Benjamin Netanyahu

Trump yielded to Iran pressure, forced Netanyahu: Lebanese MP on ceasefire

Hassan, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance, affiliated with Hezbollah, made these remarks while speaking in the Lebanese Parliament, according to Iranian state media Press TV

West Asia war: Trump may extend ceasefire with Iran amid Hormuz blockade

Donald Trump says Iran ceasefire may be extended as talks continue; he signals progress in negotiations and said he could visit Islamabad if a peace deal is signed

'Agreed to ceasefire to advance peace efforts with Lebanon': Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he has agreed to a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon. In a video statement, Netanyahu said he was taking the step in an attempt "to advance" peace efforts with Lebanon. Israel and Lebanon opened negotiations this week in Washington aimed at forging a peace agreement. The Hezbollah militant group, which has been fighting Israel for six weeks, has said it opposes the dialogue. "We have an opportunity to make a historic peace agreement with Lebanon," Netanyahu said. Israel has staged a ground invasion in southern Lebanon, where its forces have been engaged in fierce battles with Hezbollah in the border area. Hezbollah added that "Israeli occupation on our land grants Lebanon and its people the right to resist it, and this matter will be determined based on how developments unfold," a stance that could complicate the ceasefire. Netanyahu said Israeli troops will stay in an expanded security zone in southern Lebanon "much stronger,

Israel, US goals on Iran 'identical', ready for any scenario: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said Israel and the US share "identical goals" in the ongoing conflict with Iran. The Israeli prime minister said the US has been keeping Israel updated on its contacts with Iran and reiterated that both nations seek the removal of enriched material, an end to Iran's enrichment capabilities, and the reopening of key maritime routes. "Our goals and those of the United States are identical: We want to see the enriched material removed from Iran, we want to see the cancellation of enrichment capabilities within Iran, and of course, we want to see the opening of the straits," Netanyahu said in a statement. "It is too early to say how this matter will end, or even how it will progress. In anticipation of the possibility that fighting may resume, we are prepared for any scenario," he said, referring to the fragile two-week ceasefire between Iran and US-Israel set to end on April 22. As Israeli forces and the Shi'ite Lebanese group Hezbollah

Netanyahu appoints military secy Major General Gofman as new Mossad chief

Praising Gofman's credentials, Netanyahu described him as an 'outstanding officer--bold and creative,' adding that he had demonstrated 'impressive resourcefulness'

West Asia war: US blockade of Iran ports begins today as tensions rise

US Central Command said a blockade of Iranian ports will begin Monday at 10 am ET (7:30 pm IST); ships between non-Iranian ports can still pass Hormuz. Here are the top updates at 9 am IST

Israeli PM Netanyahu visits south Lebanon, says 'war far from over'

Following the visit, the Prime Minister went to an IDF outpost near the border, where Galilee Division Commander Brig.-Gen. Yuval Gez briefed him on the division's operations

US-Iran set for talks as Netanyahu authorises negotiations with Lebanon

Negotiators from Iran and the United States prepared Friday for high-level talks planned to start a day later in Islamabad, seeking to steady a ceasefire teetering over Israel and Hezbollah exchanging fire and Tehran's chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz. US Vice President JD Vance was set to take off from Washington, with Iran still remaining mum over its team as it tried to pressure Washington to halt Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The semiofficial Tasnim news agency, close to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, claimed that talks would "remain suspended" otherwise. Meanwhile, Kuwait said it faced a drone attack Thursday night that it blamed on Iran and its militia allies in the region. Though Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching any assault, it has in the past carried out attacks across the Mideast it did not claim. In addition to talks in Iran, Israel-Lebanon negotiations are also expected to begin next week at the State Department in Washington - a potential boost to .

Netanyahu authorises talks with Lebanon in boost to ceasefire efforts

In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon "as soon as possible" aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbours. The two countries have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later stressed that there was no ceasefire between them. In a video statement, he said Israel will keep striking Hezbollah until security is restored in northern Israel. There was no immediate response from Lebanese authorities. But Israel-Lebanon negotiations were expected to begin next week at the State Department in Washington, according to a US official and a person familiar with the plans who both spoke on condition of anonymity. The prospect of talks appeared to bolster the tentative ceasefire in the Iran war that has staggered under the weight of Israel's bombardment of Beirut, Tehran's contin

Israel complicates Trump's push for peace with Iran amid Lebanon offensive

President Trump said he had asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back Israel's military campaign in Lebanon

For Israeli PM Netanyahu, the war with Iran is unfinished business

As the focus shifts to negotiations between the United States and Iran, no formal Israeli participation is planned

No ceasefire in Lebanon, continuing to strike Hezbollah, says Netanyahu

Netanyahu also said he has instructed the Cabinet to open direct negotiations with Lebanese government to achieve 'disarmament of Hezbollah' and 'historic peace agreement'

West Asia war: Iran ties truce to Lebanon; Israel says strikes to continue

A two-week US-Iran ceasefire begins with talks set in Islamabad on Saturday, but the situation remains tense as Israel says its military operations in Lebanon will continue

Not end of war, enriched uranium to leave Iran by deal or force: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said the two-week ceasefire in the fight against Iran was "not the end of the war" but a "stop on the way", as he vowed to achieve all war objectives, including the issue of Tehran's enriched uranium. The US and Iran earlier agreed on a conditional two-week ceasefire that included the opening of the Strait of Hormuz for shipping. "If we had not launched Operation Gideon's Sword and Operation Lion's Roar against Iran, it would have long ago had nuclear weapons and thousands of missiles to destroy Israel and threaten the existence of us all," Netanyahu said in a video statement to the press. "We have set the terror regime back years. The enriched material will leave Iran through agreement or through renewed combat. Israel and the US see eye to eye on this issue," Netanyahu said. Emphasising that Israel "is ready to return to fighting at any time", the Israeli prime minister warned that "the finger is on the trigger". Amid atta

Iran truce excludes Lebanon, strikes on Hezbollah to continue: Netanyahu

Netanyahu said a ceasefire with Iran does not apply to Hezbollah, indicating that Israeli military operations against the group would continue despite the truce

Israel backs ceasefire but deal excludes fighting in Lebanon: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel backed the US ceasefire with Iran but that the deal doesn't cover fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Netanyahu's office said in the statement Wednesday that Israel supported US President Donald Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the Strait of Hormuz and stopping all attacks on the US Israel and countries in the region. His office said Israel also supports US efforts to ensure Iran no longer poses a nuclear or missile threat.

West Asia war: Iran submits 10-point plan as Trump's Hormuz deadline nears

As President Donald Trump's deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz nears, Iran has submitted a 10-point proposal to end the war with the US and Israel. Here are the top updates at 10 am (IST)

Systematically crushing Iran, forging alliances in West Asia: Netanyahu

Lauding "enormous accomplishments" in the war against Iran, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday evening that the joint Israel-US campaign was "systematically crushing" the Islamic regime while removing existential threats to the Jewish state. Addressing the nation in Hebrew ahead of the Jewish festival of Pesach (Passover), Netanyahu stressed that "sooner or later" the Iranian regime will fall, while Israel creates "new alliances with important countries in the region" against the shared threat emanating from Tehran. The Israel prime minister did not mention any country but in the passing simply said he hopes that "soon, I will be able to tell you more about these vital alliances". "On the eve of this Festival of Freedom, Israel is stronger than ever. The entire world hears our lion's roar in our struggle against the evil regime in Iran, a struggle in which we have achieved immense, enormous accomplishments", Netanyahu said. The address came at a time when the nat

Ops in Iran beyond halfway point, focus now on uranium stockpile: Netanyahu

Netanyahu expressed confidence in the progress of the joint military campaign, emphasising that significant steps have been taken to dismantle Iran's military and nuclear capabilities

Israeli parliament approves death penalty for Palestinians in murder cases

Israel's Parliament on Monday passed a law approving the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis. The bill's passage marked a major victory for Israel's far-right, which has pushed hard for the measure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the chamber to vote yes in person. The law makes the death penalty - by hanging - the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted for nationalistic killings. The law also gives Israeli courts the authority to impose either the death penalty or life imprisonment on its own citizens. It is not retro-active and will apply only to future cases. The measure has been harshly condemned by Israeli and Palestinian rights groups, who say it is racist, draconian and unlikely to deter attacks by Palestinian attackers. It is expected to face legal challenge in Israel's Supreme Court.