Israel-Gaza live updates: Netanyahu seeks pardon over corruption charges

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a request for a pardon to President Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president’s office said in a statement on Sunday.

"The request consists of two documents: a detailed letter signed by the Prime Minister’s lawyer, and a letter signed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," Herzog’s office said.

The request is being transferred to the Pardons Department in the Ministry of Justice, which will gather the opinions of all the relevant authorities in the Ministry of Justice, officials said.

Herzog’s office in its statement said it was aware that it was an “extraordinary” request that carried with it "significant implications." The president would "responsibly and sincerely" consider it, the office said.

Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

-ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian and Jordana Miller

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said the group has the right to respond to Israel's attack last week that killed a Hezbollah commander.

"This is a blatant aggression and an outright crime. It is our right to respond; we will set the timing for that," Qassem said in remarks Friday.

The comments came as tensions between Israel and Lebanon remain high.

Israeli forces have intensified strikes on southern Lebanon in recent weeks. Israeli forces struck Beirut on Nov. 23 for the first time since June, killing Hezbollah's top military commander Haythan Ali Tabatabai.

Pope Leo XIV is expected to travel to Lebanon on Sunday as a part of his first foreign trip.

-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz

After two Palestinians were killed in the West Bank during an ongoing Israel Defense Forces operation in the West Bank on Thursday, the United Nations said it is "appalled" by the "brazen killing by Israeli border police."

"Impunity for Israel security forces' unlawful use of force, and ever-growing Israeli settler violence, must end. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urges independent, prompt and effective investigations into the killings of Palestinians, and that those responsible for violations be held fully to account," a spokesperson for the U.N. high commissioner for human rights said in a statement.

Mahmoud Qasim Abdallah, 26, and Youssef Ali Youssef Essa'sa, 37, were shot by Israeli forces in Jenin, the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs said. Israeli forces shot at two suspects during an ongoing operation in Jenin, the IDF said in a statement on Thursday.

The IDF and the Israeli police said in a statement the two people targeted were "wanted individuals affiliated with a terror network."

The ongoing Israeli operation in the West Bank has continued to intensify in recent days. Israeli forces conducted airstrikes as a part of the operation on Wednesday, and Israeli air forces were again used on Thursday to "provide aerial assistance to the soldiers on the ground," the IDF said in a separate statement about the ongoing operation.

Two Palestinians were killed in the West Bank during an ongoing Israeli Defense Forces operation, the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs said in a statement Thursday.

Mahmoud Qasim Abdallah, 26, and Youssef Ali Youssef Essa'sa, 37, were shot by Israeli forces in Jenin, the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs said. Israeli forces shot at two suspects during an ongoing operation in Jenin, the IDF said in a statement.

The incident is "under review" by the IDF commanders on the ground, the IDF statement added.

The IDF and the Israeli police said in a statement the two people targeted were "wanted individuals affiliated with a terror network."

"The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited," the IDF said. "Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects."

The ongoing Israeli operation in the West Bank has continued to intensify in recent days. Israeli forces conducted airstrikes as a part of the operation on Wednesday, and Israeli air forces were again used on Thursday to "provide aerial assistance to the soldiers on the ground," the IDF said in a separate statement about the ongoing operation.

Israeli forces "searched over 220 sites, questioned dozens of suspects and apprehended several wanted individuals" on the first day of the West Bank operation, the IDF said.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Nasser Atta