The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they happen.
Pentagon confirms US to slash number of troops in Syria to below 1,000
WASHINGTON — The US military will consolidate its presence in Syria over the coming weeks and months in a move that could reduce the number of troops it has in the country by half, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell says.
The US military has about 2,000 US troops in Syria across a number of bases, mostly in the northeast. The troops are working with local forces to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria but was later pushed back.
“This deliberate and conditions-based process will bring the US footprint in Syria down to less than a thousand US forces in the coming months,” Parnell says in a statement.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the consolidation under a Combined Joint Task Force — Operation Inherent Resolve — to select locations in Syria.
Parnell says US Central Command will remain poised to continue strikes against what is left of ISIS in Syria and work with coalition partners to keep pressure on ISIS and respond to any other terrorist threats.
Arson attack probe at Pennsylvania governor’s mansion looking into suspect’s hatred of Shapiro
Authorities investigating why a man set fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence are probing whether the suspect was motivated by the Democrat’s Jewish faith or positions on Israel’s war in Gaza.
Police have said that Cody Balmer of Harrisburg harbored hatred toward Shapiro. Several search warrants released Wednesday offer the first details about a potential motive for the arson attack early Sunday in a room where only hours earlier Shapiro and his family celebrated Passover with members of the Jewish community.
Balmer called 911 less than an hour after the fire erupted, promised a confession and talked about Palestinians being killed, police wrote in search warrants.
Exactly what the man was trying to say and who he was referencing isn’t clear from the partial quotations included in the search warrants. Police quoted Balmer as saying, “our people have been put through too much by that monster.” Balmer also “related that Governor Josh SHAPIRO needs to know that he ‘…will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,’” police wrote.
During a police interview after turning himself in, Balmer “admitted to harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro,” according to a police affidavit that did not expand on that point. Police obtained search warrants for Balmer’s electronic devices and a storage locker seeking any writings or notes that contain “the name of Josh Shapiro (or a) reference to Palestine, Gaza, Israel or the current conflict in Gaza.”
Shapiro declined to talk about a motive Wednesday, saying prosecutors will ultimately determine what prompted the attack. “It’s not for me to answer that,” he said.
Balmer, 38, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but did not believe the assessment, his brother, Dan Balmer, told The Associated Press. He said he twice helped Cody get treatment at the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute.
Firefighters put out blaze at Tiberias hotel
Firefighters have put out a blaze that erupted in a Tiberias hotel after several hours.
Multiple teams worked together to douse the flames at the King Solomon Hotel. Eight people were evacuated to the hospital in good condition.
The cause of the fire is not immediately clear.
שריפה במלון המלך שלמה טבריה pic.twitter.com/TsfnacpeqB
— HolySmoke???? (@HolySmokexxxx) April 18, 2025
Top Trump aides rush to defend Witkoff after CNN profile on ‘lone ranger’ Mideast envoy
Top Trump administration officials are rushing to defend US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff after CNN published a profile that characterized him as a “lone ranger.”
“Doing this shuttle diplomacy without a single expert is definitely unusual. I really can’t explain that. It’s odd and it’s not ideal,” CNN quotes a longtime US official as saying of Witkoff.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tweets: “Steve Witkoff is an incredible leader in the America First movement. Americans are lucky to have him working on their behalf to bring our hostages home and negotiate peace around the world. When will these reporters and ‘anonymous sources’ stop trying to create drama where there is none?”
“DC ‘foreign policy experts’ who have spent their careers getting it wrong, while they perpetuate outdated talking points, attack Steve Witkoff because they are envious he has achieved more in 88 days than they have accomplished in their entire careers,” US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz adds.
“Once again @CNN finds so-called ‘veterans’ and long-time’ experts to smear a patriot who is using his great abilities to make the US and world safer,” US National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes tweets.