Early on Sunday morning, Israelis set fire to two mosques in the West Bank, as well as agricultural land and property, according to Palestinian reports and footage, as settler violence continued to intensify in the wake of clashes that left two Israelis and four Palestinians dead on Friday. The IDF has since detained at least 27 Palestinians and two Israelis.
Later in the day, the IDF said it has sealed the home of one of the Palestinians involved in Friday's deadly altercation ahead of its planned demolition. At the top of Sunday's government meeting, PM Netanyahu said that the IDF is prepared to expand its operations against what he called "terror nests" in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, Physicians for Human Rights Israel said the IDF's blockade on Nablus has disrupted emergency medical services in the area, forcing two women to give birth in ambulances after being unable to reach a hospital.
In a letter addressed to world leaders, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for urgent international action against what he described as ongoing Israeli aggression and settler terrorism against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Senior IDF officials are warning that Israel's political leadership is emboldening settler violence, security sources told Haaretz. Top military officers who've tried to reach out to influential figures in the settlement movement in an effort to calm tensions were met with silence, the sources said, adding that there is "no civilian address" willing to help curb the violence.
Other Israeli security officials also cautioned that residents of Palestinian villages subjected to repeated attacks may soon stop showing restraint in the face of settler attacks.
An IDF reservist serving in the West Bank told Haaretz that "the primary, almost exclusive mission of my unit has become dealing with settler violence," adding that "we're dispatched to violent incidents with forces that are completely inadequate, facing dozens or even hundreds of rioters. We cannot influence the situation, bring it under control or end the incident. We simply stand by and watch it unfold."
Syria working on security agreement with Israel, al-Sharaa tells Al Jazeera
Israeli officials were anticipating a large-scale U.S. operation against Iran over the weekend that would've involved Israel when U.S. President Trump decided to hold off on escalating the conflict, an Israeli source said. Trump reportedly delayed plans to expand the war due to several concerns, one of which being that a broader military operation could dangerously deplete CENTCOM's supply of interceptor missiles.
On Thursday, as it seemed that Trump was preparing to launch a broad offensive, the president told Axios that Israel would join it "in two minutes if I ask them to," but warned of "consequences" to Israel if it did.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Al Jazeera, Syrian President al-Sharaa said his country is working to reach a security agreement with Israel, adding that if comes to fruition, it will pave the way for a peace deal that wouldn't require Damascus to give up its right to sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Six-Day War and is widely recognized as Syrian territory by the international community.
Earlier on Sunday, the IDF scattered leaflets in southern Syria, warning residents to comply with its instructions in the area, reports in the country said, with footage showing Israeli forces removing a blockade that Syrian residents had reportedly set up in an area controlled by Israel.
In Lebanon, the army said the IDF is still attacking in the south of the country in violation of the cease-fire agreement, describing "systematic destruction and demolition of homes using bulldozers, shelling and machine-gun fire."