Pope Leo will not visit Lebanon's south, battered by last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah and the site of intensified Israeli strikes in recent weeks. Israel's recent strike that killed Hezbollah's chief of staff in Beirut reinforced security concerns

Dror Or, 48, was murdered during the October 7 Hamas attack and kidnapped from his home on Kibbutz Be'eri. His wife Yonat was also murdered, and two of their children were kidnapped to Gaza and released in an earlier hostage deal

The chances that the prime minister will manage to outlaw the United Arab List are slim, but his government will wage a smear campaign against a bloc that could be a major obstacle to victory in the election. As a bonus, this would also hamstring the opposition