The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they unfold.
Trump threatens to sue WSJ over story on alleged 2003 letter to Epstein
US President Donald Trump has threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal after it published a story about an alleged off-color letter written by him to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that featured a drawing of a naked woman.
The Journal story, which quickly reverberated around the US capital, says the note to Epstein bearing Trump’s signature was part of a collection of notes for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. The newspaper says it reviewed the letter but did not print an image.
Syrian presidency accuses Druze fighters of violating ceasefire
The Syrian presidency accuses Druze fighters in Sweida of violating the ceasefire that led to the withdrawal of government forces from the southern province on Thursday.
In a statement, the presidency accuses “outlaw forces” — the term the government uses to refer to Druze factions in Sweida — of violating the agreement by engaging in “horrific violence” against civilians including “crimes that completely contravene the obligations of mediation, directly threaten civil peace, and push towards chaos and security collapse.”
The presidency also warned against “continued blatant Israeli interference in Syria’s internal affairs, which only leads to further chaos and destruction and further complicates the regional situation.”
Europeans warn Iran of UN sanctions unless concrete progress on nuclear talks
France, Britain and Germany tell Iran that they want it to resume diplomacy immediately over its nuclear program, warning that if no concrete steps are taken by the end of the summer they will restore UN sanctions.
The foreign ministers of the so-called E3, along with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, held their first call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the United States carried out air strikes in mid-June on Iran’s nuclear program.
Speaking after the call, a French diplomatic source says the ministers had called on Iran to resume diplomatic efforts immediately to reach a “verifiable and lasting” nuclear deal.
The three countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 deal with Iran that lifted sanctions on the country in return for restrictions on its nuclear program.
A UN Security Council resolution which enshrines the deal expires on October 18 and under its terms U.N. sanctions can be re-imposed beforehand. The process would take about 30 days.
The Europeans have repeatedly warned that unless there is a new nuclear accord they will launch the “snapback mechanism”, which would restore all previous U.N. sanctions on Iran if it is found to be in violation of the agreement’s terms.
“The ministers also reiterated their determination to use the so-called ‘snapback’ mechanism in the absence of concrete progress toward such an agreement by the end of the summer,” the diplomatic source says.
The source does not elaborate what concrete progress would entail.
Since the air strikes, inspectors from the UN atomic watchdog have left Iran. While Iran has suggested it is open to diplomacy, there are no indications a sixth round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran will resume imminently.
Diplomats say that even if they were to resume talks, reaching a comprehensive accord before the end of August – the final deadline the Europeans have given – seems unrealistic, especially without inspectors on the ground to assess Iran’s remaining nuclear programme.
Two European diplomats said they hoped to coordinate strategy with the United States in the coming days with a view to possibly holding talks with Iran soon.
In sign of shift, far-right US news network airs segment on unchecked Israeli settler violence
The far-right One America News Network airs a segment on last week’s killing of Palestinian-American Saif Musallet by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
The network’s decision to focus on the phenomenon that was once largely ignored in more conservative circles highlights the shift among a camp of MAGA Republicans that has gradually become more critical of Israel.
The anchor for the segment is former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who was US President Donald Trump’s original pick for attorney general. Gaetz withdrew his nomination amid mounting scandals against him.
HOW MANY AMERICANS DO ISRAELI SETTLERS HAVE TO KILL BEFORE WE CARE? pic.twitter.com/4Sa6JGGf0Z
— One America News (@OANN) July 17, 2025
He notably refers to the West Bank by its biblical name of Judea and Samaria while excoriating the conduct of Israeli settlers who live there.
“The truth is, this isn’t an isolated tragedy. It’s part of a pattern of Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian communities that include the torching of homes, farms and lives, all while protected by Israeli forces who are funded by US tax dollars,” Gaetz says. “That’s not even the most troubling part. Israel rarely holds these killers accountable. There have been eight unsolved killings of American citizens just since 2022.”
Earlier this week, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a devout evangelical Christian, characterized Musallet’s killing as an act of terrorism and demanded an Israeli investigation. It appeared to be the first time Huckabee had weighed in on the phenomenon of settler violence.
Police reopen case into settler attack after report raises questions about decision to close probe
Police have reopened an investigation into a recent settler attack on an Israeli peace activist in the West Bank after a report in the Haaretz daily revealed that the probe had been closed due to what officers claimed was their inability to identify suspects, even though the victim provided significant evidence to law enforcement, including the name of one of the assailants.
The case appears to highlight the apparent lack of willpower among law enforcement to probe incidents of settler violence, which go almost entirely unchecked. Ninety-four percent of all probes into settler violence between 2005 and 2024 ended without an indictment even being filed, according to the Yesh Din rights group.
The head of the police’s West Bank division is currently under investigation for intentionally not prosecuting cases of settler violence in order to curry favor in the eyes of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir whose office oversees the police. While the commander was initially removed from his post, the police commissioner last month ordered that he be allowed to return to work.
In the latest incident that took place in May, settlers allegedly attacked a group of Palestinians from Mughayyir al-Deir along with a group of Israeli peace activists who were accompanying them. During the attack, the settlers opened fire on the Palestinians and stole cameras, a cellphone a wallet and other items from activist Avishay Mohar.
Mohar told Haaretz that he filed a police complaint at the Binyamin police station two days after the attack. The complaint included medical documents, a picture of several of the attackers and the name of one of the assailants.
The computer’s GPS tracker was active in the weeks since the attack, and the victim’s lawyer updated police regarding its location, which moved among a pair of illegal outposts.
Mohar also offered police his car to scan it for fingerprints, as the attackers had been inside.
Despite all of this evidence, police decided to close the investigation on the grounds that they had been unable to identify the perpetrators.
Following Haaretz’s report on the closed investigation, police informed the publication that they had decided to reopen the case in order to locate the suspects and bring them to justice.
Syrian state media reports more Israeli strikes near southern Druze-majority city
Syrian state media reports Israeli strikes near the Syrian Druze-majority city of Sweida, the first to target the area after Syrian government forces withdrew, following clashes with local fighters.
Syria’s state-run SANA says “Israeli occupation aircraft carried out a raid on the outskirts of Sweida city.”
Syrian forces withdrew from Sweida earlier today after deadly clashes with Druze fighters accompanied by Israeli strikes and diplomatic pressure to retreat from the area.
US did not support recent Israeli strikes on Syria, State Department says
The United States did not support recent Israeli strikes on Syria, the State Department says, adding that Washington made clear its displeasure after tensions escalated and worked quickly to stop it.
Yesterday, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus, while also hitting government forces in the south, demanding that they withdraw and saying that Israel aimed to protect Syrian Druze — part of a small but influential minority that also has a presence in Lebanon and in Israel.
“Regarding Israel’s intervention and activity… the United States did not support recent Israeli strikes,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce tells reporters at a regular news briefing.
“We are engaging diplomatically with Israel and Syria at the highest levels, both to address the present crisis and reach a lasting agreement between the two sovereign states.”
Bruce declines to say whether Washington supports Israel carrying out such military operations when it deems necessary.
“I won’t speak to future conversations or past ones. What we’re dealing with now is this particular episode, what was required, and I think we’ve been very clear about our displeasure, certainly that the president has, and we’ve worked very quickly to have it stopped,” she says.
She adds that the United States condemns violence in Syria and says Washington is actively engaging all constituencies in Syria to navigate toward calm and continued discussions on integration, calling on the Syrian government to lead the path forward.