Israel in September 2026: the most important developments in security
In September 2026 Israel's security picture was marked by fighting in southern Lebanon and Gaza, violence in the West Bank, and an incident on a civilian flight at month's end. On 30 September a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted after a struggle in the cockpit in which a pilot was stabbed; passengers restrained the attacker, two pilots were taken to hospital, and a second flydubai aircraft was sent to bring the passengers to Israel. Netanyahu said a pilot had tried to crash the plane, and Transportation Minister Miri Regev ordered flydubai flights to Israel halted.
In Lebanon, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire despite a ceasefire. Israel said it took the Ali al-Taher ridge, and on 10 September it announced it had destroyed a Hezbollah underground complex there with more than 1,100 tons of explosives, which registered as a 4.1-magnitude tremor. Lebanese reports said Israeli strikes killed at least three to four people on several days in early September, and 12 on 7 September and 13 on 8 and 14 September. Hezbollah launched explosive drones at Israeli troops. The army reduced its forces in the south from eight brigades to six, and on 30 September announced the withdrawal of Golani Brigade forces.
In Gaza, Israel killed a series of Hamas commanders, including a finance chief on 23 September and Izz al-Din al-Beik on 29 September, and medics reported civilian deaths in many strikes. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on 22 September that Israel would destroy the rest of Gaza City and evacuate one million people if Hamas took a hostage. Two reservists died on 25 September when a drone they were operating exploded in northern Gaza.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed Palestinians in raids, and settlers attacked villages; on 29 September more than 100 settlers raided a village, and Netanyahu called them a handful of rioters. A Palestinian gunman shot dead Netanel Shukrun on 20 September, and on 23 September a ramming attack seriously wounded Neria Leiter, son of the ambassador to the US. Katz presented a plan for an all-out war in the West Bank if the Palestinian Authority carried out an attack like that of 7 October. Reports also said the US plans a $2.8 billion sale of about 40,000 bombs, which a Democratic senator put on hold.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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