Netanyahu says Israel will block Palestinian state

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that its warplanes attacked what it called a Hezbollah "weapons depot" and underground infrastructure in southern Lebanon, as Israel continues its long-running campaign of airstrikes across its northern border.

"The terrorist organization Hezbollah continues in attempts to rehabilitate terror assets throughout Lebanon; the presence of the terror infrastructures and the activity of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the area constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon," the IDF said.

A November 2024 ceasefire nominally ended the year-long cross border conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. But periodic Israeli airstrikes have continued ever since.

Recent weeks have seen an intensification in IDF strikes, with Israeli officials alleging that Hezbollah is attempting to rebuild its military capacities in southern Lebanon -- a traditional stronghold of the group.

Israel Defense Forces chief Eyal Zamir has issued a rare rebuke of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank after dozens set fire to a dairy factory.

“We are aware of the violent incidents of recent days in which Israeli civilians attacked Palestinians and Israelis. I strongly condemn them. The IDF will not tolerate the phenomena of a minority of criminals who tarnish a law-abiding public," Zamir said.

"These are acts that are contrary to our values. They constitute crossing a red line and divert the forces' attention from fulfilling their mission - the defense of the settlements and offensive activity. We are determined to stop this phenomenon and will act severely on this matter until justice is served," Zamir said.

Video verified by ABC News show the moment a group of masked men, identified by the Israeli authorities as settlers, attacked a Palestinian dairy factory in the West Bank on Tuesday, setting on fire their delivery trucks, smashing windows and then fleeing.

Four people among the dozens of Israeli settlers that carried out such acts of "extremist violence" in Beit Lid were arrested, according to the Israeli Police.

This is the latest attack in the context of a surge of violence against Palestinians. The current olive harvest season has seen a sharp rise in "nationalistic crime" incidents; 86 incidents only in October 2025, compared to 25 incidents during the same period last year, according to Israeli army data.

-ABC News' Camilla Alcini, Nasser Atta and Jordana Miller

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday responded to a request from President Donald Trump that he grant a pardon to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu related to the latter's trial for alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

"President Herzog holds President Trump in the highest regard and continues to express his deep appreciation for President Trump's unwavering support for Israel, his tremendous contribution to the return of the hostages, to reshaping the situation in the Middle East and Gaza especially, and to ensuring the security of the state of Israel," the statement by Herzog's office said.

"Alongside and not withstanding this, as the office of the president has made clear throughout, anyone seeking a presidential pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures," Herzog's office added.

Trump's letter to Herzog described Netanyahu as "a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister" who is "leading Israel into a time of peace, which includes my continued work with key Middle East leaders to add many additional countries to the world changing Abraham Accords."

"I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System," Trump wrote, before describing the charges against Netanyahu as a "political, unjustified prosecution."

Referring to the ceasefire and the recent releases of hostages from Gaza, Trump wrote, "Now that we have achieved these unprecedented successes, and are keeping Hamas in check, it is time to let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning him, and ending that lawfare once and for all."

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said in a Wednesday statement that the death toll in the strip since Oct. 7, 2023, rose to 69,185 people.

Three bodies were received by hospitals across Gaza in the previous 24 hours, the statement said, with another four people injured.

The death toll is still rising despite last month's ceasefire, amid sporadic Israeli strikes and shootings plus the discovery of missing people buried under rubble.

A total of 245 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the ceasefire on Oct. 11, the ministry said. Another 627 people have been injured, it added, while 523 bodies have been recovered from under rubble.