Category: 2. Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he had instructed negotiators to “accelerate” talks aimed at securing the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza. His remarks followed what he described as a “chance” to make progress after Israel’s recent large-scale attack on Iran.

“I gave instructions the day before yesterday to speed up the negotiations, because I feel there is an opportunity– we will accomplish both missions: the…

Israel is preparing a “Dahiya-style” military operation targeting the Iranian capital, Tehran. The plan, disclosed by Israeli broadcaster Channel 14, reportedly seeks to destabilise Iran’s government through systematic bombing of strategic sites while coercing mass evacuation from densely populated areas.

The operation, is said to have been greenlit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, draws directly from Israel’s…

After an Iranian strike early Monday gouged a gaping hole in his apartment building in central Israel, Idan Bar said he feared for his family as the air war between the longtime foe escalated.

A tangle of metal protruded from the charred section of a high-rise building in Petah Tivka near Tel Aviv, as rescuers wheeled elderly residents away from the damage.

One woman’s mouth hung open as she was taken away in a wheelchair.

“My building got bombed from Iran,” Bar told AFP.

“It was very scary…

Geopolitical tensions roiled the opening of the Paris Air Show on Monday as French authorities sealed off Israeli weapons industry booths amid the conflicts in Iran and Gaza, a move that Israel condemned as “outrageous”.

The decision added drama to the major aerospace industry event, which was already being held under the shadow of last week’s deadly crash of Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Black walls were installed around the stands of five Israeli defence firms at the trade fair in Le…

PARIS — Walls were erected overnight Sunday around the Israeli pavilion at the prestigious French Bourget airshow, preventing visitors and buyers from accessing the display.

What happened: French authorities instructed the organizers of Bourget to block access to the pavilion after Israeli companies refused to remove all offensive weapons, saying the instructions were discriminatory and politically motivated. 

The Elysee Palace confirmed to Al-Monitor that the decision was made by the…

ANKARA — Turkish authorities detained 39 suspected Islamic State members in nationwide raids targeting the group’s alleged financial networks, officials announced Monday, as Ankara ramps up efforts to clamp down on the jihadi group’s remnants in Syria.

The suspects were rounded up in raids conducted across 18 provinces over the past two weeks, including in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a post on X.

“It was established that the suspects were…

France on Monday blocked access to the stands of five Israeli arms manufacturers at the Paris Air show for displaying “offensive weapons”, according to a French government source.

A black wall blocked off stands run by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, Uvision, Elbit and Aeronautics for showing “offensive weapons”, including those used in Gaza, which allegedly violated terms made with Israel, said the source.

Rafael, Elbit and IAI produce guided bombs and missiles, while Uvision and…