Osama Abdullah, head of the village council in Jiljiliya, north of Ramallah, said settlers targeted the village’s main mosque during the early hours of the morning, causing damage to an ablution facility and leaving hostile graffiti on the structure.

“Settlers set fire to the ablution room, caused damage to the village’s main mosque, and scrawled hostile slogans on the outer walls,” Abdullah told AFP.

Journalists who visited the site observed extensive smoke and fire damage inside the mosque. The ceiling, walls and flooring were blackened, while Hebrew-language graffiti was visible on exterior surfaces.

Among the inscriptions were slogans reading “vengeance” and “hi from the Hilltop Youth,” a reference to a loosely organized group of Israeli settlers frequently accused by Palestinians and rights organizations of carrying out attacks against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

According to Abdullah, the attackers arrived between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. and were unable to enter the mosque because its doors were locked. He said they subsequently set fire to a lower-level room used for ablutions before leaving the area.

The blaze was extinguished by Palestinian civil defense teams with assistance from residents of Jiljiliya and neighboring villages, he added.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the incident.

The attack comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions and increasing reports of settler violence in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023. Palestinian officials and international organizations have repeatedly raised concerns over attacks targeting homes, agricultural land, vehicles and religious sites.

The United Nations has recently warned that violence involving Israeli settlers has reached record levels, reporting an average of six incidents per day resulting in casualties, property damage or both.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. The territory is home to approximately three million Palestinians as well as more than 500,000 Israeli settlers living in settlements outside East Jerusalem.

Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, a position rejected by successive Israeli governments.

Settlement expansion and settler-related violence have become increasingly contentious issues under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which includes several ministers who openly support settlement growth.

Residents of Jiljiliya said the attack has heightened fears within the community, while local leaders called for accountability and protection of religious sites from further violence.

No arrests were immediately reported.

The Israeli military said it had begun a “wave of strikes” on positions in the capital’s southern districts, including areas such as Tahouitet Al-Ghadir, following evacuation warnings issued to residents earlier in the day.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported multiple strikes across south Beirut, as well as in southern and eastern regions of the country. The health ministry said an attack on the town of Saksakiyeh in the Sidon district killed six people, including three children, and wounded 17 others.

In the Bekaa region, authorities said a strike killed a pregnant woman and injured seven people. Lebanese officials estimate that more than 1,100 people have been killed since the escalation began, with over one million displaced, including around 136,000 sheltering in collective facilities.

Hezbollah said its fighters had engaged Israeli troops “at point-blank range” in the villages of Bayada and Shamaa, near the border, and claimed additional attacks on Israeli targets.

It also said it had fired a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli warplane over Beirut. The claims could not be independently verified.The Israeli military said its forces had uncovered weapons, including anti-tank missiles, in a school in Khiam, a strategic border town that has seen repeated fighting.

Israeli troops are advancing into multiple towns in southern Lebanon as part of efforts to establish a buffer zone extending to the Litani River, aimed at pushing Hezbollah forces away from the frontier and securing northern Israeli communities.

Army spokesperson Effie Defrin said Hezbollah continued to operate from southern Lebanon despite earlier commitments by the Lebanese government, adding that Israeli forces would act to neutralize the group if it was not disarmed.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warned that Lebanon faces a worsening humanitarian crisis, with representative Karolina Lindholm Billing saying the risk of catastrophe was “real.”International Committee of the Red Cross regional director Nicolas Von Arx said civilians were bearing the brunt of the conflict and urged all parties to ensure their protection.

The escalation follows Hezbollah’s entry into the conflict on March 2, when it fired rockets toward Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, triggering a broader regional confrontation.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iranian negotiators were “begging for a deal,” dismissing Tehran’s public stance as inaccurate. Araghchi, speaking on state television, said there had been no direct dialogue with Washington, adding that exchanges via intermediaries did not constitute negotiations.

He said Iran was conveying its positions and warnings through friendly countries.The divergence in messaging comes as military operations continue. U.S. and Israeli forces have conducted extensive strikes on Iranian targets since late February, while Iran has launched retaliatory attacks on Israel, U.S. bases, and Gulf states.

A U.S. Central Command briefing said more than 10,000 targets had been struck, with significant degradation of Iran’s naval, missile, and drone capabilities.

The conflict has disrupted global energy flows, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit route for oil and liquefied natural gas. Its effective closure has triggered what officials describe as a severe energy shock, driving up fuel prices and straining supply chains across industries from aviation to agriculture.

Sultan Al Jaber, chief executive of ADNOC, described restrictions on Hormuz as “economic terrorism,” warning of global consequences. Governments are considering intervention measures similar to those deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as businesses face rising costs and weakening demand.

The World Food Programme has warned that prolonged disruption could push tens of millions into acute hunger, with farmers and fisheries already facing fuel shortages.

A 15-point U.S. proposal, conveyed to Iran through Pakistan, includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, curbing Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, and halting support for regional allies, according to Israeli sources familiar with the plan.

The White House has not publicly detailed the proposal.Israeli officials expressed skepticism that Tehran would accept the terms and voiced concern that U.S. negotiators could offer concessions.

Iran, according to regional sources, has insisted that Lebanon be included in any ceasefire framework involving Washington and Israel.

Financial markets reflected fading optimism over a near-term resolution. Global equities weakened on Thursday while oil prices resumed their upward trajectory. Analysts cited diminishing expectations of a ceasefire as a key driver of volatility.

The Pentagon is preparing to deploy additional airborne troops to the Gulf, supplementing Marine units already en route, according to sources. The buildup is intended to expand military options as the conflict risks widening.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the situation could escalate further, urging a shift from military confrontation to diplomacy.