Page 132 - Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

US mulls plan to halt Iranian oil tankers at sea to disrupt exports

That would delay delivery of crude to refiners. It could also expose parties involved in facilitating the trade to reputational damage and sanctions, the sources said

Hamas rejects Trump's threat, insists on truce before freeing hostages

The Hamas militant group on Thursday brushed off President Donald Trump's latest threat and reiterated that it will only free the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Hamas accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to back out of the ceasefire agreement they reached in January. The agreement calls for negotiations over a second phase in which the hostages would be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said the best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages is through negotiations on that phase, which were supposed to begin in early February. Only limited preparatory talks have been held so far. On Wednesday, Trump issued what he said was a last warning to Hamas after meeting with eight former hostages. The White House, meanwhile, confirmed it had held unprecedented direct talks with the militant ...

Russia's senior missile experts flew to Iran amid clashes with Israel

The seven weapons experts were booked to travel from Moscow to Tehran aboard two flights on April 24 and September 17 last year

Rubio announces $4 bn military aid to Israel, reversing Biden's arms hold

The Trump Administration has pledged to continue using all available tools to support Israel's security, including countering security threats

Israel halts aid to Gaza, pressures Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal

Israel stopped the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip on Sunday and warned of additional consequences if Hamas doesn't accept a new proposal to extend a fragile ceasefire. Hamas accused Israel of trying to derail the existing ceasefire agreement and said its decision to cut off aid was cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant attack" on the truce, which took hold in January after more than a year of negotiations. Both sides stopped short of saying the ceasefire had ended. The first phase of the ceasefire, which included a surge in humanitarian assistance, expired on Saturday. The two sides have yet to negotiate the second phase, in which Hamas was to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout and a lasting ceasefire. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the decision to suspend aid was made in coordination with the Trump administration. There was no immediate comment from the United Stat

Israel ups offense in West Bank, says troops to stay for a yr in few areas

Israel's defence minister said Sunday troops would remain for the coming year in parts of the occupied West Bank where they have launched a weekslong offensive and would prevent tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians from returning, as Israel deepens its crackdown on the Palestinian territory. Israel launched a broad offensive on the northern West Bank on January 21 two days after the ceasefire that paused the war in Gaza took hold and then expanded it to include other nearby areas. Israel says it is determined to stamp out militancy amid a rise in attacks. Palestinians view such raids as part of an effort to cement Israeli control over the territory, where 3 million Palestinians live under military rule. The raids have been deadly, caused destruction to urban areas and displaced tens of thousands. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the military to prepare to remain in some of the West Bank's urban refugee camps, from where he said some 40,000 ...

Israel PM Netanyahu deploys army in West Bank after terror attack on buses

The bus blasts came just hours after Palestinian militant group Hamas returned four bodies purported to be hostages held in Gaza since its October 7, 2023 attack

Netanyahu taps Trump-linked adviser Ron Dermer to lead ceasefire talks

An Israeli official said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed a close confidant to lead negotiations for the second stage of the ceasefire with Hamas. The US-born Ron Dermer is a Cabinet minister who's widely seen as Netanyahu's closest adviser. He previously served as Israel's ambassador to the US and is a former Republican activist with strong ties to the Trump White House. Israel and Hamas have yet to negotiate a second and more difficult phase of the ceasefire, and the first ends in early March. Palestinians and Arab countries have universally rejected US President Donald Trump's proposal to remove the Palestinian population from Gaza and take over the territory. Since the war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, more than 50,000 people have died in Gaza and Lebanon and nearly 70 per cent of the buildings in Gaza have been devastated, according to health ministries in Gaza and Lebanon. Around 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the Octob

Israel's West Bank crackdown causes mass displacement unseen since 1967

By car and on foot, through muddy olive groves and snipers' sight lines, tens of thousands of Palestinians in recent weeks have fled Israeli military operations across the northern West Bank the largest displacement in the occupied territory since the 1967 Mideast war. After announcing a widespread crackdown against West Bank militants on January 21 just two days after its ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza Israeli forces descended on the restive city of Jenin, as they have dozens of times since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. But unlike past operations, Israeli forces then pushed deeper and more forcefully into several other nearby towns, including Tulkarem, Far'a and Nur Shams, scattering families and stirring bitter memories of the 1948 war over Israel's creation. During that war, 7,00,000 Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes in what is now Israel. That Nakba, or catastrophe, as Palestinians call it, gave rise to the crowded West Bank towns now under assau

Hamas to free 6 living hostages, hand over 4 bodies to speed Gaza releases

A top Hamas official says the militant group will free six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and return the bodies of four others on Thursday, a surprise acceleration in releases apparently in trade for Israel's allowing mobile homes and construction equipment into the devastated Gaza Strip. The six are the last living hostages set to be freed during the ceasefire's first phase in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The announcement by Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, in prerecorded remarks released on Tuesday, said the dead would include the "Bibas family" -- two young boys and their mother who for many Israelis have come to symbolise the plight of those taken captive. Israel has not confirmed their deaths, and the prime minister's office urged the public not to distribute "photos, names and rumours" after the announcement by Hamas. "In the past few hours, we have been in turmoil," surviving members of the Bibas family said in a statement released on Tuesd

Hamas to release 6 Israeli hostages on Saturday, 4 bodies on Thursday

A top Hamas leader says the militant group will release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four hostages on Thursday, including the remains of the Bibas family that has become symbols of Israeli suffering in the war. The fate of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, reflected the feeling of helplessness as dozens of hostages remain in Gaza after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. Israel has said it is extremely concerned about their condition but has not confirmed their deaths. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, in prerecorded remarks on Tuesday, did not elaborate beyond saying that the Bibas family would be included in the handover of four bodies. The six to be released on Saturday are the last living hostages to be freed under the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza. Three hostages had been expected to be freed on Saturday. It was not clear why Hamas changed the plan. The warring sides have yet to negotiate the second and more difficult phase, in whi

IDF to stay in 5 Lebanon locations after withdrawal deadline today: Israel

Israel's military says its forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon after Tuesday's deadline for their withdrawal under a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group, as Lebanon's government expressed frustration over another delay. A separate ceasefire in Gaza was also in doubt as the region marked 500 days of Israel's war with Hamas, while Israel and the United States sent conflicting signals over whether they want the truce to continue. Talks on the ceasefire's second phase are yet to start. Military spokesperson Lt Col Nadav Shoshani said the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel, where about 60,000 Israelis are still displaced. He said the temporary measure was approved by the US-led body monitoring the truce, which earlier was extended by three weeks. Under the agreement, Israeli forces should withdraw from a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to be patrolled by the Lebanese army and UN

US says Iran "behind everything that threatens peace" in West Asia

In a joint press briefing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rubio said that Iran is behind everything that threatens peace and stability in the region

US intelligence agencies warn about potential Israel strike on Iran

Iran and Israel have been engaged in a long-standing conflict that intensified following the war in Gaza. Israeli leaders believe that Iran is more vulnerable now, US intelligence findings revealed

Israeli military calls up reservists as Gaza ceasefire tensions rise

Trump meanwhile wants Saudi Arabia, which has vast influence in other Arab and Muslim countries, to normalise ties with Israel

Netanyahu backs Trump's plan to relocate Gazans, calls it a 'fresh idea'

Netanyahu has said that Palestinians relocated from Gaza must "renounce terrorism" before being permitted to return, framing it as a condition for long-term stability in the region

Trump suggests US control of Gaza, calls it a 'most spectacular' project

Trump proposes US control of Gaza as the 'most spectacular' project, while Israel drafts plans for Palestinian departures amid divided global reactions

Trump hails Netanyahu's golden pager gift: 'That was a great operation'

Israeli PM Netanyahu gifted President Trump a golden pager, referencing a deadly Israeli operation in Lebanon; Trump praised the move, calling it 'a great operation', during their White House meeting

Israel's Netanyahu heads to US to discuss 'victory over Hamas' with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will discuss "victory over Hamas, countering Iran and expanding diplomatic relations with Arab countries in his meeting with US President Donald Trump. Tuesday's meeting at the White House will be Trump's first with a foreign leader since returning to office. It comes as US and Arab mediators begin the daunting work of brokering the next phase of an agreement to wind down the war in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of militant-held hostages. Hamas, which has quickly reasserted its control over Gaza since the ceasefire took hold last month, has said it will not release the hostages slated to go free in the second phase without an end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces. Netanyahu, who is under mounting pressure from far-right governing partners to resume the war after the first phase ends in early March, has said Israel is still committed to victory over Hamas and the return of all the hostages captured in the

Hamas hands over three Israeli hostages to Red Cross in southern Gaza

Hamas handed two hostages over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday as part of its ceasefire deal with Israel. The militants released Yarden Bibas, 35, and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, 54, in a highly stage-managed and orderly handover to the Red Cross. Both had been abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war. Another hostage, American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65, was also set to be released Saturday and was expected to be handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City to the north. The truce, which began Jan. 19, is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Hamas militant group. The fragile deal has held for nearly two weeks, halting the fighting and allowing for increased aid to flow into the tiny coastal territory. A total of 33 Israeli hostages are expected to be freed in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners during the truce's initial six weeks. Israel says it