Israel

Trump admin to send powerful bombs to Israel in $2.8 billion weapons sale

The Trump administration is planning to deliver powerful 2,000-pound bombs to Israel as part of an upcoming arms deal, weapons that prompted such concerns about the possibility of mass casualties in Gaza that the Biden administration paused their delivery two years ago. The USD 2.8 billion package includes 40,000 of the bombs, made up of 20,000 Mk84s and 20,000 BLU-117s, according to two US officials and a person familiar with the plan who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the package, which is not yet final. Congress has been informally notified about the pending deal, most of which is to be paid for with foreign military financing - in which US taxpayer dollars are given to Israel to turn around and buy the weapons from the United States. The proposed sale is just the latest in a series of Trump administration steps to improve Israeli's military capacity. The conflict in Gaza has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and has decimated the enclave. The US ...

UK sanctions 'illegal' Israeli settlements in West Bank, bans imports

The UK on Tuesday announced sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, banning the import of goods from the occupied Palestinian territories which it declared as "illegal". UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband was joined by Prime Minister Andy Burnham in the House of Commons as he delivered a statement to condemn the "ethnic cleansing of Palestinians" in West Bank settlements. While highlighting his own "proud British Jew" heritage, Miliband announced a "new comprehensive sanctions regime with appropriate religious exemptions". "The government believes the unlawfulness of the occupation should be reflected in the economic relationships we choose to have with the occupied territories," Miliband told MPs. "So I can announce today that we will introduce an import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories," he said. Miliband said action would be taken against specific companies and individuals providing construction, infrastructure, financing or real estate

Netanyahu condemns rioters after weeks of West Bank settler violence

Israel's prime minister has spoken out after weeks of settler violence in the occupied West Bank and condemned the actions of a "handful of rioters." Israeli strikes and fire have killed three Palestinians in Gaza. And Iran's leadership now centres on military generals and clerics who are long entrenched in the ruling theocracy. Here's a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here. Netanyahu condemnation follows unrest in West Bank town ------------------------------------------------------------------ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned criminal acts by a "handful of rioters" in the occupied West Bank that he said do injustice to the "law-abiding settler public." His statement follows over two weeks of unrest in the town of Qusra, where settlers have surrounded several homes including one owned by a Palestinian American. In an unusually sharp statement, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee referred to the sett

PM Takaichi says Japan will 'protect' ICC from US push to dismantle

The sanctioning of Akane and a senior trial lawyer by the US marks the latest escalation of attacks on the court by Washington, which says the ICC has unfairly targeted the US and Israel

The big BIT reset: Why India is rethinking its investment treaty model

Recent treaties with the UAE and Israel point to shorter arbitration timelines and broader investment protection, even as India retains regulatory safeguards in sensitive areas

Syria foreign minister sees Israel security talks resuming despite no trust

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani says talks frozen since the Iran war could restart soon, with a proposed deal covering security zones and an Israeli withdrawal

Israeli settler siege of Palestinian homes shows grave reality of West Bank

Loui Ridi travelled from Ohio to Qusra to protect his family home, where residents say Israeli settlers have cut off water, electricity and access amid escalating West Bank violence

Best of BS Opinion: Asim Munir, power, and paranoia

Today's opinions examine the Saudi-Turkiye-Pakistan defence pact, leadership challenges at the Tata group, Asim Munir's growing powers and the political potency of negative branding

Best of BS Opinion: RBI rate hike only a matter of time as inflation looms

Today's opinion pieces examine the RBI's policy outlook, weaknesses in public examinations, state capacity, India's infrastructure financing gap and Omer Bartov's critique of Israel

Israel strikes Syria air base to block possible Turkish troops deployment

Israel struck an air base in northwest Syria early Tuesday, saying it aimed to prevent Turkish troops from deploying there. Turkey, which has close ties with the Syrian government and has been providing assistance to Syria's military, has tense relations with Israel. The rival countries have sought to curb each other's influence in neighboring Syria. Eight strikes hit the runway of the Abu Duhur air base in the northwestern province of Idlib, causing damage but no casualties, state TV said. Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani told reporters in Damascus that Syria condemns the "Israeli aggression," adding that the strikes were "an unjustified provocation, a violation of Syria's sovereignty, and a direct threat to regional and global stability." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that Israel had attacked the base because Syria had been "on the verge of breaching" an agreed-upon "status quo in security matters" by allowing Turkish troops to ...

Jared Kushner meets Hamas chief on Gaza road map, to meet Netanyahu next

US negotiator and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya on Sunday in a fresh diplomatic push to advance the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Kushner will meet Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- who is under pressure after rejecting the new 15-point, US-backed Gaza road map -- on Monday. The talks aim to salvage the plan for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw from Palestine territory. At stake are lives of some two million people in Gaza and reconstruction of the crowded enclave now largely controlled by Israel forces, more than 10 months since the ceasefire ended major military operations. A meeting between Kushner, fellow envoy Steve Witkoff and Hamas leaders in Egypt last year helped clinch the ceasefire, whose progress until now had been stalled over the key issue of Hamas' disarmament. The more than two-hour meeting in Egypt with Hamas' Khalil al-Hayya was confirmed by a regional official and a Hamas official

Israel strikes Lebanon again, 11 dead; Iran still defiant on Hormuz control

Trump said a US blockade of Iranian ports was a "wall of steel" that enabled Washington to effectively govern Hormuz

Israel rejects Trump's 15-point plan for Gaza, says PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel rejects Trump's Gaza peace plan and says it will not withdraw until Hamas fully disarms, raising fresh uncertainty over the ceasefire

Israel's Netanyahu dials PM Modi, discusses developments in West Asia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday received a telephone call from his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and they exchanged views on the recent developments in West Asia. The two leaders also reviewed sustained progress in India-Israel Special Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the bilateral cooperation across various sectors for the mutual benefit of the two countries, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said. "PM Netanyahu and PM Modi exchanged views on the recent developments in West Asia. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch," the statement said. The conflict in West Asia is continuing for over five months now without any permanent solution. Iran on Thursday said it is in the final stage of drafting an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz waterway with Oman, while two Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon. The Strait is crucial to global shipping and energy supplies. Before the war, which began with U

Two Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon amid rising tensions despite truce

The Israeli military said Thursday that two of its soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon in the first Israeli deaths since the implementation of a shaky truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in June. Four other soldiers were wounded, the military said. The deaths had been reported by Israeli media a day earlier. The Israeli army launched strikes Wednesday in southern Lebanon in response to what it described as Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire and issued a call for residents of the village of Mansouri to flee - the first such warning Israel has issued in Lebanon for weeks. There was no immediate statement from Hezbollah. The escalation came as Lebanese and Israeli negotiators met in Rome to discuss implementation of a June 26 deal under which Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw from areas they occupy in southern Lebanon and allow the Lebanese army to take control, in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament. The latest ...

No Israeli withdrawal from Gaza until complete Hamas disarmament: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel will not withdraw from its current lines in Gaza until Hamas has completely disarmed and pushed back on a recent deal announced by US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu's remarks cast more doubt on the deal to disarm Hamas, which was seen as a potential breakthrough for ending the war. It also marked a rare public display of friction with the Trump administration. The agreement called for Hamas to begin disarming and for Israel to halt its strikes and begin withdrawing from the roughly 60 per cent of Gaza it currently controls. It was based on an October ceasefire agreement that ended major military operations and brought about the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza but has stalled on other fronts. Netanyahu, who faces a tough battle for reelection in October, reiterated his stance that disarmament should come first. He said Israeli forces would continue to "do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, our .

Board of Peace envoy meets Netanyahu to discuss Gaza disarmament deal

The Board of Peace official overseeing Gaza's postwar transition met Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement, in part to discuss a new disarmament deal the board reached with Hamas. Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza, held "constructive and detailed" talks with the prime minister and his team, the Board of Peace said in a statement. "The goal is clear and is not in question: the complete decommissioning of weapons in the Strip and the transition away from rule by the gun to civilian governance," it said. According to two people familiar with the meeting, Mladenov also pressed Netanyahu to halt Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip. Mladenov and his team, including senior adviser Aryeh Lightstone, are pressuring Israel to stop striking Gaza as they push ahead with the agreement to decommission the weapons held by Hamas. President Donald Trump announced the agreement, which is part of a broader ceasefire deal reached last year, late

Trump's Board of Peace reaches agreement to disarm Hamas: What's the deal?

According to Trump, the agreement will be implemented in carefully structured phases, with the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups taking place first

Board of Peace reached deal with Hamas for Gaza disarmament: Trump

In a post on Truth ‌Social, Trump cast it ​as a 'major milestone in the ​implementation of the Trump 20-Point Plan' to end ​Israel's war in Gaza