Troops extract 2 Israelis who entered West Bank’s Area A near Hebron, Nablus |
The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they unfold.
Thousands of residents take to the streets of Somaliland to celebrate Israel’s decision to recognize the breakaway region as an independent state.
In the capital, Hargeisa, an image of the Israeli flag was projected onto a building as crowds gathered in celebration.
Footage circulating online shows locals waving Somaliland flags while singing in the streets. Similar celebrations unfolded across other cities, as the recognition was met with widespread enthusiasm from Somaliland’s population.
WATCH: Downtown Hargeisa is illuminated with the Israeli flag as residents of Somaliland’s capital celebrate Jerusalem’s decision to recognize their sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/FgkD13iNK1
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) December 26, 2025
Somalia’s foreign ministry denounces Israel’s “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty by recognizing its northern region of Somaliland as an independent state, warning that this would “undermine regional peace.”
“Illegitimate actions of this nature seriously undermine regional peace and stability, exacerbate political and security tensions,” the ministry says in a statement.
Saudi Arabia expresses strong opposition to Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, following Israel’s historic announcement earlier today.
In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reaffirms the Kingdom’s “full support for the sovereignty of the sisterly Federal Republic of Somalia and the unity and territorial integrity of its land.”
Saudi Arabia rejects the mutual recognition between Israeli authorities and Somaliland, describing it as a “unilateral separatist” move that violates international law.
An IDF soldier’s firearm was stolen this morning in the Upper Galilee after he fell asleep on a bus, Channel 12 reports.
Upon waking, the soldier discovered his weapon was missing and alerted the bus driver, who reported seeing a man carrying the gun exiting the bus.
The suspect, a resident of Majd al-Krum, was later spotted walking through the northern Arab town with the firearm. Following a police search, the suspect was arrested, and the weapon was recovered.
The incident occurred alongside a deadly attack in the area of Beit She’an along northern Israel’s Route 71, in which Aviv Maor, 19, and Samson Mordechai, 68, were killed in a ramming and stabbing attack.
US President Donald Trump is planning several major announcements on Gaza in early January, but the direction of the peace process hinges on his meeting Monday at Mar-a-Lago with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Axios........