Thursday 3 Iyar – House prices fall in April – Man charged after trying to break into Israeli embassy in London carrying a knife -The fire that paralyzed Israel in pictures; overseas help sought; many Independence Day events canceled

House prices fell in April as buyers faced paying thousands of pounds more in stamp duty, according to new figures from Nationwide.

Prices were down 0.6% month-on-month, the building society said.

The slowdown in the market was expected due to changes to stamp duty thresholds kicking in on 1 April.

Annual house price growth also slowed, but homes remain 3.4% more expensive than they were a year ago, with the average price now at £270,752.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said there was a “significant jump” in transactions in March, with buyers bringing forward purchases to avoid the additional tax charges.

“The market is likely to remain a little soft in the coming months,” he said.

But Mr Gardner added buying was likely to pick up as over summer due to earnings rising and the expectation of further cuts to interest rates.

Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of losing hot water or heating when their old type of electricity meter goes out of action.

Energy companies have said it will be “very, very difficult” to replace all Radio Teleswitching System (RTS) meters with smart meters before the old technology is switched off on 30 June.

Most homes have standard meters and will not be affected whether they have a smart meter or not. But campaigners estimate more than 300,000 homes have the old RTS meters and could lose heating – or have it stuck on constantly.

The government said the industry had to “work urgently to continue to increase the pace of replacements”.

London’s police force charged a man Wednesday with a terror offense after he was detained trying to enter the grounds of the Israeli Embassy while in possession of what appeared to have been a knife of some sort.

The Foreign Ministry said that a knife-wielding individual had attempted to break into the premises of the Israeli embassy in London on Monday “with the intent to carry out an attack.”

“Local security forces prevented the intrusion into embassy grounds and apprehended the attacker,” the ministry said in a statement released Wednesday. “All embassy staff are safe, and no damage was caused to the embassy.”

Police said they charged Abdullah Sabah Albadri, 33, with terrorism offenses and possession of a bladed weapon.

“We remain in close contact with those based at the Embassy of Israel, and we appreciate that these charges will be concerning to them,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of London police’s Counter Terrorism Command.

“I would like to reassure the public, however, that from our enquiries so far, we are not seeking anyone else in connection with this matter and we do not believe there is any wider threat to the public.”

Albadri was due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court later on Wednesday.

The incident took place on Monday shortly before 6 p.m. when officers from the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command became aware of a man attempting to gain unauthorized access to the embassy’s grounds in Kensington in west London, police said.

The UK has joined US forces in attacking a Houthi target in Yemen for the first time since Donald Trump was re-elected.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the strikes took place on Tuesday as part of the government’s response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The ministry said careful intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings used by the Houthis to manufacture the sort of drones used to attack ships, located 15 miles south of the capital Sanaa.

RAF Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on several buildings using Paveway IV precision-guided bombs.

The planes had air refuelling support from Voyager tankers.

The ministry said the strike was conducted after dark to reduce the likelihood of civilians being in the area.

All the aircraft returned safely.

Defence Secretary John Healey said: “This government will always act in the interests of our national and economic security.

“Royal Air Force Typhoons have successfully conducted strikes against a Houthi military target in Yemen and all UK aircraft and personnel have returned safely to base.

“We conducted these strikes, supported by the US, to degrade Houthi capabilities and prevent further attacks against UK and international shipping.”

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The Shin Bet (ISA) is participating in the investigation into the massive fires in the Jerusalem hills area that caused the evacuations of multiple communities and left at least 13 people injured amid suspicions that at least some of the fires were the result of arson.

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of arson in the Jerusalem area.

The IDF announced that Israeli Air Force C-130J Super Hercules heavy transport planes, which can carry 18,000 liters (4,755 gallons) of water and firefighting materials, would join the firefighting efforts.

Around 10:30 am, the Fire and Rescue Forces declared an emergency and called up all firefighting teams from across the country, due to the severity and scope of the fire.

Just prior to noon, the Fire and Rescue Service ordered Kibbutz Nachshon’s residents to evacuate. As of 2:20 p.m., the list of evacuated communities included: Neve Shalom, Beko’a, Mitzphe Harel, Mesilat Zion, Tarum, Ta’oz, and Nachshon, as well as the Latrun and Canada Park sites. Later, the communities of Shoresh and Neve Ilan were ordered to be evacuated.

A man was arrested for allegedly attempting to ignite an open field in southern Jerusalem, Israel Police announced on Wednesday.

A civilian reported the suspect, a man in his 50s from Umm Tuba, a neighborhood in east Jerusalem, and the man was caught after a short pursuit.

“A lighter, cotton, and additional incendiary materials were found in his possession. The suspect, in his 50s, was taken in for questioning,” police stated.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put on the tefillin of Maj. (res.) Yossi Hershkovitz, who fell during the war.

“On this Memorial Day, I am honored to put on the tefillin of the Hero of Israel, Maj. (res.) Yossi Hershkovitz. Yossi, a wonderful educator, was imbued with true love of Israel. The moment he was called up, he said goodbye to his devoted wife Hadas, and to his children, Ari, Hillel, Tal, Shira and Neta, in order to protect the home of all of us,” Netanyahu wrote.

He added, “Even from within the Gaza Strip, he sent strengthening videos to his family, his students, and the people of Israel. Yossi combined a noble spirit with an uncompromising determination to defend our people and our country. In one hand he held a weapon, and in the other he held his violin. We will turn the grief over the fall of the late Yossi Hershkowitz and all our heroes into a melody – the melody of the power of the generation of victory.”

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