Browsing: Middle East

IDF announces reinforced defense systems • Iran and Hezbollah vowed to strike back, reportedly targeting military sites Israel is preparing for a possible retaliation from Iran and/or Hezbollah following the recent eliminations of senior terror officials in Beirut and Tehran. The Israeli military has announced the strengthening of its defense systems and the improvement of its readiness, while maintaining the Home Front Command unchanged for the civilian population. On Tuesday, Israel killed Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in an airstrike on Beirut. A day later, Hamas senior leader and negotiator Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, with Iran and Hamas…

Protesters, hostage families gather in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and elsewhere; captive’s brother says contract between citizens and state has been ‘breached,’ only deal can restore it Thousands of protesters, including relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, demonstrated around the country Thursday evening to mark 300 days since the October 7 massacre, calling on the government to seal a hostage and ceasefire deal. Hundreds marched through Tel Aviv, holding yellow ribbons and photos of hostages, then blocked the Begin intersection near the IDF’s Kirya headquarters before the main rally was held at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square. The families bound…

A senior U.S. official said that negotiations for a hostage release and ceasefire deal appear to be in their closing stages and U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss remaining gaps during their meeting. “What I expect the conversation to be tomorrow is about these remaining gaps and kind of how we close them, and what the parameters are,” the official told the press. The comments came in a phone briefing to members of the press ahead of Netanyahu’s meeting with Biden at the White House on Thursday. The meeting between Biden and Netanyahu is the…

Report: New ‘ghost drones’ score huge successes in crossing into Israeli airspace; fragmenting missiles can split into dozens of smaller missiles if air defense attempt to intercept them Iran has supplied Hezbollah with bombs capable of emitting an electromagnetic pulse that can paralyze Israeli communication systems and radar, according to a report Thursday in the Kuwaiti Al-Jareeda. The paper said that the Lebanese terror group and its allied factions plan to launch an offensive against Israel in the Golan Heights and Galilee in retaliation to a potential Israeli ground operation in southern Lebanon. Citing a source in the Islamic Revolutionary…

PM blasts Tehran as driving force behind turmoil, denounces anti-Israel protesters, defends conduct of war; some hostage relatives removed for protest; Tlaib holds ‘war criminal’ sign Addressing a joint session of Congress for the fourth time in his career, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used much speech to frame Iran as the driving force behind violence in the Middle East, while laying out a general vision for postwar Gaza. Netanyahu also said he was “confident” that a hostage release and ceasefire deal could be reached, but did not offer much details, even as nearly two dozen relatives of the 120 captives still…

Reservists hit by gunfire during operation on Route 55 near Nabi Ilyas; third soldier treated at scene for minor injury Two Israeli soldiers were wounded in a drive-by shooting attack on the Route 55 highway, the Israel Defense Forces and medics said. According to an initial IDF probe, reservist soldiers carrying out a patrol on the highway near the village of Nabi Ilyas came under fire from a passing vehicle. The vehicle with the gunman fled the scene. One of the soldiers, aged 25, was moderately wounded, while the second reservist, aged 34, was listed in good condition, the Magen…

Remains of Ravid Katz, Oren Goldin, Maya Goren, Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas and Sgt. Kiril Brodski were held hostage in Khan Younis tunnel The bodies of five Israelis killed and taken hostage by terrorists on October 7 were recovered by troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip and brought back to Israel on Wednesday, officials said. Ravid Katz, 51, Oren Goldin, 33, Maya Goren, 56, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, were all previously declared dead by the Israel Defense Forces, though their bodies continued to be held in Gaza. All five were killed…

Hezbollah will launch attacks on Israeli towns that haven’t been targeted yet, according to threats from Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese terror organization. Israel Defense Forces eliminated a senior operative in another terror group allied with Hezbollah in central Lebanon. Speaking during a celebration of the Shi’ite Muslim Ashura holiday, Nasrallah said: “Continuing to target civilians will push the Resistance [Hezbollah] to launch missiles at settlements that were not previously targeted.” The reference pointed to the alleged killing of five civilians, including three children, by Israeli strikes the day before. In his televised speech, he added that there…

Avi Issacharoff said that Israel should take advantage of the fact that Hamas needs a ceasefire to advance a hostage deal. Arab affair analyst Avi Issacharoff believes that Hamas is at its lowest point militarily since the war began. Issacharoff wrote in an article on Ynet that “now of all times, when Hamas needs a ceasefire, Israel must take the opportunity to push for a hostage deal. “Hamas is at its lowest point militarily since the war began,” Issacharoff wrote and quickly emphasized that “it’s still not a breaking point, and we’re not expecting to see Yahya Sinwar leave his tunnel with…

US, Israeli officials say terror group short on weapons, desperate for ceasefire, emboldening PM to play hardball; Mossad chief said to back him; others say demands ‘will prevent deal’ Hamas has softened some of its stances in hostage talks, with intelligence assessments indicating the terror group wants a ceasefire in Gaza due to its weakening military position, the Axios outlet reported Thursday, citing Israeli and American officials. An Israeli official involved in the negotiations told Axios that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in turn, has toughened Israel’s demands for a deal as a result of this intelligence, explaining that the premier “is trying…