Yemen fires projectile toward central Israel, Hamas says hostage deal is 'imminent'

Sirens sounded across central Israel following a projectile that was fired from Yemen, the IDF reported early Thursday morning.

No reports of anyone wounded have surfaced. The IDF added that more details regarding the incident would follow.

This is a developing story.

Israel's High Court pressed the state on Wednesday to give an answer to the family of Alon Shamriz, a slain hostage, on whether he will be recognized as a fallen soldier, the family said. The state had requested an extension in its answer till the end of January due to the change in defense minister and the security situation, according to the family.

Shamriz was killed when he and two other hostages, Yotam Chaim, and Samer Talalka, escaped their captors and were shot by IDF forces. The three were shot as they exited a building in Gaza and were waving a white flag while approaching IDF soldiers and shouting in Hebrew.

Israeli soldiers removed a small far-right group of Israeli civilians who had crossed into Lebanon, appearing to put up a tent, in what the military said on Wednesday was a serious incident now under investigation.

The UN committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon is set to convene at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura in southern Lebanon, the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese news outlet Al-Akhbar reported. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the IDF during his Tuesday visit to Mount Hermon Ridge to be ready to be deployed in the area until the end of 2025, according to a Wednesday Channel 12 report. 

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have tightened their grip on the country's oil industry and control up to half the exports that generate most of Tehran's revenue and fund its proxies across the Middle East, according to Western officials, security sources, and Iranian insiders.

If no issues arise, a hostage deal could be signed by the end of this week, a Hamas official told the Saudi news outlet Asharq Al-Awsat.

The Wednesday report cited the official as stating that a deal was "imminent," with the main points having already been agreed upon. 

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote that Israel was "gravely mistaken" about developments in Syria in a Tuesday message posted to his Hebrew language X/Twitter account. 

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto is set to make a surprise visit to Israel next week as a guest of Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Palestinian families sued the US State Department on Tuesday over Washington's support for the IDF amid the war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands, a court filing showed.