries established mutual recognition. Lotem's appointment was announced in April 2026; he previously served as Israel's ambassador to Kenya, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Israel formally recognized Somaliland's independence in December 2025, becoming the first country to do so, and it remains the only sovereign state to have recognized it; Somalia still considers Somaliland part of its territory. Less than two weeks after the recognition announcement, Sa'ar traveled to Somaliland to advance the new relationship, and in January 2026 President Isaac Herzog met Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, afterward welcoming the establishment of diplomatic relations and looking forward to "deepening our bilateral cooperation."

(INN/VFI News)

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in Phuket, Thailand, calling on Thai authorities to shut down Chabad's activities in the country and to act against alleged illegal economic activity by foreigners, including Israeli-linked organizations. The protest came several days after Thailand revoked the citizenship of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, the head of Chabad in the country, because he traveled abroad on his American passport; under Thai law, naturalized citizens who keep using a previous passport can lose their citizenship. The Interior Ministry said Kantor was aware of the rule when he made the trip.

Kantor has lived in Thailand since 1993 and became a Thai citizen in 2013. Chabad is challenging the revocation through legal channels and says its Chabad houses and synagogues across Thailand are operating normally. Thai authorities are also reviewing 19 companies linked to Kantor for possible offenses, and if wrongdoing is found, the government could compel the sale of properties.

Twenty local organizations, led by the Phuket Land Protection Group, organized the protest under the banner "Unite to Take Back Our Thailand," arguing that questionable foreign investments, illegal businesses and suspicious financial transactions are harming the local economy. Lawyer Nok Khao told the crowd that "Phuket and many other areas now feel like their sovereignty has been seized," claiming that foreign capital groups play an outsized role in the economy while Thais face unfair competition and possible job losses. Videos shared on social media showed dozens of attendees seated on plastic chairs at the beachside demonstration; there were no arrests or disruptions.

(TOI/VFI News)

Surgeons at Beilinson Medical Center have carried out Israel's first robot-assisted lung transplant, working through several small incisions instead of opening the patient's chest. Only about 20 such procedures have been performed anywhere in the world, and the method may mean less pain, fewer complications, and a faster recovery. The operation took place in October 2026 using the da Vinci robotic system.

Instead of opening the chest and spreading the ribs, the surgeons used the robot's arms to connect the transplanted lung to the patient's blood vessels and airways while limiting damage to the chest wall. Traditional lung transplants usually last between eight and 10 hours and often cause severe postoperative pain, which can make deep breathing and coughing up secretions difficult, raising the risk of infection and lengthening recovery. The robotic approach aims to reduce harm to muscles, nerves and surrounding tissue, making breathing and coughing easier after surgery.

Dr. Yuri Peischowicz, head of Beilinson's Department of Thoracic Surgery, led the operation and described the achievement as a turning point. "Robotic lung transplantation is a turning point for lung transplants in Israel," he said, explaining that the technique allows a complex procedure to be performed with robotic precision and minimal incisions, replacing the chest opening used for decades. "We aspire to make robotic surgery without opening the chest the accepted standard for lung transplantation within five years," he added.

(INN/VFI News)

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