Browsing: Middle East

Israel’s security cabinet approved measures to reshape land registration and property acquisitions in Judea and Samaria, with officials saying the steps remove decades-old barriers and repeal Jordanian-era restrictions. Publishing registries would make ownership records public and enable direct private purchases, including by non-Muslims—changes supporters argue align the area’s practices with norms inside Israel. Oversight and enforcement on issues such as environmental hazards and antiquities damage would be expanded into Areas A and B. The Palestinian Authority condemned the decisions and called for international intervention, while Hamas urged a “rebellion” in [Judea and Samaria] and Jerusalem and pressed Muslim nations to sever ties…

Israeli security forces have, thus far, struck four commanders and additional terrorists from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations across the Gaza Strip. In response to a violation of the ceasefire agreement yesterday on Friday, that saw eight terrorists exiting the underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah. Israeli security forces have, thus far, struck four commanders and additional terrorists from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations across the Gaza Strip. In addition, the IDF struck a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site, and two launch sites belonging to Hamas in the central Gaza Strip. “The terrorist organizations…

An Israeli airstrike targeted a building in Gaza City on Friday (February 6) following an evacuation order from the Israeli military. The attack targeted Hamas weapon storage and manufacturing plant inside the building. This is the first evacuation order issued by the IDF since last year’s ceasefire that halted the more than 2-year-old war, which began with Hamas’s cross-border incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023. The IDF said the strike came in retaliation to gunfire aimed at soldiers near the Yellow Line in northern Gaza. The development comes days after Israel reopened Gaza’s main border crossing with Egypt, a…

The ISA and the National Cyber Directorate announced on Wednesday that they thwarted hundreds of cyberattack attempts over the past year carried out by Iranian intelligence operatives. According to the agencies, the attacks targeted senior government and defense officials, academics, journalists, and employees in the defense industry. A joint statement said a marked escalation in hostile cyber activity was identified beginning with Operation Rising Lion. The purpose of the attacks was to gather personal and professional information to support terrorism, espionage, and influence operations. Investigators said the attackers primarily used “targeted phishing” techniques, crafting personalized messages while impersonating trusted or…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made back-to-back visits to Saudi Arabia and Egypt over two days this week, seeking to expand Turkish influence in the Middle East and North Africa. Erdoğan met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday, where the two countries signed cooperation agreements and voiced shared positions on several regional issues, including Gaza, Somaliland, and tensions between the United States and Iran. Following the meeting, el-Sisi presented several memoranda of understanding and agreements that had been signed across a broad range of issues, including defense, tourism, investment, trade, health, and agriculture. Continue reading this…

There is a strong likelihood that the Houthis will resume their attacks on Israel and on US ships if the US strikes Iran, Israeli public broadcaster KAN News reported on Wednesday. According to KAN, Israeli security forces are operating under the assumption that Yemen’s Houthi terrorists will be prepared to strike back against Israel if the US attacks Iran first. KAN also reported that a source within a Yemenite faction combating the Houthis had passed information to Washington about the potential for a resurgence in attacks on US ships in the Red and Arabian Seas. Continue reading this article on jpost.com

The IDF struck several Hezbollah tunnels used as weapons storage facilities across Lebanon, the military announced on Thursday. According to an IDF statement regarding the operation, “following the strikes, secondary explosions were identified, indicating the presence of weapons in the area.” Hezbollah terrorist activity, “constituting a violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” had been observed at the sites prior to the strikes. Continue reading this article on jpost.com

A senior Iranian official vowed that the regime would launch massive attacks against Israel if the U.S. decides to strike Iran, after U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday renewed his threats, as well as his calls for the regime to return to the negotiating table. Writing on 𝕏 both in Persian and in Hebrew, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and one of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s closest aides, said, “A limited [US] strike is an illusion. Any military action by America, of any kind and at any level, will be considered the start of…

Intense diplomatic talks are underway ahead of the expected opening of the Rafah crossing in the coming days, as a U.S.-backed plan to transfer governance of Gaza to a technocratic council under the Board of Peace enters a decisive phase, officials involved in the process said. Despite assessments in Israel that the crossing could reopen as early as Sunday, no final date has been agreed upon, according to officials familiar with the discussions. The opening of the crossing is expected to mark the first entry of the technocratic governing body into Gaza, a move intended to replace Hamas’ control of…

Following a failed projectile launched toward the Israel from the Gaza City, the Israeli military eliminated terrorists affiliated with Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Palestinian enclave. On Friday, the IDF named the terrorists eliminated as Kamal Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Awad, who served as Hamas’s head of the anti-tank missile operation; Ahmad Thabet, a key figure in Hamas’s weapons manufacturing operation. In addition, the IDF said it targeted Ahmad Abd al-Fattah Saeed Maghdalawi, a terrorist with the Nukhba brigades, who infiltrated Israel and took part in the deadly October 7 massacre, including the butchery at site of the Nova music festival.…